Creekside Church, Sunday, May 29, 2022
Love Changes Everything
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
The Justification of Slavery - Richmond Enquirer, Missouri - 1820
"That if one, or more decisions of the written word of God, sanction the rectitude of any human acquisitions, for instance, the acquisition of a servant by inheritance or purchase, whoever believes that the written word of God is verity itself, must consequently believe in the absolute rectitude of slave-holding."
https://www.kingscollege.net/gbrodie/The%20religious%20justification%20of%20slavery%20before%201830.pdf
Lancet Article: the greatest predictor of partner violence was "environments that support male control", especially "norms related to male authority over female behaviour".
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)00013-3/fulltext
---
Colossians 3:18-4:1
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
---
A Few Observations on the Text
3 Relationships at play here – 6 roles addressed
- Wife/Husband, Child/Father, Slave/Master
Person with less power in each pairing - told to do it for the Lord.
Person with more power – told to chill out on the use of their power.
Person with less power listed first each time
Notice doesn’t say all women are to submit to all men
Instructions are to those in roles directly - not given as universal rules to be enforced
---
Big Question - Is Paul painting a picture of the ideal Christian home for all time? Or for his time?
More specifically:
- Should we read Paul as creating a hierarchy here within marriage for all time? As in – Women submit and men don’t
- Should we read Paul as endorsing slavery because he tells these slaves to obey, and these masters how to behave? Are his instructions an endorsement of slavery?
---
What is Paul doing here?
He’s giving contextual advice to these people for how they can begin to live out the good news that Jesus is Lord.
These instructions were counter cultural for the time and Paul was likely concerned with the people being a good witness.
His instructions here are a step forward. They are not the final destination.
---
Redemptive Hermeneutic
Where there is a movement or development throughout scripture on an issue we look to follow that movement to its logical conclusion.
---
Check out Paul's letter to Philemon. Only 1 chapter! C'mon, read it!
This would have been the perfect place for Paul to condemn slavery, and yet he wants Philemon to put the pieces together and write the story.
---
The church is the community being led by the Spirit of God seeking to manifest the good news that Jesus is Lord in whatever context it finds itself.
- What Paul is doing in this passage is giving the church it’s expression in this culture at this time.
- Paul was reshaping power dynamics and we take the baton form him and keep running with it
---
Discipleship starts in your home.
In the everyday, mundane. In normal life.
Paul sees Christianity as a transformational force in the world.
If we can reshape families, we can change the world.
Your home is your witness.
---
You’re richer than you think because you have the seeds of the story that leads to human flourishing.
---
Namaan – 2 Kings 5
"Go in peace."
Life following Jesus is complex and messy…but we walk, trusting that he’ll lead us
---
Song - More Like Jesus
"That if one, or more decisions of the written word of God, sanction the rectitude of any human acquisitions, for instance, the acquisition of a servant by inheritance or purchase, whoever believes that the written word of God is verity itself, must consequently believe in the absolute rectitude of slave-holding."
https://www.kingscollege.net/gbrodie/The%20religious%20justification%20of%20slavery%20before%201830.pdf
Lancet Article: the greatest predictor of partner violence was "environments that support male control", especially "norms related to male authority over female behaviour".
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(15)00013-3/fulltext
---
Colossians 3:18-4:1
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
4:1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
---
A Few Observations on the Text
3 Relationships at play here – 6 roles addressed
- Wife/Husband, Child/Father, Slave/Master
Person with less power in each pairing - told to do it for the Lord.
Person with more power – told to chill out on the use of their power.
Person with less power listed first each time
Notice doesn’t say all women are to submit to all men
Instructions are to those in roles directly - not given as universal rules to be enforced
---
Big Question - Is Paul painting a picture of the ideal Christian home for all time? Or for his time?
More specifically:
- Should we read Paul as creating a hierarchy here within marriage for all time? As in – Women submit and men don’t
- Should we read Paul as endorsing slavery because he tells these slaves to obey, and these masters how to behave? Are his instructions an endorsement of slavery?
---
What is Paul doing here?
He’s giving contextual advice to these people for how they can begin to live out the good news that Jesus is Lord.
These instructions were counter cultural for the time and Paul was likely concerned with the people being a good witness.
His instructions here are a step forward. They are not the final destination.
---
Redemptive Hermeneutic
Where there is a movement or development throughout scripture on an issue we look to follow that movement to its logical conclusion.
---
Check out Paul's letter to Philemon. Only 1 chapter! C'mon, read it!
This would have been the perfect place for Paul to condemn slavery, and yet he wants Philemon to put the pieces together and write the story.
---
The church is the community being led by the Spirit of God seeking to manifest the good news that Jesus is Lord in whatever context it finds itself.
- What Paul is doing in this passage is giving the church it’s expression in this culture at this time.
- Paul was reshaping power dynamics and we take the baton form him and keep running with it
---
Discipleship starts in your home.
In the everyday, mundane. In normal life.
Paul sees Christianity as a transformational force in the world.
If we can reshape families, we can change the world.
Your home is your witness.
---
You’re richer than you think because you have the seeds of the story that leads to human flourishing.
---
Namaan – 2 Kings 5
"Go in peace."
Life following Jesus is complex and messy…but we walk, trusting that he’ll lead us
---
Song - More Like Jesus