Inquiry:
Should you serve God alone? Matthew 4:10 and 23:10 say yes, but Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:18, 20, 22; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9 and 1 Peter 2:18 all say no. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
In both Matthew 4:10 and 23:10, Jesus speaks of the need for us to serve God alone. In what way must we be subject to God? Does our subjection to God exclude any other relation-ship which may have a role of submission?
When Moses gave the 10 commandments to Israel, the first read:
You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)
This is what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 4:10 – only the God of heaven is due our worship and religious service.
The word “masters” in the KJV rendering of Matthew 23:10 is from the Greek καθηγητὴς, which means a guide, a teacher, a master. We need to be disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ, not of some man. When folks follow after various men, the end result is sectarianism, which is condemned in the Bible (1 Corinthians 1:10ff).
Matthew 4:10 and 23:10 address spiritual issues. As we look at the other texts provided, we see:
- service to an employer (Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9; 1 Peter 2:18)
- submission in the home, a wife to her husband (Colossians 3:18) and the children to their parents (Colossians 3:20)
None of these relationships violate our relationship to God described in Matthew 4:10, nor our relationship to Christ described in Matthew 23:10. The texts in Matthew are about spiritual relationships to our Creator and Saviour, whereas the relationships in the other texts are work and family related. The questioner is comparing apples with oranges.
There is no contradiction.
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