Ephesians 6:7 (YLT)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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

Ephesians 6:6 not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul,

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

Ephesians 6:8 having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.

Ephesians 6:9 And the masters! the same things do ye unto them, letting threatening alone, having known that also your Master is in the heavens, and acceptance of persons is not with him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good-will", "serving", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good-will" and "serving", 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 "having known that whatever good thing each...", so "good-will" 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-will" and "serving" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.