Search
Scripture Reading: Col. 1:12, 18-19, 27; 2:2b, 6, 8-9; 3:4a, 10-11
Paul wrote at least thirteen Epistles. The first group of these Epistles starts with Romans and ends with Colossians. Following this section, there is a supplementary group containing 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews.
The first main section of Romans through Colossians deals with Christ and the church. In these Epistles we see how Christ must be wrought into us as our life; then we will learn to live by Him, taking Him as our person. It is by this kind of living experience that the church comes into being.
Colossians is the closing book of this section. Actually, it seems that this book should follow Ephesians. Ephesians speaks of the Body, and Colossians speaks of the Head. But in between we have Philippians, which shows us the practical way to have the church life. Then we have Colossians to close out this section about Christ and the church.
Since Colossians speaks about Christ as the Head of the Body, we would expect the book to begin in this way. But first of all, it tells us that Christ is the portion of all the saints: “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light” (1:12). Praise the Lord that Christ is our portion! This word portion in Greek means “lot.” God did not allocate to us anything but Christ. He is our lot; He is our portion.
I would say that very few Christians realize that Christ is their portion. But we must see that this indwelling Christ is our practical portion. Day by day we must enjoy Him and participate in Him. In the King James Version, Colossians 1:12 says that the Father “hath made us meet to be partakers.” We are not the students, studying about Christ. We are the partakers of the enjoyment of Christ as our portion. This is something of God. God has made us to be partakers of the portion of Christ. Do not listen to the lies of the enemy. He would tell us that we are not worthy of Christ. But this verse strongly tells us that we are fully qualified to be the partakers of Christ. This is our portion, and this is our lot.
Following this, Colossians tells us who Christ is. But it does not say that Christ is our Savior. Rather, it says that Christ must be the One who has first place. “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; for in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell” (vv. 18-19). Christ is the beginning, Christ is the ending, and Christ must have the first place.
All the fullness of God dwells in Him: “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (2:9). We must realize that Christ in the book of Colossians is very much deeper than in the Gospel of Luke. In the Gospel of Luke, Christ is our Savior, but in Colossians we see One who contains all the fullness of the Godhead, and One who must have the first place in everything. He is even the mystery of God: “Unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ” (v. 2b). The Christ revealed in this book of Colossians is the mystery of God.
Then we see that we have received such a Christ. “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him” (v. 6). This book does not say that we have received a Savior but rather that we have received the mystery of God, the One who contains all the fullness of the Godhead. We have received the One who is first in everything. He is our portion.
Chapter 3 then tells us that this One is our life. “When Christ our life is manifested” (v. 4a). We could never imagine that our life could be such a person. He is the mystery of God, He holds all the fullness of God, He has the first place in everything, and He is our life. This is indeed wonderful!
However, this book also has a warning. It does not warn us to beware of sinful things but rather of philosophy and the elements of the world: “Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8). This refers to the thought, the science, and the philosophy of human culture. Philosophy may be considered as one of the best elements of human culture. Among human inventions it is considered the best, yet we must realize that it is the most subtle instrument of the enemy to distract people from Christ. Once philosophy enters man’s mind, it is exceedingly difficult for that person to come to Christ.
Some real Christians today have been distracted from Christ by a kind of Christian philosophy. But any kind of philosophy is the subtle work of Satan. All philosophies are satanic and demonic. This is why this book tells us to beware of philosophy. Of course, the outward appearance is always attractive, but it is subtly attractive. Through philosophy many minds have been fully saturated with demonic thoughts. This is why we must beware of it. Even theology becomes a kind of philosophy. We will take theos, but we do not want the “-ology.” Beware of any kind of “-ology.”
For this reason we must learn to walk in Christ. “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” We have received Him, so now we must walk in Him. Even in the matter of the church life, we must be careful. In the church life our fellowship is not of any kind of “-ology.” Our fellowship is of a living person. It is as we walk in this person that He becomes our portion. He is not only our person but also our portion. And He is God’s mystery, containing all the fullness of the Godhead. As such, He must have first place. Then He will become our life and everything.
Eventually, Colossians shows us the new man, where Christ is all and in all: “Put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all” (3:10-11). To be in the new man means to be in the practical church life. In this life there is nothing of the old nature, but Christ is all and in all.
So many Christians believe that this is not possible today on earth. They say that we must wait until the future; then Christ will be all and in all. We agree that Christ will be all and in all in the future, but here it does not say that Christ will be all and in all. It says that in the new man, Christ is all and in all. Right now in the church life, Christ is all and in all.
This is only possible by the indwelling of Christ. “To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27). This book is the consummation of the indwelling of Christ. Otherwise, how could Christ be our portion, and how could He have the first place in our life? It is only by His indwelling. By His indwelling we enjoy Him as the mystery of God, the fullness of the Godhead, our life, and our portion.
Therefore, we must beware of anything that distracts us from this indwelling Christ, especially any kind of “-ology.” Instead, as we have received Christ, we must simply walk in Him, taking Him as our person. Then eventually, in the church life there will be nothing of the old nature. Christ will be all and in all through His indwelling of all the members. I do pray that all the churches, by God’s grace, will practice the indwelling of Christ.
