In Colossians 3:18–4:1, Paul shows what it means to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus” in the most ordinary relationships of life: marriage, parenting, and work. Wives and husbands, children and parents, slaves and masters are each given different responsibilities, but all are called to act as people who ultimately serve the Lord Christ. Paul is not handing out a list of power-plays; he is calling believers to use their roles—whether in authority or under it—to please God, not just to protect their own rights.
Acting Like What We Say We Believe Is True
Paul is writing to a church on the verge of believing a legalistic gospel which claims you must practice certain practices to maintain your favor with God. Paul has been encouraging them to remain true to the gospel taught by Jesus: namely that you are saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
In this series of exhortations, Paul explains how belief in the gospel changes how you act in three pairs of relationships: wives/husbands, children/parents and slaves/masters.
Whatever You Do: Doing Everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus
3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. – Colossians 3:16-4:1
- Colossians 3:17 is the context for 3:18 through 4:1. How should we speak and act? We are do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
- “in the name of” generally means to act in the place of another. When a policeman knocks on a door and says “open up in the name of the law”, he is asking you to respond to him as a representative of the law. He is acting as an officer of the law, not a public citizen. He is acting in the name of the law.
- Paul gives three pairs of relationships where one side has a measure of authority over the other. In each case he calls upon us to realize we are under the mastery of God. Whether we are the one with a measure of authority or the one called to submit, we are to act in the name of the Lord.
Wives and Husbands: Submission and Love as Shared Service to the Lord
3:18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. – Colossians 3:18-19
- Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” – Genesis 2:18
- Husband headship is the biblical concept that God assigned the husband responsibility for the marriage and resulting family.
- Being a Helper is recognizing who is responsible and granting him the freedom to follow his conscience.
- We are all equally sinful, equally saved and equally gifted. But we have different roles to play in the body of Christ.
- Love is a decision to look out for what’s best for someone else.
Children and Parents: Obedience Without Crushing Their Spirit
3:20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. – Colossians 3:20-21
- The natural tendency is for children to deal with their parents with the goal of getting away with as much as they can.
- Instead children need to recognize that God gave their parents a responsibility for their welfare and they need to grant their parents the freedom to exercise it.
- Parents ought to exercise their responsibility knowing they are obligated before God to seek what is best for their children.
Slaves and Masters: Serving the Lord Christ in Unchosen Roles
3:22Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. – Colossians 3:22-4:1
- Paul neither condones nor condemns slavery. Rather he recognizes it as a fact of their lives and explains how to respond in that situation.
- Despite the fact that there was no cultural expectation for the master/slave relationship to be characterized by respect or love, Paul says God obligates them to act with respect and love.
- There is a judgment coming that will ask the bigger question of: Did I seek to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no partiality in that judgment.
Summary
The overarching theme in this section is to live all our relationships as bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing ultimately we serve him. The challenge is to resist the tendency to “win.” Instead we are to recognize God has a higher prior claim on our lives and seek to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ — in whatever situation we find ourselves.
For more detail and explanation, please listen to the podcast.
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Series: Colossians: Getting the Gospel Right
Study: Colossians Resources
Scripture quotes are from the English Standard Version of the Bible.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Season 6, Episode 9
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