Be Rich in the Word: Drink Deep and Overflow!

In the last post in this series, we looked at Colossians 3:1-17 in order to get a sense of Paul’s flow of thought in this chapter. As we reach the end of these verses, we’re thrust back to verses 1-2 because the questions become these: how would Paul have us seek the things that are above, where Christ is? How would he have us set our minds on things that are above, and not on things that are on earth? Even if we want to do these things, how do we do them?

Letting the Word Dwell Richly in Us
I think Paul answers in verses 16-17 where he writes, “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. 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.”

In these verses, Paul issues one primary exhortation which he sees overflowing in three particular ways, so let’s first consider the exhortation and then we’ll look at the implications. The exhortation is this: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” The phrase “the word of Christ” is the gospel. It’s the word about Christ that was and is and will be preached in the world. It’s the word of Christ in the sense that, like all the words of God, the gospel was and is will be primarily be spoken by the Son, Jesus Christ, so that the gospel we preach is the gospel he preached. And it’s the word of Christ in this sense that Christ himself is the essence of the word. In other words, Christ himself is the gospel. He is our life. He is our forgiveness. He is our cleansing. He is our healing. He is our righteousness. He is our holiness. He is our all in all. Ultimately, the word of Christ is Christ!

But that said, I think Paul is calling us to seek and set our minds on Christ by saturating our lives with the word of Christ that’s contained in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The gospel is not God’s “Plan B” but his “Plan A” which he conceived before the foundation of the world and has been revealing from the dawn of creation to the current moment, primarily by the things that are contained in his Word. So, while “the word of Christ” is more than the Bible, the content of that word is expressed in and stabilized by what’s in the Bible.

Paul knows very well that Christ himself dwells in every believer by his Spirit, but here he’s exhorting us to allow the words of the Bible, all of which express and stabilize the gospel, to dwell in us. The word here for “dwell” means “to establish a dwelling in something,” so that Paul is urging us to have more than a superficial relationship to the Word of God. Indeed, he wants us to allow the word of Christ to establish a dwelling place inside of us. He wants the word of Christ to occupy us. He wants the word of Christ to have a central place and controlling influence in our lives.

This is why he exhorts us to let the word of Christ establish itself richly in our lives. This word can also be translated “abundantly,” so that Paul’s desire for us is that we would be filled to overflowing with the word of Christ. In 2019 I rode my bike along the Mississippi River from Memphis to Minneapolis along with some friends. Since there had been a number of high-volume storms up and down the river that year, it was overflowing much of the way. Indeed, the water was so richly dwelling in it that the water couldn’t be contained by it!

In like manner, Paul wants the word of Christ to dwell richly in us because he knows that this is the way that believers have always sought the Lord and set their minds on things that are above. As King David wrote, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways” (Psalm 119:15). For him, these were not two things but one and the same thing. To meditate on the words of God is to fix our minds on the ways of God. And to be rich in the word of Christ is to seek and set our minds on Christ. Oh, how high a place God has given to the word of Christ in the lives of those who belong to him and believe in him!

Letting the Word Overflow from Us 

As the word of Christ dwells richly in us, Paul instructs us to teach and admonish one another out of the overflow of the word in our lives. The leaders of the church have their place in teaching the Word, but God’s vision for his people as that we would all be made competent by his Word and able to instruct and even correct one another in love according to his Word. The leaders have been given authority to instruct and every member has been given authority to minister, but it’s the word of Christ itself that works with such power in our midst.

Further, as the word of Christ dwells richly in us, Paul instructs us to sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in our hearts to God, in other words, he encourages us to let the word of Christ crescendo in the worship of Christ. Indeed, as we grow in our understanding of the grace of God in Christ, we cannot help but sing out the praise of Christ because we all sing about what we love. Perhaps we ourselves don’t always do the singing, but at the very least, we love to hear singing about the things we love. When I was in the world, I loved to hear rebellious people sing about rebellious things because I loved the world. Now that I’m in Christ, I love to sing about the glory of Christ and hear other people sing about the glory of Christ because I love Christ. Friend, a heart that sings is a heart that loves, and when the word of Christ dwells in us richly we’ll sing about him as an overflow of our love.

Finally, as the word of Christ dwells richly in us, Paul instructs us to do everything we do, in word or deed, in the name of Christ, always giving thanks to God the Father through him. In other words, he wants us to live for the glory of Christ as we live by the word of Christ, and he wants us to give thanks and give thanks and give thanks all along the way. This way of life brings honor to God, joy to our souls, and blessing to others.

Conclusion 

God’s desire for our way of life is so simple but it’s also serious. It’s the key to growing up into Christ. It’s the key to bearing fruit in this life. It’s the key to increasing in joy, even in the midst of trials and tribulations. It’s the key to gaining perspective and perseverance. It’s the key to gaining the power we need to overcome the world and battle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. It’s the key to coming into the fullness of what God the Father desires for his people. Oh, what inexhaustible treasures are contained in this simple exhortation: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”