Christ's Indwelling Word
(No. 2679)
INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD'S-DAY, JUNE 17, 1900.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD'S-DAY EVENING, APRIL
10, 1881.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly inn all wisdom; teaching
and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Colossians 3:16.
THAT is a very beautiful name for Holy Scripture. I hardly remember to
have met with it anywhere else–"Let the word of Christ dwell in you."
Remember, dear Friends, that Christ Himself is the Word of God, and
also remember that the Scriptures are the word of the Word. They are
"the word of Christ." I think that they will be all the sweeter to you
if you realize that they speak to you of Christ, that He is the sum and
substance of them, that they direct you to Christ, in fact, as John
says of His Gospel, that they were "written that you might believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have
life through His name."
Remember, also, that the Scriptures do, in effect, come to us from
Christ. Every promise of this blessed Book is a promise of Christ, "for
all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him, Amen, unto the
glory of God by us." They all come to us through Christ, God speaks
them to us through Him as the Mediator. Indeed, we may regard the whole
of the Sacred Scriptures, from the beginning of Genesis to the end of
Revelation, as being "the word of Christ."
The text tells us, first, how to treat the Scriptures. ' 'Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly." And, secondly, it tells us how to
profit by them.' 'In all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another
in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord."
I. First, then, we are told here HOW TO TREAT THE SCRIPTURES–"Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly."
In order that it may dwell in you, it must first enter into you. It is
implied, in our text, that the Apostle says, "Let the word of Christ
enterinto you." Then you must read it, or hear it, for, unless you do,
you will not know what there is in it. Yet there must be something more
than the mere hearing or reading of it, for some hear the Truth of God
with one ear, but let it go away out of the other ear. And others are
great readers, yet they seem to read only what is on the surface. The
letter passes under their eyes, but the deep spiritual meaning never
enters into their heart. If you read a portion of Scripture every day,
I commend you for doing so. If you make a practice of reading right
through the Bible in a stated period, I commend you still more. Some I
know read the Bible through every year, in due course. This is well,
but all this may be done and yet "the word of Christ" may never have
entered into the reader!
You know how children sometimes learn their lessons. I am afraid that,
at a great many schools, there is no true instruction–the scholars
have simply to repeat their lessons without ever getting at the sense
and meaning of them. And, a week or two after, they have forgotten all
that they were supposed to have learned! Do not let it be so with our
knowledge of Scripture–let us not merely know it so as to be able to
turn to its different chapters, or to be familiar with certain passages
in it, or even to repeat all its words. This is but to let "the word of
Christ" pass by your door, or look in at your window! Paul says, "Let
it dwellin you."
So I say again that in order that it may dwell in you, it must first
enter into you. You must really know the spiritual meaning of it. You
must believe it, live upon it, drink it in–you must let it soak into
your innermost being as the dew saturated the fleece of Gideon. It is
not enough to have a Bible on the shelf–it is infinitely better to
have its Truths
stored up within your soul. It is a good thing to carry your Testament
in your pocket–it is far better to carry its message in your heart.
But mind that you let it get right into you!
How differently some people read the Bible from the way in which they
read any other book! I have seen a young woman sitting down, on board a
steamboat, completely absorbed in a very suspicious looking book. I
have passed behind her and passed before her, but she has not taken the
slightest notice of me. Presently, I saw a tear brushed away from her
eye–I knew that she was not reading the Bible–and it was my firm
conviction that she was reading a novel. I have often noticed how such
people let the novels get right into them, trash as they generally
are–but when the most of people read the Bible, they appear to be
anxious to get the unpleasant task finished and put away! In some cases
they seem to think that they have performed a very proper action, but
they have not been in the least affected by it, moved by it, stirred by
it. Yet, if there is any book that can thrill the soul, it is the
Bible! If we read it aright, we shall, as it were, lay our fingers
among its wondrous harp strings and bring out from them matchless music
such as no other instrument in the world could ever produce! There is
no book so fitted or so suited to us as the Bible is. There is no book
that knows us so well. There is no book that is so much at home with
us. There is no book that has so much power over us if we will but give
ourselves up to it! Yet, often, we only let it look in at our window,
or knock at our door, instead of inviting it to enter our very heart
and soul–and therefore we miss its power.
Then, when it once gets into you, let it remain there. A person could
not be said to dwell in a house even though he should enter into the
most private part of it, if he only passed through it and went away. A
man who dwells in a house abides, resides, remains, continues there.
Oh, to have "the word of Christ" always dwelling inside of us–in the
memory, never forgotten! In the heart, always loved! In the
understanding, really grasped with all the powers and passions of the
mind fully submitted to its control! I love those dear Christian people
who do not need to refer to the printed page when you speak to them
about the things of God, for they have the Truth in their hearts. They
have a springing well within their souls at all times and they have
only to hear a Scriptural theme started and, at once, they begin to
speak of the things which they have looked upon and their hands have
handled of the Word of Life, because it dwells in them.
What is the good of merely external religion? I heard of some people
who met together to pray about a certain matter, but they could not
pray because the Bishop had not sent the form of prayer which they were
to use on that occasion. I think that if they were believers in the
Lord Jesus Christ, they might have managed to speak to God without the
necessity of having a written or printed form to guide them. Yet there
are many who fancy they cannot offer a proper prayer unless they have
it in a book. And they cannot talk about the things of God, or they can
say but very little about them because they have not "the word of
Christ" dwelling within them. O dear Friends, let it be always in you,
from morning to night, abiding as a constant visitor within your
spirit–no, not merely as a visitor, let it dwell with you–
"No more a stranger or a guest, But like a child at home."
Further, "let the word of Christ dwell in you" so as to occupy your
whole being. If it dwells within you, let it take such entire
possession of your being that it shall fill you. To push the truth of
Christ up into a corner of your nature–to fill the major part of your
being with other knowledge and other thought–is a poor way to treat
"the word of Christ." It deserves the fullest attention of the best
faculties that any man possesses. The Truth of God revealed by the Holy
Spirit is so sublime that its poetry outsoars the eagle wings even of a
Milton. It is a deep so profound that the plumb line of Sir Isaac
Newton could never find the bottom of it. The greatest minds have been
delighted to yield their highest faculties to its wondrous Truths. Dear
young Friends, you who have only lately put on Christ, I beseech you
not to let other books stand on the front shelf and the Bible lie
behind. Do not, for the most part, read those other books and only read
small portions of Scripture now and then–let it always have the chief
place. The most excellent of all sciences is the science of Christ
Crucified and the Bible is the textbook for all who would learn it! If
other forms of knowledge are useful, they are like the planets–but the
knowledge of God as revealed in Christ Jesus is as the sun. Let this
always be the center of your system of knowledge and let all the rest
that you know move in subordination and subjection to that first and
best form of knowledge.
If I may know myself, and know my Savior–if I may know my sin and the
Atonement by which it is put away–if I may know my way through this
life and my way into the eternal life above, I will be content if I
know but little else. Gladly would I intermeddle with all knowledge
and, though "much study is a weariness of the flesh," yet would I find
a
pleasure in such weariness if I only knew even as much as Solomon knew.
But it would be vanity of vanities, and altogether vanity, if you and I
were as wise as Solomon, and yet did not know the Truth of God.
Therefore, "let the word of Christ dwell in you" so as to occupy the
whole of your being! Let it be the resident, the occupant, the master
and ruler of your entire nature!
Once more. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you." That is, let it be
your most familiar friend. We know the people who live in our home, but
we do not really know other people. When someone asked Mr. Whitefield,
"What do you think of Mr. So-and-So's character?" He answered, "I
cannot say, for I never lived with him." Ah, that is the true test! It
is living with people that lets you know what they are. In like manner,
if you will live with "the word of Christ," especially if you will let
it dwell in you and abide with you as a constant friend, you will get
to know it better, and the better you know it, the more you will love
it. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, if you meet with a man who
finds fault with the Bible, you may be certain that he never read it.
If he would but read it in the right spirit, he would be of another
opinion. And if you find a professing Christian indifferent to his
Bible, you may be sure that the very dust upon its cover will rise up
in judgment against him! The Bible reader is always the Bible lover,
and the Bible searcher is the man who searches it more and more.
Various pursuits have a measure of fascination about them, but the
study of God's Word is fascinating to the highest degree. Jerome said,
when he was pondering a certain text, "I adore the Infinity of Holy
Scripture." I have often felt that I could say the same. The Bible is a
book that has no bounds to it. Its thoughts are not as men's thoughts,
a multitude of which may go to make up half an ounce! Any one of the
thoughts of God can outweigh all the thoughts of men. This Book is not
a book of pence, or a book of silver, or even a book of gold, but a
book whose every leaf is of untold value! He shall be enriched, indeed,
who lets "the word of Christ" richly dwell in him.
My dear Friends, I should like you to so read the Bible that everybody
in the Bible should seem to be a friend of yours. I should like you to
feel as if you had talked with Abraham and conversed with David. I can
truly say that there is hardly anybody in the world that I know so well
as I know David. In making The Treasury of David, I have labored, year
after year, in that rich field of Inspiration, the Book of Psalms, till
I assure you that David and I are quite familiar friends. And I think I
know more about him than about any man I ever saw in my life. I seem to
know the ins and outs of his constitution and experience, his grievous
faults and the graces of his spirit. I want you to be on just such
intimate terms with somebody or other in the Bible–John, if you like,
or Mary. Sit at Jesus' feet with her. Or Martha–it will not hurt you
to make the acquaintance of Martha and do a great deal of serving,
though I do not want you to get cumbered with it. But do find your
choicest friends in the Scripture. Take the whole company of Bible
saints home to your heart, let them live inside your soul. Let old Noah
come in with his ark, if he likes, and let Daniel come in with his
lions' den, if he pleases–and all the rest of the godly men and women
of the olden time–take them all into your very nature and be on
familiar terms with them! But, most of all, be specially intimate with
Him of whom they all speak, namely, Jesus Christ your blessed Lord and
Master!
As for the doctrines revealed in the Bible, you should have them at
your fingertips. The great Truths of the Word of God should be as
familiar to you as a scholar makes his much-loved classics to be, or as
the mathematician makes his plus and minus, his a and his x, familiar
to him from hour to hour. So should you prize "the word of Christ."
"Let it dwell in you richly in all wisdom."
II. But now, secondly, I am to tell you How TO PROFIT BY THE WORD OF
CHRIST, if we once get it to dwell in
us.
First, seek to profit by it yourself' 'Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly in all wisdom." Let it make you wise. The man who studies
his Bible well, will become a wise man. If God the Holy Spirit teaches
him, I believe that he will become a wise man even in something more
than a spiritual sense. Every Scot child used to be taught the Book of
Proverbs–it was one of the class books of Scot schools–and I have
heard it said that this particular form of instruction has largely
helped to make our Scot friends so sharp. And I should not wonder if
that is the case. They certainly are as wise a race of people as we are
likely to meet with. I wish our Irish friends would also study the Book
of Proverbs. If it would make them as cool as it has made our Scot
friends, it might improve them without taking away any of their natural
humor and warmth of heart. I wish that English people, also, would read
more of the Bible. I can truly say that when I have met with men in
whom "the word of Christ" has dwelt richly, I have often found them
very shrewd even about commonplace things.
I remember a man, in a certain workshop, making a great many very rude
remarks and, at last, he was silenced by one of the workmen who said to
him, "I think, Sir, you are referred to in the 20th Chapter of
Proverbs." He did not explain his meaning, but the man who was thus
addressed went home and when he looked up the chapter, he found these
words in the third verse, "Every fool will be meddling." It was an
admirable rebuke for him and all the better because he had an hour or
two before he knew exactly what it was. And when he reached his home
and was at leisure to think, he could look up the passage and see how
appropriate it was to his case. If you will take the Word of God for
your guide, even in domestic and business matters, you will often
manifest a shrewdness which, perhaps, may not be natural to you, but
which will come to you through "the word of Christ" dwelling in you
richly in all wisdom. That, however, is only a small part of the profit
which it will bring to you.
Do you want wisdom with which to master yourself? "Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly." Do you need something to cheer a naturally
sinking spirit? "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Do you
wish for that which will calm an angry mind, a temper all too apt to be
suddenly excited? "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Are you
in a calling where you are sorely tempted and do you long to know how
to be kept from falling into sin? "Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly." Is your position a very difficult one? Are you scarcely able
to balance the claims of different relationships? "Let the word of
Christ dwell in you richly." Are you expecting to have a time of
intense strain and trial such as you have never experienced before?
Prepare yourself for it by letting "the word of Christ dwell in you
richly." It shall give you all manner of wisdom by which you shall be
able to baffle even the subtlety of the old serpent himself! We used to
have in many of our churches a number of solid, substantial men–"men
that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to
do"–and an equal proportion of deeply-taught, godly matrons, true
mothers in Israel. Well, those stalwart Christians were brought up on
such spiritual meat as I have been commending to you. They were
diligent students of the Word of God and if we are to have a succession
of such men and women, they can only be qualified by going to the
University of Scripture and taking their degree by permitting "the word
of Christ" to dwell in them richly!
The next way of using "the word of Christ" to profit is to seek to
profit others by it' 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." We are
to know the Truth of God so as to be able to teach and admonish one
another.
First, we are to seek the profit of our fellows by teaching one
another. No one man can ever teach such a vast congregation as I have,
so as to give the separate instruction that is needed by each one. This
work must be done by the members of the Church themselves. "The word of
Christ" must dwell in you and then you must become a Mutual Instruction
Society. Every Christian should exercise the office of the pastorate
according to his ability and his opportunity. In such a Church as this,
every one of the members must look well not only to his own spiritual
affairs, but also to the well-being of others. What sweet and gracious
instructions the older ones among you can give if you tell your
experience! It is very interesting to any of us to hear it, but how
helpful it is to the beginners in the Divine life!
And if, in addition to relating your experience, you talk of the
Scriptures that have been opened up to you–the promises that have been
fulfilled to you–the passages in the Bible that have been applied to
your heart by the Holy Spirit who Inspired them–you will greatly
instruct your fellow Christians. A dear Brother in the Lord said to me,
the other day, "I do not often meet, now, with those people who talk
about the things of God to one another. Even when I meet with
Christians, their conversation is generally concerning a meeting or a
Conference that is going to be held, or something that is to be
done–we do not seem to talk much about Jesus Christ, Himself, and
about experimental Truth, and about the sorrows and the joys of God's
people." I wish we did talk more of such things. It is well to be busy
for the Lord, but it is still better to be in communion with Him. You
who are deeply taught in the Scriptures should try to teach others for
their profit.
One way of teaching one another is mentioned in the text–"in Psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs." A learned divine, a little while ago,
discovered that no hymn ought to be sung unless it was distinctly
directed and addressed to God and was intended to be full of praise
throughout. Well, we do have some remarkably wise men nowadays–at
least, in their own estimation–but it appears that the Apostle Paul
thought that "Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" were to be used for
instruction and admonition as well as for the praises of God! And, to
my mind, there is no teaching that is likely to be more useful than
that which is accompanied by the right kind of singing! When I am
preaching, I often
find a verse of a hymn the very best thing I can quote–and I have not
the shadow of a doubt that, frequently, a verse of sacred poetry has
struck a man who has been altogether missed by the rest of the sermon.
Think how compactly the Truth of God can be taught by means of "Psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs," and how likely it is to be remembered
when the very measure and rhyme and rhythm help the memory to treasure
up the message! I shall never forgot what repentance is while I can
say–
"Repentance is to leave The sins I loved before, And show that I in
earnest grieve By doing so no more."
It is well to have the Truth of God put into the form of a verse that
the memory may be able to lay hold of it, and to retain it. Do try,
dear Friends, to get so full of "the word of Christ" in all forms of
it, that you may run with it. You know, it cannot come outof you if it
is not first inyou. If you do not get "the word of Christ" into you,
you will not be instructive in your general conversation.
In addition to instruction, there is to be admonition. That is a very
difficult thing to administer wisely. I have known a Brother try to
admonish another and I have felt that he would have done better if he
had left the task alone, for he has only caused irritation and
resentment. There is a gracious way of admonishing which cannot be too
frequently practiced. When I first began to preach, I am afraid that I
used to say a great many strange things–which, of course, I do not do
now–but having, on a certain occasion, said something rather striking
and, perhaps, not quite wise, there was an excellent Christian man who
wanted to set me right. He did not come and thrust himself upon me in a
very solemn manner and provoke me to scoff at him and his reproof.
Neither did he say anything so as to irritate me, but, finding my Bible
lying about, he stuck a pin into it at the words, "Sound speech, that
cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be
ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." When I was at home, I
looked at that pin, and I looked at that text, and I said to myself,
"Whose house was I in last?" When I remembered, I said, "That is the
man who stuck that pin in there, depend upon it." I never felt vexed
with him! On the contrary, I was very grateful and I always loved and
admired him. And I thought, "Now, if he had spoken to me about what I
had said, it is possible that he might have stuck the pin into me where
I should not have liked it–but as he only stuck it into my Bible, it
did not irritate me." You see, also, that I gratefully remember the
rebuke even to this day.
Sometimes the best way to give an admonition will be by singing a Psalm
or a hymn. The clerks in the old Meeting Houses, when they used to be
allowed to choose the hymns, often took away much of the evil effect of
an erroneous sermon by their wise selection of the closing verses. Now
and then, if you are discreet, you can quote an appropriate verse– as
people say, "accidentally on purpose"–and you can bring in a portion
of a Psalm that shall exactly say for you what you might have said in a
blundering way! And the dear Brother who has done wrong will accept the
rebuke without being enraged by it. When you attempt to snuff the
candle, do not put it out by your clumsiness, but take the golden
snuffers–in the form of a verse of a Psalm, or a hymn, or a spiritual
song–and even while you sing it, you will be administering the
admonition and the instruction which it is your duty to give.
I wish to put this matter so that it shall be remembered by you, and I
want especially to press it home upon you, dear Friends, members of
this Church of more than 5,000 souls. What can we do unless you all
look after one another? And how shall we ever get on unless, in
addition to preaching, there shall be continual mutual instruction
going on, wise and joyful and cheerful–and accepted in a kind, loving
and generous spirit? God fill you with "the word of Christ," that you
may thus teach and admonish one another!
But, lastly, "the word of Christ," when it dwells in us, is to profit
us in our relation to God Himself, for, after all, the main objective
of our singing–the principal purpose of our teaching and
admonishing–must be the glory of God! "Singing with grace in your
hearts to the Lord." Oh, may "the word of Christ dwell in us" so richly
that you shall bless God from morning to night! May you so overflow
with holy thought and sacred knowledge that your whole being shall be a
hymn of praise to the Most High and your entire existence shall be a
glorious hallelujah! I do not think that we, any of us, sufficiently
value the Divine ordinance of praise. Neither do I think that we ever
shall, till "the word of Christ" has taken full possession of our
souls.
You have been upstairs to pray, you say, and you have got no comfort
from the exercise. Let me suggest that the next time you go upstairs,
you sing a Psalm. "Oh, I have been up and down," says one, "trying to
awaken myself into earnestness of supplication." May I also propose to
you that you do not try that method again for a while, but begin to
praise God. How many times a day do you praise Him? I think you do get
alone to pray and you would be ashamed if you did not, once, twice, or
three or even more times in the day–but how often do you praise God?
Now, you know that you will not pray in Heaven–there it will be all
praise. Then do not neglect that necessary part of your education which
is to "begin the music here." Start at once praising the Lord! Many of
our doubts and fears would fly away if we praised God more. And many of
our trials and troubles would altogether vanish if we began to sing of
our mercies. Oftentimes, depression of spirit that will not yield to a
whole night of wrestling, would yield to ten minutes of thanksgiving
before God! Praying is the stalk of the wheat, but praise is the very
ear of it. Praying is the leaf of the rose, but praise is the rose
itself, redolent with the richest perfume.
Praise God, then, "in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," and if you
say you do not know how to do it, then "let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly." It is a praise-begetting thing! Out of every Book of
Scripture will stream praises unto Jehovah. Out of every promise will
spring a sonnet. Out of every Divine Truth enjoyed and lived upon will
rise a spiritual song. The whole Revelation of God is the condensed
essence of praise–you have only to give it a fitting opportunity, by
setting it simmering on the fire of a graceful heart–and you shall
find a sweet cloud of holy incense rising from it, acceptable to the
Most High. Therefore, Beloved, be much with your Bibles and let your
Bibles be much with you–for your own profit, for the profit of others
and for the glory of God! So be it, for Christ's sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: COLOSSIANS 3:1-17.
Verse 1. If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are
above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Your Lord and Master
has gone up to Heaven. You profess that He represents you and that you
have gone up there in Him and with Him. Then do not seek the things
that are down here below, the things of earth–but live where your life
has gone. Where your treasure is, there let your heart be also. "Seek
those things which are above."
2. 3. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you are dead. You profess to be dead to the world. Is that
profession false? You have observed that Scriptural ordinance in which
you profess to be buried with Christ–was that observance only an empty
form? If there was any truth in your profession, "You are dead"–
3. And your life is laid with Christ in God. You have a new life
now–it is up yonder, "where Christ sits at the right hand of God." Do
you not feel drawings upward? Are there no longings after the high and
heavenly estate where Jesus is? Come, Beloved, let your soul break
loose for a while and, like a lark, having found its liberty ascends
with joyous wing, singing as it rises till it is out of mortal sight,
so let it be with you!
4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also
appear with Him in Glory. You are hidden now, your life is veiled in
Him, but, at His Second Coming He shall shine forth in all His Glory
and "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father." Beloved, seek no greatness here! Ask not for any
exaltation of yourself among the sons of men, but wait for your true
manifestation with Christ in Glory!
5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry. Kill all these evil things! Do not let
them live in you for a single moment. The command applies not only to
the grosser actions which are summed up under the head of fornication
and uncleanness, but to all that leads to those foul sins. Not only to
the fire, but also to the sparks, such as "inordinate affection," a
sort of softness which is seen in some persons, men and women, too, and
which often leads to something far worse–and "evil concupiscence," the
first desires towards that which is unchaste. God give us Divine Grace
to kill these loathsome things at once, for if thoughts of evil are
indulged, they soon become actsof evil, and then who knows how far we
may go in the way of unholiness?
Sin, if allowed to grow in the heart, will soon take gigantic strides
and come out in the life. Depend upon it, whenever a professing
Christian goes into overt sin of the kind mentioned here, he does not
do it all of a sudden. The evil has long been festering and fomenting
within his heart, or it would not have manifested itself thus. Oh, if
he had only watched and destroyed the thief before he broke into the
house, what a mercy it would have been! You notice that covet-
ousness is put down with the most filthy sins and it is described as
idolatry. The desire to possess the goods that belong to others–the
lust to get gain at any price–this is idolatry.
6, 7. For which things 'sake the wrath of God comes on the children of
disobedience: in which you also walked some time, when you lived in
them. This was true of the Colossians and it was true of almost all
those to whom Paul wrote, for these gross evils were scarcely regarded
as sins in his time, so polluted had the nations become. I hope that in
the case of many now living, they have been preserved by Christian
training from having walked even for a time in such sins.
8. But now you also put off all these. Put them all off, like old
clothes that are never to be worn again. "Put off all these"–
8. Anger It is hard work for some to pull that garment off, for it fits
them so tightly. This burning coat of wrath will not readily come off,
but the Apostle's command is, "Put it off! Put it off!" It does not
become a Christian to be an angry man.
8. Wrath, malice. Christ will not live in a heart that harbors malice.
8. Blasphemy. Thank God that if we ever wore that robe, we pulled it
off long ago.
8. Filthy communication out of your mouth. All talking that is of a
dubious character must go. Anything which savors of corruption and
defilement must be put away from every Christian.
9. Lie not one to another In Paul's day, lying was thought to be a
virtue unless the liar happened to be exposed. In that case it was
considered wrong. But to lie through thick and thin, and to lie so
dexterously as to deceive, was looked upon by an Oriental as an
accomplishment of which he might be proud. So the Apostle might well
write, "Lie not one to another"–
9, 10. Seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; and
have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of Him that created him. There is nothing false or untrue in God. God
is true and in Him is no falsehood at all. And if you and I have really
been renewed, as we profess to have been, we shall hate the very
semblance of a lie and our word will be as good as our bond.
11. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all,
and in all Whenever you hear certain very wise Brothers and Sisters
say, "Such-and-such a promise in the Bible is for Israel, not for the
Gentiles," do not be misled in the least by their assertion! Just quote
this text to them– "There is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all,
and in all." These distinctions all vanish when once we come to Christ!
We are one in Him and every promise to Believers is good to all who are
in Christ Jesus, for "Christ is all, and in all."
12. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, hearts of
mercies, kindness. Be ready to feel for others. Be very considerate of
their needs. Look at others as if they were your kith and kin. If you
and they are in Christ, they are indeed your kin, so put on
kinned-ness, or, "kindness"–
12. Humbleness of mind. Do not try to be a big man. He who thinks
himself big has not yet learned the true spirit of Christianity.
Especially towards those who are sorrowful and sad, be pitiful, be
kind, be humble. 12. Meekness. If others try to provoke you, do not be
provoked by them, but be gentle and meek.
12. Long-suffering. Continue to put up with others, remembering the
Lord's long-suffering with you.
13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man has a
quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. Hear
this, Beloved, I pray you! Especially those of you who have hot tempers
and have fallen out with one another. "Let not the sun go down upon
your wrath." Remember how much Christ has forgiven you and show a
forbearing and forgiving spirit to others.
14. And above all these things put on charity. Or, rather, "love"–
14. Which is the bond of perfectness. The perfect bond, the belt that
goes round and keeps every other garment of virtue in its place.
15. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are
called in one body. Do not fall out with one another. You are called to
peace, for you are called in one body. Does one hand in the body fight
with the other hand? Does the foot contend with the eye? Of course not,
for they are in one body. So are you in one body with all your fellow
Christians, therefore lay aside all strife. I deeply deplore when I see
Christians–and especially eminent Christians– contending with one
another about minor matters of small account. Surely, almost anything
ought to be borne before
there should be public strife among members of the one body! God grant
that such a state of things may speedily come to an end wherever it has
existed! We have enough to do to "earnestly contend for the faith which
was once delivered unto the saints," without contending for our own
dignity or honor.
15. And be you thankful. That is a nice little text, "Be you thankful."
When you are grumbling at your plain food, put this as a sandwich
between your bread and butter, "Be you thankful." When you are
complaining of the East wind, just try if you cannot spell this little
sentence, "Be you thankful." When you are murmuring about those sharp
pains and that long sickness, this is the kind of tune for the little
bird to whistle at your window, "Be you thankful." We have all much for
which we ought to be thankful, however sad we may think our lot to be.
Look on the bright side, rejoice in God! "Be you thankful."
16, 17. Let the word of Christ dwellin you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you
do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God and the Father by Him. Do not draw any line of demarcation, and
say, "So far is secular and so far is religious." Let your whole life
be religious–and if there is anything proposed to you in which you
cannot glorify God–do not touch it! "Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the
Father by Him."
If any of you go to the theater, can you go there in the name of the
Lord Jesus? Why, you would not dare to cross the threshold with such
blasphemy in your soul! And when you go to any place of doubtful
amusement, can you go there giving thanks to God and the Father by
Jesus Christ? Can you thank the Lord that you are permitted to go and
pray for Divine blessing when you go and when you leave? A lady once
said to a Christian minister, "The pleasures of going to the play are
very great. There is the pleasure of thinking of it beforehand, the
enjoyment of it at the time, and then the pleasure of thinking of it
afterwards." "Yes, Madam," said the good man, "and there is one other
pleasure which you seem to have forgotten–that is the pleasure of
thinking of it on your dying bed. I would like you to remember that."