(Part 9)
May 2023 GPS
The responsibilities we will look at this month are closely related to each other. They are the duties of instructing, teaching and admonishing one another. The verses that allude to these responsibilities are: “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14, ESV) “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.” (Colossians 3:16, ESV) We will look at the meanings of the words underlined above and then at the verses in which they are found. The three different English words in the above verses, “instruct, teach and admonish,” come from only two Greek words.
The Greek word behind “teaching” in the Colossians passage is the normal word for that activity, and it is used about 200 times in the New Testament, with the of giving instruction to someone. Undoubtedly the teaching in any of these cases was intended to affect the behavior of those receiving the instruction, but the word itself focuses attention on the act of imparting information to someone rather than on correcting or warning against wrong behavior. The Greek verb translated “instruct” in Romans 15:14 is the same Greek verb translated “admonishing” in Colossians 3:16. It is used only 8 times in the New Testament, and the ESV translates it as “admonish” 5 times, “warn” 2 times, and “instruct” once (in Romans 15:14). It focuses attention on correcting or warning against wrong behavior not just imparting information. We can get a feel for the meaning of this term by looking at two of its usages in the New Testament. 1. When Paul was saying goodbye to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, he said, “Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” (Acts 20:31, ESV) Paul was seriously concerned about the spiritual welfare of his Ephesian brothers and sisters. His tears were evidence of his profound concern. To caution or warn would certainly be more accurate synonyms for the activity in which Paul had been engaged than “instruct”. 2. In 1 Corinthians, after Paul had scolded his readers for their attitude toward him, he wrote, ““I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” (1 Corinthians 4:14, ESV) Again, the idea is close to warning or cautioning people about a wrong behavior. One of the two verses in the introduction of this study puts the two responsibilities together. “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.” (Colossians 3:16, ESV)
Having looked at the words for teaching and admonishing, we will now see what we can learn from the contexts in which those responsibilities are found. The sentence in which we find Paul’s comment about instructing (or better admonishing) one another is significant. He wrote, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14, ESV) Paul was satisfied (better convinced) that because the Roman believers were “full of goodness” and “filled with all knowledge” they would be able to do the instructing/admonishing that needed to be done. Notice that he did not say that they merely “had” goodness and knowledge but that they were “full” or “filled” with them. There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that they were equipped to do what was expected of them. If we remember that this epistle was written about 57 AD and that the church in Rome was probably founded by Jews who had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover in 33 AD and had experienced the events of Pentecost before returning to Rome and that as far as we know no Apostle had gone there to establish the church, Paul’s confidence in them is a powerful testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of his readers during those 24 intervening years. If they were equipped to do this work, surely we are as well.
The sentence in Colossians 3:16 is also enlightening . “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.” (Colossians 3:16, ESV) Actually, the instruction is, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” The participles (verbs ending in “ing”) that follow it simply state results that should flow out of the word of Christ dwelling richly in God’s people. ““The Word of Christ” does not exclude the Old Testament but includes the additional Word that Christ gave to his apostles who were to transmit it to the church. Although it was as yet only partly written, the New Testament was abundantly transmitted orally. “Let it dwell in you richly in all wisdom” = let it inhabit you as if you were the house and home of this Word, let it do this in a rich way by filling every nook and corner of your being with its blessed, spiritual wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge in the right and the wise way.”1 If God’s Word really does permeate our hearts and minds controlling our thoughts and wills, the result will be the kinds of activities which this verse describes.
Generally we do not want anyone telling us what we should or should not do. For that reason we are reticent to do this for others. The problem is that there are times when all of us need correction. Will our behavior be governed by the spirit of the age or by the Word of God?
1 Lenski, R. C. H. (1937). The interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon (p. 177). Lutheran Book Concern.