Scripture Reading: Col. 3:15-18; Heb. 1:1-2a; Rev. 2:1, 7a
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.” Immediately after speaking about the peace of Christ arbitrating in us, Paul goes on to tell us to let the word of Christ dwell in us. Why does Paul mention the peace of Christ before the word of Christ? The answer to this question is related to the basic principle revealed in the Bible that God’s speaking requires oneness. Whenever God’s people are divided, His word becomes rare. God does not speak where there is division. Division causes God’s speaking to diminish, even to cease altogether.
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God spoke in the tent of meeting. The tent of meeting was a sign of the oneness of God’s people. The twelve tribes were arranged around the tent of meeting, and God spoke to the people from within the tent of meeting. Any Israelite at that time who wanted God’s speaking had to come to the tent of meeting, the place of oneness.
The temple built in Jerusalem was the continuation of the tent of meeting. When God’s people were divided into the northern and southern kingdoms, God’s speaking was found only in the south, because that was where the temple was located. Because there was no temple in the north, God’s speaking through the priesthood was not found there. God’s speaking through the priests came out of the Holy of Holies, the center both of the tabernacle and of the temple.
The book of Hebrews opens with these words: “In many portions and in many ways, God, having spoken of old to the fathers in the prophets, has at the last of these days spoken to us in the Son” (Heb. 1:1-2a). As the Son of God, the Lord Jesus not only spoke the word of God, but He Himself was even called the Word (John 1:1, 14; Rev. 19:13). God spoke in His Son and not merely through Him. Wherever the Son was, there the Word was also. Furthermore, when the Son spoke, God spoke in the Son’s speaking. The Son came to express God, to define God, and to speak forth God. In His very being and Person, the Son was the Word of God.
The evil intention of the Jewish religionists was to terminate the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, by crucifying Him. But after His crucifixion, the Lord entered into the realm of resurrection, and in resurrection He became the Head of the Body. Before His crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord Jesus was restricted by the flesh. It was not possible for Him to be universal. But through death and resurrection He was enlarged from an individual to a corporate man. On the day of Pentecost Christ came down as the all-inclusive Spirit upon His disciples to make them members of His Body. This Body, a corporate man, includes the resurrected Christ as the Head and the millions of believers in Christ as the members. Now, just as my whole body speaks whenever I speak, so the Body of Christ speaks whenever Christ speaks as the Head. Today the Son of God is no longer merely an individual; He is a corporate, universal man. For this reason, all the members of the Body can speak the word of God. Even young people can go to their parents or classmates and speak to them on God’s behalf.
We all were saved through the hearing of God’s word. When I was saved in China more than fifty years ago, God Himself did not come to speak to me directly. Rather, I heard God’s word through a member of His Body. This is one example of the fact that God today continues to speak in His Son who has been enlarged to become a corporate man, the Body of Christ. How wonderful that we all are part of the enlargement of Christ, part of a universal man of which Christ is the Head and we are the members!
If we are truly one with other members of the Body of Christ, we shall be able to speak God’s word. However, if we are not one with the saints but are filled with murmuring, complaining, and gossiping about others, we shall not be able to speak the word of the Lord. Speaking God’s word requires oneness. Where there is no oneness, there can be no speaking. If we allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in us to maintain oneness and harmony, we shall be able to speak the word of God.
Christ died on the cross to make peace by accomplishing redemption and reconciling us to God. This peace is vertical, the peace between us and God. Christ died also to create horizontal peace, the peace between us and others. For this, Christ abolished all the ordinances, the different ways of worship and living. By abolishing the ordinances, Christ has made peace horizontally among the different peoples. In doing this, He nullified the effect of Babel. At Babel mankind was confused, confounded, divided, and scattered. There the corporate man created by God was divided. But by His death on the cross Christ cancelled the confusion and division of Babel. He has made peace both vertically and horizontally. Thus, on the day of Pentecost, Christ could come down upon the believers as the uniting Spirit and bring forth the church in a practical way. At Pentecost those who spoke many different languages became one.
Although Christ nullified division to produce oneness, today’s Christianity has destroyed the oneness and produced division. For this reason, in divided Christianity there is no speaking from God. Instead of hearing God’s speaking, many who sit in the chapels, cathedrals, and denominational buildings hear someone talk about social life or politics. This certainly is not the speaking of God in the Son through the Body. The reason for this lack of speaking is the lack of peace and oneness. Because there is no oneness, there is no center, no oracle, for God’s speaking.
We thank the Lord that the situation in His recovery is altogether different from this. We have an abundance of the Lord’s speaking. Consider how much of the word of God has been released among us in the recovery during the past years. The reason there is so much of God’s speaking in the recovery is that here we have genuine oneness. We experience this oneness and the harmony in the Spirit not only when the churches come together for a conference, but also in the meetings of the various local churches. In the meetings we have the Lord’s speaking, and we are edified, nourished, and enlightened. When the peace of Christ arbitrates in us and keeps us in a situation full of oneness and harmony, we become the place of God’s speaking, His oracle. Deep in my spirit I realize that the meetings are an oracle, a place where God can come in to speak.
Now we see the connection between 3:15 and 16. The peace of Christ arbitrates in us to keep us in a proper condition to receive God’s word. The arbitrating peace of Christ is for God’s oracle, the place of His speaking.
For a proper Christian walk we need to set our mind on things above. When we do this, we “switch on” to the heavenly transmission, the divine current of “electricity” which flows from the throne in heaven to us on earth. This transmission causes the renewing of the new man, for it brings a new element, the divine substance, into our being. Following the renewing, we have the arbitrating peace of Christ. The very element of Christ transmitted into us becomes the essence of the peace which rules in us. This arbitrating peace not only solves our problems, but also dissolves them. It enables us to be kept in oneness and to be preserved in a harmonious condition. It also opens the way for the word of God to come with the bountiful supply. Because we have the arbitrating peace, in the Lord’s recovery there is no shortage of God’s word.
Now we must go on to consider how the word of God functions within us. First, the word of God enlightens us. If we did not have the Word, we would be in darkness. But because God’s word is full of light and it enlightens us, it can make us very clear about many different things.
Second, the word of God is food, full of nourishment. This means that God’s word nourishes us while it enlightens us. I can testify that throughout the years I have been adequately nourished through the word of God. It truly has been food to me in my experience.
The word of God also quenches our thirst. Thirst is even more serious than hunger. Usually a person can go longer without eating than without drinking. If we do not have water, we simply have no way to live. How good that the word of God is not only food, but also the water of life! The word of God enlightens us, feeds us, and quenches our thirst.
Another aspect of the function of the word of God within us is that of strengthening. The word of God strengthens us. Christians are weak because they are thirsty and undernourished. No one who is hungry and thirsty can be strong.
If we experience the word of God nourishing us and strengthening us, we shall be strong not only in spirit, but also in our soul. In other words, we shall be strong psychologically as well as spiritually. Furthermore, God’s word will even strengthen us physically. I can testify that my body is healthy not only because I eat the proper physical food, but also because I take the word of God as my spiritual food. God’s word in my spirit makes my spirit strong and happy. This strength and happiness help me to be healthy physically. It is a fact that when we are happy spiritually and psychologically we shall be healthy in body.
The word of God makes us strong in spirit and also in soul. Strengthened in spirit and soul, we shall be healthy in body. The word of God is the best cure; it strengthens us and it heals us.
The word of God also washes us. It washes our being organically and metabolically. When God’s word enters into our fibers organically, it washes us metabolically.
Furthermore, the word of God builds us up. As members of the church, the Body, we all need to be built up. Because we are peculiar, it is difficult for anyone to deal with us, much less to build us together. However, the word of God can touch us inwardly and make it possible for us to be built up in the church. Because we are peculiar in ourselves, we cannot be built up in this way unless the word of Christ inhabits us. Although the peace of Christ arbitrates within us, it is not the peace which builds us up. The peace keeps us in the proper situation for the building work to be done by God’s word. Because it is the word of Christ which builds us up, I bear a heavy burden to release God’s word. The more the word of God is released among us, the more building up there will be.
The word of God also completes and perfects. Elsewhere we have pointed out that a baby is complete in organs, but not in functions. In order for a child’s bodily organs to function properly, the child needs to grow. Perfection always comes by the way of growth. The more a child grows, the more his functions are completed and perfected. The same is true in spiritual experience. As members of the Body, we all should function. But if we would function, we first need to be perfected by the word of God. Because God’s word nourishes us, we have growth. Then through the growth, the functions come forth. The nourishment we receive from the word of God completes us and perfects us as members of the Body. For this reason, we say that the word of God perfects us.
The last function of the word of God we shall consider in this message is its function of edifying us. There is a difference between being built up and being edified. Being built up is related to the church corporately. Being edified involves being built up individually, primarily in the matter of virtues. We all need to be edified, or built up in a personal way, for we all lack certain virtues. For example, we may be short of such virtues as patience, wisdom, humility, or kindness. The word of God truly edifies us in the matter of virtues. The more we have of the word of God, the more virtues we shall have. Our kindness, patience, wisdom, and humility will all be increased by the word of God.
All of us need to be edified in virtues through God’s word. Some of us are characterized by quickness and others, by slowness. In certain situations quickness is a virtue. If a group of brothers need to hurry to be on time for an important appointment, quickness is a virtue. But in taking care of someone who is very ill, slowness may be a virtue. We need to be edified so that we may be able to act either quickly or slowly.
In certain situations we need to speak in a free, bubbling way. But in other situations we should be very restricted in speaking, even silent. In the right situation speaking in a bubbling way is a virtue, but in other situations it is not. The same is true of quietness. In matters such as these we all need edification.
Only the word of God can edify us and cause us to be properly balanced, discerning, and moderate. Concerning quickness and slowness, we need to be moderate. We should be moderate even in our love. Some saints love others according to their emotional tide. When the tide of love is high, they love others excessively. But when the tide is low, they do not show love for anybody. They seem to be like statues, altogether without feeling. First we need to be edified personally in the matter of virtues. Then we shall be built up together with others in the church life.
We have seen that the word of God enlightens, nourishes, quenches our thirst, strengthens, washes, builds up, perfects, and edifies. What a great need we have for the word of God!
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.
