Colossians 3:17

‘And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.'

Paul wants us to take seriously that it is Christ Who lives through us. He is Jesus the Lord, and we are His people. When a servant wore the livery of his lord he was seen as acting in the name of his lord. This explains the change to ‘the Lord Jesus'. We act in the name of our Lord. We have ‘put on the new man', we wear Christ's livery, thus all we say and do must in accordance with His will and requirements. We must let Him live His life through us. We must ensure that we live totally for Him as a good servant would for his master.

‘Giving thanks to God the Father through Him.' Again the emphasis on being thankful. If we spent more time being thankful our spiritual lives would blossom. Note that our approach to the Father is ‘through Him'. This reminds us that of ourselves we have no right of access. It is because we genuinely come in His name, through the redemptive work He carried out on our behalf, that we have expectation of a hearing, even for the expressing of gratitude. Access to God is not the easy thing that it is portrayed by many to be. But it is easy for us because of Him (Hebrews 10:19). ‘Through Him' has special significance in this letter for it excludes any intermediaries.

‘To God the Father'. The unusual Greek formation ‘to theo patri' suggests that there is more emphasis on God as ‘abba, Father', while stressing His Godhead, rather than God as Father of creation. (Compare the probable similar reading in Colossians 1:3).