Ephesians 6:7 (DRB)

Passage

With a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ.

Ephesians 6:6 Not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men: but, as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

Ephesians 6:7 With a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Ephesians 6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man shall do, the same shall he receive from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Ephesians 6:9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatenings: knowing that the Lord both of them and you is in heaven. And there is no respect of persons with him.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Not serving to the eye as it..." into verse 8's "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man...", so "good" and "serving" 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 "good" and "serving" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.