Colossians 4:1 1Masters, give righteousness and fairness to your slaves , because you know that you also have a master in heaven.
Paul has simple directions for masters. This is the last group of the Greco-Roman household whom Paul addresses in his short household code of conduct. The meaning of the verb (parechesthe) means to give or offer something, in this case, righteousness and fairness.
The word for “wrong” in 3:25 (adikōn) is the negative of the word for righteousness (dikaion) used in this verse. There are several ways to take this word. It has a strong religious sense in Paul’s writing in relation to being justified or considered right before God. There may be some sense of this here, but the word can also have an ethical sense in doing right action, which fits well with the meaning implied in 3:25. There is also a social aspect in the sense of justice or living according to the law. The implied law here is God’s law of love. It may be best to keep all of these in balance because as believers, these masters should model the righteous character of God.
Fairness (isotēta) has the sense of being impartial and balanced. Masters should show the same impartiality and justice that God shows, as implied at the end of 3:25. They are to model God’s own character of righteousness and justice. If masters show favoritism or do not treat slaves with dignity and respect, they are not modeling the love of God shown in Christ.
The motive for masters is given in a causal participial clause. They should act righteously because they will have to give an account to their own master in heaven. This principle is especially true for those who have responsibility for the welfare of others. We are responsible for those under our care. For the Christian masters of the first century, they needed to treat their slaves in the way that they would like to be treated by the Lord Jesus. This is a powerful principle that can be applied in many situation today, not just in a master/slave, but an employer/employee, supervisor/supervisee, teacher/student, and many other relationships of responsibility.
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