The household codes that are discussed are for wives to submit to their husbands as they would to the lord because the husband is the head of the house as the lord is the head of the church. Husbands must love their wives because god created man and wife to be unified as one so by loving his wife he also loves himself. Children must honor their mother and father as this is written in the Ten Commandments. Fathers should not be harsh to their children because that will discourage them, they want to lift them up in the instruction of the lord. Slaves need to obey their masters with sincerity in their heart because they are doing the will of god, so serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving Christ because the lord will reward you for each. And finally, masters should treat slaves properly because the lord is the master over both of them and he sees no favoritism between the two. One of the main differences I notice between the two letters is since Ephesians knew Colossians he is able to take the household rules that are written and evaluate and expand on the meaning of them. When it says husbands love your wives and do not be harsh. It may come off as something that you should just do because it says so but in Ephesians he expands to say that you should love your wife and not be harsh to her because man and wife are one and Christ gave his life for her. They are both members of the church, and of his body so we must care for it.

Ephesians 5:31 states that “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife as he loves himself and the wife must respect his husband.” This is different from what Paul says in Corinthians where if a woman or man is single than they should stay this way because then their focus is on the lord where in marriage there focus is on each other. It seems that in Ephesians they are saying in marriage they are working together to serve the lord because they are one flesh, and one body.