PRACTICAL LIVING (II): RELATIONSHIPS

RIGHT PERSPECTIVE

In the start of chapter 3, Paul challenge the saints in Colosse that since they have been raised with christ that their attitude and behavior should reflect their renewed mind set, the mind of Christ.

1st, Remove or put to death, the old or earthly self (v.5-11). I’m not to go thru this again since Daniel did a wonderful job on March 22nd. Go to our sermon archive and listen to it again.

Colossians 3:5 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you:...”

2nd, Life of the NEW man: Man with Christlike characters (v.12-13)

Colossians 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones,...”

Then on top of all that, then Paul added things to make it complete.

LOVE: Colossians 3:14 “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

PEACE: Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

WORD: Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Then Paul end this section with these words: Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The new man lives his life, all his life, for Jesus. He will only seek to do the things that he may do in the name of the Lord Jesus, and he will persevere in the difficulty of doing such things, knowing that he is doing them in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Christian Relationship

Paul here bring up three basis human relationship and describe how a Christian function in these relationship: Marriage, family, work

Human relationship, a God given gift to us from the time of creation:

Work: Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Marriage: Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Family: Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Marriage

Wives:

Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

Submit (Greek: hypotassesthe) - is essentially a word borrowed from the military. It literally means “to be under in rank.” Submission means you are part of a team. 

The idea of submission doesn’t have anything to do with someone being smarter or better or more talented. It has to do with a God-appointed order.

Submission is to be voluntary. The wife’s submission is never to be forced on her by a demanding husband; it is the deference that a loving wife, conscious that her home (just as any other institution) must have a head, gladly shows.” (Vaughan)

“as is fitting in the Lord.” - This phrase defines the motive of a wife’s submission. It means, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands because it is a part of your duty to the Lord, because it is an expression of your submission to the Lord.” For wives, submission to their husband is part of their Christian life.

This means that a woman should take great care in how she chooses her husband. Remember, ladies: this is what God requires of you in marriage. This is His expectation of you. Instead of looking for an attractive man, instead of looking for a wealthy man, instead of looking for a romantic man, you better first look for a man you can respect. (D. Guzik)

Ephesians 5:22–24 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

Husbands:

Colossians 3:19 “Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.”

Love (Greek: agapaō) - “Agapao does not denote affection or romantic attachment; it rather denotes caring love, a deliberate attitude of mind that concerns itself with the well-being of the one loved.” (Vaughan) 1Corinthians 13

it can be defined as a sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another.

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,”

“Husband, continually practice self-denial for the sake of your wife.”

Children:

Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Obey (Greek: hypakouō )

This idea of an order of authority and submission to an order of authority are so important to God that they are part of His very being, the Trinity. The Father exercises authority over the Son, and the Son submits to the Father’s authority – and this is in the very nature and being of God!

Parent:

Colossians 3:21 “Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Provoke: “Irritate by exacting commands and perpetual faultfinding and interference for interference’ sake.” (Peake)

“Parents, and specially fathers, are urged not to irritate their children by being so unreasonable in their demands that their children lose heart and come to think that it is useless trying to please their parents.” (Bruce)

Employees:

Colossians 3:22–24 “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

This is another sphere of God’s order of authority. Employees have a God-ordained role of obedience and submission to their employers or supervisors.

God wants every worker to see that ultimately, they work for Him. Therefore, they should do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. God promises to reward those who work with that kind of heart.

You are serve the Lord Christ: “The force of this unusual phrase (Paul nowhere else allows the titles ‘Lord’ and ‘Christ’ to stand together without the name ‘Jesus’ as well) could be brought out by a paraphrase: ‘so work for the true Master – Christ!’” (Wright)

Colossians 3:25 “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”

“It is possible for an unfaithful servant to wrong and defraud his master in a great variety of ways without being detected; but let all such remember what is here said: he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done; God sees him, and will punish him for his breach of honesty and trust.” (Clarke)

Ephesians 6:9 “Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.”

Paul assures both our ancient brethren and us that there is a final rewarding and punishment, and with this there is no partiality.

Employers:

Colossians 4:1 “Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.”

Through the history of Christianity, there have been some who used these passages where Paul speaks to slaves and their masters to justify or even promote the practice of slavery. Others have blamed these passages for the practice of slavery. Yet one can never blame Christianity for slavery; it was a universal practice that pre-dated both Christianity and the Jewish nation. Instead, one should see that the abolition of slavery came from Christian people and impulses, and not from any other major religion and certainly not from secularism.