Colossians 4:1-6

Colossians 4:1-6  Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Before addressing slave masters, Paul has just told the church, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, reminding them they are working for the Lord, not for men.  We can almost hear the Holy Spirit expanding this thought in Paul's mind lest anyone think there are exceptions to this idea.  Paul exhorts his Christian brethren to extend the love of Christ to all people in all situations by seasoning their words and actions with grace and mercy, for as joint heirs with Christ we should be the light of the world.  As we saw in John, Jesus commanded us to love as He loves us: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  (John 13:34-35)  Paul says in a culture with slavery, even the Christian masters should manifest the light of Christ by treating their slaves rightly and justly.  They should remember to treat their slaves as their Master treats them with the same grace and mercy they received when they were in the depths of their rebellion against him.  Their Master showed them forbearance and kindness even when they were seemingly unredeemable, lost in the abyss of sin.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)  We should give to others what we have been given.

Paul understands grace as well as any other believer of his time and would certainly have compassion for all.  He wrote to his spiritual son Timothy: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst (chief) of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.  (1 Timothy 1:15-17)  Knowing what the human spirit was capable of outside of the mercies of Christ, Paul continually pointed the church to the cross and the unfailing grace of a loving God who showed the world his love through the gift of his Son.  This former persecutor of the church knew sons and daughters of the Lord should walk in love with the fruit of the Spirit evident in the way we act towards the world, the way we conduct our daily walking about lives.  We should be the salt, the light of the world.  Sadly, many times we fail Christ by displaying harshness, negativity, and judgment rather than kindness, love, and mercy.  We cannot succeed on our own, only through Christ in us our hope of glory.  Jesus yielded himself totally to the Father and the Spirit as He walked this earth as an example to us.  He was tempted in all ways, yet He was without sin, so He might offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin.  He showed us how to depend upon God.  When the people did not understand who he was and questioned him, He always pointed to the Father.  When the time for his death neared, the people did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.  So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.  The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”  Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.  To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:27-32)  This is the truth and the freedom Paul offered the church.

All believers must ask: How does the world see us?  If we surveyed a group of outsiders, would they say Christians are negative, angry uncaring, judgmental, narrow-minded, hard to talk to, and the like?  Maybe we would find some folks who would say Christians are kind, generous, caring, and helpful.  That is what we hope.  Unfortunately, there is a rather distorted image of us out in the world.  We have to deal with that, not just blame it on the devil.  Christians have founded thousands of hospitals and orphanages around the world.  We feed and house millions of indigent people every day and perform good deeds for the poor and the needy in inner city ministries in our own country.  We could make a long list of the positive works of the church, but still the world many times sees us in a negative light.  Often we seem to obscure or mar Christ's image rather than to enhance it.  What is wrong?   Well, perhaps it is our words that do damage in our day-to-day living.  Our conversations are not seasoned with salt, but with vinegar.  We are often too bitter, too critical, too judgmental and not peaceful, conciliatory or inclusive.  We often express the truth, but we do it in such a manner that the world resents us.  They don't see love; they see judgmental anger.  We try to win the world through our words, through our rightness, rather than through our love and compassion.  We win the battle of words, but we lose the war of love.  How will the world know Christ: though our love.  Our love will dispel more darkness than any words we can conjure up.  God's love breaks the bondage of darkness.  Love lifted me and love will lift you: love will lift the world up also for God is love.  The Word should be our guide: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  (1John 1:7-11)  Without this love we are hopelessly doomed to the darkness of sin and death.  Love is more than words: love is an action, a life, a commitment that never ends.  As the saying goes: Actions speak louder than words.  Loving deeds through the power of the cross win hearts.