Christ's Law

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● Col 3:16 . . Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish
one another with all wisdom

Before attempting to teach and admonish one another, it's essential that the word
of Christ first dwell in one's own self richly; which is from a Greek word that means
copious: defined by Webster's as yielding something abundantly. In other words:
fruitful.

The wisdom we're talking about here is gained by life experience wherein a quantity
of Christ's teachings have been put into actual practice rather than only memorized.

* As of today, I've been active on Christian forums all across the internet going on
28 years and can say from experience that much of the "teaching and admonishing"
online typically turns hostile with quarreling, debating, and unkind remarks; and
that's because there are folks out there lacking common social skills like patience,
tact, diplomacy, lenience, tolerance, and gentleness, et al.

Apparently Jesus' teaching about turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and
the golden rule, have gone out of vogue and no longer apply to modern Christian
conduct; especially in cyberspace where, for some folks, every disagreement is an
act of war to be won at any cost.
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● Col 3:17 . .Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of
the Lord Jesus.

In other words: Christ's followers should conduct themselves as Christians as
opposed to conducting themselves in any old way they feel like.

A simple way to apply Col 3:17 is just to ask yourself: Can my master put his
signature on this? If you know in your heart he cannot, then you do not have
Christ's authorization to proceed. If you proceed anyway, then you will be off
reservation-- you'll be in your own little world of anarchy and rebellion against
Christ's sovereign right, as the lord and master of Christianity, to manage your
affairs.
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● Col 3:18 . .Wives, submit to your husband, as is fitting in The Lord.

NOTE: Here's a new word for your vocabulary: Womxn. You know what that is? It's
the latest desperate attempt by "progressive" women to avoid identifying
themselves with men in every way possible. I suppose they'll next revise the
spelling of their gender to look like this: femxle.

The word "submit" raises a lot of unnecessary hackles. But this particular instance
isn't relative to a pecking order. What it's referring to is deference; defined by
Webster's as a readiness, or willingness, to yield to the wishes of others, which is
just the opposite of demanding.

Anyway: in a nutshell; the submission we're talking about here is related to a
Christian husband's position in the home rather than his gender in the marriage.

For example: back when young Queen Elizabeth II became monarch, her husband
Philip felt humiliated to have to kneel to his own wife till she explained to him that
he wouldn't be kneeling to her, rather, to the crown.

In other words: it's the position that deserves the respect rather than the person in
it. So, Christian wives ought to give their husbands the respect due to his position
in the home rather than the blokes they are.

That's a pretty tall order for Christian wives in a modern culture that constantly
pressures them to be strong and masculine rather than soft and feminine; to be
equals rather than subordinates; and to be defiant rather than diplomatic. (cf. Phil
2:3-4)

NOTE: The Bible teaches that men were made in the image and glory of God. (1Cor
11:7a) Does that make men equal to God? No. The Bible also teaches that women
were made in the image and glory of men. (1Cor 11:7b) Does that make women
equal to men? No.

In neither example does "image and/or glory" indicate equality, viz: God's seniority
is above the man's, and the man's seniority is above the woman's because the man
existed before the woman just as God existed before the man (1Cor 11:8) and the
man was given a leading role whereas the woman was given a supporting role.
(Gen 2:18, Gen 3:16, 1Cor 11:9) Well; it stands to reason that if women were
intended for a supporting role, then they simply cannot be equal to a man's leading
role.

* What was at the very root of the woman's fall from innocence? It was basically
her desire for equality with God (Gen 3:4-6) So the proliferation of suffrage and
feminism should not surprise us. It's simply each succeeding generation of women
handing off the torch of dissatisfaction with their God-given role in the divine plan
to the next.
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● Col 3:19 . . Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh
with them.

The Greek verb translated "love" doesn't necessarily pertain to either affection
and/or fondness. It's more about civility than emotion. This is the kind of love that
we extend to everyone-- friend, foe, and stranger alike --regardless of how we
might feel about them. It's the very same love that Jesus taught in Matt 5:44 which
reads:

"You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your
enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies,"

In other words; you don't especially have to like your enemies, but you do have to
be civil with them, i.e. courteous, kind, charitable, tolerant, patient, diplomatic,
tactful, gentle, reasonable, fair, deferent, approachable, cordial, genial, affable,
sociable, helpful, thoughtful, sympathetic, considerate, and cooperative, etc.

I readily admit the difficulty of being nice to people who rub us the wrong way; but
still, Christian men whose marriages resemble an on-going cold war would greatly
ease the tensions in their homes, and make the situation bearable for both sides of
the bed, were they to simply be courteous.

"Harsh" can be exemplified any number of ways.

Abrasive, Abusive, Snapping, Critical, Cruel, Demanding, Fault Finding, Giving Her
No Say In Important Decisions, Hostile, Impatient, Explosive, Insensitive,
Intolerant, Laying Down The Law, Loud, Marginalizing, Mockery, Money Rationing,
Nit Picking, Oppressive, Penny Pinching, Public Scolding, Remarks About Her
Appearance, Rough, Uncivil, Unfriendly, Obtuse, and/or Unyielding.

Those behaviors are very effective at making a Christian wife's existence bitter, i.e.
a living hell; especially a Christian wife who's making an honest effort to comply
with Col 3:18.
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● Col 3:20 . . Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases The Lord.

Those instructions pertain only to Christian kids; not to just any kid who happens to
be looking in. And it needs to be said that not every kid in a Christian home is a
saint. Some are demon seeds: that's just a fact of life and it can't be helped, e.g.
Cain & Abel.

The Greek word for "obey" in that verse is somewhat ambiguous. It can mean,
variously, to hear under (as a subordinate), i.e. to listen attentively; by implication,
to heed and/or conform to requirements.

Too many movies and television sit-coms today portray kids who don't listen to
their parents. But of course those sit-com kids are typically indifferent to pleasing
The Lord so it's to be expected they'd be more like fallen angels than the holy
variety.
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● Col 3:21 . . Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become
discouraged.

The Greek word translated "discouraged" has to do with breaking the spirit. Really
bad cases of emotional abuse can cause a child to lose the will to excel; sometimes
even the will to live, i.e. suicidal.
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● Col 3:22-25 . . Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not
only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and
reverence for The Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men

Some Christians tend to forget that they live in a fishbowl wherein nothing escapes
God's notice.

"Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives
as strangers here in reverent fear." (1Pet 1:17)
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● Col 4:1 . . Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you
know that you also have a Master in heaven.

I have yet to find a passage in the Bible condemning slavery as a moral evil. I'm
not saying that such a passage doesn't exist; only that in my 56 years as an
ongoing Bible student via sermons, books, seminars, lectures, Sunday school
classes, radio programs, and personal study, I've yet to run across one. The Bible's
primary issue with slavery is the treatment of slaves.

The master in heaven is providential. In other words: Christian masters have a
sacred obligation to house their slaves in decent accommodations, clothe them with
adequate garments, and nourish them with good food too because slave masters
are a father to the souls in their house; they depend on him to care for them;
there's no one else; and according to Gen 1:27 and Matt 12:11-12, people deserve
to be treated better than an animal.

Whether the above rule should be taken to apply in normal labor relations can be
disputed, but in my judicious estimation; Christian employers really ought to pay
their workers a living wage-- augmented with timely adjustments.
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● Col 4:2 . . Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

The Greek word translated "devote" means to persevere; viz: not give up and/or
lose interest.

"And he spoke a parable unto them to this end: that people ought always to pray,
and not lose heart." (Luke 18:1)

For many of us, prayer is a last resort; a grasping at straws because we simply
have nowhere else to turn. We wish for success with prayer, while not really
expecting it because we already know from plenty of experience that prayer too
often leads into a cul-de-sac of perplexity and discouragement; so then, what's the
use? In other words: prayer is very difficult for some Christians because it's often
so futile.

Why doesn't God respond? And if He's not going to respond, then why keep on
making a fool of ourselves trying to get through to an imaginary playmate when all
the while its phone is off the hook?

It was this very issue that led Mother Teresa of Calcutta to question whether there
really is a God out there. During virtually her entire five decades in India, Teresa
felt not the slightest glimmer of The Lord's presence and suffered a good deal of
anxiety wondering why Christ abandoned her.

In one of Teresa's private letters, penned to a Father Picachy, Teresa complained:
"I am told God loves me; and yet the reality of darkness & coldness & emptiness is
so great that nothing touches my soul."

In yet another letter, Teresa complained: "When I try to raise my thoughts to
Heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like
sharp knives and hurt my very soul. How painful is this unknown pain-- I have no
faith."

If the most pious nun the 20th century ever produced found heaven's phone lines
dead for virtually five decades, then why should John Que and Jane Doe pew
warmer persist with prayer? Well; primarily because it's required. I would suppose
that's reason enough for most. I mean; were God to ask us to throw a baseball at
the Moon every so often; wouldn't we comply just to please Him, even knowing we
couldn't possibly hit it?
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