Christian duties in Colossians (chapter 3-4:1)

Colossians 2 focused on grace and freedom within church.  He even said that the written law (i.e., Mosaic code) was nailed to the cross.  Paul does not leave it there, but in chapter 3, he lays down the lifestyle responsibilities of the Christian.  They include the main list of things we see elsewhere in other epistles (do not lie, cheat, steal; avoid lust, greed, anger, sexual immorality, etc...)

Interestingly, he puts a greater emphasis on the rules of the household, which parlays into slavery/employment.

What is the duty of parents?

This is an interesting question and I don't think it is addressed a lot specifically in the Bible.  Paul touches on it here.

The household should have mutual respect and love.  Children must obey their parents (3:20), which made it into the original 10 commandments.  But likewise, fathers must not embitter their children (3:21).  

On one hand, this juxtaposition of the mutual responsibilities between children and parents feels new.  For instance, children are told to honor their parents in Commandment 5, but the 10 Commandments are silent about what parents must do for their children in addition to obeying the rest of the Commandments. 

 If parents set an example of lying and cheating in the household, then they would be breaking some of the Commandments, but they would not necessarily violate a duty to raise their children well.  

That said, there are places throughout the Bible where parents are given child-rearing advice.  They just do not tend to appear alongside a requirement for children to obey their parents.  For instance, Proverbs 22:6 advises a parent to train a child in the way he should go.

Likewise, there are instances where the sins of parents impact their children.  The Old Testament speaks of generational blessings and curses, but we could also consider all the times in the kings of Israel where God invited a king for a dynasty, but the king's failure to follow God destroyed or limited the dynasty.  This happened with Saul (I Samuel 13:13) and Jeroboam (I Kings 11:38).

Slaves and Masters

Paul tells slaves to obey their masters (3:22).  Paul says that they must work as if they are working for the lord (3:23).  I have heard people cite this latter verse in the modern employment context, which I think is fair.

Paul balances this directive with a requirement that masters must treat their slaves fairly because they have a Master in heaven (4:1).

On one hand, here is a new testament verse implying that slavery is a proper social relationship among Christians.  If we honestly look at the text, it does seem to suggest that.  But it is also must be balanced with fairness, otherwise it loses its legitimacy.

We can also point to the Jewish slavery custom as an analogy.  There, it is more like what we would call indentured servanthood where the "slave" is released after a certain amount of time.  Likewise, there is no generational slavery in that being born to a slave parent does not make the child a slave.

A slight problem with using the Jewish slave analogy is that Paul already said that the Mosaic law is cancelled.  This would include the requirement to release one's slaves after a certain time.