1 Timothy 6:1-2: Serving the Boss
2021-11-20
1 Timothy 6:1
The boss is worthy of respect. The first two verses of this chapter explain what this means and how it is done.
This terminology here is master and servant/slave. Today, we use boss/employer and employee. There may be a difference, but for this passage, the application for us is the same.
Every Christian servant, or employee, must “count their own masters worthy of all honour” (1 Timothy 6:1). The word honor is the same idea as with the widows indeed (1 Timothy 5:3) and and the elders that rule well. (1 Timothy 5:17). Remember, this is a financial term. Since when do employees pay their bosses? By their work. The employee honors his or her boss by the quality and quantity of work performed.
There are consequences if the employee does not honor the employer. The honoring is so “that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.” This would be the case of one who is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good. The phrase is false. The heavenly minded should be plenty earthly good! But the world does not see it that way. The lazy employee is seen as worthless, and the people of God are anything but worthless. This attitude reflects on Christ Himself. This is another cause for the world to blaspheme Christ and His church. The unsaved boss will see the faith with disdain.
1 Timothy 6:2
There could be cause for a believing employee to think that he can get away working less for a boss that is a fellow believer. If we were left with only verse 1, we could say: Well, the boss is a Christian, so He certainly is not going to blaspheme God. He is going to forgive me because that’s what Christians do! He is going to be easier on me than if I had a non-Christian boss.
On the contrary, 1 Timothy 6:2 tells the employee to increase the service, “because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit.” To “despise” them is to not “do them service.”
Ephesians 6:5-8 has additional details. The service should not be just to the employer, but also “as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:6) and “as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:7). The same will also be rewarded of the Lord (Ephesians 6:8). Colossians 3:22-25 have similar points about the Christian employee.
“These things teach and exhort.” The admonition to teach and exhort “these things” is not limited to the commands to the employees; it is for everything within the book so far, as we see in the next verse.