After the eloquent charge to the church to live in peace and in knowledge of the gospel, this section looking at the ancient household seems a letdown to modern ears. The shift appears so abrupt to some scholars that they suggest this list was inserted later. Yet read in context, the passage supports and fills out Paul’s previous explanation of life in the church. It might be possible to fool the public, but your family knows you well. Paul realizes this common human trait, and so after encouraging the Colossians to pursue peace in their community, he applies the truth of the gospel to the household. What one does in the privacy of one’s most intimate relationships will reveal whether the “new self” is living up to its full potential.

The family in the ancient world was highly structured…