Colossians 3:17, 23-24
“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
This repetition interests me. In deconstructive theory, repetition is significant. That is, in repetition we see how even the same words can have different meanings. After all, taken out of context as these verses are, the second verse seems only to amplify and elaborate upon the first. But the first is spoken to all believers and the second is part of an admonition to slaves. The trick, then, would appear to be to find out how the second verse is different for today’s non-slave believer – does the context change the meaning for me? Can I, for instance, say that the second verse doesn’t apply to me somehow since I am not a slave?
It turns out that I can’t see a way in which the second verse does not apply to me. Though I am not a slave, I do serve the Lord Christ. I hope for the reward. I do whatever I do “heartily as to the Lord.” When I do things as though “unto men,” I know I am doing things wrongly. These words can be twisted to fit the slaveholder’s purposes, but they apply to all who want to be considered followers of Jesus. The key, I think if found a little later on in Colossians 3:25 – “there is not respect of persons.” That is, God treats all equally. A-ha.
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
This repetition interests me. In deconstructive theory, repetition is significant. That is, in repetition we see how even the same words can have different meanings. After all, taken out of context as these verses are, the second verse seems only to amplify and elaborate upon the first. But the first is spoken to all believers and the second is part of an admonition to slaves. The trick, then, would appear to be to find out how the second verse is different for today’s non-slave believer – does the context change the meaning for me? Can I, for instance, say that the second verse doesn’t apply to me somehow since I am not a slave?
It turns out that I can’t see a way in which the second verse does not apply to me. Though I am not a slave, I do serve the Lord Christ. I hope for the reward. I do whatever I do “heartily as to the Lord.” When I do things as though “unto men,” I know I am doing things wrongly. These words can be twisted to fit the slaveholder’s purposes, but they apply to all who want to be considered followers of Jesus. The key, I think if found a little later on in Colossians 3:25 – “there is not respect of persons.” That is, God treats all equally. A-ha.
posted by Steven at 10:41 AM
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