Putting on Christ: The Christian’s Proper Priorities
Colossians 3:15–17
© Mike Riccardi
Introduction
Please open your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3, and follow along with me, as I read our text for this evening. Colossians chapter 3, verses 15 to 17. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
What rules you? What governs your life? If you think about it, everybody is ruled or governed by some principle, or set of principles, they subscribe to. They’re not even always conscious of it, but no one just randomly floats through life aimlessly. Even the laziest, most apathetic slacker in the world is governed and actuated by some orienting principle that directs all of his decisions—even if for him that principle is to expend the least amount of effort possible.
For some people, like the lazy person, that governing principle is comfort and ease. His conversations, his relationships, maybe even his career choices are all calculated so as to bring the greatest amount of comfort, the least amount of bother. Even the tasks that he’s forced to engage in are all done with a view to lessening impact. “What’s the minimum amount of work I have to put in so that I’ll be able to keep my wife happy, my boss happy, and still be able to have time to just relax?”
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the ambitious person. Many people are ruled and governed by the desire for success. That may be academic excellence: “I’ve got to get the best grades!” It may be athletic achievement: “I’m not going to rest until I’m the best baseball player on the planet!” It may be career advancement: “I’ve got to get that promotion! I want to make it to the top!” It may be financial success: “I want a bigger house and a nicer car and fancier clothes and a fatter portfolio!” And it may be fame and power: “People are going to know my name! I’m going to be remembered!”
Whether it’s those things or something else—the pursuit of pleasure, the approval of others, a sense of control or security—in every case, the priorities of a person’s entire life are all governed and directed by whether they will serve this fundamental orienting principle in their lives. They shape their schedule around it; “No, I’m sorry. I can’t join you guys. I’ve got to study,” or “I’ve got to practice,” or “I’ve got to work overtime.” They shape their school choices around it; “I’ve got to go to this university because they give me the best shot at playing Division 1 ball,” or “they give me the best shot at getting my dream job!” They even shape relationship choices, who their friends are, who they spend their time with, even who they consider as a potential husband or wife.
As a Christian, what is the fundamental orienting principle in your life? What are your priorities, as a believer in Jesus? Each one of us has to make those kinds of choices. Various responsibilities press in against us every day. Our to-do lists always seem to be jam-packed. Our calendars can be tyrants sometimes, for how full our schedules can be. What priorities are you governed by such that you decide to spend time doing this activity, with that person or group of people? What orients you as you navigate life in this world, as you navigate relationships with others, service opportunities in the church, even just the way you interact with one another in the body of Christ—the way you talk to people, the way you respond to difficulty and to sin against you, the way you conduct yourself?
Well, as we come to our text in Colossians chapter 3 this evening, we find the Apostle Paul giving clear direction as to the Christian’s proper priorities. And our text comes in the context of Paul’s commentary on the new man, or the new self. Verses 1 to 4 spoke of how the believer has, in union with Christ, died to sin, and died to self, and died to the world. They spoke of how we have been raised up with Christ to walk in newness of life. And then, verses 5 to 11 called us to put to death the deeds of the old way of life. Verse 9 says that the believer in Jesus has “laid aside the old self,” and, verse 10 has “put on the new self.” If you are in Christ, you are a new creation, 2 Corinthians 5:17. The old man—who you were in Adam—has passed away. You have been re-created into a new man—namely, who you are in the Second Adam, who you are in Christ.
And then, in verses 12 to 14, Paul tells us what kind of clothing is appropriate for a Christian to wear. We who have put off the old man simply cannot be wearing the clothes of the old man. Instead, as those who have been chosen by God for salvation from sin, those who have been set apart for holiness by God Himself, and as those who are dearly loved by God in Christ, we are to put on the clothing of Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, “For all of you who were baptized into [union with] Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” You are wearing Him! “Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress.” And so therefore, Romans 13:14, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” You have put on Christ, so put on Christ! Walk in the freedom and in the power that grace has created for you. Become in practice what your kind and gracious God has already made you in position.
And so we are to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (3:12). We are to forbear one another’s faults and forgive one another’s sins—just as we have been graciously and abundantly forgiven by Christ (3:13). And over every other article of Christian clothing, we are to put on love, which binds every virtue together in perfect unity, and which binds every believer together in perfect unity (3:14).
And so having spoken of the Christian’s proper attire, Paul continues in verses 15 to 17 to speak about what it means to put on Christ. But here he turns to those governing principles of a believer’s life that order all of our priorities, that direct all of our decisions. In these three verses, we find three priorities that govern and direct the life of the new man or woman in Christ. Three priorities of the one who has put on Christ, and who is putting on Christ, by grace, in the fight against sin and for holiness, as he walks in the newness of life which Christ has purchased for us.
I. Let the Peace of Christ Rule (v. 15)
That first priority is, number one: the new man must let the peace of Christ rule. Verse 15: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
The word “And” at the beginning of the verse reminds us that these verses come on the heels of Paul’s call to love. And while Paul has called love that “perfect bond of unity” in verse 14, in Ephesians 4:3 he calls us to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And so we see how closely these are related. And, of course, peace is one of the principal blessings of the Christian life. In every one of Paul’s letters—and also in both of Peter’s letters, and in 2 John and Revelation—seventeen of the New Testament books begin with the benediction of grace and peace wished upon those believing in Christ.
Peace is precisely what we sinners need! In our natural state, we are, as Paul said in Colossians 1:21, “alienated [from God] and hostile in mind” against Him. Our sins separate us from God, so that we are at war with Him. And because our souls were created by God to find their rest in Him, we who are not at peace with God because of our sin are not at peace with ourselves because of our sin. Our conscience testifies against us. Sin tyrannizes us, which is why the world is marked by such mental and emotional turmoil and is in such a frenzy to find the spiritual calm that only comes through Christ. As long as we have no peace with our Creator, we will lack true peace in the world He’s created.
But this is precisely the peace that Christ has accomplished for us by His saving work! Again, back to chapter 1 verse 21, “Although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death.” Chapter 1 verse 20: God reconciles sinners to Himself, “having made peace through the blood of [Christ’s] cross.” And “Therefore,” Romans 5:1, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our dear Savior stands in our place. He suffers in Himself all the bitterness of our alienation from and hostility against God. He bears the wrath that breaks over the heads of God’s enemies in hell, and He does away with the guilt of sin which is the ground of our enmity with God. He accomplishes peace!
And what is the result? Peace with God through Christ brings the peace of God in the soul. Philippians 4:7 says, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This peace is that inward tranquility of the soul that can only be known by the believer who has had his sins forgiven through Christ, and who tastes the sweetness of the presence and promises of God. The commentator William Hendriksen said, “Peace is the smile of God reflected in the soul of the believer. It is the heart’s calm after Calvary’s storm” (Philippians, 196). This peace—this solidity of spirit—is what the Lord Himself bequeathed to His disciples in John 14:27. He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.” “I give a settled, lasting, well-grounded peace that the world knows nothing about!” And so, He goes on, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” For this reason Jesus is called the Prince of Peace, in Isaiah 9:6; the Lord of peace, in 2 Thessalonians 3:16. Ephesians 2:14 says that He Himself is our peace.
And when the believer’s soul can experience this peace that Christ brings, the result of that is peace amongst one another in the church. As the new man lives his resurrected life in Christ, he must let the peace of Christ rule in his heart. “Rule” translates the Greek verb, brabeúo, which was used to refer the task of an umpire, or a referee, or a judge in the games, who would preside over an athletic competition and constantly render verdicts throughout the competition—whether or not the ball was out of bounds, whether a runner was safe or out, whether a foul or a penalty had been committed; that sort of thing. And the brabeutes, the umpire, would of course eventually decide the outcome of the competition, and he would award the crown of laurels to the victor.
And so what Paul is saying is: as believers relate to one another in the body of Christ, rather than anger, wrath, malice, slander, filthy speech, and lying (verses 8 and 9), we are to pursue that perfect bond of unity with one another by letting peace be the umpire in all of our relationships and interactions—that peace would be the governing principle that directs all of our decisions, and words, and actions. Sadly: believers sin against believers. Though it shouldn’t be, and though we grieve over it, nevertheless it’s true: relationships in the body of Christ are often full of conflict. And when those conflicts arise, and you think to yourself, “Well, I could go about this in a number of ways. I believe I was right, and I believe he was sinning. I want to be flexible and agreeable, but I also don’t want to compromise the cause of righteousness. Which course should I take?” the determining factor as to what direction you go—the arbitrator and umpire of all your actions—is: what will preserve the unity of the Spirit of God in the bond of peace?
Paul says in Romans 14:19: “We pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” We don’t tear each other down, and gossip about one another, and build factions against one another. We build each other up, and pursue only that course of action which makes for peace. And note: not only, “Let the peace of Christ rule,” but, look at it: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts”—in that center of our nature that governs the thoughts of the mind, the affections of the heart, and the desires of the will. He’s saying: let this peace rule at the very core of your being. Not in your face only, where you feign friendship for the sake of a superficial absence of conflict (which so many confuse with true peace). Not in your mouths only, whereby you flatter others, Psalm 55:21 says, with speech smoother than butter though war is in your heart. No, let peace rule in your hearts! Let it be an earnest, sincere, unfeigned peace that draws you toward one another in cords of love.
And then he gives a reason that this peace should rule in our hearts. And that reason is that we were called to this peace when God called us into fellowship with His Son and granted us repentance and faith in salvation. When you were summoned out of the deadness of your sin, you were summoned into true spiritual life—not only to receive the blessings of salvation, but to walk in the resurrection life that befits one who has been united to Christ. And so Galatians 5:13 says God has called us to freedom, and so we shouldn’t submit to slavery. First Thessalonians 4:7 says God has called us to sanctification, and so we shouldn’t give ourselves to impurity. First Corinthians 7:14 says, as here in Colossians 3, “God has called us to peace,” and so we shouldn’t weary ourselves in needless conflicts among one another. God hasn’t called you to be His people to live like that. Instead, be ruled by the peace He’s called you to.
And then note further: You were called to peace “in one body.” Dear people: we are members of one another. Each individual believer is united to Christ, yes. And praise God for that! But if every believer is united to Christ, then every believer is united to every other believer who is united to Christ. We are His body, and He is our Head. How exceptionally necessary it is, then, for us, the members of the body of Christ, to be at peace with one another!
Autoimmune diseases have been becoming increasingly prevalent across the globe, with some studies reporting a 300–500% increase over the past twenty years. Conditions like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, and Celiac Disease have become so common, to the point that one in fifteen Americans suffer from some autoimmune problem. And anyone suffering from an autoimmune disease will testify that the havoc they wreak on the body is incalculable! The nature of autoimmune disease is that the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells. The body, in a real sense, is at war with itself. It sees friends as enemies, and treats them that way.
Dear friends, the body of Christ cannot afford to be afflicted with the autoimmune disease that sees its members failing to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts. One commentator wrote, “It is unnatural for members of the same body to quarrel with each other” (Gill). Another said, “Since therefore, we are all members of the same body, he who tears and injures another, does the same as if any one by his own hand should beat and wound another member of his own body” (Davenant, 2:128). We can’t live that way. We’ve been called to peace. And as members of one another, we must pursue the things that make for peace.
And then he gives us a key means of attaining that peace. Just so brief, so simple; look at it: “and be thankful.” Gratitude is a theme of these three verses: here, we have “be thankful”; in verse 16 we are called to be “singing with thankfulness”; and in verse 17 we do all that we do, “giving thanks through Christ to God the Father.” And gratitude is not only the theme of these verses; it is the theme of the entire Christian life, because the entire Christian life is the story of the continuous gifts of God’s grace to us in Christ. And if our entire lives are filled with God’s grace, then our entire lives must be filled with thanksgiving to God for His good gifts to us. Paul says that very thing in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. He says, “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
And it’s easy to see how these fit together. The person who gives thanks to God in all circumstances recognizes that he is always getting better than he deserves. That’s why he’s marked so thoroughly by gratitude. Nothing that happens to us is to our unfair disadvantage, because we should have been in hell years ago already! No matter what affliction I’m enduring, no matter how slighted I feel by another believer in Christ, I’m just thankful I’m not getting what I deserve. You see, if that’s your attitude—if you’re constantly ruminating on all the ways you receive God’s undeserved favor and kindness in your life—it’s going to be difficult to pick a fight with you. It’ll be that much easier to bend out the grace of God that you’ve received to your brothers and sisters who are in need of grace and patience from you. I can’t put it better than Matthew Henry, who said, “The work of thanksgiving to God is such a sweet and pleasant work that it will help to make us sweet and pleasant towards all men.”
And so, the first priority of the new man walking in Christ that governs and directs all of life is that he must let the peace of Christ rule.
II. Let the Word of Christ Dwell (v. 16)
A second priority comes in verse 16. The new man must not only let the peace of Christ rule; he also, in the secondplace, must let the word of Christ dwell. Verse 16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness singing in your hearts to God.”
The word of Christ may mean, more narrowly, the message of the Gospel of Christ, and the reconciliation He accomplished between God and sinners by the blood of His cross. As God, Christ is the author of the message of the Gospel. As man, He is the prophet and preacher of that Gospel, declaring to all that they may be forgiven of their sins by faith in His name. And as the God-Man, the Mediator between God and men, He is the subject and substance of that Gospel (Gill). By His blood, our sin is atoned for! By His obedience, our justification is accomplished! By His resurrection, our new life of sanctification is secured! And so well may the message of the Gospel be called “the word of Christ.”
But then, while “the word of Christ” might refer especially to the Gospel, there’s no reason to restrict it to the Gospel alone. “The word of Christ” is a reference to all of Scripture in its totality. Not only because, as Jesus says in John 5:39, that the whole of Scripture testifies about Him; but also because, 2 Timothy 3:16, “all Scripture is breathed out by God.” And God exists in that glorious Triunity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If all of Scripture is the Word of God, then all of Scripture is the Word of the Son no less than the Father or the Spirit. Second Peter 1:21 says “no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Well, the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of Christ,” Romans 8:9 and 1 Peter 1:11. So, all of Scripture is “the word of Christ.”
And therefore, Paul is exhorting us to let all of Scripture—and especially the message of the Gospel of Christ—richly dwell within us. The word for “dwell” here is enoikeo, which means to live in as if at home. Paul wants the Word of God to take up permanent residence in the hearts of believers. He doesn’t want the Word of God to visit our hearts. He doesn’t want it to have temporary lodging in our hearts, the way a traveler stays in a hotel for a day or two, but then takes his leave and continues his journey. He wants it to have a settled and fixed abode in us—not so that it would lay upon the surface of our minds; here one minute and gone the next. But that it would penetrate down deep into our souls, so that it as it were becomes part of us—so that we might bring it forth from our hearts at a moment’s notice. He wants it to be familiar to us, the way those who live with us in our homes are familiar to us.
And what does that mean? It means that we must hear the Word of God skillfully preached in the gathered assembly of our local church. The command, “Hear the word of Yahweh” appears no less than 27 times in Scripture. We must sit under the word faithfully preached, so that it comes to dwell in us. It means also that we must meditate on the Word of God in personal Bible study. You cannot expect that the Word of Christ will dwell in you richly if your only exposure to it is for a couple of hours on Sunday. No, Psalm 1: “How blessed is the man” whose “delight is in the law of Yahweh, and in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 119:97: “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Reading the Word, and wrestling with it, asking, “Well, if that’s true, and I think like this, and I behave like that, then I’m wrong; and something has to change!”
We must hear the Word. We must meditate on the Word. We must treasure the Word. Psalm 119:11: “Your word I have treasured—or hidden, or stored up—in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” When the Word of God is stored up in the heart like a precious treasure, it has been committed to memory, and can be drawn up out of those storehouses and be of service to us in the hour of temptation. Your flesh causes anxious thoughts: “What if this horrible thing happens? What will you do then? You should worry about it until you can claim some control over it!” But you draw from your heart the Word that you have treasured there: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6–7). The enemy taunts you, “How can you be a true Christian while you still sin in this way?” And you say, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Sin promises, “There is satisfaction in that lustful thought!” “No, the Lord has promised that the pure in heart shall see God (Matt 5:8), and you can promise me no greater satisfaction than that!” You see? You take the Word that has been hidden in your heart, and you plunge the dagger of Scripture into the heart of the dragons of temptation so that you might not sin against your Lord.
This is what happens when the Word of Christ not only dwells, but dwells richly within us, abundantly within us. It permeates our minds, to the point that we start to think in biblical language. It satisfies our hearts and even changes what we love and what we hate—so that we not only don’t sin and do obey, but so that we hate sin and love to obey! It guides and governs our wills, so that we only want what God wants for us, which He reveals to us in His Word; so that we truly say with David, Psalm 40 verse 8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” And the Word dwells in us richly when, after transforming our minds, hearts, and wills, it issues forth in a renewed life, in transformed behavior—in words and deeds that please the Lord, and which are characteristic of the new man rather than the old man. One commentator puts it this way. He said, the Word of Christ “would ‘dwell richly’ in [our] fellowship and in [our] hearts if [we] paid heed to what [we] heard, bowed to [the Word’s] authority, assimilated its lessons, and translated them into daily living” (Bruce, 158).
The parallel passage to Colossians 3:16 is Ephesians 5:18. You can turn back there, just briefly. You can tell it’s a parallel passage, not only because it’s written at the same time by the same author, but also because he’s about to speak of the same results that Paul speaks about in Colossians 3: “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; [and] always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God…the Father.” Ephesians 5:19 is virtually identical to Colossians 3:16 and 17. But in Ephesians 5:18, in place of “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,” he writes, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” Don’t be under the influence of wine, such that it controls your thoughts and behavior. Be under the influence of the Spirit of God, and be governed and directed by Him. This means, then, to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly is to be so controlled by the Holy Spirit through the Word that He has breathed forth in the Scriptures that that Word guides and directs and governs all of your thoughts, words, and deeds. To be indwelt by the Word is to be filled by the Spirit! To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Word of God!
And when that happens, there will be observable results in the believer’s life. Back to Colossians chapter 3. The first result is the twofold ministry of teaching and admonition. Verse 16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.” These two words appeared together in that wonderful theme verse of Christian ministry, chapter 1 verse 28, where Paul says the whole of his ministry can be boiled down to the proclamation of Christ. And the way in which he proclaims Christ is to admonish every man and teach every man with all wisdom. And for the sake of time, I would refer you to the sermons on that passage for an elaboration on teaching and admonition.
But we understand what those are referring to. Teaching is instructing one another about biblical doctrine and practice, while admonition is exhorting one another to embrace biblical doctrine and bring forth fruit in holy living! A heart full of the Word of Christ will issue forth in the faithful explanation of the Scriptures, teaching one another the truths that God has revealed to us in His Word. And it will issue forth in the faithful exhortation in the Scriptures, urging one another to believe and live consistently with the Bible’s teaching, and warning one another of the consequences of failing to do so.
And both our teaching and our admonition are to be characterized by “all wisdom.” We are to teach skillfully—not as a one-size-fits-all scattershot, but with an understanding of how to bring particular instruction to bear on the lives of particular individuals. And we are to admonish skillfully—not beating up on people, but gently and humbly bringing correction so as to be a genuine help to our brothers and sisters.
And interestingly, in this verse, the means by which teaching and admonition are to take place are via “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Usually we think of teaching and admonition happening during the preaching time. But here Paul comments on the fundamentally instructional nature of our singing. Worship songs are not entertainment! They’re not mood music, designed to manipulate your emotions into making you believe you’ve had a moving emotional experience with God. Fundamentally, musical worship is a means by which God’s people are instructed and exhorted in the truth, so that God’s Word might more richly dwell within us.
Which means, the most important thing about our worship songs is not the artfulness of the melody or harmony or rhythm, or even of the lyrics themselves. It’s not the trendiness of the song, or whether it’s on the latest album from the Gettys or CityAlight or Shane and Shane. The most important thing about our worship songs is the truthfulness of the content being sung, so that we may be taught and admonished by them. As you expose yourselves to worship music, let your heart be drawn to songs that are doctrinally rich—that celebrate the character of God in the beauty of His attributes: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”; that shed light on the mystery of the divine and human natures of Christ—“O, Thou of God and Man the Son”—and the glories of His work on the cross—“Full atonement! Can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior!” Sing songs that debase the glory of man and exalt the glory of God in His grace! Songs that strengthen our hearts to faithfully endure affliction—“Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain”—and that orient our hearts to our true home in heaven—“Soon shall close thy earthly mission, Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days; Hope shall change to glad fruition, faith to sight and prayer to praise”!
And you notice that the expression which this musical worship takes place is varied. Paul speaks of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Now, most commentators agree that Paul is not trying to formally and sharply distinguish between these three genres of worship. But generally, psalms are songs of praise, set to music (usually upon stringed instruments; the word for psalm originally meant “to pluck”), and refers often, but not exclusively, to Old Testament Psalms. Hymns are also songs of praise, but seem especially to describe songs with strong theological content. Several passages of the New Testament are thought to be early Christian hymns: Philippians 2:6–11 about the Lord’s incarnation and humiliation; Colossians 1:15–20 about Christ’s supremacy over all things; and 1 Timothy 3:16 is often called the hymn of the mystery of godliness, in which the main points of the Gospel are summarized in poetic verse. And spiritual songs refer to Holy-Spirit-produced testimonies of the goodness of God and of the worshiper’s longing to please Him.
And all this singing is to be characterized by three virtues. Look at verse 16 again. First, “with thankfulness, singing.” Our songs are to be sung with an attitude of gratitude, arising from our understanding that all the goodness we celebrate in song is a gift of God’s grace to us. Second, “in your hearts.” We are to sing with an earnestness of heart, so that we’re not just mouthing words or participating in a sing-along, but so that we truly mean what we sing. We don’t want to fall under the Lord’s own censure, who lamented the vain worship of those who honored Him with their lips while their hearts were far away from Him (Matt 15:8). One commentator said, “He…acts the hypocrite who sings with the heart asleep” (Davenant, 2:142). And third, these songs are to be sung “to God.” As much as they are to be a means of instruction and admonition to one another in the church, the fundamental orientation of our songs of worship is to be God-centered. He is the great object and end of our praise. And therefore He is to be worshiped according to how He commands, not according to our preferences.
And oh, how we might linger in these verses for much profit! But time constrains us to move on, and I trust the principles to be drawn from so rich a verse have been made clear enough as to fuel your own meditation and applications in the coming days.
III. Let the Name of Christ Dominate (v. 17)
For now, we must move on to a third priority of the new man that governs and directs all of life. We must not only let the peace of Christ rule, not only let the word of Christ dwell, but we must also, number three, let the name of Christ dominate. And we find that in verse 17. Paul says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
And here Paul comes to a crescendo, as he seeks to comprehend all that he’s said from at least verse 12 about the pattern of life for the new man who has put on and is putting on Christ. Every aspect of the Christian’s life is summed up right here. Every psalm, hymn, and spiritual song that you sing; every conversation with fellow believers and every conversation with unbelievers; every interaction with your family and friends; every decision in the home, in the church, and in the world; every word you say, and every deed you do—everything is to be put through this rubric. Everything is to be measured by this standard: Can I say or do what I am about to say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?
You say, “What does that mean?” Well, it doesn’t mean repeating the phrase, “In Jesus’ name, In Jesus’ name,” as you do everything—like some sort of pagan mantra. No, to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus is to do everything according to five benchmarks. Here are five tests for whether something can be said or done in Jesus’ name.
First, it must be consistent with His character. We cannot do anything “in Jesus’ name” if it’s not something that Jesus Himself would do. First John 2:6 says, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” “Would Jesus do this? Would Jesus say this?” Remember, this is the Lord and Master who washed the feet of His disciples. This is the Good Shepherd, who is gentle and humble in heart, and who invites the weary and heavy-laden to come to Him for rest. This is One “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Can what I say, can what I do, pass the bar of being consistent with His character?
Second, it must be under His authority. We can do nothing in Jesus’ name that He Himself would not authorize. Why would we call Him “Lord, Lord”—indeed, “in the name of the Lord Jesus”—and not do what He says (Luke 6:46)? Jesus consistently bids His disciples to ask anything in His name, and He promises He will do it for us: John 14, John 15, John 16. Well, in 1 John 5:14, the Apostle John shows what it means to ask in Jesus’ name. He says, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” So, “in His name” is equivalent to “according to His will.” If we would do all in Jesus’ name, we must do all according to His will—under His authority—which He has revealed for us in the Scriptures.
Third, to do all in Jesus’ name is to do all trusting in His strength. Do you remember what David said as he faced down Goliath? “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts.” To come in the name of Yahweh is to come trusting in the strength of Yahweh above the strength of the weapons of the flesh. Or Acts 4:7: the Apostles heal the lame man, and the rulers ask, “By what power, or in whatname, have you done this?” To do everything in the name of Jesus is to disclaim our own power and ability, and to do everything by the strength that He supplies, praying to Him and invoking His name for the strength to do what He calls us to do—and, end of verse 17, to “giv[e] thanks through Him to God the Father” for all the help that He supplies. Can you pray for Jesus’ help to do what you’re about to do? If not, don’t do it!
Fourth, it means to do everything for His sake. “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” “Everyone who has left houses” and family and property “for My name’s sake…will inherit eternal life.” They will persecute you “for My name’s sake.” “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Those missionaries who leave their own homes to take the Gospel to the nations: they go out, 3 John 7, “for the sake of the Name.” To do everything in the name of Jesus is to live our entire lives wholly for Him—to advance His purposes in the world, to see His kingdom grow, to see His glory magnified. Is everything you do—every word you speak—done, and spoken, for His sake?
And then, finally, it means to do all things unto His honor and glory. First Corinthians 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Philippians 1:18–21: “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain even more of Christ! And so no one can take my joy from me, because I am certain that Christ will, even now, as always, be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death!” If life is Christ to you, your deepest joy is to see Him magnified in every aspect of your life. His name is on you, believer. And so His reputation is at stake in everything you say and do! What will your thoughts, and your words, and your affections, and your actions—what will they say about the name of Christ?
Conclusion
What rules you? What governs your entire life as a new man or woman? What sets your priorities as you go on putting on Christ day by day? Number one: Will this promote the peace of Christ? Number two: Is this consistent with the Word of Christ? Number three: Can I think or say or do this in the name of Christ?—consistent with His character, under His authority, trusting in His strength, for His sake, and unto His honor glory?
These are the priorities of your life, Christian. This is the rubric that you live by, that you order your life by. Everything bends to this. Let the peace of Christ rule. Let the Word of Christ dwell. Let the name of Christ dominate.