Wenstrom Bible Ministries Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom Sunday October 16, 2016

Transcription

1 Wenstrom Bible Ministries Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom Sunday October 16, Colossians: Colossians 3:16b-Paul Identifies the Means By Which the Colossians Were to Continue Instructing Each Other Lesson # 90 Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (NASB95) With all wisdom is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), with (2) adjective pas (πᾶς), all (10) noun sophia (σοφία), wisdom. The noun sophia means wisdom and speaks of God s wisdom, which refers to the person, work, life and teaching of His Son Jesus Christ and is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the gospel. Here in Colossians 3:16, this noun speaks of the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the sense of the Colossians appropriating by faith their union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father. It is also applying Christ s teaching to love one another as He has loved them and is loving them. The noun sophia is modified by the adjective pas which means absolute since it pertains to being free from imperfection. Therefore, this word indicates that this wisdom is absolute in the sense that it is free from imperfection. The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolute in the sense that it is free from imperfection because the person, work, life and teaching of Jesus Christ were perfect because He is the sinless God-Man William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 The noun sophia is the object of the preposition en, which is a marker of means indicating absolute wisdom is the means by which the teaching originating from and about Christ was to continue habitually dwelling abundantly among each of the Colossian believers. This absolute wisdom is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This prepositional phrase can be interpreted as modifying the verb enoikeō or the participles didaskō and noutheteo. The latter would appear to be the better interpretation since the former is already modified by the adverb plousiōs. Therefore, the apostle Paul is commanding these faithful believers in Colossae that the teaching originating from and about Christ must continue to exist in a state of dwelling abundantly among each of them by means of a wisdom which is absolute or free from imperfection. With psalms and hymns and spiritual songs is composed of the following: (1) noun psalmos (ψαλμός), with psalms (2) noun hymnos (ὕμνος), hymns (3) noun ōdē (ᾠδή), songs (4) adjective pneumatikos (πνευματικός), spiritual. The noun psalmos means psalms, songs of praise since the word pertains to a musical composition containing words of a spiritual nature praising God and usually, the word refers to one of the 150 psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures. This word functions as a dative instrumental of means expressing the means by which the Colossians were to continue making it their habit of instructing each other with regards to proper Christian conduct. The noun hymnos means hymns, song of praise since the word also pertains to a musical composition containing words of a spiritual nature praising God. However, unlike psalmos, the word does not refer to the Psalms of the Old Testament. This word functions as a dative instrumental of means expressing another means by which the Colossians were to continue making it their habit of instructing each other with regards to proper Christian conduct William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 The noun ōdē means songs since the word pertains to a piece of music sung accompanied by some kind of musical instrument which praises or thanks God. In other words, it speaks of a melodic pattern with verbal content which thanks or praises God. This word is modified by the adjective pneumatikos which means spiritual since it pertains to that which is produced by the Holy Spirit s teaching in the Word of God. The context indicates that the adjective pneumatikos is in the fourth attributive position in relation to the noun ōdē meaning it is ascribing to these songs the attribute of as being the product of the Spirit s teaching in the Word of God. This word is also functioning as a dative instrumental of means expressing another means by which the Colossians were to continue making it their habit of instructing each other with regards to proper Christian conduct. Colossians 3:16 The teaching originating from and about the one and only Christ must continue to exist in a state of dwelling abundantly among each and every one of you. Each of you must execute this command by continuing to make it your habit of providing instruction, specifically by providing instruction for one another with regards to proper conduct. Each of you must provide this instruction by means of a wisdom which is absolute, by means of psalms, hymns, spiritual songs. Each of you must execute the command by continuing to make it your habit of singing with gratitude with your entire being for the benefit of God the Father. (My translation) The apostle Paul identifies for the Colossians the means by which they were to continue to make it their habit of instructing each other and specifically instructing each other with regards to proper Christian conduct, namely they were to do so by means of a wisdom which is absolute. This absolute wisdom he asserts is to be the means by which they were to provide instruction, and specifically provide instruction for one another with regards to proper conduct. Therefore, the apostle Paul is commanding these faithful believers in Colossae that they must continue to make it their habit of providing instruction and specifically 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 instruction with regards to proper Christian conduct by means of a wisdom which is absolute or free from imperfection. Applying and obeying the teaching originating from Christ regarding their union and identification with Him will give the Colossians a wisdom which is free from imperfection and this was to be the means by which they were to instruct each other with regards to proper Christian behavior. This wisdom speaks of God s wisdom, which refers to the person, work, life and teaching of His Son Jesus Christ and is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the gospel. It refers to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, Paul teaches in First Corinthians 1:24 that Jesus Christ is the wisdom of God. This absolute wisdom speaks of the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the sense of the Colossians appropriating by faith their union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father. It is also applying Christ s teaching to love one another as He has loved them and is loving them. The gospel of Jesus Christ is absolute in the sense that it is free from imperfection because the person, work, life and teaching of Jesus Christ were perfect because He is the sinless God-Man. The apostle proceeds to identify psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as the other means by which the Colossians were to continue to make it their habit of providing instruction and specifically instruction for one another regarding proper Christian conduct. Psalms pertain to a musical composition containing words of a spiritual nature praising God and usually, the word refers to one of the 150 psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 Hymns pertain to a musical composition containing words of a spiritual nature praising God but unlike psalms, these hymns do not refer to the Psalms of the Old Testament. Spiritual songs pertain to piece of music sung accompanied by some kind of musical instrument which praises or thanks God. In other words, it speaks of a melodic pattern with verbal content which thanks or praises God. These songs are to be spiritual in that they must be produced by the Holy Spirit s teaching in the Word of God or in other words, their verbal content is provided by the Spirit s teaching in the Word of God which He has inspired. Therefore, in Colossians 3:16, Paul is teaching here that the Colossian Christian community was to employ music to instruct each other. Thus, music was an essential and important means by which the gospel of Jesus Christ was communicated to the church in the first century apostolic church. However, Paul makes clear that this music must be Scripture based since he wants the Colossians to instruct each other with the Old Testament Psalms as well as hymns and songs which are inspired by the Word of God. Notice, they must be spiritual songs or in other words, they must be songs that are based upon the teaching in the Word of God which is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). The church in America in the twenty-first century must take note of this since much of Christian music is lacking in biblical content. Thus, for music to be an effective teaching tool in the Christian church, it must be based upon the Word of God and specifically, sound doctrine William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5