Instructions for children, parents, slaves, and masters

Paul brings family life and household labor relationships under the authority of Christ. Children must obey and honor their parents, fathers must raise their children without provoking them, slaves must serve sincerely as serving Christ, and masters must give up threats because both slave and master answer to the same Lord in heaven.

This section continues Paul’s teaching on how Spirit-filled believers are to live in close relationships. Like the instructions to wives and husbands just before this, these commands belong to the larger pattern of life under the lordship of Christ.

Paul first addresses children directly: “obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” This is not merely a matter of family custom or parental preference. It is morally right before God. By speaking to children themselves, Paul treats them as responsible hearers before the Lord, not simply as passive members of the household.

He then quotes the fifth commandment: “Honor your father and mother.” This takes the command beyond outward compliance. Children are not only to do what their parents say, but to regard them with real respect in both attitude and conduct. Paul says this is “the first commandment with a promise,” meaning the first commandment in the Ten Commandments explicitly joined to a stated promise. That promise is: “that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth.” Paul applies this to the church as a genuine encouragement from God. Still, it should not be turned into a mechanical guarantee that every obedient child will live longer than every disobedient one. It is a general promise of divine blessing, not an absolute prediction in every individual case.

Next Paul turns to fathers. He says, “do not provoke your children to anger.” He addresses fathers in particular because the one holding authority is especially capable of misusing it. Paul forbids a pattern of parenting that stirs up bitterness, resentment, or discouragement in children. But he does not stop with a prohibition. He adds a positive command: “raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Christian parenting, then, is not merely about avoiding harshness. It includes active training, correction, and verbal guidance shaped by the Lord’s will. “Discipline” here means formative training, not only punishment. “Instruction” includes warning, counsel, and teaching. Paul is not rejecting authority or correction. He is requiring that parental authority be exercised in a way that forms children for the Lord rather than crushing them.

Paul then addresses slaves. In the first-century world, slavery was a real social institution, and Paul speaks into that existing setting. This passage should not be read as though Paul were declaring slavery to be an ideal or permanent social order. Rather, he regulates an existing institution while placing it firmly under Christ’s authority and judgment.

He tells slaves to obey their “human masters” with “fear and trembling” and with sincerity of heart, “as to Christ.” The phrase “human masters” matters. It reminds readers that earthly masters are not ultimate; they are only human and stand under a higher Lord. The expression “fear and trembling” does not mean terror before men as such. It refers to serious, careful, conscientious service. The obedience Paul requires is not merely external. It is to arise from a sincere and undivided heart.

Paul develops this further by rejecting “eye-service,” that is, work done only when someone is watching. He calls such workers “people-pleasers,” meaning those who mainly seek human approval. That kind of service is false because it is driven by appearance rather than genuine faithfulness. Instead, slaves are to work “as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” This is the controlling idea in the whole paragraph. Their labor, though carried out in an earthly setting, is ultimately to be offered to Christ.

Verse 7 continues the same point: they are to serve with wholehearted willingness, as serving the Lord and not merely men. Paul is not denying the earthly relationship. He is redefining its deepest meaning. Christ is the true audience of their work. That changes not only what they do, but why they do it.

Verse 8 gives the reason: the Lord will reward each person for whatever good he does, whether slave or free. This widens the principle beyond one social class. God’s judgment and reward are impartial. The Lord sees faithful obedience even when society does not value it. Ordinary labor done sincerely before Christ is not overlooked by Him.

Finally, Paul speaks to masters. His instruction is not one-sided. He says, “treat your slaves the same way,” meaning with the same kind of sincerity and awareness of Christ’s lordship that he has just required of slaves. Then he specifically commands them to give up threats. In that setting, threatening was a common way to use power. Paul forbids it. Those who hold authority must not rule by intimidation or coercive harshness.

The reason is clear: masters and slaves alike have the same Master in heaven, and He shows no favoritism. This truth cuts across earthly rank. Human authority is real, but it is never absolute. Those in power are under divine scrutiny just as much as those under authority. God does not judge by social status. He judges justly and without partiality.

The whole paragraph must be read together. Paul upholds obedience, honor, discipline, work, and authority. At the same time, he places firm limits on authority and brings every relationship under Christ. Children and slaves are treated as morally responsible before God, while fathers and masters are warned that their authority must be exercised under the eye of the impartial Lord.

Any application to modern work settings should be made carefully. There are useful parallels regarding sincerity, diligence, and accountable authority, but Paul is directly addressing first-century slave-master relations, not simply modern employment.

Key Truths: - Children are commanded to obey and honor their parents because this is right before the Lord. - The promise attached to the fifth commandment is a real encouragement of divine blessing, not a mechanical guarantee. - Fathers must not misuse authority in ways that embitter children, but must actively raise them in the Lord’s training and instruction. - Slaves are called to sincere, wholehearted service directed ultimately to Christ, not to mere human approval. - Masters must give up threats and remember that they answer to the same heavenly Master as their slaves. - Throughout the passage, Christ’s lordship is the controlling reality, and God’s judgment is impartial.