Colossians 3:18-4:6

The Gospel and Relationships

This portion of scripture can be divided into three sections.

Family (3:18-21)

Work (3:22-4:1)

General (4:2-6)

This entire section deals with how the gospel impacts our relationships. All that we read in today’s lesson is influenced by what we covered last week. Because our lives are hidden with Christ in God (3:3) and because we have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of [Jesus] (3:10), then whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Col 3:17).

With these verses as our base point, we now go to our section for today.

Colossians 3:18-21

Colossians 3:18–19 (NKJV)

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

I believe that we should never read these verse independent of each other. A wife’s submission to her husband is more easily applied when the husband is truly loving her and not being harsh towards her. Ultimately, how the wife submits and the love a husband shows is to be done in the Name of the Lord (3:17).

Paul covers more of this in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. And Peter even addresses this in 1 Peter 3:1

1 Peter 3:1 NKJV

1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,

To contrast verses 18-19 with verses 20-21, we can see a swift from a matrimonial to a parental relationship.

Colossians 3:20–21 (NKJV)

20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

Notice here that the children are told to obey, we can even see this instruction carried on into the formal relationships of slaves and masters (v22). However, neither the wife nor the husband is ever told to obey. Another thing that I noticed in these verses is the phrase “in everything”(v20,22). If you take a look at the entire section, you can see how this phrase is used to bracket contrasting relationships as well as contrasting instructions.

The phrase “in everything”(v20,22) is used to bracket relationships with a hierarchy; parents & children, masters & slaves.

Colossians 3:22-4:1

Colossians 3:22–4:1 (NKJV)

22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

It’s believed that slaves made up about half of the population of the Roman Empire at the time when this letter was written. The instructions to the slaves has a great deal of meaning for us today if we are in an employer/employee relationship.

As employees or as hired hands, all of our efforts must be done with a heart of sincerity (no wax) as though we are actually working for God. Employers are to have an attitude like the centurion in Luke 7. Furthermore, this is the attitude of our own Master (Matt. 5:43-48).

Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2–6 (NKJV)

2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

This final portion of scripture is meant for everyone. Paul ends this section with a focus on prayer and the spread of the Gospel. Prayer is such a vital part of the Christian life. The book of Acts shows us that not much happens in the Believer’s life without it. Jesus told His disciples in Luke 18:1 “…that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,”.

Leonard Ravenhill, in his book, Why Revival Tarries says that our attitude to prayer tells whether we are trusting in God or trusting in ourselves, “that what was begun in the Spirit we can finish in the flesh” (p21). And the thing that was begun in the Spirit is the redemption of the entire world. We need God’s help to do this. Paul understood the importance of this and so he solicits the prayers of the saints 1) that he would have an opportunity to share the Gospel and 2) that he would be obedient and bold in declaring the Gospel message.

Finally, every Believer must be wise, seizing our own opportunities to share the Gospel and to do it with grace.