COLOSSIANS 3
Ques What is teaching and admonishing one another in verse 16?
CAC It is the general character and spirit of what [p. 321] is found among saints. The word of the Christ is the wealth of the assembly, the body — that highly favoured company which is enriched in the knowledge of the Head. The word of the Christ is to dwell in each of us richly so that we may always be able to teach and admonish when we come in contact with one another. It is one another here; it is not gifts teaching and preaching, it is the saints teaching and admonishing one another because the word of the Christ, the blessed testimony of the Head, is cherished here. When we meet we speak of Christ, and we have plenty to say! We do not drop down to the chit-chat of the world; we speak of Christ. The word of the Christ would be very comprehensive; it is what is held in spiritual intelligence in regard of Christ. It is the idea of the Christ being so intelligently apprehended that He can be spoken of; we have something intelligent that we can communicate to another.
Ques Would it be in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs?
CAC That is different. “Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs” is singing in your hearts to God. Teaching and admonishing is to one another. But I think singing is the outcome of teaching and admonishing. We get so enriched in the knowledge of Christ that we have a good deal to sing about. The word of the Christ takes the form in our hearts of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; it breaks forth in joy to God. This fits in with the truth of the epistle, that the body is here for the pleasure of God — it is that vital organism in which God delights.
Ques Why does it say, “Let the word ... dwell in you”?
CAC I think that is happily put. It gives the idea of an immense reservoir of spiritual wealth which you have only to let flow in and have an abiding place in your mind. The word of the Christ would be the whole divine testimony in regard of Christ; it has come out now in its fulness in regard to the body, the assembly, and we are to let it dwell in us richly in the way of teaching; then we shall have something to say of Christ when with one another. What a company the church is — a people with no interest but Christ, and when they come together they only speak of Christ! The little bit of light which I enjoy of Christ is distinctive to my soul, so if I speak of it to another saint I may speak of something he has not thought of, so my wealth becomes his, and it results in God getting something.
[p. 322] In Ephesians 5: 19 we speak to ourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, but here it is that we speak to God. It is in keeping with the truth of this epistle, the body here for the pleasure of God; it is all outflow Godward. It is not Christ as known here in testimony, but Christ as cherished in the body for the pleasure of God. What a delight to God to look down and see a company on earth which values Christ, and takes a divine estimate of Christ, and is able to praise God for Christ, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, which all relate to Christ.
Ques Would not that be a testimony?
CAC It is not the setting here. If we are ministering to the pleasure of God, there is no doubt about the testimony being all right.
Ques What hinders the wealth from flowing in?
CAC Sometimes the tap is turned off and the flow stops; but we have to deal with that. If we have put on the precious features of Christ in verses 12 - 15 there would be nothing to hinder the flow. “Let the word ... dwell in you richly”, supposes there is nothing to hinder. If we have moved along the line of the previous part of the chapter and have got the apprehension which is connected with spiritual renewing, it results in putting on these beautiful features of Christ; and then there is no hindrance.
The end of everything is that there shall be a portion for God. Saints are the elect of God; that is the character attaching to them under the eye of God, as the continuation of Christ. It is elect, not in the sense of sovereignty, but of complacency.
Ques Would psalms, hymns and spiritual songs represent stages or states?
CAC I think a psalm is connected with the recital of God’s ways with us, with the wonderful way He has brought us into the knowledge of Christ. We sometimes sit down and turn over in our minds the wonderful way in which God has led us on in the knowledge of Christ; how He brought us from the outset and held us under influences that would promote our knowledge of Him. We think over ten, twenty or thirty years that bring before us a wonderful course of divine dealing, His ways in giving us an illumination of Christ. You sing your psalm which represents all God has done. You think how He brought you in contact with a brother who gave you [p. 323] an impression of Christ, or a spiritual ministry that helped you, or some book, or the company of your brethren used in some way. There are so many ways, and they all make up a psalm to show how God has dealt with you and given you a knowledge of Christ. Then a hymn is more direct praise to divine Persons: ‘We praise Thee, glorious Lord, Who died to set us free’. That is a hymn, it is direct to the Lord in praise. A spiritual song is something that cheers you on your pilgrim way.
Ques Has a psalm to do with the wilderness?
CAC A psalm has to do with the ways of God, not the wilderness ways, but instruction in Christ. Discipline contributes largely to the knowledge of Christ with every one of us. God has to discipline us to break down what would hinder, and to expose the folly in us. It is all part of His ways to make Christ more precious, and that all comes into our psalm. Everything turns in joy to God; the heart has its overflow of joy, and the overflow goes up to God in song.
Then everything is to be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. That gives a wonderful character to everything in our practical life. Everything is to be done as representing the Lord Jesus in the place where He is not. It gives character to every relationship. There are different relations in which we stand here, but they all become opportunities for doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus. It takes a long time with most of us to get away from the idea that a good many things we have to do are to be done on our own account.
Ques What do you mean by our own account?
CAC Perhaps the majority of christians have not much idea of doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus. They might think that if they prayed they would pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, or they would preach in His name, but I doubt whether many christians entertain the idea of doing all things in the name of the Lord Jesus. We do them because He is not here; if He were here He would do them. It is connected with the truth of the epistle; we are here in the place where Christ is absent to do things on His behalf. A lot of things would drop out if that became our standard. One feels humbled when one reads a scripture like this, as to how much we say or do that is not said or done on behalf of the Lord Jesus, but on our own behalf, very often to please ourselves. That is not christianity at all.
Ques How does ‘whatever’ fit in with daily duties?
CAC It fits in very well if we will let it. ‘Whatever’ means duties such as slaves, or husbands, or wives, or children have to do. All is summed up in this fact, that each one has to be here acting on behalf of Christ; it all comes to that. With a slave it comes out beautifully; Paul has more to say to the slave than to anyone. He gets down to the most menial life possible to man, and he enlarges on the moral value of it. I wonder whether we know who we are working for? A slave might have very little in the way of money; sometimes he would only have his food and clothes, but Paul puts him in view of the recompense of the inheritance. If a slave does his work on behalf of Christ, he does it as Christ would do it, and he gets his recompense in the inheritance. What a man gets at the end of the week is not his wages. A man takes his two pounds home; that is just a bit on account to find food and clothing; that is not all he is going to have. He is going to be paid in the kingdom. It is not the inheritance in divine purpose, but the inheritance as recompense for what a slave has done in scrubbing floors and cleaning his master’s boots. The little bit at the week-end is only on account for present use; he will get it all in a lump then — the recompense is the inheritance.
Ques Does the Hebrew servant apply to this?
CAC Yes, the Lord has been in the place of a servant. It is wonderful to think of Him as “the carpenter” — He is spoken of as “the carpenter”.
Rem Paul was a wonderful servant, too.
CAC Paul was called to a life of spiritual service. One could understand the inheritance being given for the labours of an apostle, but it is so marvellous that it is the recompense for the daily toil and drudgery of a slave. If a slave has taken up his work in the name of the Lord, it puts a glory on it. One can hardly think of a greater thought morally than doing it to the Lord. We get other persons before us and then it becomes eye-service.
Rem If we took this up there would not be shifting about and seeking to improve circumstances.
CAC It does not matter what the circumstances may be, what does matter is the motive that is ruling. Do we desire to be here doing all things in the name of the Lord Jesus and continually giving thanks? The first danger-signal that flashes [p. 325] out on the path of a saint is when he finds himself ceasing to give thanks. Thanksgiving is just the opposite to being discontented and wanting a change.
Ques You would not imply there is to be no change?
CAC I think the path of a saint is divinely ordered; things are opened up and we go on with them. It may be in God’s way to improve our circumstances in this life, and if it is God’s way it is happy. God gives money to some to give to him that has need. If all saints were on the verge of poverty we could not help one another. The point is, What is the motive that is ruling us? That is where God’s will comes in. I do not think God has any particular will as to where I live, but I think He has a will as to the motives that rule me. If we are on the line of doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus with thanksgiving, God can promote us, He can put us up or put us down, He can put us here or there, or do what He likes with us.
All relationships — husbands, wives, children, slaves — are to be taken up in the light of this, and then everything drops into its place. Wives are subject, husbands are affectionate, children obedient, slaves obedient and diligent. They know whom they are working for and are quite sure of their pay, for they know the pay is magnificent! There is no chance of God’s bondmen grumbling at their pay! Heaven and earth have been ransacked to furnish the inheritance, and all is to be given in recompense for two or three little things you do in five minutes here! There is no need to fret about other people doing wrong! If a man does wrong he will receive for the wrong he has done, there is no need to fret yourself.
Ques A Christian does not look for reward, does he?
CAC Love proposes to give one. The principle of reward seems necessary to man as a creature; it would not have place if not. Reward is constantly spoken of in Scripture; it is not an unworthy motive. The fact that there is so much about it in Scripture shows that it pleases God to have things He can reward. It pleases Him to give the reward, and it pleases the saints to have the recompense. If we get suffering, and we get some word by the Spirit, that is recompense and it is a great cheer; none of us are independent of it. It is from the divine side that recompense comes. The first direct reference to it in Scripture is to Abram, “I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward”. Moses had respect to the recompense [p. 326] of the reward. God likes us to look for it. We often look for it from man and in this life, but we should look for it in the inheritance. Paul tells us his great labour was to be agreeable to the Lord; he had his eye on the future day and the recompense. If I do things in the name of the Lord Jesus, it must inevitably follow that I am a loser in this world. If you take a course that exposes you to loss, what a recompense you will get in the inheritance! Everything will be magnificently adjusted then.
Ques Will things be recompensed here, too?
CAC Yes, I think all these things that come in on the line of the kingdom have a present application. What is pleasing to God has its recompense here, and what is wrong gets its recompense even here.
Ques What does the Lord, typically, refer to when He speaks of “a goodly heritage”, Psalm 16: 6?
CAC I think He refers to the portion He enjoyed as Man moving through this world in His Father’s love. He said, “I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love”. He had His inheritance here, He could say, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” and “Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance, ... thou maintainest my lot”. He had His portion in God. As to His outward pathway He had nowhere to lay His head, but He had great recompense; He could speak of “my joy”. The character of joy seen in that blessed One was never seen before in man.
Ques Is every saint bound up with the name of the Lord?
CAC It is all privilege; so thankfulness comes in in connection with it. Each one esteems it a great privilege to be here in such a position. There is no room for anyone to say, ‘If I were in someone else’s shoes I should do better’. Everyone has a chance of doing things in the name of the Lord Jesus, and an apostle could not do more.