Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 3:22

"Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:" — Colossians 3:22 (ASV)

Slavery, with all its attendant evils, was not only universally accepted in ancient times but also considered a fundamental institution, indispensable to civilized society. More than half the people seen on the streets of the great cities of the Roman world were slaves. And this was the status of the majority of “professional” people, such as teachers and doctors as well as menials and craftsmen. Slaves were people with few rights, mere property existing only for the comfort, convenience, and pleasure of their owners. Paul deals with their duty in the context of the family because slaves were considered a part of the household.

It is a matter of concern to some that neither Paul nor the other apostles denounced slavery and demanded its immediate overthrow. The apostles, however, were not social reformers; they were first and foremost heralds of the good news of salvation in Christ. Then again, the church was a very small minority in the Roman world, and there was no hope that its stance on the matter of slavery would influence Roman policies. We should be careful to understand, though, that they did not condone slavery. Indeed, they announced the very principles (such as that of the complete spiritual equality of slaves and masters) that ultimately destroyed the institution of slavery.

The one duty Paul presses on slaves is complete obedience—i.e., “in everything.” He was obviously thinking of the Christian household and thus did not have in mind carrying out orders contrary to the principles of the Gospel. Christian slaves were not, of course, to obey such orders; no matter what their position in life, the Christians’ highest duty is to God, and all lesser duties must give way to this (cf. Acts 5:29). The latter part of the verse insists that obedience of slaves is to be sincere, ungrudging, and rooted in “reverence for the Lord.”