Colossians 3:18-25
18: Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19: Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
19: Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
20: Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
21: Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.
22: Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
23: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
24: knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
25: For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
Paul began to address specific roles in relationships—wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. The same ones he addressed in his letter to the Ephesians. What he said here to the Colossians is, of course, similar to what we read in Ephesians 5, yet there he addressed the pattern of marriage after the Christ/Church relationship in more detail. Here he simply said for wives to subject themselves to their husbands as is fitting in the Lord—not in an un-Christlike manner—and for husbands to love their wives and not be bitter against them.
He briefly mentioned children’s obedience to parents, and fathers not to exasperate their children. The basics of how to lead, and how to be subject to those who lead, are seen in the husband/wife relationship as well as the father/child relationship. We also see it in the slave/master relationship which he addressed next.
He told slaves—those who work in subjection to another—to obey their masters sincerely from the heart, fearing the Lord, working as unto the Lord and not man. They were not to just look good outwardly, pleasing man, but to have sincerity in heart knowing that their reward is from Christ. He truly is the one they were truly serving, which is true of their masters as well. There is a consequence for doing wrong, and those consequences will apply both to slaves and their masters in the end. In Christ, one does not receive special privilege over the other.
Notice everyone was included as a fellow believer. Paul instructed all family and work-related persons on how to fill their earthly role in Christ. It’s true that there is no male/female or bond/free in Christ (Galatians 3:28), yet we all have a place in the flesh while here on earth. Rather than fight against whether we are the one in charge or not, or whether we are the one responsible or not, we must fill the earthly position the Lord has placed us in a way that pleases Him. We will be better able to do that if we understand He has placed us where we fit best. We will do our best once we accept our position. Of course, some things change. Children grow up and their role changes. A slave may become free, or a master a slave. In any case, we serve the Lord sincerely from the heart, knowing He loves each one of us and judges all things righteously.
22: Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
23: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
24: knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
25: For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
***
Paul began to address specific roles in relationships—wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. The same ones he addressed in his letter to the Ephesians. What he said here to the Colossians is, of course, similar to what we read in Ephesians 5, yet there he addressed the pattern of marriage after the Christ/Church relationship in more detail. Here he simply said for wives to subject themselves to their husbands as is fitting in the Lord—not in an un-Christlike manner—and for husbands to love their wives and not be bitter against them.
He briefly mentioned children’s obedience to parents, and fathers not to exasperate their children. The basics of how to lead, and how to be subject to those who lead, are seen in the husband/wife relationship as well as the father/child relationship. We also see it in the slave/master relationship which he addressed next.
He told slaves—those who work in subjection to another—to obey their masters sincerely from the heart, fearing the Lord, working as unto the Lord and not man. They were not to just look good outwardly, pleasing man, but to have sincerity in heart knowing that their reward is from Christ. He truly is the one they were truly serving, which is true of their masters as well. There is a consequence for doing wrong, and those consequences will apply both to slaves and their masters in the end. In Christ, one does not receive special privilege over the other.
Notice everyone was included as a fellow believer. Paul instructed all family and work-related persons on how to fill their earthly role in Christ. It’s true that there is no male/female or bond/free in Christ (Galatians 3:28), yet we all have a place in the flesh while here on earth. Rather than fight against whether we are the one in charge or not, or whether we are the one responsible or not, we must fill the earthly position the Lord has placed us in a way that pleases Him. We will be better able to do that if we understand He has placed us where we fit best. We will do our best once we accept our position. Of course, some things change. Children grow up and their role changes. A slave may become free, or a master a slave. In any case, we serve the Lord sincerely from the heart, knowing He loves each one of us and judges all things righteously.
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