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Scripture Reading: Col. 1:9, 1:12, 1:15-18; 4:12; 2:2, 2:9, 16-17; 3:4
Although Colossians is a short book of only four chapters, there are many main points that we need to see. Almost every matter in this book is a main point.
Colossians is a book concerning God’s will. In the first chapter Paul says, “We also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease praying and asking on your behalf that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (v. 9). Wisdom is in our spirit for us to realize, sense, and perceive the spiritual things, and understanding is in our mind to interpret what we perceive. We need all spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to have the full knowledge of the will of God. The will of God mentioned here is not His will in small matters. It is not merely for us to know what school to go to, what house to buy, or whether or not to marry. These things are too minor. The will of God mentioned here is the eternal will of God, the great will of God. It is related not to the things in our daily life but to God’s purpose, God’s intention. To know this will requires that we have full knowledge and all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
What is the will of God according to His desire, His intention, in the whole universe, in creation, in redemption, in the coming age, and in eternity? The entire book of Colossians is the answer to this question. If we read this book, we will realize that the answer is Christ Himself. The will of God is in Christ, concentrated in Christ, and for Christ. Christ is everything in the will of God. We must know this and realize this with spiritual wisdom and with our understanding in a clear, renewed mind.
The last chapter of this book tells us, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (4:12). In the first chapter the apostle Paul and his co-workers prayed that the Colossians would know the will of God, and in the last chapter Epaphras as a slave of Christ struggled fervently in prayer on behalf of the church concerning the same thing. Therefore, this is a book which reveals to us the eternal will of God in the universe. We must keep these two verses in mind.
In writing Colossians the apostle was much in the spirit, expressing from the spirit of prayer what was on his heart and in his spirit. As a result, it is difficult to divide this book into sections. The best way to know this book, therefore, is to see not the sections but the main points. There are at least seven main points revealed in this book.
First, Colossians speaks of the mystery of God in relation to the will of God. In order to speak about a person’s will, we must know what is in his heart. We must know him, understand him, and know what type of person he is. God has a mystery, and He is a mystery. We know that God exists, but apparently it is difficult for anyone to know Him. Not only God Himself is a mystery, but what He desires and intends to do also is a mystery.
The term the mystery of God is found in Colossians 2:2. This verse says, “Unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” Here the apostle uses such spiritual terms as all the riches, full assurance of understanding, and full knowledge. The mystery of God is too mysterious, too profound, and too great. It needs all the riches of the full assurance of understanding. What is the mystery of God? By ourselves we cannot thoroughly explain what God is and what God intends to do; the answer is in the book of Colossians.
The King James Version renders the last part of 2:2 as “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” This requires an evaluation of the different Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Many manuscripts differ in their renderings. The King James Version was translated in 1611, and John Nelson Darby published his New Translation in the second half of the nineteenth century. Some of the best and most trustworthy manuscripts were discovered in the last two centuries. By 1901 the translators of the American Standard Version had many good manuscripts in their hands, so we trust more in their decision of which term to use. The American Standard Version renders this verse, “The mystery of God, even Christ,” but the word even is not in the Greek text; it is supplied by the translators. Therefore, the best rendering of verse 2 is “the mystery of God, Christ.”
The mystery of God is Christ Himself. This is a very significant word. God and His intention are great, profound, and mysterious, yet Christ is this mystery. This is far beyond our understanding. Nevertheless, according to the record of this book, we can point out three items related to Christ being the mystery of God. First, Christ is the very image of the invisible God (1:15). God Himself is invisible, so He is a mystery. We cannot see Him; neither can we understand this mystery. Moreover, what He intends to do also is a mystery. However, Colossians tells us that Christ is the image of the invisible God. An image is an expression; that Christ is the image of God means that He is the expression, the explanation, of what God is. As such, He is the Word of God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and verse 18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” As the Word of God, Christ declares, defines, and expresses God.
Second, Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” God is embodied in Christ; all that God is and has within Himself, that is, all the fullness of the Godhead, dwells in Christ bodily. Therefore, Christ is not only the expression, the image, of God but also the reality of God, the very embodiment of God. To find the meaning of fullness, we should not use our imagination but rather trace the usage of this word in the divine record. This takes us to John 1, where verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us...full of grace and reality,” and verse 16 says, “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” His fullness is the fullness of God. Since the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, we have all received of His fullness.
When the Son of God was incarnated as a man, with Him there was the fullness of God, and of this fullness we have all received. In order to know the items that we have received, we must further trace through the Gospel of John. John tells us that we receive life, light, the way, truth, food, and drink. All of these are only a few of the items of the fullness of God. All the fullness of God dwells in Christ, who is the very embodiment of God. He is the life, the light, the way, the reality, the food, and the drink. He is everything because the fullness of God is embodied in Him. He is the very embodiment of all the elements of God. What God is and what God has are embodied in Christ.
Christ is also the center of God’s will. All that God planned is related to Christ. Christ as the mystery of God includes these three matters — the image of God, the embodiment of God, and the very center of God’s will.
The third major point in Colossians is that God intends to make Christ everything. In the universe the first item is God. Then there is God’s creation, including man. In addition, there is redemption, which includes the church. These five items — God, God’s creation with man as the center, and God’s redemption with the church as the center — include all the items in the universe. The first chapter of Colossians reveals that Christ is God (vv. 15a, 19), Christ is part of the creation (v. 15b), and Christ accomplished redemption (vv. 20-22). Verses 15 through 18 say, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, because in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him. And He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him; and He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things.” Christ Himself is both the Creator and the Firstborn of all creation. The creation came out of Him and was made by Him. Without Him there is no creation, but at the same time He is the first item of all created things. The Firstborn of all creation refers to God’s old creation, and the Firstborn from the dead refers to God’s redemption. Both in God’s creation and in God’s redemption Christ is the Firstborn.
In these few verses there are several items of what Christ is. Christ is the very Creator; He is the first item, the Firstborn, in creation; and He is the Firstborn in God’s redemption; therefore, He is the Head of the church. Christ is everything. He also became a genuine man in God’s creation. This corresponds with the record in the first chapter of John’s Gospel, which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not one thing came into being which has come into being” (vv. 1, 3). Then verse 14 says that the Word became flesh, incarnated to become a man, in order to accomplish redemption. He is also the Head of the church, and He is the church, the Body itself (1 Cor. 12:12). Therefore, He is everything.
Verses 16 and 17 of Colossians 2 say, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.” These two verses indicate that the reality of all that we need is Christ. We need food, drink, and the feasts. A new moon indicates a new start, and the Sabbath is for rest. However, all these are simply a shadow; they are not the real things. Christ Himself is the reality of all these things.
When a person stands in the light, he casts a shadow, but the shadow is not the real person. The real person is the body of that shadow. All things in the entire universe are only a shadow; Christ Himself is the reality. The clothes that we wear are not the real clothes; they are shadows. Christ is our real clothing. If we do not have Christ to clothe us, we are still naked before God. The light we see is not the real light. Christ is the reality of the light. Even if we have the best light, without Christ we are still in darkness. The sun is not the real sun; it is a type. The reality of the sun is Christ, the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2). Even the house in which we dwell is not our real dwelling place. Our real dwelling place is Christ. Everything we need is a shadow; the reality of all things is Christ. To be sure, Christ is not the reality of the negative things in the universe, such as sin, the world, self, Satan, and the evil spirits. Rather, all the positive things in the universe are shadows of Christ.
All the trees are shadows of Christ. In the Scriptures many trees are types of Christ, such as the tree of life (Gen. 2:9), the apple tree (S. S. 2:3), the cedar tree (5:15), and the fir tree (Hosea 14:8). The most significant tree is the vine tree mentioned in John 15. Christ is also the Root of David (Rev. 5:5) and the branch of Jesse (Isa. 11:1). A tree gives us fruit and shade. If we take the time to study how trees are used to illustrate Christ, we will see that Christ is everything.
Many items of clothing also typify Christ. The garments of the high priest with their many details are a type of Christ. The many items of food also typify Christ. All the items on Solomon’s feasting table and the items in his storage typify Christ (1 Kings 4:22-23). We should read the Scriptures in the way of seeing all the types and shadows of Christ.
Colossians shows us that God has made Christ to be everything. He is God Himself, and He is man. He is the Creator, and He is a creature. He accomplished redemption, and He is the Firstborn from the dead. He is the Head of the church, and He is even the Body. Christ is everything! In order to see this, we need Colossians. If we remove this book from the Bible, no one could understand Christ in such a profound way. If there were no Colossians, and I told you that Christ is everything, even the reality of the trees in the Bible, you may think I am foolish. If some would try to discover all the items mentioned in the Scriptures about Christ, they may not be able to finish the list in their lifetime. We praise the Lord for this book that shows Christ is everything.
The fourth main point in Colossians is that Christ has the first place, the preeminence, in all things (1:18). That Christ would be the first in everything is according to God’s plan.
The fifth main point is that Christ is our portion. Colossians 1:12 says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.” Christ is the allotted portion given to us by God. Strictly speaking, God has given only Christ to us. All other things are simply shadows. No doubt God gives us food, sunshine, air, breath, and many good things, but all these things are merely shadows of Christ; the reality is Christ Himself. Christ is our portion.
In the entire universe what else is our portion? If we do not have Christ, we have nothing. Although we do have the shadows, they are vanity, because it is easy for shadows to depart. Even if we had a palace, in only one night it could burn up in a fire or be brought down by an earthquake. Everything soon fades away because it is all a shadow. Only Christ is the reality. Only He exists forever without change.
At the present time I am almost sixty years of age. I can say from my heart that I love nothing else. Only Him do I love. All night and all day I love Him. Nothing is so dear to me as He is. During the past half century from my teenage years to the present time, I have noticed all the changes in international and national affairs, in families, and in society. Everything is a shadow that passes away quickly. From this I have learned that nothing on earth is lovable or trustworthy. Only One is so dear to me, and He is so real to me. In nothing or no one else can I put my trust; I can trust only Him. He is the reality, and He is our portion.
If you do not have Christ, you are a person of vanity, but if you have Christ, you are a person of reality; you have Him, and He is everything. I hope that we all would learn to realize Him and love Him. Simply love Him, and do not seek anything else. Everything else is merely a shadow. Of course, while we are still on this earth, we need many things. However, we must use these things in the way of realizing Christ as our reality. The only portion that God gives to us is this wonderful Christ. We must learn to know Him, to live Him, to take Him, to experience Him, and to realize Him. He is not a religion, a doctrine, a set of teachings, or even Christianity but an all-inclusive, real, and living Christ. It is worthwhile for us to have Him, and we can never regret having Him. Since my youth, for more than forty years, I have loved Him without any regret. He is the portion of the saints in the light.
Sixth, this very Christ is life to us (3:4). He is very intimate, tender, subjective, and near. Nothing is as dear, precious, and available to us as our life, yet even our own life, the very life we received from our parents, is not the real life. It is only a shadow. Therefore, he who does not have Christ does not have the life (1 John 5:12). He is not only our portion for us to enjoy, but He is our life for us to live.
Even though I have been teaching and ministering for more than thirty years, I still do not have the adequate words to explain what it means that Christ is our life. This is something beyond human expression and human utterance. I can simply say that this wonderful Christ today is life to us. How precious and how wonderful this is! Christ is everything, He is our portion, and even more He is our life. In all the sixty-six books of the Bible, Colossians 3:4 is the clearest word about Christ being our life.
The last main point concerns Christ being everything to us. Christ is not only everything, but He is everything to us. We must learn how to experience Christ as everything to us. Christ to us is our food and drink, and He is also our patience. Many times we are short of patience. When we are short of patience, we should realize that we are actually short of Christ. Christ is our patience. Do we desire humility? Christ Himself is our humility. Do we want to honor our father and our mother? The honor that we render to our father and mother must be Christ. Christ is even the way for us to honor our parents. There is no need for teaching concerning the way. If we love Christ and fellowship with Him, we will have Christ as the living way. We will know how to honor our parents, and Christ will become the strength for us to honor our parents. Christ is everything to us.
I believe that in these last days the Lord will recover His people to know Him not merely in doctrine but in a very experiential way. When we write a letter to a friend, our letter must be Christ. We must learn to experience Christ in such a way. Before we write the letter, we should fellowship with the Lord and be one with Him. We must tell Him, “Lord, You Yourself must be my words. I will not write anything besides Yourself to my friend. What I am going to write must be You.” We must try to experience the Lord in this way, applying Him as everything in our daily life. He must be everything to us. When we minister the word, that word must be Christ. Our message and ministry must be Christ, and the way to minister and our strength to minister must be Christ.
The book of Colossians was written because many of those believers did not know how to experience Christ in such a way. They were distracted from Christ to pay attention to other things. Colossians was written to tell them that they must realize Christ as their everything. We also must learn to experience Christ in such a real and living way. Even from our youth, we should begin to experience Christ. I thank the Lord that I was saved as a young man. However, I did not receive the proper help. I received great help in studying the Bible according to the letter, but I was not helped to know the Lord in a living way, to experience Him as my life and everything. After about seven or eight years had passed, I began to receive help in knowing Christ in a living way. Praise the Lord that many of you who are still in your teenage years can receive this help now! You should not take this in a light way. You should appreciate that you are being shown the way to take Christ, experience Him, and apply Him as everything. I hope that the younger generation will pay their full attention to this matter. Then they will be the living witnesses, the living testimonies, of how dear, how real, how precious, how rich, and how living Christ is. Let us learn to experience Him in this way.
