Ephesians 6:7 (DBY)

Passage

serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men;

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:5 Bondmen, obey masters according to flesh, with fear and trembling, in simplicity of your heart as to the Christ;

Ephesians 6:6 not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but as bondmen of Christ, doing the will of God from [the] soul,

Ephesians 6:7 serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men;

Ephesians 6:8 knowing that whatever good each shall do, this he shall receive of [the] Lord, whether bond or free.

Ephesians 6:9 And, masters, do the same things towards them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their and your Master is in heaven, and there is no acceptance of persons with him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "serving", "good", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "serving" and "good", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as..." into verse 8's "knowing that whatever good each shall do...", so "serving" and "good" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "serving" and "good" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.