When in a situation you cannot change, how should you live? 

In Paul’s day, the Roman Empire’s economy was built on slavery. He doesn’t endorse it. But he instructs Timothy how Christians should live within it. For all kinds of reasons and circumstances Christians today find themselves in situations that they cannot change. So how do we live?

“All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better because their masters are dear to them as fellow believers and are devoted to the welfare of their slaves.” – 1 Timothy 6:1-2

Protect the Gospel. If we behave badly in the situation then some will reflect that your Christian testimony is flawed and the gospel is no longer good news. Our conduct enhances or damages the credibility of the gospel we declare. Christians slaves should behave as men and women of God. Our work ethic, attitude, and character serve as a testimony to our faith. Shoddy work and constant complaints can discredit the gospel we claim to believe.

Pursue excellence even in easier situations. If those who lead in such environments, like the masters of slaves in Paul’s day, are Christians, then this doesn’t mean the ‘Christian slave’ slackens off hoping for preferential treatment. Rather they should be inspired to be the best they can be, even more so. The early church’s approach was revolutionary in its own way. By creating communities where slave and free worshipped together as equals, where masters were called to treat slaves justly (Ephesians 6:9), and where the inherent dignity of all people was affirmed, Christianity planted seeds that would eventually help dismantle slavery itself.

Our faith is most clearly seen outside of Church and in situations where it is most challenging. We have an opportunity to show what the gospel really does in changing lives. The world, our world, is watching how we live in situations we cannot change.