Colossians: Day 15
Verses 3:18-25
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
Questions:
1. Wives, what does submit mean here? How are you doing with this? Husbands, are we making it harder for our wives to submit to our leadership?
2. Husbands, what does love mean here? How are you doing with this? Wives, are we making it harder for our husbands to love us?
3. We all are or were a child to an earthly parent, and all are a child to our Heavenly Father, are we living in obedience? What does obedience mean in our current stage of life, earthly and spiritually?
4. Fathers, are we loving our children like God loves us?
5. We are all working for somebody, how are we obeying? Is it reflective of our relationship with God? (Do not forget, You may be the only Christian some of these people ever see.)
Interpretation:
Instead of telling women to obey, as was the norm in Roman households, Paul appeals to them to submit, based on his conviction that men have a God-given leadership role in the family. Submit means to willingly place yourself under someone or something. Submit does not reflect inferiority or servility, rather it is right or fitting to give respect to husbands as the leader. The husband should be leading with sacrificial love. Paul roots this instruction in “the Lord” this stressing the importance of evaluating everything in the light of Christ and His teaching.
Husbands should not be harsh with their wives, there was a tendency in the roman world for men to rage against their wives and mistreat them… there is no room for even a hint of this in a Christ-centered christian home. Men must love their wives like Christ loved the church - Christ gave up EVERYTHING for the church.
Paul’s words to children reminds us of the 10 commandments. We must treat our kids with dignity, respect, and rightly - or they will not desire to please us. Living for Christ should guide all of our relationships.