Col 3:16 contains a rather unique phrase that
Bible scholars find intriguing. It’s the phrase, “Word of Christ” (Greek logos christos). This is because this
expression is found nowhere else in the New Testament (other than a probable
rendering of Rom 10:17). This means Paul is particularly being specific on the
type of spiritual food we’re to fill ourselves with.
What does “the word of Christ” mean?
“The Word of Christ” is, firstly, the message
of the Gospel. It’s the declaration that we’re no longer enemies of God but
that “God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2Co 5:19).
“The Word of Christ” is the doctrine of Christ,
or the teaching of the New Covenant. It’s the interpretation of revealed scripture
from the viewpoint of the Cross. One can be loaded up with scriptural verses
and still be deficient in “the word of Christ”. If one’s understanding of
scripture is not based on what happened at the Cross, that knowledge will be a
liability rather than a blessing; (what Paul meant by the expression, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives
life”, 2Cor. 3:6).
Finally, “the word of Christ” is Christ
Himself. He says in Jn 14:23 that when we keep His words, He and the Father
will come and dwell with us. When we constantly feed on, meditate and study the
scriptures, He’ll tabernacle, dwell with and live with us in all wisdom and all
richness.
So Beloved, Let the Word of Christ – the
Message – have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.
Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your
hearts out to God! (Col 3:16 MSG)
AMEN.
Have a Blessed Weekend.
GREG ELKAN
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