Colossians 3:16-17 The Word of Christ

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. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. [Colossians 3:16-17 NASB]

Jesus is still talking about relationships in this passage. In the previous verses, he has said that the underlying motive in our relationships should be love, and that we can judge the unity of the body by the peace in our heart. With that in mind, fill your hearts abundantly with the world of Christ, then use that wisdom to teach and correct one another.

The role of singing in this passage is questionable, and depends on how the translators used punctuation that was not in the original Greek. Having checked various translations, I found that about half of them placed a comma after "teaching and admonishing one another." 

The difference is this. Without the comma, you can paraphrase it to say, "Use songs to wisely teach and correct one another." With the comma, it says, "Use wisdom to teach and correct one another, showing your thankfulness to God with the songs in your heart."

Personally, I think it makes more sense with the comma. Use the wisdom gleaned from the word of Christ, and motivated by love and peace, to teach one another. I have sometimes thought it would be fun to live in a musical where, when people have something to say, they spontaneously break into song and dance, a la "Oklahoma". But I don't really see that as a feasible reality.

Paul finishes this thought with a final motivation; "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." And be thankful. Significantly, in the three verses, 15 through 17, Thankfulness to God is mentioned three times. In all of our relationships we must give thanks to God, who is in each of us, the source of our life, and the One who unites us all.

The word of God is the source of our wisdom. It is not an offensive weapon. Yes, there are verses that describe His word as a sword. As a part of the full armor of God, it is "the sword of the Spirit."[Ephesians 6:17 NASB] But it is a defensive weapon - armor - and is not used to attack. In Hebrews, we are told,

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [Hebrews 4:12 NASB]

We are not to use the word of God as a blunt object to bludgeon our fellow believers. Nor are we to stab them in the heart with our witty rhetoric. Think of it as more of a scalpel in the hands of a skilled surgeon, useful for healing.

If your motives are pure, but you lack the knowledge of scripture, then you will lack the wisdom to teach. If you study the scriptures, but lack pure motivation, then it becomes an act of pride and superiority.

When your motives are right, and when the word of Christ is abundantly within you, then you are in a position to teach and correct.

Jesus, I thank You for Your word. I pray that you will give me wisdom to study and understand Your word, and to teach and, when necessary, to correct. Please reveal to me my motives, so that I may know that I am always acting out of love, and in Your name.