Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Colossians 3:17

"And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." — Colossians 3:17 (ASV)

Paul now gives us a kind of summary. There are various ways of interpreting “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Some understand the meaning to be that everything a Christian does is to be undertaken in dependence on the Lord. Others think it means that everything a Christian does is to be done in recognition of the authority of Jesus’ name. Still others take “in the name of the Lord Jesus” to mean “as followers of the Lord Jesus.” This last interpretation reflects the thought that to act in the name of a person is to act as his representative. The last two interpretations are both acceptable, but the third is preferred. Paul is enunciating a general principle of Christian conduct, knowing that rules and regulations belong to a former dispensation and are not appropriate for the Christian life (see Gal 3:23–4:7). “Giving thanks” points to an essential accompaniment of acting in the name of the Lord Jesus—namely, that in everything we do we are to retain a sense of God’s goodness and must thank him.