A Scriptural-Spiritual Lens for Resolve in 2022 - Part Ten
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Introduction
Introduction
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
To see God’s will done on earth is to see God’s church come more under the influence and the power of God’s Word and thus his ways.
PRAY
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 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. 17 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.
We resolve to be mastered by Christ
We resolve to be mastered by Christ
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
Paul gives the “word of Christ” as the essential content for the Christian and the Christian life.
What is this “word of Christ”? Technically, it could mean the word that has been spoken about Christ or it could mean the word that is possessed by Christ, as in the actual verbal teachings of Jesus, the Messiah. I believe it refers back to verse 1:5, which says, “Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel”.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
It refers to the good news concerning Christ. He is the content of the gospel. It refers to the word concerning or about Christ. It by implication includes all that points to him, describes him, comes from him and teaches his disciples to live for him in the Old and New Testaments.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. 1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
It is the word of Christ that creates the proper perspective on life and provides the power to function properly in the body. Those that neglect the word of Christ will be ineffective at best and hazardous at worst to the life of the body. The command is to let the word of Christ dwell in you.
The mastery or the influence is to be housed within - Dwell in you - live in, means “the inhabitants” (LSJ s.v. ἐνοικέω); as the rabbis later pointed out, he who dwells in a house is the master of the house, not just a passing guest
We are called to let the word of Christ live in us. This is to be a constant and ongoing activity in our lives. There should not be a season of our lives that we should not let the word of Christ take residence in us. This is referring to that practical sowing of the word of Christ into our hearts in order to walk in holiness. The dwelling most as individuals and as a community. In what manner is the word of Christ to dwell in us? Richly, in abundance; the influence of Christ in our lives is be overflowing
Richly - (richly) could also be translated“abundantly or extravagantly wealthy.” The truths of Scripture should permeate every aspect of the believer’s life and govern every thought, word, and deed.
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,
Usages of the word “richly”
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
There is a richness in “the word of Christ” which makes it an inexhaustible source of spiritual resource, intellectual stimulus, and personal and corporate challenge; but without the participants’ positive response its “indwelling” might be feeble rather than rich
We resolve to mutually instruct among the body
We resolve to mutually instruct among the body
Teaching – instruct by word of mouth, provide instruction, to explain or expound a thing
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
There is a teaching gift bestowed on certain individuals such as pastors, however it is made clear by this verse that all Christians are responsible and sufficiently able to communicate important truth about Christ to their brothers and sisters in the body. That is, if they let the word of Christ dwell in them richly. What happens when teaching is neglected or weak?
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
We resolve to mutually advise within the body
We resolve to mutually advise within the body
Admonishing – warn, exhort, strongly encourage; Admonishing seems to differ from teaching. Admonishing has the element of strong encouragement. It is generally practical and moral, rather than abstract or theological. There is a sense in which on is warning another about the danger of their current path.
“It’s fundamental idea is the well-intentioned seriousness with which one would influence the mind and disposition of another by advice, admonition, warning, putting right, according to circumstances” (Cremer).
14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. 15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 14 If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.
We resolve to use skill with the body
We resolve to use skill with the body
In all wisdom - insight, deep understanding, represented everywhere as a divine gift, and including the idea of practical application, prudence, the ability to know and deal with people. Wisdom is the skill to apply the truth to real life situation and circumstances. It is to walk in the truth.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
We need great skill when we are seeking to teaching and admonish one another.
Practical Application
Practical Application
How do we get the word of Christ in us? It ought to be by all means available.
How do we know when the word of Christ is dwelling richly in us? We will be like Christ. His character will stamp us and his message will flow from us.
How should we teach each other? We teach in humility as fellow learners still investigating the growing in understanding of our subject. We teach as those who have not arrived in the full application of all we know. We teach as those who know that the word of Christ is infinitely deep and inexhaustible in its ability to grant us additional insight.
How should we admonish one another? Once again, with humility, we warn as those who are also in constant danger. We encourage as those who are still in need of encouragement ourselves. We build up as those who are also an incomplete building project. We admonish in the hope that God would overcome our weaknesses and do something in the lives of those we love in truth with grace.
How do we possess all wisdom? We stay near to the truth and avoid what is speculation. We know our limitations? We come to each other dependent on God to grant special skill and insight. We stay focused on Christ is our wisdom.