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a master in the sky

Colossians 3:18-4:1 (JDV)

Colossians 3:18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is suitable in the Lord.

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, care about your wives and don’t be bitter toward them.

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged.

Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey your human masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for humans,

Colossians 3:24 knowing that you will get back [1] the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:25 You see, the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.

Colossians 4:1 Masters, deal with your slaves justly and fairly, since you know that you too have a master in the sky.

a master in the sky

Paul’s household instructions in Colossians have been misread for generations, often by people eager to find a divine stamp of approval for the social hierarchies they already prefer. But Paul is not laying out a cosmic chain of command. He is not giving husbands unchecked authority, or parents moral immunity, or masters divine endorsement. And he is certainly not telling wives, children, or slaves to endure abuse, injustice, or sin in the name of obedience. To treat this passage as a blueprint for hierarchy is to miss Paul’s entire point.

The key is the verse immediately before the so‑called “household codes.” Paul has just said, “Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” That line is the interpretive anchor. It reframes the whole section. Paul is not telling believers to submit to human authority as if humans were the ultimate masters. He is telling them to live every relationship—every act of obedience, every act of leadership, every act of service—as an expression of their allegiance to Christ alone.

That means no one in this passage gets to act like the boss. Not husbands. Not parents. Not masters. Every human authority is relativized by the presence of the true Master “in the sky.” Every command Paul gives is tethered to Christ’s character, Christ’s justice, Christ’s compassion, Christ’s humility. Submission is not blind compliance; it is a Christ‑shaped posture. Leadership is not domination; it is Christ‑shaped responsibility. And when human authority contradicts Christ’s commands, Christ wins.

Paul even exposes the limits of human authority by reminding leaders that they themselves are accountable. Husbands must love with Christlike self‑giving. Fathers must refuse harshness. Masters must treat their servants with justice and fairness. Why? Because they have a Master who will judge them. Paul is not reinforcing hierarchy; he is undermining it by placing everyone—leaders and followers alike—under the same Lord.

The whole passage only makes sense when read through the lens of Christ’s lordship. Paul is not building a system of human power. He is dismantling one. He is teaching believers how to live in imperfect social structures without letting those structures define their identity or dictate their obedience. Christ alone governs the Christian life.

Lord, we want to live for you, to lead by following your example, and to follow those who lead us only in ways that are suitable to you.

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[1] ἀπολαμβάνω = get back.