The whole household, under one Lord

Paul uses the standard household categories of his world - husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants - and places the whole arrangement under Christ.
Two details matter. Wives are told to submit, while children and servants are told to obey; the words are deliberately different. And the command to the husband, to love and never be harsh, carries equal weight.
Scripture links:
- Colossians 3:18-19 - "Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them." - Addressed to both.
- Colossians 3:21 - "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." - Authority bounded by love.
- Colossians 3:17 - The verse the whole section sits under.
A Christian home is not measured by who is in charge, but by whether Christ is.