3:17
Earlier in the letter Paul has stressed that everything is about Jesus, that He is all and is in all, and everything was created through Him and for Him. Likewise, whatever we do is to be done in the Name of the Lord Jesus. He is to be the focus of our lives.This includes all we think and say, and all that we do. Furthermore, we do this giving thanks to God the Father. Christ is to be our life.
3:18,19
The section here from 3:18 to 4:1 is similar to Ephesians 5:21 to 6:9, though the latter goes into a little more detail. The first two verses instructs wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives, and not to be harsh with them. In Ephesians Paul goes into more detail about the significance of the marriage relationship. These instructions here jar with our western ears, but this is largely because we have a worldly view of submission rather than a kingdom view. In God’s kingdom submission does not mean inferiority. And the husband is not to use the submission so that he can get his own way. The two are one, and the order is designed to make the marriage work, to make society work. The Father and the Son are one, but both are distinct. And while the Son submits to the Father, the Son has more authority than any other man who walked on this planet.
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