Living for the Gospel

Memorial day is to celebrate those who gave their lives for a higher purpose. Even though they served under commanders and generals, ultimately they had a higher power that they fought for, and for a belief that they had in freedom for all people.

Believers are called to live in the incarnation of Christ in their relationships to others, giving glory to God and in conformity with the Gospel.

Endure discipline as a joyful duty to Christ

Paul talks to children and to slaves. But notice that Paul talks to those who are in the church. He is speaking to children and slaves present in the worship ceremony, they are included in the instruction of all the people. They were all accepted members of the Christian community.

God’s way is right

This is to recognize that how God calls us to live is according to His design for people. No matter the culture, all understand that those with less mature listen to the more mature, and that there are levels of authority that are to respected. Within society there will always be levels of submissiveness, and in God’s society we see that is expected by all members. Even those of greatest authority, we will see, will answer to God.

To say that it is “right” is to say there is an obligation that exists for children to obey parents regardless of the character of the parents. Our call to obey parents isn’t because we agree with them, not because it is practical...but because it is what God has called us to do.

Paul will also say to slaves that they do so to the Lord with “fear and trembling”. This is not to the master, but to God that they fear and tremble before, this is how it is used every time that it occurs in the Bible.

Philippians 2:12 “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

We see obeying is part of working out our salvation. Not that we can earn in, but in obeying God will give Him our allegiance. This is to do their duty to Christ, to honor God.

How should we interpret slavery in our day?

We should know there is a difference between chattel slavery and the slavery of the Roman world.

1/3 of all people were slaves in the Roman empire, more than 60 million people. This included a vast array of professions. Servants in homes, field workers, doctors, teachers. It wouldn’t have been considered a “problem”, but as an accepted part of the labour structure, much like being an employee today.

Although it is similar to being an employee it is not a direct comparison. An employee chooses a contract for their service and has the ability to quite at any time. While a slave did not have such freedom, but the attitude each should take in their work should be the same.

Slavery happened for many reasons, but it was not about race but circumstance. As prisoners of war, from poverty, of a debt owed to another.

Many times a slave had the

There is a different between violation of will vs amoral unfairness

Subjugation should not be a tool used to abuse those under authority, nor should it be taken to allow any form of heinous crime to be done against people.

This law is not for the purpose of putting slaves “in their place” but encouraging them to live with a Christian attitude in challenging circumstances.”

The Gospel seeks to see slavery, and all others evils, “pass away naturally”

It is thus that the Holy Spirit deals with slavery. Slaves are not commanded to refuse to be slaves, to break their bonds and repudiate the authority of their masters. They are required to obey with alacrity (cheerful readiness) and with a sincere desire to do their duty to their masters, as part of their duty to Christ. Masters are not commanded as an immediate and imperative duty to emancipate their slaves, but to treat them according to the principles of justice and equity. It is not to be expected that men of the world will act in conformity with the Gospel in this, any more than in other respects. But believers will. And the result of such obedience if it could become general would be, that first the evils of slavery, and then slavery itself, would pass away as naturally and as healthfully as children cease to be minors. - Hodge

God’s Word is clear, all are made in God’s image and, in fact, it is the poor and the oppressed God often finds favor with.

“The authority a master had was only external; ‘the soul being left free’” - Hodge

Colossians 3:11 “In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.”

God’s law is good

When we acknowledge God’s authority we know that He is the one who gives our reward, not our employers or parents. In honoring them, we allow ourselves to be “spiritually prosperous”. Ephesians 1 tells us about our spiritual inheritance we receive in Christ, by honoring our parents we are working towards this inheritance.

Proverbs 17:25 “A foolish son is grief to his father and bitterness to the one who bore him.”

Paul says that whatever one does slave or free, they will receive it back from the Lord. God will reward each person who does God. A reminder that God’s law is for our benefit, not to hinder us.

When do we obey?

We should consider disobedience out of the ordinary

If our parents ask us to sin, or if what they ask us to do is unsafe then disobedience can be considered. Even if I had a student whose parent said they would not allow them to come to Wednesday night, I would tell them to obey their parents.

We should seek peace with our authority figures

Generally, what our parents ask of us will not include this. Rather, we seek to defy when it regards our personal opinion on a matter.

Rather than defy our parents, our response should be to be loyal to them as we are called to be loyal to Christ.

There isn’t an age limit

When we become “adults” our relationship changes with our parents, when we are married we “leave” them, but throughout our lives we should seek to obey and honor them.

In the Roman age, a father’s authority over a child didn’t cease until the father died. They were under their fathers household for most of their lives.

We should seek to honor them throughout our lives, to not neglect them, to care for them as they age. Often we can isolate our parents, we can see them as a burden on us, and rather than honor them we reject them in their need.

We never grow old enough to not show respect towards those God has called us to honor.

God’s Gospel prevails

Act with integrity in all circumstances

We are not to act in ways that dishonor the authorities God has put over us. This can be an outright criticism or rejection of what has been asked of us, but also indirect ways through sarcasm or through lazy effort. But often, whatever issue we have with an authority we can bring to them in respectful ways in a direct manner.

Proverbs 19:26 “The one who plunders his father and evicts his mother is a disgraceful and shameful son.”

Our hearts have a tendency to rebel against authority, we want our own name to be great. But in submitting to God’s will we choose each day to joyfully submit to those God has given authority over us, even when often they can be unreasonable and even harsh.

-We don’t act with an ulterior motive in our work, we don’t gossip, we don’t act in hypocritical ways (we have a tendency to hold standard for others we don’t have for ourselves)

Praise God in your work

Work as if God is your employer

This isn’t some “eye in the sky” fear, that God is watching us everywhere (although God DOES see all that we do.

Businesses that follow mouse movements

Paul see’s obedience to parents and masters as freedom, to be “liberated” from people pleasing and instead to live in the freedom of serving Christ. That our daily tasks, our challenging jobs, our difficult parents...we can serve them with the freedom of knowing it is for God’s glory. This isn’t a tool of oppression, but an encouragement to Christ-like attitude knowing that God will reward those who do good, slave or free.

”It is to Christ, God manifested in the flesh; to Him, who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but humbled himself, taking on the condition of a slavery...it is to this infinitely exalted and infinitely condescending Saviour, who came not to be served, but to serve, that the obedience of every Christian, whether servant, child, wife, or subject, is really and consciously rendered. Thus the most galling yoke is made easy, and the heaviest burden light.” - Hodge

I don’t know about you, but as much as it is more enjoyable to work on our own, when I work around others I often get more of my task done, it reminds me to stay focused on the task in front of me.

-It free’s us from the question “why do I have to do this?”

-It takes away that what we are doing is “meaningless”

-If you are a teacher with difficult students, even when it feels like they aren’t “getting it”, you do so knowing it honors God. When you have difficult customers you want to argue with, you know who it is for. It bad working conditions, a hostile environment, tiredness, or whatever else...you do it “as to the Lord” knowing that Christ is with us

-It means that all our work at home we do for Christ.

If the call is for slaves to obey masters then what excuse do we have in our context to not honor those whom we are employed by?

Exercise restraint with authority as a solemn response to God’s authority

First off, when it says fathers, we should read “fathers and mothers”, just as how Paul will use “brothers in Christ” to refer to both brothers and sisters in the faith.

Often we think of parenting as using our authority to get our kids to do what we want them to do, but the picture Paul gives is that our children obey because we have trained them to know God and to glorify Him, not that we rule with an iron fist.

-What Paul says is in stark contrast to the household of his day. Not a father who controlled everything going on in the house, but one who is gentle, who listens to the challenges his children face.

-Long before our age of “gentle” parenting, God calls parents to respond to their children not as lowerclass citizens but as those needing God’s grace and love

Paul also speaks to masters, calling on them to show restraint to those under their authority. To not just live under what license they had under the law of man but live under God’s law. To not live other than what God desires for others, in love. To do unto others as they would want others to do for them

Reflect God’s character

Nurture and admonish both your physical and spiritual family in the Lord

Parents can often misuse their authority by intentionally irritating our children or putting an unreasonable demand with no grace on them, even recognizing that they are still maturing and their knowledge isn’t our own. We can expect children to have an adult level of knowledge, or have a hold on their emotions like we do. We can be harsh with them, and sometimes show favoritism of one over the others, we can humiliate them, we can sarcastically put them down or ridicule them.

-If we aren’t careful our children can grow to resent us and grow bitter. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for discipline, but our discipline should be fair and done in a way that doesn’t discourage them as Col. 3:21 says.

-Instead, our parenting should first and foremost be one that encourages them for the gifts they have, that allows their God-given personality to shine, that we are loving and understanding to their perspective and to the things they value.

Bluey - parents who have fun with their kids. Each episode is only 7-9 minutes long, showing that all our kids want is a little bit of our time.

Paul calls parents to bring kids up in the “training and instruction of the Lord”.

-This isn’t just giving our kids facts about the Bible, or even about how they are supposed to live. This is the formation of disciples, those who know God and love Him. To grow in spiritual maturity.

What we can also find implied is that it is us as parents that are responsible for the upbringing our children. Not to pass on his responsibility to others. To school teachers, to teachers in our church, to the TV...but we should see it as our primary responsibility to raise up our children in the way they should go.

-Deut. 6

-All the research states that the most important factor in students staying in church after they graduate is the faith of their parents.

-Behind everything we say and do as parents, our children should see the Lord

To masters, there is a call to treat all those under your authority as brothers and sisters of God.

Sometimes people will hear a business say “we’re a family here” but then really they just use “family” to mean that you put in extra effort for your family while spending less time with your own.

But this is a call to require the rights of all men, women, children, and parents to be regarded under the law of God. To forgive debts owed, both spiritual and physical, and to encourage those under your care. That others see how you treat them and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Philemon 15–16 “For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a brief time, so that you might get him back permanently, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother. He is especially so to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.”

Discipline them as God’s children, remembering they are God’s children before they are our own.

We can grow frustrated because they aren’t becoming who we want them to be but don’t stop and ask who God wants them to be.

Christ should be the authority in our household. Don’t bring them up in wordly wisdom but godly wisdom. Pray before they make a decision. Help them see how God desired for them to respond to the challenges they face

Remember God’s grace and mercy toward us

Act with godly self-control

It is possible for us to consider ourselves to not be angry people because we aren’t around other adults, to read Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger,” And say “yeah, that is me.” But use that to justify responding to our children in anger.

The sad part of this is that children are far more influenced by our words than adults are.

-There should be loving gentleness and discipline for our children, and when we discipline it should not be out of anger or hurt pride

-”When you are disciplining a child, you should have first controlled yourself...What right have you to say to your child that he needs discipline when you obviously need it yourself? Self-control, the control of temper, is an essential prerequisite in the control of others” - Lloyd-Jones

We need to remember that our children learn from our actions

Act with justice and equality in all circumstances

Children are to be respected and treated like children of God, not manipulated and crushed because they are defenseless

Three principles:

Do the same to all

To parents, don’t have a different standard for different children, don’t show favoritism.

The same for employees, even if there is one you don’t like for one reason or another, treat them the same and fairly as God has treated you fairly.

In doing this we present the Gospel to them, showing them that God loves all His children, even if they are different

Do not threaten

Don’t use your level of authority as a hammer that you use to hit the nail of your own will whenever you want it.

“Threats are a weapon which the powerful wield over the powerless. And a relationship based on threats is not a human relationship at all.” - Stott

This means not showing contempt, sarcastically demanding things of people...do we want people to be excited when we enter a room or be scared of what response they will get from us?

Remember who is Lord of all

God see’s your actions as a parent and employer, even if you never get caught in this life.

Reflect Christ in all your relationships