"Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly"

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." ~Colossians 3:16

This verse is probably my favorite of the verses that direct us to memorize Scripture. What could be more clear? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” These nine words command us in a simple manner to memorize God’s Word. Let us take a detailed look at each word in this line.

Let: This is our call to action. We cannot just wait around hoping that the word will somehow come to dwell in us, we must get up and do something. We must actively memorize Scripture and dwell on it. This requires time and energy, but the rewards of complete obedience to Christ make it more than worth it.

The Word: This is God’s word. His love letter to us. His map for our life. His plan of salvation. His rulebook for living. His discloser of Himself. Why would we not want to study His speech? His Word is living and active, more powerful than any other book in the universe. His Word is truth. It changes lives, brings joy, and shows us Jesus. It gives us a personal look into the character of our Savior. Additionally, it does not leave haziness as to what our actions should look like, but provides a solid foundation on which to base our deeds and words. In it we learn of our inherent sinfulness, and the way of escape provided by our gracious Savior.

Of Christ: Again, this is not just any word, this is the very word of Christ! The false gods that the Jews grew up around never said anything, never told anyone what they wanted. The people relied on the priests to interpret the nothingness into words. But the One true, living God did not leave us in darkness. He shared His heart with His people, showing us how He desired us to live, what He was like, where we came from, and so much more. This is a love letter from our King, that every Christian should treasure. God wrote it for us! He has revealed Himself to us through His amazing Word, and it is our job to study and memorize what He has seen fit to tell us.

Dwell: For this word, I want us to dive deep into the heart of this verse, looking at the Greek meaning for “dwell.” The Greek word used here, enoikeō, means simple, to dwell in, or to dwell in one and influence him (for good). So when God’s Word comes to dwell in our heart, it should influence us for good. Enoikeō is used six times in the following ways:

³ the "indwelling" of God in believers, 2 Cor 6:16;

³ the "indwelling" of the Holy Spirit, Rom 8:11; 2 Tim 1:14;

³ the "indwelling" of the Word of Christ, Col 3:16;

³ the "indwelling" of faith, 2 Tim 1:5;

³ the "indwelling" of sin in the believer, Rom 7:17.

Just as God and the Holy Spirit dwell in us, so also is God’s Word to dwell in us. Still, you might be asking, “What does it mean to dwell?” Let us dig out a clear English definition for this word as well as Greek. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines “dwell” as “To abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time; to live in a place; to have a habitation for some time or permanence.” The idea of dwelling is used with a little more permanence. You would never say, “to dwell for the night” but “he dwelt there in his humble abode.” Additionally, Webster defines “dwell” as, “To continue; to be fixed in attention; to hang upon with fondness,” such as in the sentence, “I stood in amazement, dwelling on the splendor of the waterfall.” The same word could mean, “To continue long; as, to dwell on a subject, in speaking, debate or writing; to dwell on a note in music.” Synonyms of this word include, “to live, reside, be settled, lodge, and stay.” As you can see, this is a permanent residence. God’s Word is meant to live in a verse lasting way in our minds and hearts. Just like we dwell on a subject in a speech or a paper, so we must dwell on God’s Word in our mind.

I encourage you to dwell (:P) on these truths, and tune in next time as we study the rest of this verse.