“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:22-24 NKJV). It is difficult to fully appreciate the Christians of the first century. I assume for most of us, we see their world with eyes informed by our world. Life for us is about freedom of choice, to come or go, to pursue or sit still, to live here or there, to be involved in this program or that at church or to be involved in none at all. Are we able to comprehend what it was like to be a slave and a Christian in the Roman world? Christians today are often judged to be faithful to God in Christ in very similar ways to being judged successful in business, sports or economically. Busyness in various church programs, not only loyal attendance but being out front in some form of service in worship or Bible class, and known conversions as the result of a Christian’s efforts are all good things. I appreciate, applaud and encourage all who can be so described. Yet, there is something about Paul’s words to the Christian slaves of Colossae that informs me about what it is to be a faithful Christian.
A slave’s life was not his own. His life belonged to his master. Imagine how limited his life choices were. The apostle encouraged Colossian Christians to seek things above (3:1), to put to death all that was worldly and sinful in their hearts and lives (3:5-11), and to clothe their lives with the qualities of heart and life that come from above, where Christ is (3:12-17). Paul urged them, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (3:17). The opportunities of Christian slaves were basically limited to doing what they were bound to do by their masters. The apostle Paul transformed those duties into service to Christ. Their faithfulness as Christians was in heartily doing the work their masters commanded them to do. Their faithfulness to Christ was giving their all to their work as slaves in loyalty to Christ and with the qualities of heart and life that come from Christ.
I certainly am not minimizing the importance of our fellowship with God’s people and our work together. What Paul’s words tell me is that being a faithful Christian is about the way we live our lives in every setting of life. Faithfulness, as we judge it in relation to church involvement, is truly faithfulness only if life is faithfully lived in service to Christ. A Christian whose life’s circumstance limits his or her opportunities for church involvement is a faithful Christian as he or she lives life within that circumstance in service to Christ, with the qualities of heart and life that come from Christ.
