Colossians 3:18-4:1

Rules for Christian Households

How does the world see marriage?

The role of the husband and the wife

These verses give us a nice overview on how we should treat our spouse but what does this mean at a deeper level.

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. This order must be examined when we look at how our relationship with our spouse should look like.

Ephesians is a letter that is very similar to the book of Colossians. Paul spent time with the church at Ephesus. If you read the book you see that things are more developed in thought then the book of Colossians. Jump over to at look what it says.

Eph

We see the glaring similarities right. Wives submit to your husbands, and husbands love your wives. However it goes a bit deeper into how this plays out in our lives.

Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church, and give himself up for her. Our love for our wives should be a sacrificial kind of love. The same kind of Love Christ has for his own bride the church. This love should be unselfish just like Christ love was for us.

The goal of this love is three fold. The love we have for our wives should sanctify her, present her to himself in splendour, and to enable her to be holy and blameless. This sounds great, but what does this mean?

Christ gave himself to the church to make her holy by cleansing her. This cleansing was effected by a spiritual washing brought about through Christ’s gracious word in the gospel. His love for the church is the model for husbands in its purpose and goal, as well as in its self-sacrifice (v. 25). In the light of Christ’s complete giving of himself to make the church holy and cleanse her, husbands should be utterly committed to the total well-being, especially the spiritual welfare, of their wives.

Splendor Ezekiel 16:10-14

3. Verse 28 is similar to verse 19 back , but it adds additional details. What commandment comes to mind when you read this? The second great commandment. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The nearest and most important neighbour in our loves in our spouse. In addition this verse reminds us of which says, “ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. In marriage we are united together as one flesh, if we hate one another then we are in fact hating ourselves. Look at verse 29. If we are in fact united with one another we will nourish and cherish one another. The love displayed in this passage is a love that displays Christ love for us. Men we love our wives in a loving and tenderly way.

Ladies I did not forget about you, I just wanted to show the men how they should love you, before we could say submit to me. Submission is not a kind word to this culture. It says to women that you cannot be free to live as you want. This submission is this text is not what the world thinks about submission right? This submission is a godly submission, built upon Christ. Marriage is the greatest living example of what the gospel looks like. Think of it like this, one commentary I read said it like this, “

The motivation for the wife to be subject to her husband is spelled out in the final phrase, as to the Lord.208 The general admonition of v. 21 to be submissive in ‘the fear of Christ’ finds concrete expression for the wife in the marriage situation: as she is subordinate to her husband, so in that very action she is submitting to the Lord. Her voluntary response is not called for because of her role in society, nor is it to be understood as separate from her submission to Christ. Rather, it is part and parcel of the way that she serves the Lord Jesus (cf. of servants who engage in wholehearted work for their masters and in that very action serve their heavenly Lord)”

I understand it like this. The husband is called to an example to his wife, just like like Christ is the example to him. Ladies God is not calling you to submit to a cruel master, but to a Godly husband that leads and love you just like Christ does. Men we are called also to submit to Christ, and love our bride as Christ loved the church. Imagine what they would look like today, if we did this as the Lord commands us to do.

Children and Parents

How does the world see raising your children?

I love the order of how scripture puts this, I believe it puts it in the proper place. The family dynamic starts with the husband and the wife. Then it moves on to the children. Because I do not have children yet, I need the parents help some here. It pleases God for Children to obey there parents. Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. Has anyone in here provoked there children causing them to become discouraged, and what was the result of that event?

What should the relationship between employee, employer look like?

Bondservants and slaves

Paul in this text really is describing the whole family dynamic. It was common that a family could be made up of bondservants and slaves. The slavery America had greatly differed from the slavery we see in this scripture. So its hard for us to relate to this, but the principles we gain from the text are still useful and applicable to our own lives. Some in the past have tried to use this scripture to justify slavery, but Paul never justifies the practice. He is explaining though how Masters and slaves should treat one another. I believe without reading to much into the text how this works for us today. Slaves should focus on the manner of their service, and the reward they are to expect from faithful service in the next life. Slaves should at the same time understand the penalty for not working faithfully. The reward we have in heaven should cause us all to 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. God will handle all the wrongs commited in this life. Understanding that will help us, deal with all the injustice in this life. Whatever position of power you may be in treat people justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a master in heaven who does the same.

Thoughts?