Ephesians 6:8

Knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Although there is a sense in which good, honest and cheerful work of a slave might bring some limited reward during earthly life, "It is ultimately the judgment seat of Christ that the apostle has in view here."[12] Whatever people may do, Christ will reward all of his workmen at last. It is the consciousness which would enable the workman, even though he was a slave, "to work zestfully and cheerfully even for a master who was unreasonable in his demands and impossible to please.[13]

[12] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1961), p. 124.

[13] Ibid.