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. Colossians 3:16 ESV
The word is certainly an interesting theological study all by itself. Rendered from the Greek logos it can have many meanings, from representing the spoken or written word to the person of Jesus Christ. For the bible student it is important to consider the context of its use and what the author intended to communicate, so let’s look at a few examples in Scripture where “the Word” was ascribed to Christ:
John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
1 Peter 1:23 – Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
Revelation 19:13 – He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
(As a side note on the last verse, I believe the word of God here is referring to Christ more so than the Bible, because the passage is about Jesus and in the very next verse [Heb 4:13] it says, “no creature is hidden from his sight.” But that’s a study for another day!).
Now let’s get back to our passage. As we are in the middle of Paul’s exhortation to the church, specifically on how the church should be living and acting (see Col. 3:12 – 4:1), we start to see his message come into focus.
When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, these things Paul has been writing about in this chapter are the natural outcome and outpouring of our life. When Christ possess our heart, dwelling in a place where He is free to do His refining work, we are actively:
Setting our mind on things above (Col. 3:2)
Putting to death what is earthly in us (Col. 3:5-10)
Putting on the new self (Col. 3:11)
Putting on the fruit of the Spirit and love (Col. 3:12-14)
Letting the peace of Christ rule in our hearts (Col. 3:15)
Paul adds a few more examples of what happens when we let the peace of Christ and the word of Christ govern our lives. He says we should be “teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”
While it can be awkward, it is not wrong to instruct (teach) and correct (admonish) a Christian brother or sister, as long as we do it in love and wisdom. It’s our duty to help others grow in the knowledge of truth and stay on the narrow path, but we have to be careful how we do it. Be gentle, kind, humble, and compassionate, knowing everyone is in a different place in their walk with Christ.
Finally, believers should be “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” The gift of music is a wonderful one, and while some of us were not given an amazing singing voice, we should still lift our voices in praise and worship because it’s not about us or those around us – it’s about God. And most importantly, when we belt out that off-key praise we should do so with thankfulness in our hearts to God.
Throughout this chapter, Paul amplifies the importance of having a truly thankful heart. Thankfulness is the faucet from which of all our true worship and praise to God flows from, and anchors a thriving faith as we surrender our will and desires to Him.
Let’s therefore fix our focus on Christ, the Word of God, and carry a spirit of thankfulness into every part of life and worship. He is the North Star Paul directs us toward—unchanging, trustworthy, and always guiding us in our walk with Christ.