English Standard Version
Welcome to the section of the Bible that has been taken out of context any number of times! Any of these verses, lifted and read apart from Paul's writings as a whole, might be used in a way that doesn't really fit the overarching message Paul was communicating throughout the New Testament. We have to be really careful in how we read the Bible -- if we read it looking for verses only to support what we want, we might find what we're looking for. If we read it as a whole book, as one collective witness, it'll often challenge us and force us to think and to grow. If reading the Bible doesn't challenge you, keep reading. As someone once said, if you find that God agrees with everything you think, there might be a problem somewhere!
Here's what I believe that the witness of Scripture speaks to - -that wives and husbands are to love each other with servant love, each seeking to serve the other and in so doing, reflect the selfless love of Christ to one another and the world. Children and parents are to love and serve one another, as parents hold children accountable and seek to encourage them to grow in faithfulness. I believe the entirety of Paul's writings destroy the concept of slavery, for mutual servanthood and radical equality cannot exist with the concept of slavery. In every relationship and every task, we are serving God -- may we do so with great respect and recognize the responsibility we carry into the world.
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