Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. 1 Timothy 6:1-2
Here again we see the Apostle Paul addressing the relationship between a bondservant and their master. I covered the commentary on Pauls teaching in Ephesians 6 on basically the same topic called Slaves and Masters. The original Greek word here is “Doulos” this word can be translated as slave but also translated a “bondservant” which is the way the NKJV translated it “Bondservants” Which I believe is the more accurate English translation of the word. This relationship between a bondservant and master is more like an employee and employer relationship of today. This is not the same type of slavery that is known by the Western culture, which by reading these scriptures of out of context brings you the incorrect interpretation.
The Apostle Paul , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is telling “bondservants” to treat your Master with honor. In this context a Master could be anyone in authority over you. It could be your boss at work, it could be your teacher at school, it could be your Pastor at Church. One of the values of a Christian is to live in obedience to authority and demonstrate respect.
As the Apostle Paul states here “So that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed” When you are obedient and respectful to authority, you are actually giving glory to God. Think about at work, there is a lazy employee who never listens to their boss, never shows up to work on time, never gets their job done, would this person be a good representation of Christ? Now I understand not all situations fit , however this is the basic principle. Now on the flipside, lets say you have a corrupted Master, you have a bad boss or teacher, does that mean you should join in when they dishonor God? No, the Bible says “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) While we strive to “live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18) We also don’t want to corrupt ourselves with wicked leaders.
Now this whole concept of being a bondservant is a Biblical principle, as Jesus tells us “If anyone wants to be my disciple, they must deny themselves , carry their cross, and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24) Jesus Christ made himself a bondservant to God the Father, and was obedient even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8) Amen
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