Colossians 4.1-Slave Masters in the Colossian Christian Community Must Continue to Treat Their Slaves With Righteousness and Fairness
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday January 29, 2017
Colossians: Colossians 4:1-Slave Masters in the Colossian Christian Community Must Continue to Treat Their Slaves with Righteousness and Fairness
Lesson # 103
Colossians 4:1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven. (NASB95)
“Grant” is the verb parechō (παρέχω), which speaks of these Christian slave masters causing their slaves to experience justice and fairness or in other words, the word denotes these Christian slave masters treating their slaves with justice and fairness.
The second person plural form of this verb refers of course to these slave masters in the Colossian Christian community as a corporate unit and is used in a distributive sense which emphasizes no exceptions.
The present imperative form of the verb parechō is a customary present imperative which has the idea that these Christian slave masters were to continue to making it their habit of treating their slaves with justice and fairness.
The middle voice of this verb is an indirect middle which indicates that it would be “for their own benefit” that the slave masters in the Colossian Christian community continue to make it their habit of treating their slaves with justice and fairness.
This interpretation is indicated by the causal clause which follows this command in Colossian 4:1 which warns these slave masters that they share the same Master as their Christian slaves implying that they will be held accountable by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat for their treatment of their Christian slaves.
“Justice and fairness” is composed of the following: (1) adjective dikaios (δίκαιος), “justice” (2) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (3) noun isotēs (ἰσότης), “fairness.”
The adjective dikaios means “righteousness” since the word’s articular construction is functioning as a substantiver meaning it is converting it to a noun.
The conjunction kai is epexegetical meaning it is introducing the noun isotēs which serves to explain specifically what Paul means when he uses the word dikaios, “righteousness.”
The noun isotēs means “fairness” since the word pertains to the state of being fair and speaks of treatment of people which is marked by impartiality and honesty and free from self-interest, prejudice or favoritism.
“Knowing” is the verb oida (οἶδα), which indicates that the slave masters in the Colossian Christian community “knew without a doubt, knew for certain” that they have a Master in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ to whom they will give an account at the Bema Seat for their treatment of their slaves.
The participle form of the verb oida is a causal participle which is expressing the reason why the slave masters in the Colossian Christian community must obey the command Paul issues them here in Colossians 4:1.
Colossians 4:1 Masters, each of you, for your own benefit, must continue making it your habit of treating your slaves with that which constitutes righteousness, specifically, with that which constitutes being fair. The reason for this command is that each of you know for certain that each of you also possess a personal, familial relationship with a Master in heaven. (My translation)
In Colossians 4:1, the apostle Paul addresses the conduct of the slave masters in the Colossian Christian community.
He does this by issuing them a command which required that each of them must continue to make it their habit of treating their slaves with that which constitutes righteousness.
He then specifies what he means when he speaks of righteousness, namely that they are to treat their slaves with that which constitutes being fair.
He then presents the reason for this command by asserting that each of them knew for certain that they possess a personal, familial relationship with a Master in heaven.
Of course, he is referring of course to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just as Christian slaves would have to give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat with regards to their service for their slave masters, so they too will have to give an account to the Lord Jesus Christ for their treatment of their slaves.
Paul’s statements in Colossians 1:3-5 and 2:5 make clear that these slave masters in the Colossian Christian community were already obeying this command since these verses affirm the faithfulness of the Colossian Christian community to Paul’s gospel.
When Paul speaks of righteousness, he wants these slave masters to demonstrate integrity with their slaves in the sense that their character adheres to God’s holy standards which are revealed by the Spirit through the communication of the Word of God.
He wants then to be upright and honest in regards to their treatment of their slaves.
The apostle wants their character to be virtuous in regards to their treatment of their slaves in the sense that they conform to God’s holy, perfect standards.
When he speaks of these slave masters being righteous in regards to their treatment of their slaves, he wants them to fulfill their obligations to their slaves as human beings who like them are created in the image of God, which is to love these slaves as themselves.
Therefore, when Paul speaks of righteousness in relation to these slave master’s treatment of their slaves, he means that they must demonstrate integrity and virtue with their slaves by conforming to God’s holy standards.
They were to do this by doing right by their slaves and giving them justice and treating them the way that they would want to be treated.
When the apostle Paul directs these slave masters to treat their slaves with fairness, he means that they should be characterized by impartiality and honesty and being free from self-interest, prejudice or favoritism.
Therefore, he wants these slave masters in the Colossian Christian community to continue to treat their slaves in an impartial manner and with honesty while being free from self-interest, prejudicial treatment and favoritism.
Paul wants them to exercise the love of God towards their slaves.
Colossians 4:1 is not the only place in the Pauline corpus which addresses the conduct of slave masters in the Christian community since Paul in Ephesians 6:9 addresses the conduct of the slave masters in the Ephesian Christian community.
Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1 both teach that the Christian slave owner and the Christian slave were to recognize that they were both slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ and were serving Him.
Notice in Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1, Paul does not order the slave owners in the Christian community to release their slaves.
Why didn’t he order the slave owners in the Christian community in Ephesus and Colossae to immediately release their slaves?
He didn’t because he knew that social change that is a blessing to mankind can only come through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He knew social problems can only be resolved through the gospel.
Thus, he knew that if enough slave masters were evangelized and responded by faith to the gospel and were regenerated, then this could result in the abolishment of slavery.
This was in fact what happened for within a few centuries, slavery was gone from the Roman Empire.
Paul knew that once the hearts of slave owners were regenerated by the Spirit through their acceptance by faith of the gospel, then slavery could be dealt with.
In the Word of God, the Holy Spirit does not prohibit Christians from becoming involved in various aspects of society (we are, after all, “the salt of the world”).
However, when the Christian exchanges the gospel for a social agenda they are contaminating their mission.
There are social implications of the gospel that are quite extensive, but Christians must never forget that their primary task in relation to the world is not to change political structures, but through the gospel offer forgiveness of sin in the name of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore, Paul does not seek to abolish slavery because slavery was not condemned by God in the Old Testament and in fact was practiced in Israel.
The Mosaic Law provided protection from abuse of slaves by their masters which stands in stark contrast to the laws of pagan nations regarding the treatment of their slaves.
Also, Paul knew that being a slave did not adversely affect a Christian’s ability to execute the Father’s will to become like Jesus Christ.
In fact, you could do God’s will by simply being an obedient and submissive slave.
Whether a Christian is a slave or freeman, male or female, Jew or Gentile, they have equal privilege and equal opportunity to execute the Father’s will (Galatians 3:26-28).
There are no social, gender or racial distinctions in the family of God.
The gospel of Jesus Christ brought all of this about.
Therefore, Paul’s main objective was to teach and propagate the gospel rather than be a social activist who marches around the Emperor’s home demanding the abolition of slavery in the Roman Empire.