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In this chapter we will continue to consider Christ as the mystery of God. In the book of Colossians the apostle Paul unveils the mysterious Christ. Paul also reveals how to experience such a Christ. Seeing is the beginning of experience. Hence, after we see the vision of Christ, we need to experience Him. Therefore, Colossians concerns not only revelation and vision but also experience.
Concerning the experience of Christ, there are two sides: the side of the apostle and the side of the saints. The apostle Paul labored and even struggled to remove the veils so that he could present a vision of Christ (1:29). The word labor does not denote light work; it refers to a great deal of effort and hard work. Paul’s labor included struggling. The word struggling implies fighting, warfare, and contending. Paul not only labored but also fought and contended, because there were enemies and forces opposing Christ. In his time everything — including race, politics, religion, and culture — opposed the Christ whom Paul preached. Judaism and Greek philosophy were obstacles to Paul, and the cultural atmosphere, political conflicts, and nationalistic ideology of the nations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea were also obstacles in Paul’s path, hindering him. Therefore, he labored and struggled.
There were many nations surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. On the east were the Jews in the Holy Land, to the west was the Roman Empire, in the north were barbarians, and to the south was Egypt. Paul fought against Greek culture, Jewish religion, Roman politics, and barbaric forces. He wanted to bring the will of God to the earth and impart it into man, but all these peoples were opposing him. Jewish religion, Greek philosophy, Roman politics, nationalistic ideologies, and customs of the nations opposed him. Apparently, they were opposing Paul, but in reality they were opposing Christ. Religion, philosophy, politics, culture, and barbarianism are opposed to Christ. Everything is opposed to Christ. Peter was the pioneer in this struggle and fight, but he later became weak and shrank back into Judaism (Gal. 2:12). When Paul wrote the book of Colossians, he seemed to be the only one struggling and fighting to unveil Christ.
Concerning the new man — the church as the product of the saints’ experience of Christ — Paul says, “Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all” (3:11). The saints in Hong Kong might dislike me if I were to tell them that there cannot be Cantonese in the church. If I were to tell the saints in Chefoo that there cannot be Shantungese in the church, they might accuse me of forgetting my roots. This, however, is what Paul preached. When he said that there cannot be Greek, the Jews might have clapped their hands and cheered. But when he said that there cannot be Jews, the Jews might have accused him of forgetting his roots. When Paul said that there cannot be circumcision, the Gentiles might have clapped their hands. However, Paul also said that there cannot be uncircumcision. In other words, there can be neither religion nor non-religion, because both religion and non-religion are of no value. Paul put down everything.
Paul also said that there cannot be barbarian or Scythian. Some people think that Scythians refers to people who were very cultured. However, according to the most reliable sources of history, the Scythians were the most barbarous people, and they lived in Europe. Paul negated Greek and Jew, religious and non-religious, cultured and barbarian, and also slave and free man. He negated everyone except Christ, because in the new man there is only Christ.
The purpose of Paul’s labor was to minister Christ to people. For this reason, Paul was given a stewardship; God entrusted him with the treasures of His house and the key to His warehouse. Paul opened this warehouse and ministered the riches in the warehouse, that is, ministered Christ, to the Jews, Greeks, Romans, and all the people surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Christ is opposed to all things. In the new man there cannot be Greek or Jew, religion or non-religion, cultured or barbarian, slave or free man, rich or poor. There cannot be anything other than Christ. Hence, Paul stirred up opposition when he presented Christ. Paul did not try to offend people; as long as he ministered Christ, he was opposed, because Christ was not welcomed. Whether people are cultured or barbarous, rich or poor, religious or non-religious, they are opposed to Christ. Therefore, problems arose whenever Paul presented Christ. This is why Paul labored, fought, and struggled in his work. Christ could be imparted into many because Paul struggled in such a way.
Paul’s apostleship, which was also his stewardship, was to minister Christ to people (Eph. 3:2, 8). Paul announced and preached Christ, and then he admonished and taught people in all wisdom according to Christ (Col. 1:28). Confucius admonished and taught people concerning proper human relationships and morality, and philosophers admonish and teach people with philosophical ideas, but Paul admonished and taught people with Christ. We need to ask ourselves how we admonish and teach people.
Suppose a newly married couple is having problems. How would we admonish them? According to my observation, it is common for a husband and wife to have problems. Some couples have problems before their honeymoon is over. Our God is wonderful; He created males to be completely different from females and makes two different persons a couple. In over fifty years of serving I have observed the same situation everywhere. Both in the East and in the West, regardless of nationality, there are problems between husbands and wives. God usually does not put two quick persons together, nor does He put two slow persons together. Rather, He marvelously matches a slow person with a quick person and a soft person with a harsh person.
In my early years of serving the Lord, I often saw a brother and a sister whom I thought would be a suitable match. Whenever I acted on this sense, I ran into trouble and had to repent. Therefore, I eventually stopped making suggestions because I found that my view was not accurate. I might consider a brother and a sister to be a good match, but they might not think so. We would pray according to the principles in the Bible and consider the social condition, education, and age of the brother and sister. But when we introduced them to one another, they did not like each other. Eventually, they picked their own match and still suffered. There are many stories like this.
We need to admonish and teach the couples who have problems. The brothers who administrate the church and lead the saints need to learn how to admonish and teach. We should learn from Paul as our pattern. Paul says that he announced Christ by “admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; for which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power” (vv. 28-29). Paul did not merely write epistles and give messages; he also admonished and taught people with Christ. We know from our experience that when there is discord between a husband and wife, we need to admonish and teach them with Christ, not with doctrines. Such admonishing and teaching require us to have experiences of Christ. If we do not have experiences of Christ, we cannot admonish and teach people with Christ.
The purpose of admonishing people with Christ is not for them to get along but to present each one full-grown in Christ. Proper admonition leads the saints to grow unto maturity. We should not correct the saints; rather, we should minister Christ to them and help them eat, drink, and enjoy Christ. There is a great difference between the practice in Christianity of admonishing and teaching people with doctrines and Paul’s ministering Christ to people.
There are problems between husbands and wives because they lack Christ and need the supply of Christ. This principle applies to all the problems among the saints: problems are the result of our lacking Christ and needing the supply of Christ. For example, if an elder has a problem with a deacon, both the elder and the deacon are short of Christ. If two sisters have a problem and cannot serve together, they are both short of Christ. All kinds of problems arise when the saints are short of Christ. The problems in the churches are the result of a lack of supply, a shortage of Christ. I hope that everyone in the Lord’s recovery would minister Christ and serve Christ to people.
Paul says that he labored and struggled to minister Christ to people. The purpose of such ministering is not to solve problems but to help people grow unto maturity so that each one might be presented full-grown in Christ to God (v. 28). The word present in verse 28 is the same word as that in Ephesians 5:27: “That He might present the church to Himself glorious.” The same word is used in the phrase present your bodies a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). Paul struggled to present every saint full-grown in Christ. It is a shame if the co-workers serve for many years, but very few saints in their localities are full-grown. We should always minister Christ to the needy ones, not to solve their problems but to help them grow in life unto maturity so that they may be presented to God.
Concerning the experience of Christ, the saints should walk in Christ (Col. 2:6). We need to walk in Christ instead of focusing on persuasive speech (v. 4). Christianity focuses on eloquence. If a person is eloquent and learned, he will be successful. However, eloquent words that do not minister Christ to people are called persuasive speech. In the church we do not care for what people say or how they speak; our only concern is that what is spoken ministers Christ and enables us to walk in Christ. Whether we are at home or abroad, we must be in Christ in the great things and the small things. We have been rooted in Him, and we are being built up in Him (v. 7). Hence, my only concern is to be in Christ. If I do something, it must be because Christ is doing it, and if I speak, it must be because Christ is speaking. We must not listen to persuasive speech, nor should we care for philosophy, empty deceit, or the tradition of men; we must be only according to Christ (v. 8). We should do everything according to Christ and in Christ. Our living and walk must be in Christ. This is God’s desire.
In Colossians 3 Paul puts down and brings to naught Greeks, Jews, circumcision, uncircumcision, barbarians, Scythians, slaves, and free men (v. 11). This indicates that in the church we need to put down everything that is not Christ. We need to put off the old man every day (v. 9). A brother from Shantung who still has a Shantung flavor has not put off the old man. To put off the old man includes putting off the Shantung element, the Hong Kong element, and the Japanese element. Some might think that only hatred, jealousy, and wrongdoings are the old man and that to put off the old man is to do good and love one another. However, this is a superficial thought. Regardless of where we were born and where we were raised and regardless of our nationality, we are the old man, which must be put off. If we do not put off the old man, the mystery of God cannot be expressed.
In putting off the old man, we must first put off our person and then put off what is hidden within us. Paul seems to be referring to putting off the Jewish, Greek, Chinese, British, and American elements. However, he is saying that we should put off the old man hidden within us. We need to put off the old man so that we can put on the new man, who is Christ. The Lord has no way on the earth if He has no way in us. There is something hidden within us. This something is our being, our old man, and he occupies the place of the Lord within us. We say that we are consecrated to the Lord and that we will take the Lord’s way and allow Him to work. However, the Lord cannot do anything with our old man. If we would put off our old man, it would not be difficult for the Lord to have a way in us.
There are many people who are saved but do not love the Lord. There are also some who love the Lord, but their old man is still intact. These ones have the outward appearance of the new man, but within they are still the old man. As a result, there may be many local churches but not much blessing. We do not have more blessing, because it is hard to put off the old man hidden within the believers. If the old man is not put off, the new man cannot be put on, and the church life will not have much weight.
In Colossians 3 Paul also speaks of the peace of Christ and the word of Christ. In verse 15 Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts.” We are complicated within, because we always compare and weigh things to see whether they are fitting or right. At such times, we need to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in our being. Instead of listening to the voice outside of us, we should listen to what the peace of Christ says within us. The peace of Christ should be a stabilizing force, a balance, and an arbitrator within our being. We are called in one Body to this peace. There should be peace in the Body of Christ, and this peace comes from the arbitration of Christ.
The word of Christ is the supply. In verse 16 Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” Here the word dwell means “make home.” To let the word of Christ make home in us is to let the word of Christ have the ground in us and be the Lord in us. Then this word will supply, enlighten, strengthen, establish, and perfect us. The word of Christ will become everything in us. This word is not merely the words that Christ spoke in the Gospels. All the words in the Epistles are part of the word of Christ, because the words in the Epistles are spoken by Christ in the apostles. We should always let these words have ground, settle down, make home, and be the Lord in us. In this way the word supplies, enlightens, strengthens, and perfects us and also builds us up. Then Christ will be lived out from us.
