Colossians 3:22-4:1
In our modern society, it’s not uncommon to hear two different stories when talking to those who are employees and employers. Employers are sometimes heard to say that it is difficult to find people that want to work, while employees say that their employer is only looking out for himself/herself. And, maybe both of these statements are true at times and/or in some situations. However, what this cycle of discontent/distrust usually produces is conflict, decreased productivity and poor quality that ultimately does disservice to the very consumer that is absolutely necessary to both the employer and the employees.
There is a better way to do business, especially as a follower of Jesus who desires to obey His Word and glorify His name!
Before looking at some of the specific principles we can glean from this text about unity in the workplace, we need to first discuss what is the proverbial “elephant in the room.” It has to do with slavery and why Paul addresses it without condemning it in the process. Unfortunately, what many people do with texts like these is read twenty-first century sensibilities into first-century realities without even attempting to understand the circumstances of that society.
Let’s note at the outset that both Jesus and Paul spoke against slavery during their lifetimes.
Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19; quoting Isaiah 61:1)
Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
“...and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Colossians 3:10-11)
These passages prove that both Jesus and Paul opposed slavery and desired to bring freedom to people in bondage. They would have both considered the slave trade of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to be an abomination that violated human dignity and was forbidden as human theft (cf. 1 Timothy 1:9-10). They would have both opposed the dehumanization and oppression of any person created in the image of God! What is unique, though, is that their method of overthrowing slavery was not a “top down” approach, but a “bottom up” approach.
Paul Copan writes in his book entitled, “Is God A Moral Monster,” and addresses some of these difficult issues about slavery and the Bible. He states, “Paul’s position on the status of slavery was clear on various points: (1) he repudiated slave trading; (2) he affirmed the full dignity and equal spiritual status of slaves; and (3) he encouraged slaves to acquire their freedom whenever possible (1 Corinthians 7:20-22). Paul’s revolutionary Christian affirmations helped to tear apart the fabric of the institution of slavery in Europe.”
He continues, “Paul (and Peter) didn’t call for an uprising to overthrow slavery...On the one hand, a slave uprising would do the gospel a disservice and prove a direct threat to an oppressive Roman establishment...Rome would meet any flagrant opposition with speedy, forceful, lethal opposition...On the other hand, the early Christians undermined slavery indirectly and certainly rejected common Greco-Roman assumptions about it…Thus, like yeast...Christlike living could have a gradual leavening effect on society so that oppressive institutions like slavery could finally fall away. This is, in fact, what took place throughout Europe...” (Is God A Moral Monster, Pg. 152-153)
Scholar, Douglas Moo adds, “‘...freedom,’ or ‘liberation,’ was not in the first-century world the obvious good that it is for us in the modern world. Many of us, whose knowledge of slavery is determined by the institution as it existed in the antebellum United States South, think of slavery in terms of the forced subjugation of a certain race of people. However, while many people in the ancient world became slaves by force (through war, for instance), many others voluntarily sold themselves into slavery. Nor was slavery in the Greco-Roman world racially based: slaves came from all races and ethnic groups. And because they were spread over so many occupations and social classes, ancient slaves had little sense of solidarity...Moreover, legal freedom was by no means always a positive move for a slave...Once set free...former slaves (“freedmen”) were on their own and often found it very difficult to make a living. Legal freedom would not, then, have been the obvious good in the first century that we would consider it to be today.
He further states that, “...New Testament Christians were a tiny religious group living within an all-powerful, authoritarian empire. They lacked the power to influence government policy. More important, they lacked the categories (simply assumed by those of us who live in liberal democracies) within which they could conceive of what we would call ‘social action.’”
Then he concludes, “...New Testament Christians focused on the creation of an alternative society, a realm in which, whatever the realities around them, kingdom values would be lived out. Slavery, for instance, was not going to be abolished anytime soon; it was a reality that the early Christians lived with. Their focus, then, was on encouraging Christians to realize, in their relationships with each other, that their ‘new realm’ of existence was what ultimately mattered and that this existence must dictate the way they would relate to one another…(see esp. 1 Cor. 7:17–24)” --Pillar Commentary
Just so there is no misunderstanding, let me quote from one additional scholar, Dr. James Dunn. He writes, ". . . those who live in modern social democracies, in which interest groups can hope to exert political pressure by intensive lobbying, should remember that in the cities of Paul's day the great bulk of Christians would have had no possibility whatsoever of exerting any political pressure for any particular policy or reform. In such circumstances a pragmatic quietism was the most effective means of gaining room enough to develop the quality of personal relationships which would establish and build up the microcosms (churches) of transformed communities." (Dunn, James D. G. The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary series. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., and Carlisle, England: Paternoster Press, 1996.)
Again, our problem too often is the desire to force twenty-first century sensibilities on first-century realities. In other words, organizing first-century Christians into a political movement that could ultimately overthrow Roman slavery would have been like telling modern-day Christians in China or North Korea to organize and demand their freedom.
Just in recent days a news report from North Korea stated, “[The] supreme leader, Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered the execution of 33 people for converting to Christianity and receiving money from a South Korean Baptist missionary to start 500 underground churches.
“An unidentified source told [their local news agency, i.e., propaganda machine] that the 33 converts will be executed in a secret cell at the State Security Department on charges that they were trying to overthrow North Korea's regime by establishing the underground churches...
“...According to experts, Kim Jong Un intends to make a harsh example out of the converts as a part of ramped up efforts to reinforce his country's...self-reliance doctrine and keep out capitalist practices and beliefs.” (Christian Post)
In similar fashion, first-century Christians that opposed Roman policies would have been met with swift and lethal force. Instead, Paul’s approach to dealing with slavery was threefold:
- He taught that we should recognize every human being as a morally responsible person...including slaves (Colossians 3:22-25).
- He acknowledged that within the body of Christ there are no “status” distinctions as those which existed in first-century society (1 Timothy 6:2).
- What he said to “masters” about their conduct toward slaves and accountability to God would have been considered “outrageous” in his day. (P.T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Ephesians, Pillar Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999], p. 454) --Four times Paul reminds both slaves and masters that they are answerable to God for their conduct toward each other (3:22, 23, 24; 4:1).
Christianity was not primarily a political or social movement. It was a spiritual movement focused on affecting people’s eternal destinies. But, in the process of spreading the Gospel comes the practical effect of undermining oppressive policies like slavery by recognizing the equality of every person in Christ.
Though this passage deals primarily with slaves and masters, the closest application is in the realm of employer/employee relations. Actually, the difference between slaves/masters and employees/employers is mostly a matter of degree.
How does Paul transform the work environment into a place of greater productivity that ultimately brings glory to God?
1. He raises our perspective on the work we do.
We have a tendency to make a hard distinction between the secular and the sacred. We figure that Sunday is reserved for the sacred and Monday through Saturday is for the secular. However, Paul changes that perspective by declaring that all work is sacred to the follower of Jesus. Every job we do should be done to the glory of God! That changes how we view our work environment and the work assigned to us. That impacts how an employer sees his/her responsibility to those he/she employs. We aren’t just working for “that” person we have difficulty respecting. We are actually working for the One who is the ultimate Master of our souls. That’s why the basic command to those employed is to “obey” those that have the authority over them.
2. He reminds us that we are accountable to God for our work.
In the final judgment, it is God that will give the rewards or reprimands for the work we have done. With Him...there is no partiality (3:25)! We do our jobs not to please men, but to please Him! We give our best to whatever we’re asked to do. We don’t just work when the boss is around...we work diligently because God is always watching. At the final judgment, we will receive according to the quality of the work we have done.
- 3:22 “Sincerity” - A focused and unvarying concentration of the will that produces constant conduct, i.e., wholeheartedness.
3. He requires all authority be exercised responsibly.
In a stunning fashion, Paul addresses the “masters” to remind them that they must also be “just and fair.” That certainly requires from employers that their employees be given a living wage, proper benefits and adequate rest. We capitalists cannot excuse our hard heartedness toward those we employ on the grounds that they are not what they ought to be. One of the tragedies of our day is that labor conflicts could often be avoided if employers cared more about the welfare of their employees. This principle requires that employers do more than give their employees what is kind and patronizing. They should give what measures up to the standard of God (“just”) and is fair.
- 4:1 “Just” - conduct that meets the standard of God.
Closing:
- From 3:18 to 4:1 Paul uses the Greek word for “lord” eight times, six of which are in direct reference to the Lord (3:18, 20, 23, 24 [twice]; 4:1)!
- Four phrases stand out in these verses: “as is fitting in the Lord,” “for this is well pleasing to the Lord,” “for you serve the Lord,” and “you also have a Lord.”
This entire passage (3:18-4:1) deals with household relationships and requires that we be fully submitted to the Lordship of Christ. Anything less will result in the conflict that characterizes too many marriages, families and businesses.
So what is the best way to promote unity? It begins with the transformation of the heart. When we adopt the mind of Christ, we develop an attitude of humility and we focus on service toward others (Phil. 2:5-11). Only in Him can we access the power to “look out not only for [our] own interests, but also for the interests of others” (v.4). Soon the needs, concerns and hopes of others become more important to us than our own. When people stop looking out for themselves primarily, unity will be begin to grow in marriages, families and businesses.
- Our mission as a church is to present Christ as Savior and pursue Christ as Lord!
