When Paul addresses the household code (wives to submit to their husbands, husbands to love their wives, children to obey their parents, and slaves to obey their masters) in his letter to the Colossians, he was doing something unbelievably subversive in his world, critiquing his culture, and challenging followers of Jesus to live into an ethic that caused quite a stir. Only when we properly understand what Paul was doing can we live into healthy relationships within the home and truly love, serve, and submit to each other the way Jesus intends his followers to do.