Daily Bible Reading 5th August 2025 // Colossians 3:22-4:1

22 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

4 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

The Church as a whole, and our Church and Nation Committee in particular, would do well to reassess many of its priorities in the light of the principle which Paul underlines in these verses. Paul reflects, it seems to me, a principle which should guide the Church's participation in the affairs of state and the affairs of this world. The apostle espouses, what has been called 'the principle of indirect influence'. Mr Philip makes a comment of real insight in this regard when he writes,

The principle of indirect influence is what Paul seems to be implying here, and what he means is: 'the greatest contribution the Church can make to the burning "this worldly" issues of any day or generation is simply to be the Church'. If the Church were what it ought to be, filled with the Spirit of God, and maintaining its vital witness in the world, its indirect influence would be far greater and far more decisive than it is.

It is a matter of priorities, you see. Our Church can militate for social change to its heart's content, appealing to this government and that politician, but when it fails to display a similar urgent concern for first order spiritual issues, when it fails to be the Church, when it is destitute of power and authority because of its neglect of such spiritual issues, what right has it, what right have we, to be heard in the Counsels of the nation?

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