Historically speaking, Christianity is an outgrowth of Judaism. Therefore, Christian Moral Theology has a tradition that can be traced back to the Exodus experience. The first half of the Christian Bible is the Old Testament which covers the Hebrew Scripture. Therefore, the Israelite experience provides some guidelines for Christian living.
The Israelites received the Ten Commandments as a sign of their covenant with a God who delivered them from the bondage in Egypt. They were proud of their laws and precepts because those laws and precepts were given by God.
For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4:7-8)
The Torah were instructions for the Israelites to lead a holy life. Observing them is a guarantee of the Sinai covenant. Therefore, Israelite ethics was theocentric and based on a covenant.
The Israelites received the Ten Commandments as a sign of their covenant with a God who delivered them from the bondage in Egypt. They were proud of their laws and precepts because those laws and precepts were given by God.
For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?
And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? (Deuteronomy 4:7-8)
The Torah were instructions for the Israelites to lead a holy life. Observing them is a guarantee of the Sinai covenant. Therefore, Israelite ethics was theocentric and based on a covenant.
In the New Testament, Christ came to show us the way to return to God. After his ascension, his disciples began to preach his good news to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. St. Paul and St. John taught about a Christocentric way of living. "Abide in him" is a cliché which appears five times in the First Epistle of St. John. Paul was even more explicit. It was no longer I who lived, but Christ who lived in him.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).
In the Epistle to the Colossians, we will inevitable find some exhortations to lead a Christocentric moral life. But before he dealt with various relationships, Paul laid down the general Christocentric principle first.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:15-17).
The whole person is saturated with the peace and words of Christ. Then whatever one does, he does and speaks in the name of Christ.
After laying down the principle, Paul dealt with the most significant relations one by one. The relations Paul dealt with were all power relations --- husband and wife, father and children, master and slaves.
In these exhortations, Paul seemed to be siding with the powerful to oppress the weaker ones. He told wives to be subject to husbands, children to obey parents while slaves their masters. Each time, Paul mentioned the approval of the Lord of such subordinations.
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18).
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord (Colossians 3:20).
Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22).
Paul never mentioned the Lord to "manhandle" husbands and fathers, except for masters whom Paul mildly protested to the Lord.
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven (Colossians 4:1).
Of course, such an interpretation is not doing justice to Paul because we cut up his epistle and quote him out of context. Paul did not develop his opinions on the relationship between husbands and wives like he did in the first epistle to the Corinthians and the epistle to the Ephesians. He simply wrote two lines because earlier on, he had already told the men (husbands and fathers) to live with Christ in their hearts, to do and speak in the name of Christ. So, when Paul told the husbands to love their wives, he expected them to love their wives with Christ's love for the Church.
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them (Colossians 3:19).
When Paul told the patriarchs not to provoke their children, he expected them to patiently teach their children with Christ's patience towards the disciples.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged (Colossians 3:21).
Such an interpretation would be consistent with what Paul wrote in other epistles such as the Ephesians.
In short, a Christian life is a Christocentric life.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).
In the Epistle to the Colossians, we will inevitable find some exhortations to lead a Christocentric moral life. But before he dealt with various relationships, Paul laid down the general Christocentric principle first.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:15-17).
The whole person is saturated with the peace and words of Christ. Then whatever one does, he does and speaks in the name of Christ.
After laying down the principle, Paul dealt with the most significant relations one by one. The relations Paul dealt with were all power relations --- husband and wife, father and children, master and slaves.
In these exhortations, Paul seemed to be siding with the powerful to oppress the weaker ones. He told wives to be subject to husbands, children to obey parents while slaves their masters. Each time, Paul mentioned the approval of the Lord of such subordinations.
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18).
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord (Colossians 3:20).
Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22).
Paul never mentioned the Lord to "manhandle" husbands and fathers, except for masters whom Paul mildly protested to the Lord.
Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven (Colossians 4:1).
Of course, such an interpretation is not doing justice to Paul because we cut up his epistle and quote him out of context. Paul did not develop his opinions on the relationship between husbands and wives like he did in the first epistle to the Corinthians and the epistle to the Ephesians. He simply wrote two lines because earlier on, he had already told the men (husbands and fathers) to live with Christ in their hearts, to do and speak in the name of Christ. So, when Paul told the husbands to love their wives, he expected them to love their wives with Christ's love for the Church.
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them (Colossians 3:19).
When Paul told the patriarchs not to provoke their children, he expected them to patiently teach their children with Christ's patience towards the disciples.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged (Colossians 3:21).
Such an interpretation would be consistent with what Paul wrote in other epistles such as the Ephesians.
In short, a Christian life is a Christocentric life.
Dear Lord, come into my heart and be its Master. Steer my life towards the service of the needy. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment