Living Under Christ's Authority in Every Relationship
What does it mean to truly live under the lordship of Jesus Christ? It's a question that extends far beyond our Sunday morning worship or our private prayer time. The reality is that Christ's lordship touches every corner of our existence—from the most intimate relationships in our homes to the daily grind of our workplaces.
The apostle Paul, writing to believers in Colossae, understood this deeply. These were men and women who had received the true gospel but were being tempted to move beyond it, to add rules, experiences, and mystical knowledge to their faith. Paul's message to them was clear: You don't need to move beyond the gospel. There isn't anything more than Christ. You don't move beyond Jesus; you grow deeper in Him.
This truth forms the foundation for how we live out our faith in the everyday rhythms of life.
A New Identity in Christ
Paul reminds us that "in Christ there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11). Our old identity—who we were before Christ—no longer defines us. This can be both freeing and disorienting. If we're no longer defined by our past, our culture, or our previous way of life, then who are we?
The answer is both simple and profound: we are Christ's. Our identity is found in Him, and this new identity reshapes how we relate to everyone around us.
The Marriage Mystery
When Scripture addresses wives and husbands, it's not merely giving social advice or reflecting cultural norms. These roles are God-ordained, designed to reflect something far greater than ourselves. In Ephesians 5:32, Paul calls marriage a "profound mystery" that refers to Christ and the church.
Think about that for a moment. When people look at a Christian marriage, they should see a living picture of Christ's relationship with His bride, the church.
For wives, biblical submission is not about silence, inferiority, or blindly following into sin. Rather, it's the willing posture of placing oneself under God's ordered authority, supporting and affirming the leadership He has established. It's primarily about submitting to God and His design, trusting Christ enough to follow His blueprint for marriage. In moments of disagreement, it means contributing wisdom and then willingly supporting the direction of one's husband as an act of worship to Christ.
For husbands, the command is equally challenging: "Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). This is substitutionary, sacrificial love. Christ didn't love the church from a distance. He forsook His privilege in heaven, stepped into humanity, endured the pain and shame of the cross, and gave up His life to pay her debt.
This means husbands aren't called to ask, "Am I in charge?" but rather, "Am I laying down my life?" It's a nourishing, protective love where harshness has no place. When this kind of love is present, a wife can submit joyfully, not out of burden.
Parenting as Spiritual Formation
The parent-child relationship also falls under Christ's lordship. Children are called to obey their parents "in everything, for this pleases the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). Notice the focus: children obey not simply because their parents are worthy, but because it pleases Christ. Their obedience is an act of worship.
But parents, especially fathers, carry a weighty responsibility. The command is clear: "Do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). Authority that includes the power to discipline must be exercised carefully. It's remarkably easy to crush a child through constant correction without encouragement.
Biblical encouragement doesn't mean pretending our children are perfect or letting them run wild. It means we don't just tell them what they shouldn't be—we encourage them toward something. We bring them up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Parents are tools of sanctification in their children's lives, helping them worship Christ as Lord through obedience.
Work as Worship
The workplace might seem like an unlikely setting for spiritual transformation, but Paul addresses it directly. In the Roman context, he spoke to bondservants—those who worked under the authority of masters, often to pay off debts. While our modern employer-employee relationship differs, the principles remain strikingly relevant.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24).
This transforms everything. In an age of "quiet quitting" and "acting your wage," Scripture calls us to something radically different. We're not ultimately working for our employer or our paycheck. We're serving the Lord Christ. Our work is worship that reflects the lordship of Jesus in our lives.
No matter how menial the job, how unrewarding the task, or how small the paycheck, we're working for the inheritance—that hope laid up for us in heaven. Our effort, integrity, and attitude all reflect our view of Jesus as Lord.
Authority as Stewardship
Throughout our lives, we constantly move between positions of authority and submission. A wife may submit to her husband's leadership while exercising authority over her children. An employee may submit to a boss while managing others. Even children exercise authority when given responsibility for chores or caring for their belongings.
This remarkably mirrors Christ's own relationship with the Father. Jesus, the Son of God, submitted to the Father's will, becoming obedient even to death on a cross. As a result, He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
The crucial truth is this: authority is not ownership. It's stewardship to which we will give an account. Whether expressed as husbands, parents, bosses, or children managing their rooms, authority must be exercised with justice, fairness, and care—not for personal gain but as an act of worship.
The Foundation of Grace
As we step back and look at all these relationships—marriage, parenting, work, leadership—one truth emerges: Jesus is Lord over all. There is no part of life outside His authority.
And if we're honest, none of us has done this perfectly. We've all resisted His authority, insisted on our own way, fallen short in submission or leadership. That's sin. That's rebellion.
But here's the glorious truth: the same Christ who is Lord of all is also Savior. He obeyed perfectly. He died in our place. Anyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith—from the highest authority figure to a child caring for their room—will receive mercy.
If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. The question for each of us is simple but searching: Where am I resisting the lordship of Jesus Christ in my life?
The call is to surrender everything—our marriages, our families, our work, our authority, our submission—to His loving rule. Because in His lordship, we find not tyranny but freedom, not burden but joy, not loss but the inheritance of eternal life.
The apostle Paul, writing to believers in Colossae, understood this deeply. These were men and women who had received the true gospel but were being tempted to move beyond it, to add rules, experiences, and mystical knowledge to their faith. Paul's message to them was clear: You don't need to move beyond the gospel. There isn't anything more than Christ. You don't move beyond Jesus; you grow deeper in Him.
This truth forms the foundation for how we live out our faith in the everyday rhythms of life.
A New Identity in Christ
Paul reminds us that "in Christ there is no Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free, but Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11). Our old identity—who we were before Christ—no longer defines us. This can be both freeing and disorienting. If we're no longer defined by our past, our culture, or our previous way of life, then who are we?
The answer is both simple and profound: we are Christ's. Our identity is found in Him, and this new identity reshapes how we relate to everyone around us.
The Marriage Mystery
When Scripture addresses wives and husbands, it's not merely giving social advice or reflecting cultural norms. These roles are God-ordained, designed to reflect something far greater than ourselves. In Ephesians 5:32, Paul calls marriage a "profound mystery" that refers to Christ and the church.
Think about that for a moment. When people look at a Christian marriage, they should see a living picture of Christ's relationship with His bride, the church.
For wives, biblical submission is not about silence, inferiority, or blindly following into sin. Rather, it's the willing posture of placing oneself under God's ordered authority, supporting and affirming the leadership He has established. It's primarily about submitting to God and His design, trusting Christ enough to follow His blueprint for marriage. In moments of disagreement, it means contributing wisdom and then willingly supporting the direction of one's husband as an act of worship to Christ.
For husbands, the command is equally challenging: "Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25). This is substitutionary, sacrificial love. Christ didn't love the church from a distance. He forsook His privilege in heaven, stepped into humanity, endured the pain and shame of the cross, and gave up His life to pay her debt.
This means husbands aren't called to ask, "Am I in charge?" but rather, "Am I laying down my life?" It's a nourishing, protective love where harshness has no place. When this kind of love is present, a wife can submit joyfully, not out of burden.
Parenting as Spiritual Formation
The parent-child relationship also falls under Christ's lordship. Children are called to obey their parents "in everything, for this pleases the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). Notice the focus: children obey not simply because their parents are worthy, but because it pleases Christ. Their obedience is an act of worship.
But parents, especially fathers, carry a weighty responsibility. The command is clear: "Do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). Authority that includes the power to discipline must be exercised carefully. It's remarkably easy to crush a child through constant correction without encouragement.
Biblical encouragement doesn't mean pretending our children are perfect or letting them run wild. It means we don't just tell them what they shouldn't be—we encourage them toward something. We bring them up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Parents are tools of sanctification in their children's lives, helping them worship Christ as Lord through obedience.
Work as Worship
The workplace might seem like an unlikely setting for spiritual transformation, but Paul addresses it directly. In the Roman context, he spoke to bondservants—those who worked under the authority of masters, often to pay off debts. While our modern employer-employee relationship differs, the principles remain strikingly relevant.
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:23-24).
This transforms everything. In an age of "quiet quitting" and "acting your wage," Scripture calls us to something radically different. We're not ultimately working for our employer or our paycheck. We're serving the Lord Christ. Our work is worship that reflects the lordship of Jesus in our lives.
No matter how menial the job, how unrewarding the task, or how small the paycheck, we're working for the inheritance—that hope laid up for us in heaven. Our effort, integrity, and attitude all reflect our view of Jesus as Lord.
Authority as Stewardship
Throughout our lives, we constantly move between positions of authority and submission. A wife may submit to her husband's leadership while exercising authority over her children. An employee may submit to a boss while managing others. Even children exercise authority when given responsibility for chores or caring for their belongings.
This remarkably mirrors Christ's own relationship with the Father. Jesus, the Son of God, submitted to the Father's will, becoming obedient even to death on a cross. As a result, He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
The crucial truth is this: authority is not ownership. It's stewardship to which we will give an account. Whether expressed as husbands, parents, bosses, or children managing their rooms, authority must be exercised with justice, fairness, and care—not for personal gain but as an act of worship.
The Foundation of Grace
As we step back and look at all these relationships—marriage, parenting, work, leadership—one truth emerges: Jesus is Lord over all. There is no part of life outside His authority.
And if we're honest, none of us has done this perfectly. We've all resisted His authority, insisted on our own way, fallen short in submission or leadership. That's sin. That's rebellion.
But here's the glorious truth: the same Christ who is Lord of all is also Savior. He obeyed perfectly. He died in our place. Anyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith—from the highest authority figure to a child caring for their room—will receive mercy.
If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all. The question for each of us is simple but searching: Where am I resisting the lordship of Jesus Christ in my life?
The call is to surrender everything—our marriages, our families, our work, our authority, our submission—to His loving rule. Because in His lordship, we find not tyranny but freedom, not burden but joy, not loss but the inheritance of eternal life.
Recent
Archive
Categories
no categories