Biblical Principles For Our Vocations

What this episode covers

04-12-2026 Blank Outline 04-12-2026 Filled In Outline Colossians 3:22-4:1 Colossians 3:22 – 4:1 If you remain standing, we’re going to read just a few verses from Colossians chapter 3. We’re going to read verses 22 through chapter 4, verse 1. Here’s what the Apostle Paul writes, 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. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a master in heaven. All right, we’re going to take about a half hour and plow through Colossians chapter 3, and we’re kind of in the homestretch of the book of Colossians. Just a little bit of background and a reminder that the impetus of this book was that a fellow by the name of Epaphras, who was the pastor of the church at Colossae, makes a 1,200-mile journey from Colossae to Rome, where the Apostle Paul is under house arrest. And the reason he did that is because there were some things happening at the church there that were greatly bothering Epaphras, and some of it was false teachers. And so even though the Apostle Paul had never been to Colossae, he makes this journey there, and he talks to the Apostle Paul about what’s going on, and Paul writes this letter to correct false teaching and to encourage the believers in Colossae. And so, the first two chapters are more doctrinal. Chapters 3 and 4 are more practical. And so, we’re in this interesting section in the book of Colossians where Paul is addressing slaves and masters. And what’s interesting is the reason he’s doing that is because slavery was very common in the Roman Empire, which was the world power of the day. This is why when you read verses in Scripture, like Galatians chapter 3, verse 28, when Paul’s talking about the gospel, he says, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, neither is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Why is Paul talking about that in Christ we’re all one, and he mentions these categories, whether you are a slave or whether you are a free person, there’s no distinction. It’s because slavery was so common. 1st Corinthians 12:13, for in one spirit we were all baptized into one body. Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. Slavery in the 1st century So, slavery was very common. Let me just give you a little context of slavery in the first century. This is from the World History Encyclopedia. As many as one in three of the population in Italy and one in five in the Roman Empire were slaves. Slaves were, for many of the Roman elite, a status symbol, so that wealthy Romans very often appeared in public with as many as 15 slaves. Slaves were the lowest class of society. Kind of see a parallel between what John was presenting with the body people. Slaves were the lowest class of society, and even freed criminals had more rights. Slaves had no rights at all, no legal status. They could not marry, could not have families, they could not own property. For all intents and purposes, they were merely property of a particular owner. So that’s the context in which Paul is writing to slaves and masters. Now here’s a question, does slavery exist today? It certainly does in many places around the world. Thankfully in our country’s history, back in January 1st of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and changed our world, our country’s trajectory and freed that difficult part of our history where slavery was so common and the slaves were freed. So, this morning as we look at this passage, we’re going to make a correlation and a

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