Colossians 3:23
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Study Note
Study Note
The exhortation 'whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters' is addressed to enslaved people (douloi) in a first-century household code, yet its principle has been applied far beyond that context. The phrase 'with all your heart' (ek psuches, literally 'from the soul') implies wholehearted engagement rather than performance for surveillance. Framing daily work as service to Christ transforms not the content of work but its orientation, creating the possibility of vocation in the theological sense. The tension between the verse's original address to enslaved persons and its modern application to voluntary employment requires careful contextual awareness to avoid the text's historical misuse in justifying oppression.
Other Translations
whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men;
and all, whatever ye may do--out of soul work--as to the Lord, and not to men,
Whatever you do, do it readily, as to the Lord and not to men;
Cross References
And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and …
Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord: I will keep thy statutes.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, …
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, …
Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the …