Paul's instructions today will seem familiar to us because in other letters he has talked about how Christians should behave in the home and at work. It won't hurt us to look over these instructions again, and Paul is quite brief about them in his letter to the Colossians.
First he speaks to Christian husbands and wives. "Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." (Colossians 3:18-19) When God the Son submitted to God the Father it did not make Him in any way inferior to the Father. In the same way, when wives allow husbands to be the head of the household it does not make wives in any way inferior to their husbands. In the original Greek we find apostles like Paul and Peter talking about "submission" in a military sense; in the same way that there are "ranks" in the military there are "ranks" in the home. A general in the army is not more valuable as a human being than a private in the army. He merely holds a higher rank than the private and has more responsibility for making decisions than the private. As a result of this higher responsibility, the general will have to answer to those in authority above him if he makes poor decisions. In the same way, the husband has the greatest responsibility in the home for making decisions for the family, but he is also the one who will have to answer to God for poor decisions.
At all times we must keep in mind that when Paul gives these instructions he is talking to Christian households. He's not talking to men who are cruel to their wives. He's talking to men who want to know how to love their wives and how to be godly examples to their families. He's talking to wives who want to know how to reverence the Lord by respecting the position in the home that the Lord has chosen for their husbands. These principles regarding headship in the home and submission in the home break down if both partners aren't Christians. A woman can't be expected to submit to an abusive man. A man will have difficulty loving a woman who has no respect for him. But in the Christian home, if both partners are committed to treating each other according to the Lord's will, the more the wife respects her husband the more her husband will love her, and the more the husband loves his wife the more she will respect him.
Children hold a rank in the home that is lower than the rank the parents hold. They owe their parents their obedience, just as a private in the army owes his superiors his obedience. Unfortunately, in today's society we often see children bossing the parents around, and this is not healthy for anyone. If children do not learn at home how to respect and be obedient to their parents, they are going to have trouble being respectful and obedient at school and in the workplace. "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." (Colossians 3:20)
In Paul's day it was mostly the fathers who administered discipline, so he urges fathers not to be harsh and hard to please. "Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." (Colossians 3:21) Did any of you have fathers who never seemed pleased with anything you did? I know people who say their fathers never seemed happy with them. My own husband has told me he can't remember a single time in his life when his father ever said he was proud of him. What a discouraging environment this creates for children! It leaves a lingering scar in their hearts. The child who grew up feeling like he could never please his father is going to have trouble feeling like he can ever please his Father in heaven. I firmly believe this is why many people have trouble relating to God in a healthy way, because they grew up in a household where one or both parents was never happy with anything they did. This causes people to feel like God is just waiting for a reason to come down hard on them. They go through life with a sense of anxiety regarding their relationship with God, as if at any moment He is going to harshly discipline them or even turn away from them.
This couldn't be further from the truth! God gave the best He had to make you His son or daughter. He did everything He could to bring you into His family. He's not going over your life with a fine-tooth comb looking for things to criticize. He wants to encourage and strengthen you in the faith. He wants you to grow closer to Him every day.
Now Paul moves on to the matter of masters and slaves. We don't really have that type of situation in our culture in America today, so we can relate what he's saying to the employee and boss relationship in the workplace. "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." (Colossians 3:22-25) Paul says, "Don't pretend to your boss's face that you respect him and then disrespect him behind his back. Don't work hard while your boss is watching and slack off when he's not there. You are a Christian and you are serving Christ at all times, no matter where you are. So behave as one who belongs to Christ should behave." Paul promises that we will be rewarded for doing what's right at work even when no one is watching. He also warns us that we will have to answer to our Master in heaven for behaving in ungodly ways in the workplace.
Our bosses will have to answer to God if they treat us unfairly. "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1) Paul says, "Don't think because you're the 'boss' at work that you don't also have a 'Boss' over you. You don't have the right to cheat or mistreat the people who work for you. If you do treat your employees this way, you will have to answer to God for it." In the same way that the employee is rewarded for behaving in a godly manner at work, the boss is rewarded by his 'Boss' in heaven for behaving in a godly manner toward his employees.
As Christians we are representing Christ twenty-four hours a day, whether we are at home or at work or out in public. Our behavior should reflect the fact that we belong to Him.
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