Ephesians 6:9 tells believers who hold power over others to treat those under them fairly and to drop threats, because God is their Master too and He shows no favoritism. Paul writes this to masters in the early church, many of them Christians who owned enslaved people and had authority over workers in their households.
You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
Ephesians 6:9 (WEB)
What Ephesians 6:9 Means
The verse begins with “You masters,” which addresses people with authority in a household or workplace. Paul does not ask them to give up their position here. He asks them to “do the same things to them,” meaning to treat those under them with the same good will and sincerity that he has just asked of servants in the verses before. The standard of conduct runs in both directions. Servants are to work as serving the Lord, and masters are to treat their people with equal care and integrity.
The command to “give up threatening” is direct. Threats were a common tool of control in that world, and Paul tells masters to put them down. The reason he gives is the heart of the verse: their Master is in heaven, and that Master is the same One who rules over the servants. The phrase “there is no partiality with him” means God does not judge by social rank, wealth, or status. A master will answer to God just as a servant will, and God will weigh both fairly.
The verse does not promise that a fair master will be rewarded in this life or that unjust structures will end right away. It does not give anyone permission to ignore their responsibilities. It sets a moral floor: whatever authority you hold, you are under a higher authority, and you will be judged by Him.
The Context of Ephesians 6:9
Ephesians is a letter traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, written to churches in the region of Asia Minor, and it spends its first half on the riches of believers in Christ and the unity of Jew and Gentile in one body. The second half turns to daily life: how husbands and wives, children and parents, and servants and masters should live as the church. Paul writes from a setting where slavery was a normal part of the Roman economy, and his letters address that reality directly without endorsing its abuses.
The verses just before this one speak to servants and tell them to work wholeheartedly, as though serving the Lord himself. Verse 9 then turns to the other side of the relationship and places the masters under the same divine gaze. Reading verse 9 alongside verses 5 through 8 shows that Paul is not describing two separate moral worlds. Both groups belong to Christ, and both must answer to Him.
Key Phrases in Ephesians 6:9
Colossians 4:1
Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
(WEB)
This verse, written close to the same time, repeats the call to masters to be just and fair, and it adds that they too have a Master in heaven. Reading it beside Ephesians 6:9 shows that this was a consistent teaching across Paul’s letters, not a passing comment.
Acts 10:34
Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favoritism…
(WEB)
Peter declares that God shows no partiality among people of every nation. This verse broadens the principle from Ephesians 6:9 and shows that God’s impartiality is a central truth about His character, applying to all people, not only to masters and servants.
A Short Prayer From Ephesians 6:9
Lord, you see every person clearly, and you judge without favoring the powerful or looking down on the weak. Forgive me for the times I have used whatever authority I hold to frighten, control, or dismiss someone who depends on me. Help me to lay down threats and to lead with fairness and patience. Remind me that I answer to you, the Master in heaven, and that my position does not place me above your justice. Teach me to treat others with the same care and honesty that I hope to receive from you. Amen.
