In 3:16 Paul charges us to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. The Greek word rendered dwell means to be in a house, to inhabit. This indicates that the word of Christ should be able to make its home in us.
If a certain place is to become our home, we must have the freedom to make all necessary arrangements. If we want to keep a certain item, we may do so. But if we want to throw something else away, we are free to do that as well. If we do not have this kind of freedom, it is not possible for us to make that place our home. In like manner, if the word of Christ is to make its home in us, we must give it the full liberty, freedom, and right. We need to pray, “Lord, I offer my whole being to You and Your word. I give You access to every part of my inner being. Lord, make my inner being a home for Yourself and Your word.”
We all must confess that many times the Lord’s word has come to us, but we did not give it adequate room within us. Instead, we limited the word of God and restricted it. Sometimes we do receive God’s word, but we do not give it the freedom to make its home in us. Let me ask you, in your experience is the word of Christ first, or are you first? I do not believe that anyone can say that first place is always given to God’s word. Sometimes we may give preeminence to the word of Christ and allow it to be first. However, much more often we ourselves are first. In a secret way we keep the first place for the self. Outwardly we may act as if the first place is reserved for the word of God. But secretly the first place is for us.
Suppose you are reading Matthew 19:16-22, where the Lord Jesus tells the young man to sell all that he has, give to the poor, and follow Him. As you read this portion of Scripture, the Lord may tell you to give away certain things. That would be a test of what is first—the self or the word of God. Many of us have learned from experience how difficult it is for us to give first place to the word of God. For this, we need the Lord’s grace. We need to turn to the Lord and say, “Lord, I cannot do this, but, Lord, You can. Lord, I trust in You for this.”
We need the arbitrating peace of Christ to preserve us in oneness that the Lord may speak to us. Then we need to give first place to the word of God. If we do this, we shall experience the functions of the word of God: enlightening, nourishing, quenching our thirst, strengthening, washing, building, perfecting, and edifying. What benefit we receive from the word of God!
In 3:16 Paul speaks of “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.” This indicates that when we are filled with the word of God, we should be filled with joy. If we receive God’s word and yet have no joy, something must be wrong. When we receive the word of God, we actually receive the Spirit. Receiving the Spirit should stir us up and cause us to be joyful and to sing.
In 3:17 and 18 Paul continues, “And in everything, whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. The wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Here we see the result of allowing the word of Christ to inhabit us. If a wife is filled with God’s word, she will spontaneously submit to her husband. If a husband is indwelt by the word of God, he will automatically love his wife. Virtues such as love and submission come from the word of God which dwells in us.
The matters pertaining to the proper Christian life in Colossians 3 are arranged in an excellent sequence. First Paul tells us to set our mind on the things above. When we do this, we receive the heavenly transmission and experience the renewing of the new man. Then Christ becomes the arbitrating peace within us to dissolve our problems. Furthermore, God’s word fills us and inhabits us. Out of this inhabiting word of God will come love, submission, and all other virtues needed for human living. This is the way to have our Christian walk.
In the next message we shall go on to see that such an excellent situation is maintained by persevering in prayer. If we would maintain the excellent condition produced by setting our mind on the things above, experiencing the heavenly transmission and the renewing of the new man, having the peace of Christ arbitrate within us, and being indwelt by the word of God and thereby having the virtues required for daily life, we need to pray without ceasing.