Yesterday I preached from I Timothy 6:1-2 on the subject, "Work as Worship and Witness." In his commentary on the pastoral epistles, Gordon Fee makes what I consider to be a very significant statement, that applies to much more of life than just our work: “The instruction that they ‘should consider their masters worthy of full respect’ tends to strike a discordant note to twentieth century ears, especially if such masters were pagans and unworthy of ‘all honor’…Paul’s instruction is quite in keeping with the entire New Testament understanding of Christian behavior as essentially reflecting servanthood (cf. Mark 10:43-45; I Corinthians 9:19; Galatians 5:13) and of Christian existence as basically eschatological – the form of this world is passing away; as an eschatological people, our present status is irrelevant (I Corinthians 7:17-24, 29-31). Therefore, precisely because it is essentially irrelevant, one may live one’s present status in loving obedience”
Gordon Fee, NEW INTERNATIONAL BIBLICAL COMMENTARY, I AND 2 TIMOTHY,TITUS, pages 137-138.
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