Respect

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.” (1 Tim 6:1-2)

When we see these verses we likely think that Paul was writing to a culture of slaves & masters – what does all of this have to do with me?

It’s easy to forget that slavery in Paul’s time was in many ways different that what the word “slavery” has meant as we think of it based on American history. But that means we are unconsciously bringing unwanted context into this verse, which changes the meaning and how God wishes us to read and apply it.

Regarding slavery, it’s important to note a few points:

• Roman slavery was unlike the terrible practice of American slavery from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Fifty percent of Roman slaves were freed by the age of thirty. For many it was their form of employment. Many slaves were able to own property, and selling oneself into slavery was sometimes a method used to gain Roman citizenship.
• Paul is writing DIRECTLY TO slaves. While they weren’t generally mistreated neither were they recognized on a regular basis. They were often considered part of the background of society and rarely did anyone other than their master talk to them, much less written to in formal letters.
• Paul is making the point that our testimony in our relationships can win others to Christ (see 1 Peter 3:1-2). Protecting the name of Jesus Christ means more than even winning personal freedoms.

I’ve heard people say that a person needs to be worthy of respect before we can respect them, but that is not a biblical outlook. God here is commanding them to show respect and does not condition it on whether they’ve earned it. This is because respecting someone is more about who we are than who the other person is.

And how does all this relate to us? We all have people in our lives with authority over us. Have a job? Your boss is your “master.”  As a Christian we are called to show respect to those in authority over us. Why? At the end of verse 1 he reveals that showing proper respect is our duty “so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered.” Other translations use the word blasphemed instead of slandered.

We are to draw attention to Christ and display the difference he makes in our lives, not to give people a reason to scoff at Christianity or to give people a reason to comment that we don’t seem any different than others. Sadly, the worst cases of disrespect are sometimes found among those who claim to follow Jesus. But when believers excel in all they do, God’s name is lifted up.

A godly life brings credit and glory to Christ; a hypocritical or impure life invites slander upon the name of Christ. The next time I choose to respond in a way that is me protecting my personal rights, I need to learn to ask if my actions are consistent with the Christian life I’m desiring to display. It is a struggle I’m certain will never end, and one that I’ll not always be successful at, so my battle is to keep my heart pure as I’m challenged daily with opportunities to respond well to the events of life. 

What’s ultimately at stake when it comes to how we conduct ourselves as God’s people isn’t our reputation but God’s.