Col. 3:15-17
“Let the Word of
Christ Dwell in You Richly-2”
Last week, we dealt with the newness of this command and what it means for
the word of Christ to dwell in us. To dwell is to have a permanent
residence. The word of Christ is to take up its permanent residence in our
hearts. And since the word of Christ is the word of our sovereign Lord, it must
dwell at the very center of our being, on the throne of our hearts.
How then do we have the word of Christ dwell in us richly? In this regard the
description of the blessed man in Psalm 1 is very helpful. Obviously there are
both negative and positive aspects to it. To have the word of Christ dwell in
us is not to walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor to stand in
the way of sinners, nor to sit in the seat of scoffers. Rather, to have
the word of Christ dwell in us is to delight in His word and to meditate on it
day and night. Again, the word of Christ is not to be put up in a guestroom
somewhere in the corner of our life but at the foundation and forefront of our
consciousness. It cannot be just an afterthought, an endless repetition of “I
should have…, I could have…, I would have…” that rings hollow.
“But how could I meditate on the word of Christ day and night when there
are so many chores and responsibilities to tend to?” And we know that many of
our duties and tasks are commanded by God Himself: God has called us to be good
husbands and wives, good parents and good children, good employers and good employees,
etc., and we know how much work is involved in being good at any one of those. But
we also know how easy it is for us to do them just because we are just responsible
kind of people, just to keep others satisfied, simply “by way of eye-service,
as people-pleasers”, although our hearts may be boiling with bitterness. But we
are called to do everything, whether we eat or drink, whether in word or deed, for
the glory of God. Even if nothing may seem different externally, there is a
world of difference between something that is done merely out of moral
obligation (as noble as that may be) and something that is done for the glory
of God. This internal difference is what God sees, what God really cares about.
We are called not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the
renewal of our mind. How can we not be conformed to this world when our mind is
filled with the philosophies and slogans and opinions of the world, with its
earthly goals and methods and standards and attitudes? And how can we know that
our thoughts and opinions are worldly unless we make every thought captive to
the obedience of Christ day and night, unless we renew our mind with the word
of Christ daily?
Let us be frank. As with most of things, even this issue of being in the
word is not an issue of difficulty or not having enough time, is it? Rather, it
is all about motivation! For when we are really motivated, we are not easily
intimidated by obstacles; we don’t easily give up. Think about all the energy
and excitement and creative juice that flow through your veins when you do
something that really interests you! When you really like doing something, you
will figure out a way and the time to do it as often and as long as possible. There
may be few exceptions but, when our time in the word of God is pushed to the bottom
of our priority list and out of our schedule eventually, it is a telling
statement about what we think of our Lord. How can we deny something so
obvious?
We do because we always intend to spend more time in the Word! We judge
ourselves according to our good intentions, which are there somewhere in our
consciousness. But we know that good intentions are nothing unless they are
carried out. We all know what they say: the road to a very, very bad place is
paved with good intentions.
But we have a more sophisticated reason. We know that we will never be
perfect on this side of the grave. And if anyone thinks that way, he has much
too high an opinion of himself and much too low an opinion of God’s holy
standard. But it is detrimental to our Christian life to think that, because we
won’t be perfect in this life, we don’t do anything. As someone said, that we
cannot do everything should not be an excuse to do nothing. Imagine what our
life would be like if we lived by such a thinking! Our life would be completely
paralyzed and we won’t be able to do anything! Under the pretense of pursuing
perfection, we procrastinate and delay our immediate, complete and happy
obedience to the Lord. And we all know, we all have experienced,
how detrimental such an approach is to our Christian walk!
It is obvious that we must not give in to such deception and outlook. We
must recognize their devastating effects and shake them off decisively and
resolutely, now. For, if we are in Christ, we have been raised with Christ. God
has given us a new birth from above and replaced our lifeless, stony heart with
a heart of flesh that pulsates with the vitality and strength of the heavenly
life. How tragic it would be, then, to waste away the heavenly life we have
received, to waste that heavenly life purchased by the costly sacrifice of
Jesus Christ, by thinking and feeling and living like the people of the world!
Oh, how we need the word of Christ to light our path and show the way of God!
Oh, how we need the word of Christ to keep our focus on heaven and not to be washed
away by the torrents of the worldly influences! We need the word of Christ
every hour! We need to meditate on His word day and night! We need the word of
Christ to dwell in us richly all the time! Though we cannot do it perfect, we
must figure out a way to do it as much as possible--so desperate and urgent is
our need for the word of Christ.
But Paul's command takes us further than our individual growth in the word
of Christ. Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and
admonishing one another in all wisdom….” Here the pronoun "you" is a plural.
So we can paraphrase this section as, "Let the word of Christ dwell richly
among all of you as a corporate community, in your corporate existence as the
So then, what does it mean for the word of Christ to dwell in us in the
corporate sense of the word, especially in a local church? How does this
command reflect what Christ Himself wanted from His church when He purchased it
with His own precious blood? What does a church look like when this command is
observed faithfully? Take a look at the whole commandment: “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.”
First of all, when the word of Christ dwells in a church richly, teaching
and admonition take place regularly in the church. The two are closely
connected, obviously, since Paul mentions them together. But it is easy also to
see the distinction between the two: teaching is a positive instruction and
admonition is a negative instruction--that is, teaching presupposes ignorance to
be filled with knowledge whereas admonition presupposes a mistake or a
wrongdoing to be corrected. Also, as the word “admonition” includes the
correction of behavior, we can say that Paul has in mind a comprehensive
instruction, both positive and negative and both intellectual and behavioral.
For the biblical understanding of true knowledge is not merely academic but
covenantal: it is not just an academic knowledge that helps us to think the
thought and talk the talk but a covenantal wisdom that helps us to walk the
walk as well.
It is obvious that God does not promote exclusive use of positive
reinforcement. Positive reinforcement, of course, tickles our itchy ears and
proud hearts. As sinners, proud and arrogant, we only want positive
reinforcement; we don’t have much taste for admonition. And we are not saying
that there is no place for positive reinforcement in Christian instruction;
there is a great need for that. But as long as we are sinners and we have sin
remaining in us, we cannot do away with the need for admonition. Of course, by
admonition the Scripture does not mean a severe, harsh, abusive tirade. When
giving admonition, we must be humble, loving and gracious since we too are
sinners before God. Nonetheless, correction has to be made when there is any
wrongdoing. We should be loving and courageous to give admonition as well as
humble and meek to receive it. And we should be humble and willing to receive
teaching as well as able and available to teach.
Officially speaking, this command is fulfilled supremely when a church
faithfully carries out its preaching and teaching ministry. This
responsibility, of course, falls primarily on the teaching elders (pastors) but
also on the ruling elders. Whenever we gather together as a congregation for
our Lord’s Day worship as well as for Sunday school and Bible studies and any
other gatherings, at which the Word of God is preached and taught by the
ordained officers and by those appointed by the session, we are fulfilling this
command in v. 16. And you see that this command requires faithfulness and
diligence from both sides of the pulpit--not only from those who preach and
teach but also from those who listen and learn. While we must recognize the importance
of our Lord’s Day worship service as the setting, in which this command
is supremely fulfilled, we must not neglect the importance of other gatherings
that offer additional opportunities for us to teach and to be taught, to
admonish and to be admonished.
Let us not be legalistic about this. It is true that, because we have
Christian liberty, because Christ died to secure our Christian liberty, we must
never bow down to any man-made rules and regulations. No Bible study, no prayer
meeting, not even our Lord’s Day worship, should be presented as a requirement
for our salvation. But should we worship the Lord on the Lord’s Day as a
congregation? Of course! But why? In
order to acquire salvation? No! We should worship God because
we have been already saved by God’s amazing grace! Because we have been
finally set free from the deceptions and tyranny of Satan to love and adore and
serve the one and only true God! Is this principle of gratitude and love less
binding that the principle of laws and commandments? Not at all! Don’t we feel
more obligated when you are shown an extraordinary love? When we are loved, do
we not feel all the more obliged than what the law and its threat can ever induce
in us!
What would be the greatest privilege you can obtain in this world? If the
President asks you to be his personal friend and confidant, someone to stand by
his side wherever he went? For Warren Buffet to offer himself
to you as your mentor and friend? But can all that compare to the Christian
privilege to worship our God? When God calls us to worship Him, He does not
call us as mere creatures obligated to bring their offerings and tributes to
their Creator! The God of heaven and earth calls us as His dearest children!
And He calls us as our loving heavenly Father who cherishes us and delights in us!
He offers Himself and all that He has to us as our eternal Inheritance! That is
what is taking place here and now as we come together to worship God! What can
be a greater privilege than to enter His temple, His heavenly palace, not as
mere creatures, but as His dearest children!
What about the Bible studies and prayer meetings? Are they man-made rules
and regulations? Certainly--if they are presented as a requirement for our
salvation, or as a sole measure of our spiritual maturity. Now the million
dollar question: should we feel guilty for not coming out to Bible studies and
prayer meetings? No, in the sense that you are not breaking any explicit
command--there is no law of God, which says that you have to attend every Bible
study and every prayer meeting offered by the church, or any for that matter.
So then, would it be wrong for the church to encourage its members to
attend these meetings? What if the church urges and pleads with
its members to attend them? What if a message like this makes you feel guilty?
Is the church being legalistic? Is the church infringing on Christian liberty?
Is the church guilt-tripping its members to do something that God does not
require? To guilt-trip someone to do something is wrong and damnable in
Christian ministry! But is everything to be interpreted as a guilt-trip when it
makes us feel guilty? It is a guilt-trip only when a person is made feel guilty
when he is not but not when he is indeed guilty. Our service and obedience to
God should be driven by gratitude, not by guilt, it is often said. Amen to that!
But is gratitude the only, exclusive motivation? How is that possible when we
still sin so often and in so many ways? And is it even possible to truly repent
without feeling guilty? How would you feel if your child promises to do better next
time without feeling bad for the wrong he has done? Can that be seen as genuine
repentance? It is true that guilt without gratitude leads us to the sorrow that
leads to destruction. But can there be true gratitude without guilt, which God
gracious forgives? Yes, gratitude must be our primary Christian motivation
but not exclusive.
It is so ironic that we can object to legalism in a legalistic way. It is
like shouting and yelling at someone to be gentle. What do many Christians do
when they view Bible studies and prayer meetings as man-made, legalistic
enterprises? What is the reason for their objection and non-participation? “The
law of God [that is, the explicit law of God] does not require attending Bible
studies and prayer meetings. Therefore, I don’t have to go and so I don’t go!”
Isn’t that also a form of legalism, living by the letter of the law, not by the
Spirit of the law? What do you think about these words in Deut. 6:4-7?
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD
is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be
on your heart. 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.”
Could it be that Paul’s command in Col. 3:16 is the New Testament
expression of this Old Testament command? Could it be that the Deut. passage
provides specific applications of what Paul commands in today’s passage? And if
the Old Testament saints were to keep the word of the Lord on their heart and
teach their children diligently wherever and whenever possible, how about the
New Testament saints, who have received greater blessings than they? Should we
not be all the more diligent, should we not take every opportunity to teach one
another not only in our individual homes but also in the church, which is the
household of God?
That is exactly what we observe in the early church in the Book of Acts.
They did not just meet once a week for an hour or two. “And day by day, attending the
temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food
with glad and generous hearts” (Acts
But we must also briefly mention the unofficial, informal dimension of
this command. For this command is not confined to the official activities of
the church. If we read carefully, we see that Paul is telling us to teach and
admonish one another. That means, even when we are not officially
gathered, we must interact with one another both willing to be taught as well
as ready to teach; both willing to be admonished as well as ready to admonish,
if necessary. None of us is so advanced in the knowledge of God that he has
nothing to learn from others. In the same way, none of us is so devoid of the
knowledge of God that he has nothing to contribute to others’ learning. This is
not to say that some are not more knowledgeable than others. But we must not
ignore the fact that the unique life experiences that God has given to each of
us may give us some unique insights into the Word that even the ablest Bible
teachers may not have thought about. And none of us can focus on every aspect
of Christ’s teaching. What a young, immature brother may be excited about can
be a challenge and a good reminder, at least, to a more mature brother or
sister. And this should provide us with the motivation to grow deeper in the
knowledge of Christ, not to show off but to serve one another to build up the
body of Christ.
And Paul goes on to mention another dimension of the word of Christ
dwelling in us: “singing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Although
we cannot deal with this portion very much, we can appreciate the aspect of
beauty and emotional component it adds to our Christian life. Although words can paint beauty and evoke profound emotions but
songs, more so. And of course, Christian music is not all about arousing
our emotions. These songs are songs with content, with proper doctrines--notice
how these songs flow out of the word of Christ dwelling in our hearts richly. What
a wonderful picture of the indwelling word of Christ filling and overflowing
our hearts into joyful singing that cannot be suppressed! And they are spiritual
songs, not in the sense that they cater only to our emotions but in the sense
that their subject is sacred; their subject preeminently belongs to the realm
of the Spirit, the
As we conclude this message, let us observe one last thing. Let us compare
two passages that are very close to each other.
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. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord….
Eph. 5:18ff:
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out
of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord…
Do you see how similar these two passages are? But do you also see a small
but an important difference? Col. 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly….” Eph.
When we think about the filling of the Spirit, what famous Biblical event
comes to our mind? When the tabernacle was constructed, the priests ordained
and the first offerings offered, the glory cloud--the
manifestation of the Holy Spirit--filled the tabernacle. When it did, so
overwhelming and so concentrated was the presence of the Holy Spirit that even
Moses could not enter into the tabernacle. But now Paul is telling us to let
the word of Christ dwell in us richly, to let the Spirit of Christ to fill us. Who
are we? The corporate body of Christ, the holy tabernacle of
God, the eternal dwelling of God, which is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Do we realize who we are when we gather together as the body of Christ? We are
the holy tabernacle of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. That which Moses did
not dare to enter, we are in it, we make up the living
tabernacle of God. How is this possible? Because the true High Priest offered
Himself as the once-for-all Sacrifice on our behalf and
removed all the curses and punishments of our sins! Through Jesus Christ, we
have become the true
© Copyright 2007 by Jeong Woo "James" Lee
All Rights Reserved.