The one another commands

Teach and Admonish One Another

A command of Christ for his church · Colossians 3:16

Teach and admonish one another is the call to let the word of Christ dwell richly among us, so that we instruct and gently correct each other, even through the songs we sing. Paul says to teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The truth is meant to move through the whole body, from every member to every member.

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 (KJV)

What this command means

Paul roots this in the Word: let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, and out of that fullness we teach and admonish each other. To teach is to instruct in the truth; to admonish is to warn and counsel with a view to the heart. Both are done with wisdom and grace, not harshness.

Strikingly, Paul says this happens even in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. When the church sings the truth together, it is teaching itself, planting the Word deep in each other's hearts. Worship is not only praise to God but instruction to one another, truth sung until it takes root.

Why it matters for the church

A church stays healthy when the Word flows through all of it, not only from the pulpit. When believers teach and admonish each other in daily life and in shared worship, the truth is reinforced constantly and error is caught early. The whole body becomes a teacher of the whole body.

This also deepens worship and community together. Songs full of the word of Christ shape what a people believe and love. A church that fills its worship and its conversation with Scripture is one where faith grows strong, hearts are corrected gently, and the truth is treasured by all.

Singing the truth to one another is one of God's gentlest ways of teaching hard things. A truth we might resist in an argument can slip past our defenses in a hymn and lodge deep in the heart. That is why Paul places teaching and admonishing in the midst of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; the church that sings the word of Christ is quietly discipling itself week by week.

How we fail at it

We fail by leaving all teaching to the professionals and never speaking truth to each other ourselves. We attend and absorb but do not pass anything on. We also fail by admonishing badly, correcting in pride or harshness, wounding where we meant to help, forgetting that it is to be done in all wisdom and grace.

We fail too by letting the Word dwell in us thinly rather than richly. If Scripture is scarce in us, we have little to teach and little to sing but our own opinions. And we fail by singing thoughtlessly, mouthing words that could be teaching our hearts, without letting the truth sink in.

How Christ enables it

Christ is the living Word, and his word is what dwells richly in his people by his Spirit. He teaches his church through the Scriptures and through the gifts he gives to the body. The truth we hand to each other is not our own invention but his word, entrusted to us and made alive by his Spirit.

Because the word of Christ dwells among us, every believer can be a means of his teaching to another. We admonish in his name and by his grace, not lording it over each other but serving each other with his truth. He is the teacher; the whole body is his classroom and his choir.

How to live it

Fill yourself with the Word so it dwells in you richly and you have truth worth sharing. Then speak it to others: encourage a doubter with a promise, warn a wanderer gently, remind the discouraged of what is true.

Sing with your mind engaged, letting the truth in the songs teach your own heart and your neighbor's. When you must admonish, do it in wisdom and love, humbly and for the person's good. And stay teachable yourself, ready to receive the Word from any brother or sister God sends to you.

Fill yourself with the Word until it dwells in you richly, and then let it overflow toward others: remind a doubter of a promise, warn a wanderer gently, and steady the discouraged with what is true. Sing with your mind fully engaged, letting the truth in the songs teach your own heart and your neighbor's, for worship is one of God's gentlest classrooms. When you must admonish, do it in wisdom and love, humbly and for the person's good, never to display your knowledge or win a point. And stay ready to be taught yourself, receiving the Word from any brother or sister God sends. A church that teaches and sings the word of Christ to itself, week by week, is quietly discipling its own people into maturity.

Related commands: Instruct one another · Build up one another · Encourage one another · All the one another commands