In a recent message at church, Philippe Sterling mentioned Col 3:16. It is a famous verse. I love it. What hit me as I saw it with fresh eyes is that Paul spoke of the word of Christ, not the word of God. I thought, “Does the expression occur anywhere else? I do not think it does.”
I searched in Logos, and the word of Christ occurs only in Col 3:16.
However, there is a related expression, the word of the Lord, that occurs fourteen times in the NT (Luke 22:61; Acts 8:25; 11:16; 13:48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; I Th 1:8; 4:15; II Th 3:1; I Pet 1:25). James Dunn thinks that the word of the Lord “is equivalent” to the word of Christ (Colossians to Philemon, p. 236). I agree.
That then raises another question. Are the expressions the word of Christ and the word of the Lord just synonyms for the word of God? Or are they saying something a bit different?
Regarding the word of Christ in Col 3:16, Norm Geisler comments:
The words of the Bible, God’s written Word, are to dwell in believers. That is, by study, meditation, and application of the Word, it becomes a permanent abiding part of one’s life. When the words of Christ become part of a believer’s nature, they spring forth naturally and daily in psalms (songs from the Book of Psalms), hymns (other songs of praise), and spiritual songs (as opposed to secular odes) with gratitude (en tē chariti; lit., “in grace”) (“Colossians” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, p. 682).
I do not know if he was implying that the entire NT is, in a sense, the word of Christ. Zane Hodges held that view. He said that all the books of the NT are based upon the teachings of Jesus. Hence, the entire NT is the word of Christ.
I have some red-letter Bibles. They put the words of Jesus (and the Father) in red. While the Lord Jesus did not write Acts, the epistles, or Revelation, He is indeed the source of those books. The apostles, under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, expounded on the Lord’s teachings. The entire NT is the word of Christ. The apostles did not create new doctrine. They taught what the Lord Jesus taught them (Matt 28:18-20).
While the NT is, indeed, God’s word, it is the word of the second member of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I urge you to meditate on the expressions the word of Christ and the word of the Lord. You may find that it brings you joy to do so. I am delighted that the Lord Jesus is, as Zane Hodges put it, God’s greatest prophet.
I will end with a brief explanation of Col 3:16. If we allow Jesus’ words to abide in us,i and to rule over our minds, thereby giving us “the mind of Christ” (I Cor 2:16), then our lives will be transformed (Rom 12:2; II Cor 3:18). We will edify other believers. We will live to please the Lord Jesus, “giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
The Christian life is not lived by legalism. Focusing on the commandments does not produce God’s righteousness (Rom 7:13-25). Focusing on the Lord Jesus and His words does.
Keep grace in focus.
i Paul does not use John’s favorite Greek word for “abiding,” menō. Instead, he uses the word enoikeō, a word found only in Paul’s epistles. He uses it five times (Rom 8:11; II Cor 6:16; Col 3:16; 2 Tim 1:5, 14).
