Duties of slaves and masters

We're in Ephesians 6, and we're going to finish up at the end of January, right? Yes, that's the plan. The new plan is we're kind of reading the schedule, so we'll finish up at the end of January with Ephesians, and we'll start with Colossians in February. Well, that's probably good because Colossians is a shorter book, right? Do you think Colossians will take the entire year then?

No, I haven't done the math yet. Alright, so we're in Ephesians 6 starting with verse 5 tonight, or I guess it's the morning isn't it? As they say, it's 5 o'clock somewhere isn't it? We don't need to go there either. We'll talk after class. Now, hey buddy, how are you doing? Ralph, we've got room. Standing room only. We've never had this before. Are we down to two classes now? Okay, now that explains why. Alright, so let's begin at the top of Ephesians 6 and read down through the verses we're going to cover today.

Children, obey your parents and the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So here's our verses for today, servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in singleness of your hearts as unto Christ Not with thy service as men pleases, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will, doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing that any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is the respect of persons with him.

Alright, let's begin. Verse 5, bond servants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and sincerity of heart as to Christ. How should we interpret bond servants and masters according to the flesh? Tom. People you work for. OK, talking about the masters now. What about bond servants? Who are these people? The employees.

OK, you're putting this into a global or real world scenario. Is that what you're going to do? We're going to see that that's probably not true here. OK, let's pursue. Dolos is a slave. And the Greek, it's a literal figure of involuntary or voluntary servanthood that these people were performing. I mean, we're not going to talk about slavery today. We're going to come back to it a little bit later, a little bit, but not much. But this could be voluntary, too. It doesn't have to be involuntary.

We think of a slave as someone who's forced to be dependent on his or her master. But that's not necessarily the interpretation. It may be best interpreted that way here. Therefore, in a qualified sense, it's someone who's in subjection or subservient to another person, presumably the master. So, often translated bond-servant, which tends to be someone who's really of a lesser class or less capable.

Indentured. It's an indentured person. Bond-servant. Right? But what's interesting is that the Lord talks about us as being bond-servants to Him. So, you know, it's interesting. There's a whole analogy. But it's willing. OK, this is what Wiest says about this.

There were Christian slaves working for the most part for the pagan masters. OK, we're going to come back to that because the masters here are probably not pagan. All right. And Vincent says, in this appeal, Paul was addressing a numerous class in many of the cities of Asia Minor, slaves, outnumbered free men.

So that's kind of the interpretation by Wiest. And then he quotes Vincent on the same topic. Hence the considerable place given in the New Testament to this relation and the application of Christian principles. And I've got a number of verses cited here, which I converted to black, but for some reason they're not showing up in black. And it's quoted throughout the New Testament in terms of these people, in terms of their roles under serving Christian principles of the time. So anyway, we're not going to look at those now, but there's a number of verses. You'll have them on your handout, hopefully black there and not blue. I just lifted that from the blue bubble.

So, don't you assume the masters according to the flesh were unsaved? He's writing to believers here, so it makes you think they're unsaved. I think so, because we see that verse 9 addresses the masters specifically, right? So why would Paul be writing to the unsaved masters? He probably isn't.

But for the believer, the message for the believer who's the servant, if you will, is identical to whether you're serving a saved master or an unsaved master. I don't think it really makes a lot of difference in terms of the application. that we're looking at here. But he's addressing the masters in the worldly atmosphere versus we are all equal before the Lord. What's your point?

I'm not sure I understand. Well, you're talking about masters according to the flesh. Well, according to the flesh. In what flesh are we talking about? Worldly, I would think. Because they're only masters in a worldly manner. So you're saying that according to the flesh, your message is according to the flesh. I think that means in the world system. I don't think the masters are unsaved.

I don't think that's what that means, right? We're on the same page. What's obedience mean here? The definition of obedience is always good. Fear and trauma, are you kidding me? So let's go ahead. Macaulay refers to the deep desire to be a good servant. There's nothing wrong with anxiety to do a job well. Isn't that what we all try to do in our real workplace? We try to do a good job. No matter who we're working for, if you are in a job situation, you want to do a good job. Or you should want to do a good job.

And where the glory goes to the Lord, right? I mean, we don't take credit for that, but we're not robots. I mean, we have a responsibility in the world system to do. So obedience is, I think, the obedience is to the faith, and that's what we're going to get to. So what kind of obedience is this? And I think, in a sense, it's sincerity of the heart that's in the burst. And to whom?

I think this resembles how a husband's called to love his wife as to the Lord, Ephesians 5.22. I mean, this kind of obedience is obedience really to the faith, is what it is, right?

Well, Bob, I think the definition is kind of cool for this word. The literal definition of obedience is to listen under. I've always found that very helpful because it takes away the... it says, I mean, to be an obedient person, I have to be a good listener. And that's a little bit different view of obedience. Okay, one, two, three, four, left, right, left, right. It's more the idea that we're to be. good hearers and listening to what Scripture says, what the Lord says. So that's the flavor of obedience I take away from here.

In other places it talks about relationships among Christians. So I think that's an important part of this. What kind of interpreters remember our citizenship? I mean, ultimately how we respond relates to who we are as children of the Lord. I mean, it's really a responsibility we have by faith to be obedient to the faith, which we're called.

So how are we as believers living this out today, and can the world see a difference? I mean, personalize that, but also somebody speak up. Are we doing a good job here? We live as Christians with an obedience that's held from faith. It's what we believe that we can obey. I think there's this balance between are we doormats and being walked over in terms of this kind of listening and or ultimately are we responsible to the task.

Does that mean that we don't question our masters when he or she says something in terms of our, I think mostly the workplace, right? I mean this seems like this is where this applies. Think out loud with me. Are there times in which we might question what our master is asking us to do. Sure, but don't you think it's how we approach that. Do we just react or do we actually, you know, it's a thoughtful process that we bring to our superior person. Let me give you a perfect example here that came up just a couple of days ago.

I'm on the board of directors of the American Diabetes Association. We have a new CEO who has a distinguished history in a profit-based world. The American Diabetes Association is a non-profit company and it depends on volunteers and the public to donate to serve the needs of the American Diabetes Association.

There was an issue that came up between the Research Policy Committee, which is a committee that oversees the donations and how they're directed towards research activities. Thanks very much, Randy. So what came up was the fact that The number of grants to be funded in the next year appears to be diminishing based on the percentage of the income that relates to research being devoted to research.

The board meeting was a week ago and at the board we were told how the finances are looking and not looking very good right now and that ultimately the research budget was going to be hit by that. By the way, there's a woman who claims to be saved and I've communicated with her that she's brand new. So she told the board in great detail about the finances and where we're at as an organization. And then there was a teleconference with the Research Policy Committee on Thursday and she basically told the Research Policy Committee based on the one-pager they'd given her in terms of the concerns about research funding in relation to diabetes and the concerns of that committee.

And by the way, I'm on that committee too. She basically just talked down to him and really talked in a very condescending and unrespectful way. So here's a believer, I mean she and I have talked about this several times, but here's a believer that in my interpretation there were many people who were offended by this. So this is just an example, I'm not picking on her for any particular reason, it's simply an evidence that In a sense, the unbelieving world really was put on the defensive here, where in fact my opinion is that she was inappropriate and didn't understand her audience very well. So we're going to be meeting with her, I'm going to be talking with her. She's just, I think, in a new space, etc. But here's an example, and I'm just picking on this because it's very recent and very evident that the unbelieving world perceiving her behavior really was taken back by this. So, we have responsibilities, I think. Now, she's playing the role of the master now because she's the CEO of the American Diabetes Association.

We all fall short in this area. I'm not, in fact, bringing her up, but it's a very recent example of my concerns Of course, the committee doesn't know she's a saved woman, so they're not making any conclusions about the activity of Belieber, but I perceive that this was really something that was out of line and not appropriate for the circumstances. Now, I think she just needs to learn her new job description. She's very capable, but this is an example of ultimately the consequences probably not going to be very favorable. There's a lot of work to be done going forward.

So we make mistakes in the world we're living in, in terms of being subservient to whomever we're working for or responding to in terms of our earthly responsibilities. And the world needs to see a difference here. I think there's this kind of principle of reactivity versus responsivity. I think reactivity is something that we tend to do impulsively. and ultimately there can be mistakes made under those circumstances, whereas responsiveness is stepping back, let the Lord work through us with a little bit of time, making thoughtful consideration of how we might respond to a master who is in fact inappropriately putting us in a position that is testing our faith.

Any other thoughts about something like this? And I'm praying for Tracy. I'm hoping that we can remedy kind of her sense of who she's directing now, and not directing a for-profit world, but a volunteer-based world in the public. But I don't mean to pick on her. It's just an example that I think lifting her up and seeing her grow through grace is going to be important in terms of the perception of the world system around her. Any other thoughts about this? All right. A verse.

For he who is called in the Lord While a slave is the Lord's freed man. Keep in mind, it relates to citizenship that I mentioned above. Likewise, he who is called while free is Christ's slave. So, either way, our position is unquestionable and unchanging. Alright, verse 6. Not with my service as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Consider this for a moment, not with eye service as men-pleasers. What comes to mind there? You're busy while the master's around. When he's gone, you can move on. When the cat's away, the mice will play. Why was that for the back? When the cat's away, the mice will play. Okay. Okay, the term here, eye service, it's an opthalmologist eye. You're a senior ophthalmologist recently, right?

Notice that duly is here again, this kind of servant of word is included in this term and indicates a performance that begs that kind of attention of the master. This is where we're doing something to please somebody for our own credit, isn't it? I think that's really what the verse implies, that this is bringing attention to ourselves and that's the reason we're doing something to ultimately get praise or adulation for the way we're responding. When is this, when this is the motive, what's the source?

Yep. It can't be anything other than that, right? Yeah, and that's a good thought to bring up. The email is a reactive space. It's a place where, in fact, when put on the defensive, the ability to respond promptly is something you might regret later. So, again, being responsive and not reactionary to things that were put in a position to try to defend the old man, if you will.

Remember, he hath made him who knew no sin. to be made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. We're positioned without sin. Now the condition is by faith having that life lived out. So that's not something that's by eye service getting adulation for who we are and what we've done. Sometimes that's hard because we still have a flesh. We still have a sin nature that tends to want to bring glory to ourselves. We have to pause there and realize that that's not what we're about. But as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

So is the source law here? No. Well, what Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount was, agree with your adversary quickly. While you're on the way with him, lest, lest, notice the term lest, forgive the new King James. Your adversary deliver you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and you be thrown into prison.

Now what's that appealing to? Right. Is this the new nature that that's appealing to? No. No, it's grace. And kind of a favorite verse for me is for me to live as Christ and die as game. So the Christ life in fact doesn't look at this verse in terms of what a law is or a commandment is for us to behave in a certain way. It's really The life is Christ and this life in Christ is not a choice, it's a life. When we choose right from wrong, I'm not saying that's necessarily not of the Spirit, it's simply that we're considering the consequences. But the life shows up and in fact the choice is not really there for us because that life has a way of responding in a way that ultimately is not bringing glory to ourself but to the Lord. And the only way you can do that is focus on the Lord. So you have a relationship with Him.

So you know who you are. Well, it begins with position, doesn't it? You have to know who you are. Then it just flows because that's who you are. A saying goes something like this, once you know who you are, then what you do is in evidence of who you are. Let me say that again. Knowing who you are, means that what you do is an evidence of who you are. So I think when we fall short of that, we're reminded that that's not who you are in Christ. You're not really demonstrating the kind of behavior as a bond servant that's so called here. that you're called to based on your citizenship.

We have a new nature that is the life of Christ. It is his nature. And as such, the will of God in our heart would be acting out of the nature of Christ himself that is ours. So our will is his will. It's just a natural thing. You know, Roy, I think that's nice that you've complimented that thought.

I think when you're walking by grace and truth in that new life that we all have, you don't pay much attention to it, do you? It's a life lived by faith of our position and how our condition is constantly being molded by that trust. and faith in who we are in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's a good definition of bondservant of Christ, isn't it? Any other points on verse 6 before we go? Could you go back to bondservant? Is that different from a servant? You say that's, as Margaret said, indentured? Like a person came and indentured himself? What's the bondservant? Well, the bondservant is someone who's been put into subservience to someone else.

Yeah, it could be voluntary or involuntary. It doesn't necessarily indicate which. But that's a lifetime deal then? Well, in a sense, bondservance of Christ is a lifetime deal. Yeah, Randy? So there's a whole study of this, and I don't think it's all clear.

But there are people who were due to debt sold themselves into slavery. There are people who were captured and taken as slaves. And there are people in the case of a bond servant traditionally in the Roman culture was someone who was a slave who then offered themselves up in service for a lifetime. Usually there was a process you would do, you would actually get your ear pierced. But you would get your ear pierced against the door post of the home you were serving. That was a sign you had voluntarily offered yourself up as a bond. You bonded yourself as a servant to your master.

So that's the context. I think in times gone by, or even in slavery in the more modern age ultimately, there were relationships that were quite favorable. and some that were less favorable. It was actually a good deal for some people. Times are hard. If you had a wealthy master and he was a kind master and a righteous master, it might be a pretty good deal. Macaulay says here, the earthly employer of the believer is only the agent through which the Lord himself is served. So I think Macaulay hits the nail on the head there. Thanks Randy.

Let's go ahead with seven, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men. So in a sense that's a life, it's not a choice. If it were by choice we wouldn't need the cross, would we? We'd just be doing good things because it pleases men, it pleases ourselves.

Good will or kindness, doing service. Doolio shows up again here. Doolio is a term that's been used in three different contexts in different kind of settings here in this particular section of Ephesians 6. It's not easy at times, is it? With good will, doing service to the Lord and not to men.

I mean, we have a life to live here, and as has been mentioned, we have a responsibility to our workplace. Now what happened here? Now there we are. But remember, the fruit of the Spirit is love. I've put in bold those things that relate to this kindness or doing service in the way that's being called to here in this section.

Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are all aspects of the Spirit that I think relates to this behavior of, in verse 7, of responding in a way that we're called to. And that's doing service as to the Lord and not to men. It's the fruit of the Spirit where you have a new life but it needs to be led by the Spirit. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men.

So Colossians has a similar theme. And there's a lot of similarities between Colossians and Ephesians and this is just one of many examples that we're going to be getting more into that. Okay, verse 8. Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he's a slave or free. That's kind of an interesting verse here. Knowing You know, what's that term for knowing? There's three. Beato, there's gnosis and epignosis. What's this word? How's this interpreted?

It's a fact. I mean, this term is used for something that's definitive and evident before us. So we know that whatever good, that means you're confident in this. This is a fact that anything, whatsoever we do, he will receive the same from the Lord. So that's kind of interesting. This is a fact.

Do good things, be led by the Spirit, ultimately there will be something to receive from the Lord. How is this good that any one of us does receive from the Lord, how is that manifested? I have a question. Does that relate at all to rewards that we will receive for doing the things that the Lord has put before us? Are you looking ahead in your handout?

Yes. That's what I would relate that to, that it has to do with what the Lord has said. So you're looking at these as heavenly rewards then? That's what I'm looking at. Or are these rewards being given during our earthly existence? Well, so that's the question for the class. How is this good that anyone does? How's that manifesting? Tom?

As we respond to the Lord's equipping us moment by moment, we get further inveterate with this down the road. So it's for this time, you think? Not eternally. I mean, now's eternally in a way, right? Fleshly life can be glorified in the eternity So the question is, is this now and or a reward when we're physically with Him in our spiritualized bodies, in our new bodies? Or both. Or both. That's why I have and or.

Well, you know, 2 Peter 3.18, this is kind of one verse of many we could choose, but grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. And that relates to our role as bondservants, doesn't it? So it's in fact when we're spirit led and we live this earthly life empowered by the spirit, we get benefit now because we're uplifted and that life is sustained in us. I mean that faith is returned because God has proven himself capable of changing our existence from the old man to the new.

But then 1 John 2.28, And now, little children, abide in him, that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. It kind of relates a little bit to this verse. Hal's teaching here was unbelievably incredible.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done. whether good or bad. How do people interpret this in relationship to what we do now in terms of this, you know, not bringing, you know, glory to anyone but the Lord rather than to ourselves. What are your thoughts here? Well here on earth we look at establishing something called the peccary order. There is our heavenly position, we are all equal. And it's like you're talking about rewards. My understanding of our rewards would be His crowns laid before Him.

So we surrender them right back to the Giver. What do you do when we're going to receive the things done in the body, either good or bad? What's going to happen to those bad things? Let's say we're walking in the flesh and we're providing eye service so the flesh is glorified and not the Lord Jesus Christ. We're burned up. We're going to be punished for that.

So I think one of my thoughts on whether it's earthly or heavenly is that Paul has put a good emphasis throughout his letters to the Corinthians about heavenly rewards. And as you quoted there from chapter 5 or chapter 3, 1 Corinthians 3, if it's earthly, then that's where people start getting into all kinds of works-based measurement, or name it, claim it stuff, and that's where I get concern, just go really careful when we look at what does this mean that we're going to get back. Because this is where the name it and claim it folks go and they go, oh, if you do these good things, God's going to bless you back and you're going to be able to have that Rolls Royce you've always been playing. Yeah, first wish for one last night, actually. Oh, that's right. It was me, wasn't it? That's right, won the Rolls Royce. But Randy, just to build on that, don't you think when you're living by grace and you're lifted up and the faith is really what's driving our behavior, there's kind of a recapitulation of that going forward, don't you? Should we say spiritual inertia?

And I think that's valuable, but I just want to make sure that when we look at what we're receiving back, that it's not earthly blessing. If I do this, because we look for that equation, cause and effect, if I do this, I will get that. That's not what I think this verse is saying. I'm not saying you're saying that, I'm just saying we want to be careful as believers that we don't go, oh, if I do righteous enough works, I will get the new thing I want. Well, that's law, right? That's entirely law, it's not grace.

If you take a look at, you put that Mercedes and Nissan and what we have in Christ, how do they compare? Well, this is heavier over here. But don't you think what the reward is for us is a closer relationship with the Lord? That's my point, Margaret. That's what I'm driving at. That's the reward we get here. It's not things or this event that's going to happen or whatever. No, it's a relationship that we have with the Lord that becomes closer and we become more dependent and we're able to rest more because we're trusting. I mean that's the reward.

Margaret, I think, has given us a growing in grace and biblical perspective. These rewards are building on grace upon grace, all by the work of the Holy Spirit showing us Christ. We believe it. We grow into the image of Christ. And that's what this reward is, is that when we're walking in a willing relationship, He rewards us with a deeper love of the Lord.

Not just get them to see, but grow within His blessings. Well, how many people in the class are working for heavenly rewards? I mean, when we show up there, the Lord's going to be perfectly just in whatever these rewards look like there. And if we're working for them, I've got to suggest that it could be legal reasons why we're working for them, right?

In Ephesians we've kind of covered all the way back to chapter 2. Way back there. In verse 10 it talks about good works and it says the good works he's already prepared in advance. So it's really kind of an incredible thing. He prepares the good works in advance. We by faith enter into the good works and that he rewards us for that. It's a mind boggling thing. It is.

Wait a minute. Where am I in this equation? You're only in the equation as far as... You're the vehicle. And you're trusting him. You're a sinner saved by grace is what you are. And that process is continual. I suggest that this reward application is mostly here during our current existence but could be eternally too. The verse is in clear as to exactly how the Lord is going to deliver this in our lives. So you can apply that in any way you think is best. But I suggest if we're working for rewards, we're probably not doing it with the right motive, right? Whatever. Either way we win, whether it's here and or there, right?

So we got a double victory here. If it's here, we're growing by grace and that life in Christ is becoming increasingly evident, not to ourselves, but to the world around us, to the body, and maybe to the unsaved world too. But if it's in heavenly places, it's all entirely up to Him. It's not up to us.

Notice, this is applied to whether you're a slave or free. What's meant by free here? By the way, the Greek term is akakistos, which means everyone, not he or it could be he, she, whomever. It's simply not a slave. So what's meant by free here? It's simply not a slave. Is that what it means, simply not a slave? I mean, being free? I think it's free of your transgressions in the past, your fallen state. That's free indeed.

Okay, so you're not contrasting it with slave then? Slave or free? I mean in the verse it seems like slave is one type of individual and free is another. So you think the freedom really relates to our spiritual position? I think so. I think slave is more of a physical condition and free is mental and spiritual. Well, let's see what 1 Corinthians 12, 13 says. By one spirit we're all baptized into one body, whether Jew or Greek, whether slave or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit. So I think it's broadly applicable to both conditions. And if you're free, you're not a slave. And if you're a slave, you're not free. So I think it's the fact that the believer's relationship to the Lord doesn't make any difference whether you're a slave or free.

Don't you think Paul is kind of using a double meaning here almost? Because in context, he is talking to free men and slaves, physically. of the time. But on the other hand, he's also talking about slaves to Christ, that we're a bond-servant to Christ. So I think he's going back and forth. I mean, I think in this particular verse, I think he's, of the Corinthians verse, he's actually talking about slave or free, because he mentions Jew or Greek. So I think in that context of the time, he is talking about a free man who is not a slave. I don't think it can be interpreted in any of those ways. Any other thoughts here?

I think the relationship between the believer and the Lord is identical as to whether you are a bondservant or free. It's all a matter of position. Yeah, position is unchanged for all of us, right? Position at the right hand. Let's turn to the Master, verse 9. And you masters do the same things to them. Same things. Interesting. What do other versions have here? Same things? It has the same thing, right? Giving up, threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven. There's no partiality with him.

How do you interpret, do the same things to them? What things are we talking about here? Okay, the same kind of challenge is put forth before the bond servant, the slave or the free. Are the slave masters Christians here? We kind of dealt with that a little earlier. What do you think? Yeah, I mean is God's truth and his word being directed to unbelievers? I don't think so.

Right, I mean our role as a bond servant, or of course free, we still have masters on this earth, right? If we have jobs, we have masters in our job place. Masters, like I pointed out earlier, in voluntary organizations. People that we respond to are in a leadership role. But here, we're directing this first specifically to believers who are masters.

And that's true of some of us. We know that the gospel to many of the Roman soldiers who were centurions who probably had slaves at home. And it went even into the palace of the rulers of the time. And them and their staff probably had slaves at home. So they would have been, if they became Christians, would have been masters here that it would be addressed.

Okay. Good. That's a good point. Good. I can't help but think about in the early days of our country, England took men and enslaved them, so to speak, on ships and made them follow the captain's orders on these ships. They went into bars and places and just grabbed a guy and took him and put him on a ship, which would make them If they were believers reading the scriptures, look at this a little differently maybe. Wow, okay Lord, here I am. It gets back to how much freedom does that individual then have to question his or her master. That has to be spirit-led, I think. Just a related example of that, back to the ADA for a second.

We were asked to sign a document to go to Trump to indicate that fetal tissue obtained through abortions could continue to be used for research that relates to diabetes. I refused to agree to that. That's an example of me responding based on spiritual direction to I'm not willing to sign on to something that would further abortion. It's interesting because the chairman of the Research Policy Committee had a similar perspective to that.

I was really surprised. That's just an example. As bond servants, in a sense, responding to our masters in whatever context, we have a spirit-led position. to take on issues such as that, that I think is important to realize. So the bondservant is generally responsive to his or her master, bringing glory to the Lord, but at times when we're asked to go too far, that is against our spiritual convictions, then I think we have an opportunity.

I didn't speak up so much, I just refused to vote, because this is the world system. A hundred million dollars a year is put into fetal research that relates to human abortion. Now keep in mind, stem cell research that's obtained from adults where you do a skin biopsy and you differentiate the cells into a cell that has the capability to differentiate is a whole different ballgame. So stem cell research itself is not wrong, but the source of the material is, in my spiritual sense wrong if it's a woman who's having an abortion and that's the source of the tissue.

Anyway, that's just an example of the bond servant, me, being put in a position of making a spiritual decision. compensated for that? Is it that bad that they would do that for money? Well, you know, these women are agreeing to an abortion, so-called therapeutic abortion. Therapeutic for what? I mean, but anyway, they're agreeing to an abortion. And then I would think they're signing a consent form that their, quote, fetus, we call it a child, that baby's tissue would be made available.

And keep in mind, the younger the embryo, the more capability you have of differentiating cells into whatever cell type you want. So in diabetes, the disease is a cell that doesn't make enough insulin. So if you can take a stem cell that's undifferentiated, it could go to a muscle cell, it could be a heart cell, it could be a liver cell. And you can use a certain cocktail on the dish to make it be a beta cell that makes insulin.

I mean, that has potential therapeutic value, obviously. In the science of today, 20 years from now, this may be just 1, 2, 3. But this is an evolving technology. And there's no question that cells obtained from an unborn child would be much more capable of differentiating than something obtained from a skin biopsy from a 60-year-old man or woman. So the science is there.

But the issue in terms of the response me to a policy that the organization stands for is one that I just have been giving an example of a Decision made that is spiritually led that goes against my master if you will in this particular setting It's just just a case in point, right?

Here we haven't left it yet Despite the rabbit trap. There's a word that comes to mind, it's called respect. Masters respect those that are under you. Because you have a master also. So the implication is that we're talking strictly to believers here. All right. God has, just to continue the theme to whom is this addressed, God has no instructions for unsaved masters. Just the conscience.

And you know we live in a world system where the omnipresence of God I think does operate within systems of employment. I mean people want to do things right. We have law after law after law to make people do things right. So that's the omnipresence of God and the government system he created in Genesis 6. I think that's the chapter where that all got created.

But nevertheless, keep in mind that the master who is unsaved, there are no instructions other than the conscience he or she has in their current environment. So is the call for us servants to be the same here? If we are servants to a master who is unsaved, does that relate to our behavior in any different way? than what we've been called to already? No, it doesn't. Margaret's shaking her head. No. I mean, as bondservants to Christ, our responses are the same to an unsaved master versus one who's saved.

We treat them with the same Christian principles and consideration that the slaves showed to the masters. So, an opinion of someone else which is consistent with, I think, with what the verse is informing us about here. Earthly position has no merit in heaven.

So, anyways. So what about slavery? I'm reading, I only read books on the plane when I'm getting tired of doing other things. I'm reading a book called George Washington, which is probably the most descriptive history of American history I've ever read. I'm a slow reader, it's taken me about a year to get 80% done with a book that's a thousand pages.

Slavery was an issue off and on during the revolution and ultimately subsequent to that. The author provides this context of slavery to some extent was a favorable existence for many of the slaves and under other circumstances was not. And I think that, you know, we're not going to pass judgment on slavery here whether it's right or wrong, but in general we think it wrong in terms of making people involuntarily subservient to a master.

But clearly this was commonplace at biblical times. Still commonplace. Around the world, slavery is common. That's right. Okay, we have a historian with us now. One thing from God's perspective is that slavery was allowed in Israel, but it also was demanded that they be freed on the year of Jubilee. That's right.

The people that were put into slavery did so voluntarily because they couldn't afford to live. So they blinded themselves to slavery. What about giving up threatening? forebearing, giving up, threatening, send back, loosen, omit, leave this behind is kind of what you're asked to do. This is a present act of imperative, that means do it. There's not a choice here.

The master is not to be threatening his or her employees. This is simply scriptural for the believing master. Calvin, every expression of disdain arising from the pride of masters is the way he compliments on this. I rarely quote Calvin, but this seems like a good one here. Knowing that your own master also is in heaven.

Okay, so that's positional truth again, right? Knowing, again, all of us know factually that our position is in heavenly places. Think about how many believers don't know this, that their position is at the right hand of God. And so their behavior reflects this ability of either paying God back or living up to some legal system. And here at Holly Hills, we aspire this truth. Knowing that our Master is in heaven, it's fact.

And it's in the same position as that for the servants. So positional truth doesn't really differ for the two of us. And there's no partiality with him, that's scriptural off and on again throughout scripture. Presumably slave versus free. There's no partiality with him in terms of slave or free. God's view of the believer is identical for both classes of citizens. And again, earthly position has no merit in heaven. There's just nothing about anything we do here that relates to our earthly existence that has any merit in heaven other than that that Spirit led and related to our position. So a number of verses here that kind of reflect on this no partiality with him that relate to Jew and Greek, man and woman, etc. etc. down the line.

Honey, I like what you say when you say at the cross, that's the great equalizer. That there's no color, there's no sex, there's no intelligence level, there's nothing. At the cross everyone is equal. I never quit hearing in an academic setting about diversity and men and women and black and white and Indian and Alaskan.

It's all fine from a world system and I think we want to give everyone just due and evaluate them each as an individual in terms of the job they're looking for. But there's only one place that the prejudice of this world system is cancelled and every man and woman is equal at the cross. This world system that peace and love and everything is ultimately going to be the existence of more education and more diversification is just so flawed in terms of biblical truth. That doesn't mean that we allow these prejudices to be evident in our behavior or perhaps even in our thought process. But again, the only equalizer is the cross for the world system and each and every one of us who is a believer. Any other closing thoughts? There is a woman who also is saved.

There wasn't an obvious vote. We just refused to acknowledge it with a vote. In other words, I abstained. So did the vote pass? I have no idea what happened. It was due in Washington on the 7th of December. That's two days ago, Friday. I have no idea what happened.

The Research Policy Committee was to endorse a position for the organization that this research would be furthered. And that was a letter that was demanded to be, I'm not sure if it was at the White House, but wherever it went, wherever it was going, was the 7th. I heard nothing. So it may well be that that never happened.

I don't know. Now keep in mind, research policy committee is just one committee among many for the organization as a whole. So what the organization did as a whole, I have no idea. But you know, these letters, there's one of 5,000 letters that come in like this, and how much credibility it has, who knows? Probably never read or never seriously considered. But anyway, I was just using that as a case in point where sometimes what our master or leader, if you will, says is something we need to step forward and disagree with. So that was just an example of that. It's kind of fascinating.

The letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Washington script have been written at the same time and sent at the same time. And Philippians is, I think, also sent at the same time. A little later, wasn't Philippians a little bit later? I mean, we don't need to pin that down now. So it doesn't matter if it's at the same time or not.

But Paul deals with the issue of slavery in Philippi because He's saying, free Onesimus, you're a believer, he says to Philemon, free Onesimus and let him be a servant to me and to the church. So this idea of liberty slaves all enforced it within, or attempted to enforce it within the church. To not only make this something that was theoretical but practical.

Okay, good. Good point. Thanks Randy. Randy, do you have a point? When we start understanding that we are a new creation, not a fixed up old creation, it sure makes this a whole lot easier to understand. It really does. We're totally different. We're heavenly beings. We're not like the old creation. It's hard to carry out this behavior living under a legal kind of cloud, right?

You've got to see position first, and then ultimately the life follows by faith. All right, Randy, close us in prayer, would you please? Father, we come before you and ask that you direct our steps this way and this way. Meditate on the role that we have as abiding believers in the lives of the families and the community around us. Pray for wisdom and guidance in the situations that have been mentioned today. And Lord, we do pray for liberty for those who are slaves and to be, that we may preach the gospel in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.