Big Idea - The last time I spoke on the topic of husbands and wives, specifically the submission of the wife to her husband, a lady came up after the service quite upset and angry that I would teach such a thing. She had attended a conservative Christian university and had been taught that these ideas were old, outdated, and no longer applicable to the world we live in. She was convinced that wives do not need to submit to their husbands, and in fact, it was unchristian for a wife to do so. They should live as equals in the home, and their leadership should be shared as co-leaders. The teachings of the Bible on this topic are difficult. We live in an age when the idea of submitting to the rule of another over our life seems extreme and even abusive. We read Paul's instructions to slaves, and we wonder how Paul could support a system that is morally wrong! Why doesn't he instruct slaves to rebel against an institution that is clearly wrong and violates human rights and dignity? At the very least, it seems this passage is out of touch with the modern world and has nothing to speak to us in our time. One commentator writes we can only preach these passages "critically in order to unmask them as texts promoting patriarchal, that is male, violence." We may not go that far, but perhaps we feel that we live in a different culture and time, and therefore the Bible, and passages like this, have no authority to speak into our time and a radically different culture. The Bible, after all, was written at a different time and in a different culture. How can Scripture speak with authority over our time and culture? Or do we need to adapt the teachings of the Bible so that it conforms to modern culture? How can we understand and apply teachings like this in our modern world?

Truth is truth, and the truth of Scripture must stand above and over culture. We cannot simply push truth aside because it doesn't seem to fit into our modern thinking. But, it is also true that the Bible was written in a given context, culture, and setting. Times have changed, and culture has changed dramatically. Slavery is no longer legal or practiced as it was in ancient times. Families are different. But Paul was not simply talking about culture. The things he taught were quite radical in his time, even though it doesn't look radical to us. He was not conforming his teaching to fit the culture. He was, in fact, confronting culture. We need to see what Paul was teaching in the bigger context of Colossians chapter 3. He has been teaching about taking off the old life that was dominated by our sinful desires and our old sinful self and putting on the new life in Christ. A life that reflects the heart and nature of Jesus and of His Father in heaven. In this passage, he brings it home, so to speak. The new life is not something we put on only when we go to Church or out in public. In fact, the real test of the new life is at home. This is where the rubber meets the road, where we will really see if the transformation of the new life is genuine or if it is just a show we are putting on for others. We can pretend for a while in public, but at home, the real me is much more evident. Paul is pointing out critical ways that the new life of Christ will be evident at home and on the job. Living the new life in Christ transcends and goes far beyond culture and customs. These principles are to be lived out in our family and work relationships, at every age, and in every culture. Culture may change, but the new life in Christ is unchanging. These are unchanging principles we can apply to our relationships at home and at work that we observe in this passage. 1) the goal is not to overthrow our culture or conform to culture but to know how to live the new life in our sinful culture. 2) it starts with the Lordship of Christ. We are ultimately obeying and submitting to Him. 3) submission is entrusting yourself to someone's care and is voluntary, limited, and the practice of humility. 4) you can't dance unless one person leads and another follows. 5) leading is not about dominating but caring for others with compassion and meekness. 6) it takes a lot of forbearance and forgiveness on all sides. 7) we will all answer to God for how we conduct ourselves at home and work, and we will be rewarded accordingly.