Colossians 3:22 (WEB)

Passage

Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things, for this pleases the Lord.

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged.

Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.

Colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men,

Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "servants", "obey", "masters", "flesh", "just", "looking", and "pleasers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "servants", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Fathers don t provoke your children so..." into verse 23's "And whatever you do work heartily as...", so "all things" and "servants" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "servants" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.