We have been learning through the previous chapters in this epistle how we are intimately knit together into one body, with Christ as our head; we are close-knit members of the family of God as our Father.
God's order prevails in everything He made. Now we are to apply this important principle to our relationships we have here in this world: our families and work relationships.
(3: 18) Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
We are the bride of Christ, subject to our Husband, so Christian wives are under the responsibility of their husbands, so must be subject to their authority as head of the family.
(19) Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.
Husbands represent Christ in the family, so they are to see their wives as sisters in the Lord, worthy of honor and care. I Peter 3: 7 says,
You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. (KJV says: weaker vessels.)Women are not built to have the physical strength that God put into men's bodies, so they could do the work to support their family. My husband was studying this passage one morning, and came to a picture of the woman being a delicate China tea cup, in comparison to the man's tin cup.
This changed his view of me, and instead of seeing me as inferior, he began to see me as a sister to be honored and cherished.
(20) Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.
The only command God gives to children is to learn to obey their parents. Parents are the first authorities children have in life, and if they learn to obey this authority, then they will also be able to obey their teachers, and their bosses and the policeman. They will learn the order of authority, and it will serve them well for their whole lives, because this is how God designed creation to work, everything in order.
(21) Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.
The aim of discipline is not to break the child's spirit, but only his will. Too harsh treatment can damage a child's whole self-image, and can take away his knowledge of his value to God.
Fathers have a great responsibility as the head of their family. They will give account of how they loved their wives, and trained their children. The mother of the children derives her authority to discipline them from her husband, and he has this authority from Christ, his head.
(22) Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on Earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
This order of authority also extends into the workplace. At that time, there were many slaves who became Christians, and they needed to realize that God's love sovereignly placed them under their masters for a reason. They were to consider that their work was for the Lord, not just their master.
(23) Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,
(24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Whether we feel like we're in slavery, or working for a slave-driver boss, we are to do our work as Christ would perform the task, with skill and strength, the very best of our ability. We are Christ's hands and feet, to do His work here on Earth. And even if it looks like only your boss will get the profit from your work, just remember that Christ will bring your reward with him when He comes (see Revelation 22: 12).
(25) For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.
We are all accountable to the Lord, no matter if we are fathers or mothers, employees or employers, clients or mentors, we will give account for how we performed our duties.
We are not to disrespect those who God has placed in authority over us. In today's societies we are free to quit our jobs and get another, or even start our own businesses, so there is no excuse for having uncharitable attitudes toward one another.
We are all to see one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to see those who are still lost as precious embryos who are not yet born into God's family. We don't know their hearts. Many times someone may seem mean and cruel, hard-hearted; but we see Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the Evangelist. God works a miracle every time He saves a person, changing him or her into a new creation (see II Corinthians 5: 17 and Galatians 6: 15).
(4: 1) Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Slave-masters considered their slaves to be their property, so they could treat them any way they wanted. But when they became Christians, they were to have a different view of their slaves, as brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Today, we don't condone slavery in the way they did then, so this principle applies to employers with employees. Business owners who are Christians are to treat their workers with justice and fairness, with kindness and compassion, seeing them as sisters and brothers in the Lord.
We all will give account to our Master, our Owner, who has purchased us with His blood on the cross. He will treat us the way He wants, whether to give us rewards or withhold them, with perfect justice and fairness.
No matter what relationship we are looking at in this world, we must recognize God's order of authority, and direct our lives in accordance with it, in every interaction with other people, in every circumstance, whether they are Christians or not yet. We are the Christians, God's family, the body of Christ, and we must conduct our lives with attitudes of being who we are in Christ, as royal sons and daughters in the King's household.
O my Father, You have all authority and You do everything You want. You have made us to be Your children, and You have done everything possible, and even impossible, to rescue us from the entanglements we have gotten ourselves into. Your knowing everything enables You to use Your wisdom in the cleverness of how You do what You do, no matter what humans decide.
There is nothing we can mess up that You cannot untangle and redeem. Father, Your Love for us is above and beyond what we can comprehend. And Your authority over us is absolute. You accomplish Your will. And Your great Plan of the Ages is unfolding before our eyes, to arrange and accomplish everything to set everything up for the return of Your Son.
O Father, we see Your workings in all that You are doing to prepare us and to prepare the world, all the parts are fitting into place to fulfill all that You told us to expect. And You are growing Your church, Christ's body, in numbers and in maturity. We will be complete and ready for our Lord's return.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
