When we were together the last Lord’s day we jumped back into the letter to the Colossians. We picked up in chapter 3, after Paul has exalted the preeminence of Christ (1:15-2:5), outlined our union with Him (2:6-23) and exhorted us to put off the old self and put on the new (3:1-17). Now, Paul, both here and in Ephesians, as does Peter in his first letter, go on to give us what we call the household codes (3:18-4:1)
Being united to Christ by faith, and therefore being a new creation – changes everything! It impacts every area of your life. So, whatever you do now, in word or deed – it is all to be in the name of the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks to the Father through him (3:17)!
Therefore, Paul and Peter show us what it looks like, what it requires to be a new creation in a space that is – in some way, for all people – common. Here is how the gospel applies to the sphere of life that is the family, the home, the household. What does it mean for wives, husbands, children, parents and those sitting under other authority.
Although, as we discussed on Sunday we have a problem when it comes to texts such as this! For example in verse 18 when Paul says, “wives, submit to your husbands” he isn’t commanding this out of nowhere – in a vacuum with no other information. Instead, inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul along with the New Testament writers are speaking within the context of the whole counsel of God. So, when he says ‘wives submit to your husband’s,’ he is doing so within the framework of Biblically – what a woman is, what it means to be feminine, and what a man is, what it means to be masculine! According to God
One of the reasons that when people read passages like this, they recoil at them is because we don’t read them with the same Biblical lens.
Therefore, before we get into the home – heads and helpers, children and parents, employees and masters (3:18-4:1), we want to first take a few steps back and deal with some foundational topics that our world today is so confused about. Namely:
- What is a human? And what were we made for?
- What is a man? And how might boys and men flourish for the glory of Jesus?
- What is a woman? And how might girls and women flourish for the glory of Jesus?
If you missed the sermon on Sunday, or what to reflect a little further, we went back to the beginning and outlined according to God what it means to be human!
As elders, we believe this conversation (which may take 3 weeks or 3 months, we shall see) will be helpful for all of us as we seek to conform our lives to God’s commands, the pattern of scripture and the good design that he created us for!
Grace to you, Glory to God