Scripture Reading: 12, 15, 18-19, Col. 1:26-27; 2:2, 9, 16-17; 3:11; John 14:17, 20; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Phil. 1:19; 2 Tim. 4:22; 1 Cor. 6:17; Col. 3:4; Eph. 3:17a; Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:21; 2 Thes. 1:10a
In the foregoing message we saw that Christ is the mystery of God’s economy. In this message we shall go on to see that Christ in us is the hope of glory. In order to be impressed with this aspect of Christ, we need to pay attention to a number of crucial points regarding Christ that are covered in Colossians.
Christ is the portion of the saints. Colossians 1:12 says, “Giving thanks to the Father, Who qualified you for a share of the portion of the saints in the light.” This is the first aspect of Christ presented in this Epistle. The word portion denotes Christ as the lot of the saints in the good land, flowing with milk and honey. The very Christ who indwells us is such a good land. He is the all-inclusive Christ for our enjoyment.
According to 1:15, Christ is also the image of the invisible God. This means that Christ is the expression of God. Although God is invisible, He is expressed in Christ. The very Christ who is our good land is also the image of the Triune God, His expression. As God’s expression, Christ is the image of God.
Colossians 1:15 also says that Christ is the “firstborn of all creation.” The invisible God is expressed in His creation. Romans 1:20 says, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, being apprehended by the things made, are clearly seen, both His eternal power and divine nature.” God is expressed through His creation, and Christ is the firstborn of this creation. Thus, Christ is the means by which God expresses Himself. The fact that the image of God and the firstborn of creation are mentioned in the same verse indicates that the image of God is related to creation. This indicates clearly that as the firstborn of God’s creation, Christ is the image of God, His expression.
There are two creations of God: the old creation and the new creation. Unbelievers know only of the first creation, the creation of the universe. However, according to the Bible, God also has a new creation, which is the church. Christ is the firstborn not only of the old creation, but also of the new creation. As the firstborn of both creations, Christ is God’s expression.
Verses 15 through 20 are closely connected and express one complete thought. In verses 15 and 16 we see that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, because all things were created in Him. Notice that verses 17 and 18 each begin with the conjunction “and.” Finally, in verse 19, Paul presents the conclusion of this line of thought: “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.”
Paul’s use of the word all in the phrase “all the fullness” indicates that the fullness both in the old creation and in the new creation dwells in Christ. We have pointed out that fullness is equal to image and also to expression. According to New Testament usage, the fullness also denotes the Body. In Ephesians 1:23 Paul says that the church is Christ’s Body, “the fullness of the One Who fills all in all.” The Body is the fullness, the fullness is the expression, and the expression is the image. If we would understand Colossians 1:15-20, we must see that the image in verse 15 denotes the very fullness as the expression in verse 19. Hence, the image of God is the expression of God, and this expression is the fullness of God. The fullness of God is seen in the old creation because Christ is the firstborn of creation and also in the new creation because Christ is the firstborn from among the dead. For this reason, verse 19 speaks of all the fullness. All the fullness was pleased to dwell in the all-inclusive Christ.
If we have the proper spiritual perspective, we shall see Christ when we look at the universe. Likewise, when we consider the church, we shall also see Christ. Both in the universe and in the church there is the fullness of God, His expression. This expression is the very Christ who is the image of the invisible God.
Every thoughtful person realizes that there is some kind of expression in the universe. The more we consider the universe, the more we are conscious that it is the expression of something. According to Colossians, the universe is the expression of the fullness of the invisible God. In the same principle, when we view the proper church life, we are also conscious of a certain expression. This expression is also that of the image of the invisible God. This image is Christ. Because Christ is the firstborn of both the old creation and the new creation, He is the expression of the invisible God.
Colossians 1:19 says that all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ. This thought is echoed in 2:9, where Paul says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The fullness both in the old creation and in the new creation dwells in Christ. This fullness refers not to the riches of God, but to the expression of these riches. The expression of God’s riches dwells in Christ.
Many Christians speak of the indwelling Christ without realizing that the Christ who indwells them is the all-inclusive One. If some were asked what kind of Christ lives in them, they would speak only of Christ as the Savior and the Redeemer. This, of course, is not wrong, but it is very inadequate. When Paul says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27), he is referring to a very rich Christ, to the Christ who is our good land, the expression of the invisible God, the firstborn of both the old creation and the new creation, and the One in whom all the fullness is pleased to dwell. Even these items do not exhaust all that Christ is. It is the Christ with all these aspects who dwells in us to be our hope of glory.
Many Christians, even Christian pastors and ministers, do not know what the mystery of God’s economy is. Some are not even familiar with this term. The mystery of God’s economy is Christ. The Christ who indwells us is the mystery of this economy, an economy that involves God’s administration of the whole universe. How profound! God has a universal economy, and the center, the focal point, of this economy is Christ. Furthermore, this economy is abstract, profound, and mysterious. The mystery of this universal economy, its indescribable element, is Christ. The Colossians were very foolish in turning from such a Christ to Gnosticism, mysticism, and asceticism. What need did they have for philosophy when they had the very Christ who is the mystery of God’s universal economy? How vital it is for us to realize that the very Christ who is the mystery of God’s economy dwells in us!
In 2:2 Paul speaks of the “full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” As the mystery of God, Christ is the embodiment of God and also the life-giving Spirit. Although we find it easy to speak of many things, it is difficult for us to speak of Christ as God’s mystery. Concerning this, our mind is like a block of marble that is not able to absorb liquid. Although we may hear message after message about Christ as the mystery of God, we may not apprehend anything we hear. Many years ago I met a certain brother who was fond of repeating the phrase, “Christ in me, the hope of glory.” However, this brother had very little knowledge of Christ. Although he liked to talk about the indwelling Christ, he did not truly know Christ in this aspect. He did not realize that the Christ who lived in Him is the very mystery of God.
Colossians 2:16 and 17 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 Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” These verses indicate that Christ is the reality of all positive things. He is the real sun, air, water, food, flowers, and trees. Compared to Christ, all the different trees are shadows. He is the real apple tree, fig tree, olive tree, pomegranate tree, and vine tree. In fact, He is the tree of life. He is also the reality of all the positive people in the Old Testament. For example, He is both the greater Solomon and the greater Jonah (Matt. 12:41-42).
In this Epistle, Paul was telling the Colossians that they were misguided in turning away from such an all-inclusive Christ to philosophy, observances, and the worship of angels. Why should they be subject to regulations about eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths when all such things are shadows of spiritual things in Christ? There was no need for the Colossians to go back to those things because they had Christ, and Christ is everything.
In 3:10 and 11 Paul speaks of the new man, “where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” This indicates that Christ is the constituent of the new man. The new man is constituted with Christ as his essence and his very element. There was no need for the Colossians to be occupied with natural or cultural differences among the various peoples. In the new man there is room only for Christ. Because Christ is all and in all in the new man, there is no room for the natural man in any way. Christ is every member, and He is in every member. The Christ who indwells us is such a constituent of the new man.
What a Christ we have within us! The Christ who in- dwells us has all the aspects covered in this message. He is the portion of the saints, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the firstborn from among the dead, the One in whom God’s fullness dwells, the mystery of God’s economy, the mystery of God, the reality of all positive things, and the constituent of the new man. Although all these aspects of Christ are revealed in the book of Colossians, we did not see most of them because they are not according to our natural concept. What corresponds to our concept is Paul’s teaching about wives submitting to their husbands, and husbands loving their wives. Even without reading the Scriptures, we have concepts about these matters. Instead of taking Paul’s word in Colossians for granted, we should dig into this book in order to discover for ourselves all these aspects of Christ. Then we need to praise the Lord and worship Him according to these aspects. We should say, “Lord, I worship You that You are the portion of the saints. I praise You that You are the image of the invisible God.” How good to worship the Lord in this way!
If we know Christ in all these aspects, the praise we offer at the Lord’s table meeting will be uplifted. I have been attending the meeting for the Lord’s table for more than forty-seven years, and in all these meetings I have listened to the saints praising the Lord. Most of the praises have been on an elementary level. For example, in meeting after meeting the saints may praise the Lord for the blood. This certainly is not wrong. But if we remain on this level, our praise will be shallow. We need to remember the Lord and to praise Him according to the revelation contained in the book of Colossians. We need to use expressions such as those in this stanza from hymn #189 in the hymnal:
Thou art the Son beloved, The image of our God;Thou art the saints’ dear portion,Imparted through Thy blood.Among all God’s creationThou art the firstborn One;By thee all was created,All for thyself to own.
At the Lord’s table we need to remember the Lord as the portion of the saints, as the image of God, as the mystery of God’s economy, and as the reality of all positive things. May the Lord enrich our praise!
The all-inclusive Christ who indwells us is the processed God (John 14:8-11, 16-20; Matt. 28:19). He has been processed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, and now He is in ascension.
As we have pointed out repeatedly, the indwelling Christ is also the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). This Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit with the bountiful supply (Phil. 1:19), is also the compound Spirit. In Exodus 30:23-30 we have a picture of this compound Spirit. According to this portion of the Word, the holy anointing oil was made by blending four spices with olive oil. Together the spices and the oil formed a compound, an ointment used to anoint the priests, the tabernacle, and everything related to the tabernacle. The oil typifies the Spirit of God, and the four spices typify Christ in His divinity and His humanity with the effectiveness of His death and the power of His resurrection. The compound Spirit typified by the ointment is the very Spirit spoken of in John 7:39. At the time of John 7:39, the compound Spirit was “not yet” because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Now, after the glorification of Christ, the Spirit is no longer simply the Spirit of God; He is the compound Spirit, the Spirit of God compounded with Christ’s humanity, the effectiveness of His death, and the power of His resurrection. As the processed God, Christ is such a compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit.
Christ now dwells in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22) to be one spirit with us (1 Cor. 6:17). As the life-giving Spirit mingled with our spirit, He is our life and our person (Col. 3:4; Eph. 3:17).
In 1:27 Paul says not only that Christ dwells within us, but also that He dwells within us as our hope of glory. Christ can be our hope of glory because He dwells in our spirit to be our life and our person. According to 3:4, when Christ our life is manifested, we also shall be manifested with Him in glory. He will appear to be glorified in our redeemed and transfigured body (Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:21; 2 Thes. 1:10). When Christ comes, we shall be glorified in Him, and He will be glorified in us. This indicates that the indwelling Christ will saturate our entire being, including our physical body. This will cause our body to be transfigured and to become like His glorious body. At that time Christ will be glorified in us. This is Christ in us as the hope of glory.
