"Do All in the Name of the Lord"
Colossians 3:17
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col.
3:17)
The above is arguably one of the most misunderstood and neglected verses in all
the scriptures. Putting it in its context, Paul is writing to the Colossian
church about maintaining proper relationships. In the first part of the third
chapter he instructs the church about those things they must keep out of their
lives - things that destroy relationships. Then beginning in verse 12, he writes
about things they must put into their lives -- things that make for peaceful and
happy relationships.
After telling the church to put on things like mercy and kindness and humility
and forgiveness and love, Paul tells them to teach and admonish one another with
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. He then reminds them in verse 17 that
everything they say and do must be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. In the
remainder of the chapter, and on into chapter four, Paul takes up specific
relationships - husbands and wives, children and parents, servants and masters,
Christians and unbelievers - telling the church what God expects them to say
and/or do in those relationships.
God has a way for us in every relationship. We are never left in the dark as to
how we should conduct ourselves at play or at work, in the home or in the
church. Paul reminds us that we are never free to make up our own rules for any
relationship; whatever we do, in word or deed, must be done in the name of the
Lord Jesus.
To say and do "in the name of the Lord Jesus" is to say and do what Jesus our
Lord has instructed us to say and do. R. C. H. Lenski writes, "It means that
absolutely everything... is to be done in the light of the revelation of our
Lord and harmonize with that revelation. It ever reveals Jesus as our
Savior-Lord to whom we belong absolutely and altogether." (The Interpretation of
St. Paul's Epistles, Colossians - Philemon, 179) Paul was not commanding that
the Colossians say the name of Jesus before everything they said or did, he was
commanding that they have the authority of Jesus for everything they said or
did.
What does that mean in the context of Colossians 3-4? It means fornication and
covetousness and filthy language and lying are always wrong in every
circumstance (3:5,8,9). It means Christians can do nothing but forgive one
another when forgiveness is asked (3:13). It means that Christians must teach
and admonish one another in music only by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs to one another (3:16). (Note: Verse 16 is in keeping with every other
scripture that relates to spiritual music in the New Testament. Worship with
instrumental music does not harmonize with the revelation of our Lord.)
Further, it means that wives must always submit to their husbands, and husbands
must always show love for their wives in whatever they say or do (3:18-19). It
means that children must obey their parents in all things, and fathers must
never say or do things that provoke their children (3:20-21). It means servants
(for us, employees) must obey their masters in all things, and masters
(employers) must always be just and fair with their servants (3:22-4:1). It
means that Christians must never do anything unwise or say anything ungracious
to unbelievers (4:5-6).
To say or do other than what the inspired apostle Paul instructs in all these
relationships is to say and do outside the name of the Lord Jesus. The apostle
John wrote that such transgression of the doctrine (revelation) of Christ would
mean that the transgressor "does not have God" (2 John 9). To be outside the
name of the Lord is a condition of condemnation.
But is Colossians 3:17 limited only to what Paul wrote about relationships in
chapters 3 and 4? Certainly not. Surely we understand that it is a general
principle true of the entirety of the doctrine of Christ in the New Testament.
We have already seen the principle taught by John in 2 John 9. See it taught by
Jesus in John 14:15 - "If you love Me, keep My commandments." See it again in
John15:10 - "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love." And again
in 2 Corinthians 10:5 - "Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ." There are plenty of others, but these verses ought to more than
prove the point - whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus.
The old restorationists pleaded, "Let us speak where the Bible speaks, and be
silent where the Bible is silent." That is what it means to say and do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus. The old restoration plea was right. It ought to be
the plea of all modern restorationists as well.
By Jerry King
From Expository Files 9.2; February 2002
