Colossians Chapter 3:18-4:1
A1 Scripture
B1 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 3:18-4:1, NKJV)
B2 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what you should do as Christians. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents always, for that is what pleases God. Parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become discouraged. Slaves, obey your human masters in all things, not only when they are watching you because you want to gain their approval; but do it with a sincere heart because of your reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve. And all wrongdoers will be repaid for the wrong things they do, because God judges everyone by the same standard. Masters, be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves. Remember that you too have a Master in heaven. (Colossians 3:18-4:1, GNB92)
A2 Outline--God's rules for dealing with those who are close to us
B1 Wives
C1 Submit
C2 To own husbands
B2 Husbands
C1 Love your wives
C2 Do not be bitter with them
B3 Children
C1 Obey your parents
C2 In all things
B4 Fathers
C1 Do not provoke your children
C2 Lest they become discouraged
B5 Bondservants
C1 Obey your masters (human)
C2 In all things
C3 Not only while they watch you
C4 In sincerity of heart
C5 Fearing God
C6 Do everything
D1 Do the best of your ability and
D2 With a good attitude
C7 The promise
D1 The Lord will give
D2 The reward of service
C8 Jesus Christ is the ultimate boss whom we really serve
C9 The one who disobeys will also be rewarded.
C10 God shows no partiality.
B6 Masters
C1 Give what is fair
C2 Give what is just
C3 Remember you have your Master in heaven
A3 Notes
B1 These are part of the practical laws in the New Testament that we are required to do.
B2 Wives
C1 These are females (XX, not XY).
C2 The word is plural not because we are allowed to have more than one wife, but it is because Paul is writing to the whole church at Colossae.
B3 Submit (Colossians 3:18)
C1 Not as a slave with no rights.
C2 But a yielding to the higher authority.
C3 Someone has to have the last word.
C4 The word means "under another".
D1 Instead of pushing for superiority, dominance, bullying,
D2 Has the idea of willing to acknowledge the better opinion of another.
D3 The idea of amenable, docile, open (to another's opinion).
"ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence, persuasion, or advice; agreeable; submissive; tractable:
an amenable servant."--amenable. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 17, 2015, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amenable
C5 This does NOT mean a woman is second rate. Consider
D1 Eve is called the "Mother of all living."
D2 Miriam is called a prophetess.
D3 Deborah is a judge in Israel.
D4 Mary, the mother of Jesus.
D5 The first Human witnesses of the resurrected Jesus were women.
D6 The deacon Phillip had daughters who were recognized as prophetesses.
C6 God has a very high opinion of women.
C7 It is to their own husbands, not just to any male.
C8 "As fitting to the Lord" has the idea of this is what we should do as Christians.
B4 Husbands
C1 The word husband in English has the idea of
D1 One of the house
D2 That lives in there, build, and cultivates
D3 So one who has the responsibility of overseeing the household for safety and stability.
C2 Are one with their wives (Matthew 19:5)
C3 God wants wives treated well. "Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the LORD has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. "For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously." (Malachi 2:14-16, NKJV)
D1 The word treacherously means to be unfaithful.
D2 It also has the idea of breaking treaties, agreements, promises, etc.
D3 It even includes ideas as betrayal.
D4 God punishes such. "But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it." (Proverbs 2:22, NKJV)
C4 To love our wives.
D1 Love here is agape.
D2 It is the love of choice and faithfulness.
D3 It is the love of 1 Corinthians 13
D4 It is not necessarily of words but definitely is of actions.
C5 Without bitterness (per definition at Dictionary.com)
D1 Distressful
D2 Causing pain
D3 Hostile
D4 Resentful or cynical
C6 Words and actions do hurt.
C7 Bitterness is not to be a Christian activity or attitude. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and blasphemy be removed from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31, EMTV)
C8 Some things that make a marriage better.
D1 Listen to your wife. When she is talking, look at her.
D2 Respect her opinion.
D3 Do something nice for her like wash the dishes or vacuum the carpet.
C9 To praise your wife (genuine praise please) especially in public. "Her children show their appreciation, and her husband praises her." (Proverbs 31:28, GNB92)
B5 Children
C1 This would be children at home.
C2 Obey in all things.
D1 Positive aspect--It may save your life.
D2 Negative aspect--do not obey if it is criminal (that is, against God's law) or hurts someone.
D3 Learning to obey helps out in life situations as when the children get a job.
B6 Fathers
C1 Very important in the life of a child.
C2 Article
C3 Bible verses
D1 We are to pity, have compassion on, our children. "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him." (Psalms 103:13, ESV2011)
D2 Teach children wisdom and right from wrong. "My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother." (Proverbs 1:8, NKJV)
D3 The teaching of restraint and self-control are vital. "Discipline your son, for there is hope; don't be a willing party to his death." (Proverbs 19:18, WEB)
D4 Live what we teach. "Children are fortunate if they have a father who is honest and does what is right." (Proverbs 20:7, GNB92)
B7 Parents
C1 Are not to make their children angry by
D1 Setting unrealistic goals. Demanding too much from them as in expecting a 5 year old to read at the 12th grade level or to have all "A's" in school.
D2 Abuse them in any way.
D3 Let them run wild without learning any self-control.
D4 Lying to them.
D5 Lying about them.
D6 Treat them like they are worthless.
D7 Be inconsistent. Have them obey one rule for one child and the other doesn't have to, or have all obey a rule for a while and then not obey for a while then return to obeying the rule.
D8 Criticize your spouse in front of the children.
D9 Never show love or kindness to your spouse, your children, or the pets.
D10 Never allow them to express their opinion.
D11 When your child asks you why they have to do something tell them, "Because I said so."
D12 Often when a child is hurt frequently (as in abuse or a lack of love), they become bitter. When bitterness goes on and on, they become angry. If the irritant (as abuse or lack of love) continue, it might be hate. If hate remains, it may lead to murder. Consider Absalom, King David's son.
D13 Always tell them what not to do, but never tell them the right way to do something.
D14 Criticize them frequently.
D15 Never listen to them.
D16 Break your promises to them.
D17 Falsely accuse them of something.
D18 Play favorites.
D19 Never praise a child for anything good they do. Always point out there faults and weaknesses.
D20 Never take an interest in what they are doing. For example, they may say to you, "Daddy, look at this pretty picture I drew for you." If your child is doing something special in school, never ask how they are doing, never show up when they do this special thing, never listen to them when they tell you what award or honor they have achieved.
D21 Tell them you hate them.
D22 Tell them they are in your way.
D23 Tell them you wish they were never born.
D24 Never be sympathetic or empathetic.
D25 Have your child be your therapist as in telling them all your worries, fears, sins, etc.
D26 Overprotect your child.
D27 Never let your child experience failure. Always cover up for their mistakes and blame someone else.
D28 Never let your child make a decision. Make all their decisions for them.
D29 Don't do anything with your child. Maybe you like fishing, so don't take them with you. Maybe they like fishing, so don't take them fishing.
D30 Yell at them a lot.
D31 Be arrogant.
D32 Tease them about their looks.
C2 Lest they become discouraged
D1 They want to give up for it seems impossible to please their parents.
D2 Often they, then, reject what the parents believe.
B8 Bondservants
C1 Servant
D1 Different words
E1 Strong's number G3610 refers to household servants. οἰκέτης
F1 These are those who work in the house.
F2 "Now when the angel who had been speaking to Cornelius had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually." (Acts 10:7, EMTV) (Bold is the word for household servant--οἰκέτης (oiketēs).
E2 Strong's number G1401 refers to servants. δοῦλος
F1 The difference between servants and slaves.
G1 The word slave in English engenders the torture and treatment of the Old South and her plantations.
G2 The word servant in English gives the idea of being an employee serving another person.
G3 The word servant in Greek has the idea of dependence on a Lord.
G4 While some Greek servants were mistreated, it would be no different than modern workers who are mistreated by their employers.
G5 The "Greeks have a strong sense of freedom. Personal dignity consists of freedom. There is thus a violent aversion to bondage. Service may be rendered to the state, but by free choice. Slavery is scorned and rejected. This explains the fierceness with which the Greeks fought for political independence. The only slavery Plato will allow is to the laws. The laws, however, represent the goal of humanity, so that slavery to law is in no way derogatory. Aristotle shows a similar scorn for slavery; for him slaves have no part in the state or true service to it. The Stoics have a broader view of service. Zeus himself summons us to it, so that, while free in relation to all people, we are unconditionally bound to all. Yet the Stoic would never call himself the doúlos theoú; he moves through the world as basileús and despótēs, the very opposite of the doúlos. This is the characteristic of the wise. Those who are not wise are slaves, no matter what the form of their bondage (cf. Epictetus, Plutarch, and Philo)." Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume, Kittel, Gerhard; Friedrich, Gerhard, 1985, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Entry on the would doulos (G1401).
D2 If would seem unlikely that the Apostles who designate themselves as servants would consider themselves slaves as understood by modern English readers. "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1, WEB)
C2 Instructions for servants, employees, and other types of workers.
D1 Obey your masters (human)
D2 In all things
D3 Not only while they watch you
D4 In sincerity of heart
D5 Fearing God
D6 Do everything
E1 Do the best of your ability and
E2 With a good attitude
D7 The promise
E1 The Lord will give
E2 The reward of service
D8 Jesus Christ is the ultimate boss whom we really serve
D9 The one who disobeys will also be rewarded.
D10 God shows no partiality.
B9 Masters
C1 Give what is fair. This would be a proper wage, not just a wage required by law.
C2 Give what is just. This would be a honest pay check, not one based on fudged hours.
C3 Remember you have your Master in heaven. The Master in heaven, Jesus, will deal with you either now or later.
