Colossians 3:18 - 4:1

Colossians 3:18 - 4:1    Wives, submit 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 win 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 men, 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 his wrong, and there is no favoritism.  Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven (NIV).

   Note there is a qualifier for the first instruction to wives by Paul, “as is fitting in the Lord.”  In no way is this promoting any kind of abuse.  Also, as I have written before, this is not giving men license to be bossy to their wife.  Jesus taught, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).  No one likes to be bossed around, so men, do not be bossy to your wife!
   Once I was at a Christian bookstore poking around a clearance section and saw a t-shirt which said, “I love my wife.”  It was on sale for dirt cheap, it was my size, and since I have long dreamed of having a wife, I wanted to buy it.  I did not, because I thought if any Christian single women saw me in it they would think I was married and then my chances of getting a wife would be zero.  Yet the fact is I have loved my future wife even though I do not even have a girlfriend.  I have waited for her by abstaining from you know what.  By God’s mercy and grace I have stayed away from pictures of naked women, which is challenging in this day and age with the Internet, yet it can be done.  It is a decision of the heart.  I have dreamed of talking with my future wife, serving her, and holding her.  Married men, if you want to glorify Jesus in your life, spend more time talking with your wife, serving your wife, and holding your wife.
   Regarding the raising of children, one thing I can assure you parents, if you love your children and you live a life of good behavior, your children are more likely to obey you out of admiration!  Children learn much from simply watching how their parents interact with each other and of course they learn from how their parents treat them.  If your life exhibits care and service towards your wife and children, trust me, your children will learn goodness from you.
   Then we get to the controversial slavery passage.  I have written before this is not approving of slavery.  Unfortunately Paul does not address the fact that slavery as a practice is morally wrong.  Instead he focuses on the behavior of individuals, telling slaves to work with a commitment to God, and telling “masters” they are to serve their “Master” in heaven.  However, I have addressed how slavery as a practice is morally wrong, and you can read about that in my one other blog concerning the faith of Abraham Lincoln:   http://thefaithofabrahamlincoln.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-immorality-of-slavery.html
Hunter Irvine