15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.[1]
Greetings Sojourners!
Today’s Bible study is going to be short and sweet. But it is also meant to be challenging, at least it has been for me. Colossians 3:17 is more than just a closing of the section of Colossians that teaches us to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (3:1), to set our “minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (3:2), to put/take off our sin and old self (3:5-9), and to put on Christ and the new self He gives (3:9-14). It is also meant to do more than affect the way we act and live with our brothers and sister in Christ in our local churches (3:15-16). No, Colossians 3:17 is a hinge that opens the door to the new life in Christ being part of our real life.
Let that idea sink in a bit: our real life.
Sometimes, it is easy to have different versions of ourself. It is not necessarily something we do on purpose, but it happens. You might have work-you, school-you, church-you, and home-you and none of those versions get at who you are – the you who is who you truly are. When I say real life here, I mean that if you are saved, putting on the new self and taking off the old, it affects and permeates all the areas of your life.
If you claim Christ as your Lord, is He the master of your vocational life? Is He ruling in your home? Is He the Lord over your thoughts and desires?
What I want you to realize is that one’s walk with Christ is meant to take place in all aspects of your life. Paul tells the church at Colossae that “whatever” they do or say – “everything” – should be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus” and out of gratitude to Him for what He has done. Can you stamp His name on the work you have done this week? If the words you have spoken this week were written out as a transcript, could you stamp His name at the bottom as if He approves?
The answer for you is likely as it is for me: I wish He did not know as much about me as He does. But God….
But God, if we are saved, is making us more like Him. He is sanctifying us, setting us apart for His Kingdom work. If He has saved you, there is no aspect of your life that is to be outside His reach and outside the scope of the new life He has given you.
So, as we prepare to open the door so that “whatever you do, in word or deed” – “everything” – be done in His name, consider where Colossians takes us next. Paul speaks of this applying to spouses, children, parents, bondservants, and masters. Every one of us will fit into one aspect or another, if not several.
It is going to feel like God is meddling, that the status quo is in danger of being overturned. Good.
It is going to be convicting for me and for you. Good.
It is going to make it seem like we are supposed to be different than the world around us. Good.
So, we have been talking about what it is to put on Christ like a garment, to have Him cover us in our worship and in our churches, but we are going to see, hopefully, what it is to be adorned with Christ in our marriages, families, and work.
Lord willing, it will be so.
Hallelujah, and amen.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 3:15–17.
Just Keith Harris 
Thank you Brother I have been very blessed and humbled from reading and hearing you teach the word of god. God bless you . Love ya brother.
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