Introduction to Colossians: Authorship, Date, Audience - Crain Home

Interpretation 3
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,
and not unto men;
Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward
of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
Col 3:25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong
which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Summary
Col 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just
and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
The Intervarsity Press Commentary rightly sees that Paul's purpose is
christological and eschatological:
With closer scrutiny, however, we should find critical
differences between the secular and Christian worlds and
between their codes for family conduct. For example, Paul
calls his readers to observe his code for reasons that are both
christological (3:18: as is fitting in the Lord) and
eschatological (3:24: you will receive an inheritance from the
Lord ). That is, his reasons are religious and not societal.
Further, the egalitarian sociology of God's people (see 3:11)
is radically different from the hierarchy and patriarchy of the
Jewish and Roman worlds. Where the new age has dawned in
Christ, people are valued as equals regardless of their station
or role. The believer's way of seeing has been transformed by
divine grace, and this renewal of the mind has resulted in a
new sense of being and a new capacity for doing. In this
sense, then, calls to submit to or love another mean something
very different for the believer than for the nonbeliever. In
fact, Paul, who teaches that God's grace works within the
community to produce a distinctively virtuous life (3:12-17),
would no doubt argue that without our participation with
Christ in God's saving work the intent of such household rules
is corrupted so that they produce only vice (see 3:5-9).
http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/webcommentary
When Paul is read correctly in Colossians, he does not advocate
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