This is a great passage. A tad controversial in places but we’ll deal with that as we go. I love this first bit.
COL 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
As one body we are called to be at peace. So we should work hard at being peaceful with each other. Remember last week we talked about forgiving and dealing with the issues. Here we have a result –a peaceful church.
I like the imagery of being one body. Paul uses it a number of times and a body at peace with itself is usually a healthy, happy body. One thing that amazed me though is that we strive so hard for it but it seems to get in the way of our individual freedom. As Baptists we have a principle of individual conscious. That each person has the right to decide and participate in church life. Well, originally that principle was worded “ individual conscious in the Holy Spirit.” In other words the expectation that the Holy Spirit works in our lives to make individual decisions based on God’s will. In fact we don’t strive for individual conscious, we strive to be at peace with God which is tapping into God’s will for us. Get the drift.This carries over into our church governance. I was talking with someone this week about it. We aren’t democratic but pneumocratic – in other words, Holy Spirit led in our decisions. The Holy Spirit leads each person to vote in a meeting. Does that mean that we should have 100% agreement? No because the Holy Spirit will bring out different aspects of the issue out in different people – Because God made us different. Anyway more about that at a later date.The end result of being tapped into God’s will is being at peace with God.As individuals and as a church.
Paul goes on to give us a hint at how to achieve this.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Spend time reading about God. So much so that it becomes part of your life. And notice it says “as you teach and admonish one another”. This is pretty amazing. Paul is saying – you are all involved in the teaching process. This is the funny thing about churches. We are all in the process of helping each other to draw closer to God. Some of the older folk share their wisdom, adults share their knowledge, kids share their enthusiasm. Although there are people who cross those distinctions. I asked the leaders of the youth group and Oasis groups to ask the older folk in the church to pray for them when the programs are in process. Why? Because we need that support but also so the older folk feel part of that ministry of the church. So leaders – did we do that – Did we ask for prayer? People who have been asked – have you been remembering?
The next part has been a bit contentious at times. and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. Some churches have said that you should only sing Psalms in church.Others have said only Hymns, other prefer spiritual songs. Some try to do all three. So what’s the go? What Paul is getting at is how we offer praise to God, it is not what we do in church but what we do as church.Let me explain that. What we do in church is about how we corporately worship Sunday. The here and now stuff. This passage is not about that. The passage is about how we are church. The church is the people and this verse indicates that we take our worship into everyday life with us. We privately worship with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.It is about an attitude of worship wherever whenever. So guys – sing your hymns on your tractors this week, Ladies sing a spiritual songs as you clean or whatever. Take a Psalm with you as you go about your daily work.
Of course we will use those formats when we get together on Sunday here at the place we meet but this passage is about how we live in the day to day. The inference of that is continued with the next verses.
COL 3:18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. COL 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Oh these verses have been debated over the last twenty years. Sometimes all for the wrong reason. This section is begins what is called the Household Code.Some commentators say that this was an existing piece of writing – nearly a household creed, that Paul uses to impress on the Colossians the need for a set apart life or a distinctive life. I want to look at the social situation that Paul is talking to here.1. Women had no rights. They were deemed possessions.When Christianity came along – it liberated them in many respects. They had a role to play other than household duties and that of a sex slave. From some perspectives – some women took this out of context. I think we can see that in 1 Corinthian. You will notice the other subordinate positions. Children and slaves. The father of a household had absolute right to treat people as he chose. To a point if a wife displeased him – He could get rid of her and sell her. If a child disobeyed he could have him or her beaten, and some died. Slaves were just unpaid workers with rights whatsoever. Paul is saying here – wives show some respect. It is as if he is saying, think of the consequences here. If you start telling your husbands what to do it will cause friction. We want to win other people not get every bloke in town of side. The word in the greek for submit yourself is hupostasso – which is to place yourself under. In this context it is saying place yourselves deliberately under your husbands as the Lord would have it. Remember some women also would have become Christians before their husbands. It is a deliberate choice. The equality of men and women before the Lord, which Paul wrote about in Gal 3:28 is not in doubt. After all a married couple is one – to say that part of the one is in charge of the other part of one is mathematically absurd let alone theological bizarre. If the married couple is one and a singular unit then needs to be a working through of how this works out in practical life. I think it is called communication. Paul goes on to say that there is no prejudice of any kind. Look at these versesGal 3: 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
NT Wright says” The wife must forgo the temptation to rule the husbands life, using perhaps one of many varieties of domestic blackmail…” They must both always put the others interests first. That at no stage reflects the place of women in church. This passage is about a household code first and foremost. This is family stuff, living as Christians at home. This is no way talks about women and their spiritual gifts. We can’t read that stuff into this verse, try 1 Corinthians or Ephesians but even then be careful about making big statements about the role of women in church life –it is a really complicated issue. Anyway, the next bit is the really big issue.
COL 3:19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.Here we see Paul telling the husbands to not be tough on their wives. Why? Because it was the culture at the time to treat your wife like rubbish. Paul says don’t. But the word he uses to tell the guys to love their wives is the same word for love that God describes His love for us. – Agapeo. Love you wife like God loves you.Now you have some huge implications here.Funny, wives don’t have to love their husbands. Maybe that is a cultural thing, most marriages were arranged, so maybe the wives didn’t love heir husbands.
Anyway, Husbands are commanded to. This is a bit different. Don’t you just fall in love. Not according to this verse – it is a command.
But really what these verses tell us is to make our marriages work. Show respect, show love. One view is that with the style of writing that is used, the author is saying to each part of the marriage – be submissive and love. The grammar of the greek would infer this. Interestingly, this is not a contemporary idea but has been around for hundreds of years but not really been talked about much. In some ways it was a more scholarly understanding of the greek and the rhetoric of the passage.Anyway, where does that leave us? Well it depends how you interpret the passage. I think we need to continue to respect and love each other in our marriages. Men respect and love, women respect and love. Remember the previous passage talked about peace – Evaluate what it takes for true peace to be in a marriage. I’ll leave you married people to discuss that over lunch. The household code goes further.
COL 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. COL 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. COL 3:22 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. I think from this passage you can get a bit of a feel for the culture. Dads get a bad wrap. Again in v21. I think you can see that it was an aggressive male dominated culture. Children are told to obey their parents but straight away Paul says to not give them a hard time. There must be a reason for this kind of talk. Yes, the dad ruled the home with an iron fist. What embitters a child? Well when I was a kid, my dad embittered me a bit. Dad was involved so much in church stuff that I never saw him. I can’t recall him ever watching me play soccer – I resented that. He went traveling all over the state preaching and left me and mum at home on weekends – I resented that. I felt, to use the term Paul uses – embittered.
Now, we have worked that through, but still I felt it then. Sometimes even church gets in the way of family relationships. Please, I implore you, do not place church activities over your children. There is one thing being committed to the Lord and another being so much involved with church that our kids resent the place. Find a balance here. I want to hone in on v23 to finish with.23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
This is a verse that has really affected me over the last few years.I used to have a theology of excellence. That things for God had to be the best, and that included worship services, music, preaching etc. I was critical of anything that did not come up to my expectations of being the best. I never felt like anything I did was good enough, because I wasn’t the best. This verse affected me one day. It doesn’t say be the best, it says do your best. And there is a big difference. Now, my expectations are that I have a go and put the effort in and God knows my limitations. I am not the best pastor in the world – but I am the best Pastor at Yeoval District Baptist. And I need to work at being the best for you people I can. IN some ways I need to have those expectations of you, because I believe that is the expectations God has of you. Do your best. So Oasis leaders do the best at leading to draw kids closer to GodYouth Group leaders do their best to draw youth closer to GodThose who pray before the service do your best to pray for the people of this church.The musicians do their best to help us worship together.The Deacons do their best to deal with the logistical issues and leadership issues of the church.See where it is coming from – do your best. I don’t think God expects any more.
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