Live in Obedience

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV)In Ephesians 6:1-9, the Apostle Paul addresses the Christian ethics of children, fathers, slaves, and masters. Paul appeals to children to honor their parents because it is right. Fathers are not to frustrate their children but nurture them in the ways of Jesus. Slaves are to respect and obey their masters as though they are serving the Lord who gives rewards and judges what all people do on earth. And finally, masters are to mutually submit to slaves because both slave and master submit to Jesus who shows no favoritism.Paul moves beyond the golden rule in his appeal to Christian ethics in how we are to treat each other. Instead “treat others as you want to be treated.” We are to treat others as we would treat Jesus.