The application of faith

What do husbands and wives, parents and kids, slaves and masters have in common? Well for one, if they happened to be first century Christians in the city of Colossae, they all received a specific mention in Paul’s letter to their church. The section in Colossians 3:18-4:1 is a condensed version of what Paul said to the same three groupings in far more detail in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. What Paul says about these relationships flows out of earlier instructions about putting off the old self and putting on the new self with its practices. These “practices” are then explored in terms of some of our most common, vital and challenging relationships. These are the proving ground for the virtues of Christ that we are to be clothing ourselves with as Christians. The three relationship categories provide examples of six gospel principles that we as Christians should be applying in our daily lives.

Series: Invisible God; Visible Faith (Colossians)
Todd Dugard
Message: 8 – The application of faith
Harvest Bible Chapel
Text: Colossians 3:18-4:1
August 20, 2023

In all of my relationships, I must apply the gospel principles of…

…submission (3:18)

…love (3:19)

Men more naturally respect but struggle to love.
Women more naturally love but struggle to respect (submit).

Wives tend to react in ways that feel disrespectful to the husbands—thus the command to respect/submit.
Husbands tend to react in ways that feel unloving to the wife—thus the command to love.

Paraphrased from Love and Respect

…obedience (3:20)

…sensitivity (3:21)

Recognizing the importance of fathers doesn’t dismiss the importance of mothers in the lives of young men. It’s about acknowledging that male role models are important and that their absence has consequences.
Jamil Jivani

The National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), a non-profit organization working to end fatherlessness in the United States, claims “there is a father factor in nearly all social ills facing America today.” This bold statement is backed up by research that shows fatherless children are more likely to have behavioural problems, live in poverty, experience abuse or neglect, use drugs or alcohol, repeat grades in school, become teenage parents, and go to prison. The research also shows that adolescent boys with absentee fathers are especially likely to engage in criminal and other delinquent behaviours.
Jamil Jivani

The Consequences of Growing up without a Father

…servanthood (3:22-25)

…justice (4:1)