Colossians 3:16 The Word’s Dwelling Place
1/25/15 D. Marion Clark
Introduction
As we move along in our passage of Colossians 3:12-17, we have so far learned what to wear, what to put on so that our clothing matches, and what to be ruled by. Verse 16 teaches us what should be dwelling inside us so that we can wear the right clothing and attain the rule of peace.
Text
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The opening of verse 16 parallels the opening of verse 15. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” is matched by “Let the word of Christ dwell in you.” Consider the phrase, “word of Christ.”
This is the only time that this phrase appears in Paul’s writings and in the New Testament. Perhaps “the peace of Christ” caused him to think of “word of Christ.” Whatever the case, it is clear what he means. He is speaking of the gospel, which he has already spoken of in his letter.
In the first chapter he writes, “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel” (v. 5). Then later in verse 23, “the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” Paul’s calling was to take and proclaim the gospel into regions where it was not known and particularly to the Gentiles. He speaks of himself being a steward of the mystery that had been hidden. That mystery is that the gospel is for everyone, even Gentiles. To them, he was committed to making the word of God fully known, i.e. the gospel.
By “word of Christ,” Paul means both the gospel in its simplest form and its fullest expression. He crystalizes it in several places.
For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith (Romans 3:22-25).
…we preach Christ crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23).
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Christ has died; Christ has risen. He died to save us from our sins by offering his life as a sacrifice. We know that he achieved his mission because he rose from the dead, and so we too shall rise. That is the simple gospel.
But the gospel is not a mere formula that gets us into heaven. By using the term “word of Christ,” Paul is indicating that the Word – the full Scriptures – points to and centers around the person and work of Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Malachi, the revelation of God’s Word foreshadows, looks to, explains, builds up to the appearance of Jesus Christ and his work of redemption. The New Testament is a testament to how the Old Testament has been fulfilled in and by Christ. And so the word of Christ is the simple gospel, but it is also the full implication and the full explanation of the gospel as expressed in all the scriptures.
It is this word of Christ that is to dwell richly in the Colossians. The word of Christ is to make its home in their hearts and minds. The word is not kept in a library to visit. It is not meant to be a visitor in their homes, perhaps making a weekly or daily short visit. It moves in. And it is not even satisfied with an in-law suite. It wants free access to every room.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 gives an idea of the place of Scripture:
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Both passages express the same sentiment. Scripture is not to be regarded as an interesting and maybe helpful book to refer to every now and then. The Word of God is to be integrated into our lives. And Paul’s point is that the Word of God is about the word of Christ. The gospel is not one of several interesting topics in Scripture. All of Scripture is written to promote the gospel.
The next phrase reminds us that we are still in the context of the church. It is good to have private devotions and private studying of the word of Christ, but as essential is the dwelling of the word of Christ among the believers in the church.
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,
Simply put, we have responsibility to teach one another and admonish one another with the word of Christ. Teach and admonish differ slightly from each other. I am doing both as I preach. Presently I am teaching what this verse means – what is meant by “word of Christ,” what is meant by the word dwelling in us. After I complete teaching the meaning of the verse, I will move to admonishing, which simply means to apply the teaching to you. Hopefully, I will teach and admonish “in all wisdom.” I will accurately interpret the meaning of the text, and I will appropriately apply the meaning to your lives. That is the standard for a sermon well preached, and it is the standard for all of us as we teach and admonish one another.
The second half of this verse is the most intriguing.
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
We are to teach and admonish one another by singing! Was Paul a choir director? He says the same thing in his letter to the Ephesians: “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (v. 19). And then that’s it. He makes a brief note in 1 Corinthians 14:26, that as part of their worship service they include hymns.
Our verse is the only verse that specifically says what singing is supposed to accomplish in worship, which is the most likely context here. The purpose is two-fold, or rather two-directional – to teach and admonish one another and to express thankfulness and praise to God.
In regard to one another, we are to teach and admonish with the word of Christ. The psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that we choose ought to increase our understanding of the gospel in particular, and of all Scripture. They should admonish us, i.e. lead us to apply the teachings of the gospel and of all Scripture to our lives. They should comfort us with the gospel; they should warn us of going astray. They should biblically encourage us and uplift our spirits. They should biblically guide us. They should lead us to Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.
Songs can lift our spirits. They can comfort us; they can motivate us and instruct us. They can do such things effectively because of the power of music to move our hearts. All the more critical, then, that it is the word of Christ that they are communicating. Done rightly, they build up the body of Christ and aid the peace of Christ to rule; done wrongly, they lead to false understanding of Christ and his work.
Then there is singing with “thankfulness to God.” The word for thankfulness is not the same as used in verse 15 (be thankful). The NIV indicates the subtle difference with the word “gratitude.” The singers are singing out of awareness of God’s grace (xaris). They are not merely thanking God for being good and making the weather nice. They are expressing back the grace given to them who have received the peace, the reconciliation that Christ achieved for them. They are giving thanks in and through Christ. It is a thankfulness filled with praise for the riches that they have received in Christ.
You may have noticed that I did not comment on the differences among the three musical terms. What is a psalm, a hymn, a spiritual song? I don’t know, at least not with confidence. Paul writes as though his readers know, and I suppose they do. But I cannot find agreement among the commentators, and I do not have new insight. All that I do know is that whatever the distinctions may be, they are not germane to the point of the verse, which is that we are to use the singing of such songs to teach and admonish one another through the scriptures.
Lessons
There are many lessons that we can take from this one sentence verse.
1. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Expose yourself daily to Scripture.
Some of you are avid Bible students. You love to read and study. Others of you are not big readers and are intimidated to open up a Bible and try to make sense of it. Whatever your ability, let Scripture, let the gospel message dwell in you. Most of you wake up in the morning and either turn on the TV or computer for news. Make it a habit to be exposed to Scripture. It could be a brief devotional that you read on the computer, either by going to a site or subscribing to a daily devotional.
Do you like to read positive quotes? Many of you have inspirational quotes on your refrigerators or walls or as screensavers. Make the quotes Bible quotes. Read, not about all the great stuff that is in you, but that is in Christ and what he has done for you and continues to do.
Not a reader? Listen to Scripture on cds while riding in the car. Watch videos of Christian teachers. Listen to recorded sermons.
Just as you take daily vitamins and pills, take daily dosages of Scripture, even if a verse or two. The smallest amount goes a long way, especially when taken daily, and especially when you give that verse a thought or two throughout the day. Like vitamins, it will increase your spiritual health even as you are unaware of it and keep you from spiritual illness, as well.
Don’t fall for the line that Scripture reading or hearing is only as valuable as you feel the moment you are receiving the word. You will find over time that Scripture will come back to you at unexpected times, and you are likely to find a growing hunger for God’s Word.
But you have got to let yourself be exposed to the Word. Most of you will not let a day go by without exposing yourself to the news. That is a major reason why you find yourself anxious and angry. Do not let a day go by that you do not expose yourself to the good news of Christ’s salvation and of God’s sovereignty.
2. teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. Daily share Scripture with others.
This is easier than you think. Many of you send an email every day. Add a Scripture verse. Add it after your name. You have friends and family you talk to on the phone. Tell them a verse you read. If you are married, make an agreement with your spouse to share one verse in the morning or evening. It is always good to have devotions together, but the main point is to do something regularly. We need to hear the Word, and everyone we come in contact with needs to hear the Word.
Share a biblical teaching that you read or pass on a sermon. In Facebook I am always seeing positive quotes. Post positive biblical quotes. I read, “The day is what you make it! So why not make it a great one?” It would be more meaningful to me to read, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24). It is fine and good to read inspiring quotes by coaches and teachers and rich and famous people. Let’s get the words of Moses, David, Paul, and especially Jesus out to others.
A friend comes to you or family member. They need counsel and encouragement. It is fine to share from your own experience, but you can do even more for them by sharing Scripture. Where are you going to get that kind of knowledge? From your daily exposure to Scripture. It will pop in your mind when you need it.
3. singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Look for Scripture in the music of worship.
How did we do today? We opened with the Doxology, joining our voices to praise the Triune God with the same words used by churches throughout the world and the ages. Then we sang “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing,” that calls upon us to extoll our great Redeemer who broke the power of canceled sin. We are encouraged by the power of our Lord, which now reigns in us. We heard the choir sing to us from Isaiah 43 the words of God not to be afraid of whatever we face because he is with us. We followed that by singing “How Firm a Foundation,” also based on Isaiah 43, also affirming for us that our God is for us and with us, whatever fire or flood we must pass through. We will close the worship service with “Wonderful Words of Life,” a hymn that asks for the very thing this verse tells us to offer one another – to be told yet again the wonderful words of the gospel that Jesus offers. It reinforces the message of our verse.
We join our voices in worship. Our words encourage one another. We sing songs that instruct and admonish one another. There are times when the world shakes my faith. Is the gospel true? Am I holding on to outdated beliefs? Then I come into the sanctuary and with my brothers and sisters sing the hymns that have been sung throughout the ages, and my faith is made strong again. The gospel is true. Here about me are faithful believers who are giving praise to our God, who are exalting our Redeemer.
But you do not have to wait for Sunday worship. Listen at home. Be lifted up and strengthened in your faith with the technology given you to listen whenever and wherever you are. All the small groups of the church include Scripture reading and prayer. Add a hymn. Sing the Doxology. It may seem strange, but you will find that singing out loud has a way of setting the right chord for your gathering. It is time to recapture the old tradition of singing out loud before the advent of recorded music.
4. the word of Christ Worth Singing About
The bottom line is this: the word of Christ is worth singing about. We have been given the new song of the gospel. Rejoice in it; be instructed by it; be admonished and exhorted by it. Desire that others join in singing it. This world sings many songs with desperate desire. With beautiful, moving tunes, they sing songs of impossible romance making impossible promises of love for all eternity. A song sung just right feels like a religious experience. And for a while, in the moment, all is right inside and with the world. But the music ends, and we fall back into the world. The only thing that feels eternal is eternal disappointment. The songs are like drugs that temporarily make us feel good.
But songs of the word of Christ spring from the new song of the gospel that declares Christ has won our victory forever, and that our place with him is forever in the new earth when he returns. The word of Christ is lasting truth; it is rock solid truth. It is truth worth believing and truth worth singing. For this new song is filled with wonderful words of life.
