Practical application: marriage
Paul has spent more than half of his letter to the believers in Colossae telling them that because of Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins, they have a new relationship with God. Paul continued to describe the impact this relationship has on their lives now and in eternity…with the entire focus on Jesus. As they grow in understanding of who Jesus is and what a relationship with Him is like, these believers will live a fulfilled life of continual thankfulness that reflects the glory of God.
As Paul encourages the Colossian believers to press on toward maturity, in 3:12-17 he gives them a list of Christ-like characteristics that will come from their relationship with God:
…put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…
…forgive one another…just as the Lord has forgiven you…
…above all, put on love…
…be thankful…
…let the message of the Messiah dwell richly among you…
…whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…
And then, Paul gets real specific as to where these characteristics are to be practiced and developed.
Colossians 3:18-19
Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don’t become bitter against them.
That’s about as real as it gets, isn’t it?
We go from talking about theoretical living – yeah, I need to be more compassionate…I know I should be more thankful…and I’ve been working on my patience – to suddenly being told to apply these things to the person we see the most of in life. We know our spouse’s good points, and we also know their flaws. In fact, we probably know their flaws better than they even recognize them.
Submissive is hard word these days. Keep in mind, though, that Paul does not say that all women are to be submissive to all men. This direction is only for Christians in a marriage relationship. The basis for submission has nothing to do with inferiority, but is instead grounded in respect for the position God has placed her husband in. There is an important qualifier here, too – as is fitting in the Lord. If your husband is rebelling against God and his leading of the family is contrary to Scripture, then you have the right and responsibility to not follow him. However, if you don’t agree with the direction your husband is leading and there is no sin involved, a conversation needs to be had – first between you and God. Maybe he does need to change. Maybe you need to change. But you will need to sort your own heart out with God before trying to change your husband’s mind.
Paul’s direction to husbands is equally challenging – to love your wife. The Greek word for love here is agapao, the “give all” kind of love, and not the phileo “give and take” type, and not the erao “take all” type. Men, how much are you willing to “give all” for your wife? Sure, we all say we’d take a bullet for her…but what parts of ourselves are we willing to give up for her well-being? When was the last time we set aside our hobby time to take care of her needs? Are you willing to turn down an “opportunity” if the new job would take you away from her? Also, if life’s circumstances change her – due to illness, injury, hardship, or anything else – will you stick to your commitment to love her, for better or worse? Or will we allow those changes to be our excuse to become bitter toward her? Will we resent her for not being the same woman we initially married?
In no way does submissiveness or guarding against bitterness mean that we avoid the issues that will naturally come up when two sinful people get married and live life together. Notice that in Paul’s practical application of marriage, none of the previous Christ-driven characteristics are disqualified or removed. Godly submission and love without bitterness will only happen in our marriages as we
…put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…
…forgive one another…just as the Lord has forgiven you…
…above all, put on love…
…be thankful…
…let the message of the Messiah dwell richly among you…
…whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus…
Keep Pressing,
Ken