Colossians 3:22

Servants are to obey their earthly masters sincerely and wholeheartedly, working out of reverence for God rather than merely to impress people. It matters because true service flows from the heart toward the Lord, not from outward show.

Cross-references · 22

• Eph 6:5–7Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
• Gal 1:10Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
• 1 Tim 6:1–2All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited.
• 1 Pet 2:18–19Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.
• Titus 2:9–10Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
• Col 3:20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
• 1 Th 2:4Instead, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, not in order to please men but God, who examines our hearts.
• Eccl 5:7For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
• Luke 6:46Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say?
• Eccl 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
• Neh 5:15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.
• Mal 1:6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we despised Your name?’
• Luke 7:8For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
• Acts 2:46With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
• 2 Cor 7:1Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
• Matt 6:22The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
• Matt 8:9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes; and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
• Phlm 1:16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.
• Gen 42:18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:
• Ps 123:2As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
• Neh 5:9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?
• Eccl 8:12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.

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