Scripture Reading: Col. 3:4, 10-15; 1:25-27
The book of Colossians can be divided into four sections. The first section is the introduction (Col. 1:1-8), and the last is the conclusion (Col. 4:7-18). The second section (1:9—3:11) is focused on Christ as the preeminent and all-inclusive One, the centrality and universality of God. This section is the center of the Epistle to the Colossians and contains its subject. The third section (3:12—4:6) covers the living of the saints in union with Christ. In this book we have a full revelation of Christ. Then we are told of the kind of living we should have in union with Christ. If we truly know Christ and experience Him, we shall live in union with Him.
In 1:9—3:11 we see seven major aspects of Christ: that Christ is the portion of the saints (Col. 1:9-14), that He is the first both in creation and in resurrection (Col. 1:15-23), that He is the mystery of God’s economy (Col. 1:24-29), that He is the mystery of God (Col. 2:1-7), that He is the body of all the shadows (Col. 2:8-23), that He is the life of the saints (Col. 3:1-4), and that He is the constituent of the new man (Col. 3:5-11). These aspects of Christ are presented in a marvelous sequence. First we see that Christ is the portion of the saints and last that He is the constituent of the new man. This indicates that the ultimate issue of enjoying Christ as our portion is that we experience Him as the content and constituent of the new man. Whenever we enjoy Christ, there is a definite result, an issue, of this enjoyment. To say that the enjoyment of Christ as the portion of the saints results in the experience of Christ as the constituent of the new man indicates that the enjoyment of Christ results in the church life. However, we should be careful not to reduce the profoundness of the revelation in Colossians. Paul does not tell us in an elementary way that if we enjoy Christ, the church will come into being. This, of course, is true, but such an understanding falls short of the revelation here. Christ is the all-inclusive portion of the saints, typified by the good land. If we enjoy Christ as such a portion, the result will be the new man with Christ as the content. Ultimately, the Christ we enjoy as our portion becomes the constituent of the new man. In this new man Christ is all and in all. Hence, it is crucial for us to learn to live Christ as the constituent of the new man.
If we would live Christ as the constituent of the new man, we need to be ruled by the peace of Christ (Col. 3:12-15) and inhabited by the word of Christ (Col. 3:16-17). The peace of Christ must arbitrate within our being, and the word of Christ must dwell in us richly. As Christians, we have different backgrounds and different concepts. These differences lead to disagreements among us; therefore, there is the need for an arbitrator. This arbitrator is the peace of Christ. It is crucial that the peace of Christ be allowed to preside in our hearts and to speak the final word regarding any controversy among us.
If we remember the background of the book of Colossians, we shall realize that among the believers in Colosse there were various parties. One party was in favor of Jewish observances, whereas another favored Gnosticism. These different preferences gave rise to conflicting opinions. For this reason, Paul told them to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in their hearts. The arbitrator should not be their opinions, concepts, choices, or preferences; it should be the peace of Christ, to which we are called in one Body.
We have pointed out that the peace of Christ is the very peace to which Paul refers in Eph. 2:15, where we are told that Christ “abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, making peace.” This peace is the oneness of the new man, the Body. By abolishing the ordinances, Christ has created the different peoples into one new man. Now within us as members of the new man there is something which Paul terms the peace of Christ. Hence, the peace of Christ is the very oneness of the new man composed of different peoples. Apart from the work of Christ on the cross, there can be no oneness among the different peoples. But through His death Christ has made peace; that is, He has produced oneness. This oneness of the new man is now within us. This oneness, the peace of Christ, must now be permitted to arbitrate in our hearts. It should function as a referee to settle the disputes among various parties. We need to set aside our opinion, our concept, and listen to the word of the indwelling referee. There is no need for us to quarrel or to express our opinion. We should simply let the peace of Christ make the final decision.
Suppose several young brothers are living together in a brothers’ house. Whenever they have problems living together, they should not argue. Instead, they should allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in their hearts. They should let this peace be the referee who makes the final decisions. In this way, they will live Christ as the constituent of the new man.
We also need to allow the word of Christ to inhabit us, to dwell in us, to make home in us. We must be willing to set aside our concepts, our opinions, and give place to the word of Christ. If we want the word of Christ to inhabit us, we need to empty our entire inner being. All of our inward parts — our mind, emotion, will, heart, and spirit — must be empty, available to be filled with the word of Christ. This word should not only dwell in us; it should also inhabit us, making its home in every part of our inner being. Oh, may every room and corner of our being be inhabited by the word of Christ!
If we would live Christ as the constituent of the new man, the peace of Christ must be the arbitrator in our heart, and the word of Christ must be the content of our inner being. We pray that all the saints in the Lord’s recovery will give place to the arbitrating peace of Christ and to the inhabiting word of Christ.
We have pointed out that Paul’s intention in the book of Colossians is to complete the word of God. This was his main purpose in writing this Epistle. In 1:25 and 26 Paul says, “I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now has been manifested to His saints.” These verses indicate that the word of God completed by Paul is the mystery now manifested to the saints. Furthermore, according to verse 27, this mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory. The goal of this mystery is to produce the church.
At the time the book of Colossians was written, Judaism had been in existence for centuries, and the church had come into being. Nevertheless, even though the church had come into being, the word of God had not yet been completed. Paul was troubled by the situation at Colosse. The Jewish and Gentile believers were neglecting Christ and the church; they were focusing their attention on such things as Judaistic observances and heathen philosophy. Many people, Jews and Christians alike, claimed to know God and to worship Him. However, Christ was being neglected and the genuine church life was being set aside. Therefore, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Colossians in order to complete the word of God.
In principle, the situation today is the same as that in Colosse at the time Paul wrote to the Colossians. Judaism and Christianity have been on earth for centuries. Although the Jews have the Old Testament and the Christians have the entire Bible, very few people truly are experiencing Christ for the proper church life. Christ is still neglected, and the church life is still ignored. Hence, there is still the need for the word of God to be completed in a practical way.
What is the completion of the word of God, the completion of the divine revelation? In simple terms, to complete the word of God is to experience Christ subjectively and to enjoy Him in our daily living so that the proper church life may come forth to express God. This revelation is the completion of the word of God.
Christians today are involved in many different kinds of work for the Lord. But where is the experience of Christ, and where is the practice of the church life? Paul knew that neither Judaism nor any other religion could fulfill the desire of God’s heart. God’s desire is to have the church life produced through His people’s personal experience of Christ. God wants an organism, the Body of Christ, brought forth through the experience of Christ. At the time of Paul, there were many Jews and a good number of Christians as well. But as Paul considered the situation, he could have asked, “Where is the experience of Christ, and where is the church to fulfill the desire of God’s heart?” We should ask the same questions today.
We need to admit that we ourselves are short of the experience of Christ. We have been enlightened to see that God does not want anything other than Christ for the church life. However, in our experience we are still short of Christ. This means that, in a very practical sense, we also are short of the completion of the word of God. We lack Christ for the producing of the church. We know that only one thing matters — Christ for the church. However, we are still short of Christ. Before we can minister Christ to others, we need to minister Him to ourselves. In order to do this, we need to spend more time pray-reading and fellowshipping concerning the book of Colossians. If we do this, we shall begin to experience the riches of Christ contained in this book. Then we shall begin to have the adequate experience of Christ for the proper church life.
Because the Colossians did not have the adequate experience of Christ for the church life, things other than Christ crept into the church. It is the same among Christians today. God’s people have some knowledge of the Bible, and they know God to a certain degree. But very few experience Christ as the life-giving Spirit in a living and practical way in their daily life. It is crucial that we have the practical experience of Christ revealed in Colossians. We need to daily enjoy the preeminent and all-inclusive Christ who is the constituent of the new man. We all need to pray to have more real and living experience of Christ daily. If we experience Christ in our daily life, we shall have more to share of Christ in the meetings of the church. Eventually, the church life will be enriched through our experience of Christ.
The problem in Colosse was not sinfulness, as in Corinth; it was culture. Asceticism and philosophy are two of the leading products of culture. Uncultured people are wild, altogether without any form of asceticism. Furthermore, those of a low culture do not have philosophy. The more cultured people are, the more highly developed their philosophy is. The Greeks are strong in philosophy, whereas the Jews are known for their religious observances. Most religious observances are related to the putting down of the flesh and to the suppression of the self. The church in Colosse was composed of both Greeks and Jews. With the Greeks the problem was philosophy, but with the Jews the problem was religious practices. This indicates that various cultural practices had invaded the church life and pervaded it.
In 3:10 and 11 Paul says that in the new man “there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” To say that there is no room for Greek and Jew means that there is no room for philosophy and for religious observances. If you compare Colossians 3:11 with parallel passages such as 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:28, you will find that only in Colossians does Paul mention barbarian and Scythian. The Colossian believers devoted much attention to matters of culture and did not want to be like barbarians or Scythians. Hence, Paul pointed out that in the church as the new man, there is no room for either the cultured or the uncultured. There is no place for philosophy, asceticism, or observances. In the new man Christ is all and in all. The new man is constituted of Christ, not with any element of culture.
The Colossians were not sinful like some of those in Corinth. However, the believers in Colosse replaced Christ, the constituent of the new man, with various aspects of culture. Some treasured philosophy, whereas others treasured religious observances. These things were allowed to come into the church life as substitutes for Christ. But in the new man there is room for nothing other than Christ.
This understanding of the constituent of the new man should not be mere doctrine to us. We need to realize that every one of us has his own type of philosophy and asceticism. The fact that we are critical of others proves that we hold on to our own philosophy. Moreover, humanly speaking, it is better to have philosophy and asceticism than to be uncultured. At Corinth there was fornication, but in Colosse the people were cultured and self-controlled. However, their culture and their refinement had become a substitute for Christ. No matter how high their culture was, it was not Christ.
Do not regard your asceticism as something of Christ. You may beautify your asceticism by claiming that it is the bearing of the cross. But even what is termed bearing the cross or denying the self may actually be subtle forms of asceticism. For example, when a brother’s wife gives him a difficult time, he may suppress his anger. This is asceticism. It is neither the bearing of the cross nor the denial of the self. As the brother is suppressing himself, he may say inwardly, “I will not lose my temper. I will not fight with my wife or argue with her.” This brother may seem to be victorious. But the praise for this so-called victory should not be given to Christ; instead, it should go to this brother’s asceticism. In that particular situation he used his philosophy and asceticism in place of Christ.
In my experience I have learned the difference between the suppressing of the self and living by Christ. Now, instead of trying to suppress myself, I turn to the Lord and say, “Lord Jesus, You are here. I need You to live in me.” Then I am not living by my philosophy or asceticism, but by Christ as the life-giving Spirit.
The Christian life is not a life of isms or practices. It is a life of Christ as a living Person. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The actual living of Christ in us is very different from asceticism, suppressing the self, denying the self, and the so-called bearing of the cross. What a tremendous difference there is between God’s salvation and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism! God’s salvation is a matter of Christ living in us. In God’s salvation there is no room for our efforts and practices. God’s salvation is a matter of Christ alone. Instead of trying to deny the self and bear the cross in a religious way, we should simply allow the living Person of Christ to live in us moment by moment. If your wife gives you a difficult time, do not try to do anything. Simply allow Christ to live in you. The Christian life is absolutely a matter of a living Person living in us.
In the Gospels we are told to deny the self and to take up the cross. However, it is easy for us to apply these words according to our natural understanding. But to live Christ is not according to the natural concept. In the natural concept there is the thought of denying the self and of suppressing the indulgence of the flesh. But there is no thought of Christ as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit being the living Person in our spirit. Having been processed through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ is now the Spirit in our spirit to be our life in a practical way.
It is possible to have a doctrinal knowledge that the Christian life is Christ living in us. But in our daily living we may actually live according to certain practices. Instead of living Christ, we may endeavor to deny the self or to bear the cross. Hence, we may actually live according to our philosophy and asceticism. This means that in our practical daily life Christ is replaced by our own personal philosophy and asceticism.
In the book of Colossians Paul points out that Christ must be all and in all. In the new man there is no room for culture or personal practices. God’s intention in His economy is for Christ to be everything. Christ should be our life, our living, our patience, our holiness, our kindness. Christ should be the way we deal with our wife or husband. Moment by moment in our daily living, Christ should be everything we need. Instead of living by certain practices, we should simply live Christ.
It is significant that after covering so many important matters in Colossians, Paul speaks of the peace of Christ arbitrating in our hearts and the word of Christ inhabiting us richly. Whenever we think that our philosophy is better than that of others, we become critical. This was the situation among the Colossians. There was rivalry and criticism between those with a Greek background and those with a Jewish background. This was the reason Paul told them to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in them. He was encouraging the saints to forget their philosophy and culture. Culture and philosophy are not to be the standard or the referee. The referee is the peace of Christ. We need to drop our cultural practices and allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts. It seems as if Paul was saying to the saints in Colosse, “Let the peace of Christ preside in you. You believers in Colosse have been taking philosophy as the standard. You must let the peace of Christ be your standard. You need to drop your culture and your philosophy.”
In 3:16 Paul goes on to charge the saints, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Negatively, we must set aside our cultural standards, and positively, we need to be filled with the word of Christ. This means that we must allow the word of Christ to fill our mind, emotion, will, thought, and consideration. Every fiber of our being needs to be occupied by the word of Christ.
God’s desire is that we live Christ moment by moment and leave no room for culture and philosophy. Our only practice should be the living Person of Christ Himself. Second, we should lay aside our cultural standards. Our standard should not be any form of culture; it should be the indwelling peace of Christ. Third, we need to allow the word of Christ to fill our entire being. We need to let our whole being be permeated and saturated with the word of Christ. If we do these three things, we shall experience Christ spontaneously. Not only shall we have a lofty revelation of Christ, but we shall also experience Him in a practical way in our daily life.
