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Scripture Reading: Col. 2:2-4, 6-10, 16-22; 3:4, 10-11, 15-16
In 2:3 Paul tells us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. In verse 4 he goes on to say, “This I say that no one may delude you with persuasive speech.” This indicates that at that time in Colosse the saints were being deluded through persuasive speech.
In verse 8 Paul says, “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.” In this verse Paul gives us a serious warning about being carried off as prey through someone’s philosophy and empty words. Such philosophy and empty deceit are according to the tradition of men.
Tradition is related to culture and has its source in culture. There can be no tradition apart from culture. Both religious people and philosophical ones are strong in their tradition. The more cultured we are, the more traditions we have. All peoples have their particular traditions. In ancient times the Jews had their traditions, and the Greeks had theirs. Furthermore, believers today have their Christian traditions, and we all have our individual traditions. The only way to have no tradition is to not have any culture. As long as we have some kind of culture, we shall have traditions. Some of our traditions may even be self-made and self-imposed. All traditions are according to man, for God does not have any traditions. Therefore, there are no traditions that are according to God.
In 2:8 the phrase “according to the elements of the world” is in apposition to “according to the tradition of men.” This indicates that the tradition of men and the elements of the world are identical. The world here refers not to the physical world, but to fallen mankind, the same as in John 3:16. The traditions are equal to the elements, and the men are equal to the world. Hence, the tradition of men is synonymous with the elements of the world.
In this verse Paul points out that philosophy and empty deceit are not according to Christ. The expression “according to Christ” is very important. It indicates that everything should be estimated and evaluated according to Christ. As we consider ourselves, our families, situations, and environment, we should evaluate them, not according to the tradition of men, but according to Christ.
Verse 16 says, “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.” Here we see the matter of judgments and opinions. We make judgments because we insist on certain things. For example, if we insist on a certain way of eating, we shall make judgments according to what we insist on. On the other hand, we shall be judged by others because of it. If I insist that all the saints eat Cantonese food, I shall be judged by them. But if I do not insist on any particular kind of food, I shall not be criticized with respect to food. The same is true regarding drinking and the observing of days.
To say that we do not insist on anything means that we are neither religious nor philosophical. Those who are religious or philosophical always insist on certain things. Their insisting causes others to judge them and criticize them. Hence, if we are not to let others judge us, we ourselves should not insist on certain things.
In verse 17 Paul says that the items in the foregoing verse “are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” We should not care for anything in place of Christ. If we care only for Christ, we shall not be judged.
Four times in chapter two Paul uses the words “no one.” In 2:4 he says that we should let no one delude us; in 2:8, that we should let no one carry us off as spoil; in 2:16, that we should let no one judge us; and, finally, in 2:18, that we should let no one purposely defraud us of our prize in humility and worship of the angels.
In verses 20 and 21 Paul asks us why we subject ourselves to ordinances about handling, tasting, and touching, since we have died with Christ from the elements of the world. In verse 22 we see that such ordinances are according to the commandments and teachings of men. We have pointed out that the elements of the world are man’s traditions.
Paul wrote this Epistle because the tradition of men, the elements of the world, were prevailing in Colosse. The saints were being deluded and carried off as prey. Furthermore, they were being judged and defrauded of their prize. The best inventions of culture were deceiving the saints and depriving them of Christ. These aspects of culture were replacing Christ. In the experience of the saints, they had become substitutes for Christ. Therefore, Paul wrote this book to deal with this problem.
In Colossians, a book that is higher in revelation than either 1 Corinthians or Galatians, Paul deals with culture made up of religion and philosophy. For human society, philosophy and religion are necessary and good. If society were without religion and philosophy, people would be barbaric. They would behave like wild beasts. Although religion and philosophy are necessary for human society, there is no place for them in the church life. These two things are substitutes for Christ. The church needs Christ, a living, all-inclusive Person, not religion or philosophy.
Some of Paul’s statements in the book of Colossians have troubled theologians and Bible translators. One especially troubling expression is the “firstborn of all creation” (1:15). Although some theologians talk freely about Christ as the image of the invisible God, they are reluctant to expound this troubling phrase. But Paul says that the One who is the image of the invisible God is the firstborn of all creation. Theologians may be happy to point out that as the firstborn from among the dead, Christ was the first to be resurrected. However, very few are willing to point out that, as the firstborn of all creation, Christ is also the first of the creatures. Anyone who follows Paul to make such a statement may be condemned as heretical. Nevertheless, we cannot remove from our Bibles Paul’s word which says that Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
In 1:16 Paul tells us that all things were created in Christ. This includes things both in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible. Even those things which Jews regard as unclean, including turtles, frogs, snakes, and swine, were among the things created in Christ. The first time I read this verse according to the Greek-English Interlinear translation, I was greatly surprised. I said to myself, “Is Paul saying that even turtles and snakes were created in Christ?” No doubt Paul’s word includes these creatures also. Colossians 1:16 is a hard blow to Gnostic philosophy. We have pointed out that, according to Gnosticism, the material world, including man’s body, is inherently evil. But Paul declares that all things were created in Christ and that Christ Himself is the firstborn of all creation. These statements deal with the concepts of both Greeks and Jews. Since all things were created in Christ, we should not regard creation as intrinsically evil, nor despise any aspect of God’s creation in Christ.
Paul’s desire concerning the Colossians was that they would not teach others according to the tradition of men, but only according to Christ. It is crucial for us to learn to estimate all things and to evaluate them, not according to our cultural mentality, but according to Christ. For example, our viewpoint with respect to marriage should be not according to our culture; it should be according to Christ. I very much appreciate the expression “according to Christ.” We should not allow anything to be a substitute for Christ or to replace Him. Christ and Christ alone is the standard and basis of measurement. This means that we should not evaluate things according to culture, according to tradition or the elements of the world. In the church Christ is the only measurement, standard, and basis. This is a basic principle in the practice of the church life.
In Colosse culture had pervaded the church, replaced Christ, and carried off the saints as a prey. The saints were distracted from Christ, not by sin or worldliness, but by some of the most developed aspects of culture. The principle is the same today. Although we in the church life hate sin, not many of us hate culture. On the contrary, subconsciously and unconsciously we all treasure our culture. We place a high value on our particular cultural background. In the church life Christ is replaced more by culture than by anything else. We live according to culture much more than we live according to Christ.
After Paul points out in chapter one that Christ is the firstborn of all creation, that all things were created in Him, through Him, and unto Him, and that all things subsist in Him, he tells us that the all-inclusive Christ is the mystery of God’s economy. God intends to work Christ into us. Christ is in us to be our hope of glory. Now we need to grow in Him until we reach maturity and are full-grown. Hence, God’s economy is focused on Christ.
In 2:2 Paul goes on to say that Christ is the mystery of God. Embodied in Christ is all that God is and has. As the mystery of God, Christ is the embodiment, definition, and explanation of God. All that God intends to do is related to Christ.
Furthermore, this One who is the mystery and embodiment of God is the reality of all positive things. Referring to the items listed in 2:16, Paul says in verse 17 that these “are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” Eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths are all shadows of which Christ is the body, the reality, the substance. Christ is the real food and the real drink. He is also the real feast, the real new moon, and the real Sabbath. As the embodiment of God, Christ is the reality of every positive thing. Hence, there is no room for Jewish religion or Greek philosophy. There is room only for the all-inclusive Christ. Although Paul was once very strong in Judaism, when he received the revelation concerning Christ, he realized that both Greek philosophy and Jewish tradition were nothing. In God’s economy only Christ counts for anything.
In 2:6 Paul says, “As therefore you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” The first thing we do concerning Christ is receive Him. Then we need to walk in Him. Christ is not only our life; He is our territory, our realm, our sphere, in which we walk. In their experience many believers have received Christ as Redeemer, Savior, and life. But we also need to receive Him as the mystery of God, God’s embodiment, and as the reality of all positive things.
We need to apply the matter of experiencing Christ as the reality of every positive thing to every part of our daily life. As we eat our meals, we should take Christ as the real food. Instead of saying a word of grace in a traditional way, we should speak something higher according to the revelation in Colossians: “Lord Jesus, I do not simply thank You for this food and take it into me. Lord, I take You as the reality of this food.” We who believe in Christ should consider all things and evaluate all things according to Christ, who is everything to us in a practical way. If we consider all things according to Christ, our daily living will be changed.
In 2:3 Paul tells us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Then he goes on to warn us about being deluded from Christ through someone’s persuasive speech. We must not allow religion or philosophy to delude us and to carry us away from Christ. We should not turn from Christ to any kind of culture. Christ, the mystery of God and the substance of every positive thing, is everything to us: food, clothing, housing, transportation. As we consider all the positive things in the universe, we should evaluate them according to Christ. What a tremendous revelation this is! The Christ we received is not a narrow Christ. On the contrary, He is unlimited, all-inclusive. He is not only our Redeemer, Savior, and life — He is everything to us. What a full and rich Christ we have received!
Having received such a Christ, we should now walk in Him. Many Christians think of the Christ they have received only as their Redeemer, Savior, and life. They appreciate Him as the Redeemer who shed His blood for them, and as the Savior who saved them from sin. However, they do not realize that the very Christ whom they have received is the embodiment of God and the reality of all positive things. We need to walk in such an all-inclusive Christ. When you eat, walk in Him. When you dress yourself, walk in Him. Walk in Him when you converse with your husband or wife.
We need to be those who are filled with Christ, saturated with Christ, clothed with Christ, and fully taken over by Christ. Many of us in the Lord’s recovery are not yet saturated with Christ. In the church meetings we may pray in Christ or sing in Christ. But as soon as we get back home, we may neglect Christ altogether and live according to our culture. In the meetings we may proclaim that to us to live is Christ. But in our daily life, especially at home, we may live by the self, not by Christ. What a difference there would be if in our daily living at home we would live by Christ! While a sister is cooking, she may realize that to her to cook in the kitchen is Christ. If we all exercise to live by Christ day by day, we shall live Christ, grow Christ, and produce Christ. In daily life we need to see Christ in all things and walk in Him.
In 2:7 Paul speaks of being rooted in Christ. We are plants rooted in Christ as the real soil. Christ is the earth in which we grow. Furthermore, Christ is all that we need for growth. He is our fertilizer, our water, and our life supply.
In 2:10 Paul goes on to say that in Christ we are made full. However, I doubt that any one of us dares to say that we are full, for we do not yet have the full experience of Christ. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily, and we are made full in Him. In our experience, we need to receive Him, walk in Him, be rooted in Him, and then be made full in Him. I hope that in the church meetings there will be many testimonies of how we have been made full in Christ. There should be testimonies of how we have been made full in knowledge, wisdom, patience, kindness, lowliness, humility, love, discernment. We are short of such testimonies because we are short in our experience of Christ. Day by day we are not being made full in Him. Instead of being full in so many things, we are short of those things. For example, instead of being full of discernment in handling situations, we are lacking in discernment. As you listen to the testimonies of the saints, you can realize that most of us are short in the daily experience of Christ. Many of us still do not realize adequately that the Christ we have received is the all-inclusive One in whom we should walk. But if we walk in such a Christ, having been rooted in Him, we shall be made full in Him.
We have pointed out that Christ is the reality, the substance, of all shadows. Seeing this, we should no longer care for the shadows — we should care for the all-inclusive Christ. Our concern should not be simply to become holy, spiritual, and victorious; it should be to possess and experience the all-inclusive Christ. We need to look to the Lord for mercy and grace to experience such a Christ.
In chapter three we see that Christ is our life and the constituent of the new man. The new man, which is the church, the Body of Christ, is constituted of the Christ who is our life. He lives in us, and we live in Him. Apart from such a Christ, what else do we want? I can testify that I want nothing other than the all-inclusive Christ who is my life and the constituent of the new man.
In 3:15 Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body.” In Ephesians 2 we are told that on the cross Christ has made peace. We should allow this very peace to arbitrate in us. This implies that we set aside our opinions. The Greeks must forget their philosophy, and the Jews must forget their observances. Instead of paying attention to philosophy and observances, we should take heed to the indwelling peace of Christ. On the cross, Christ nullified the ordinances and abolished the philosophical concepts. Christ abolished the differences among peoples in order to create in Himself the one new man. The peace produced through the abolishing of cultural differences should now arbitrate in our hearts. We should let this peace be the referee, the arbitrator, within us. When the peace of Christ arbitrates in us, all opinions will be subdued.
We expect that the churches in the Lord’s recovery will gradually increase in number. No doubt, people with different backgrounds will come into the church life. Different people have different opinions. Instead of arguing over these opinions, we should let the peace of Christ arbitrate in us. Let us all say, “Lord Jesus, I love You. Lord, I care not for my opinion or judgment; I care for Your peace. I am not for my preference. I want Your peace to arbitrate in me, to rule in me, and to make all the decisions.”
In 3:16 Paul continues, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” We need to allow the word of Christ to inhabit us. We should not be filled with Jewish tradition or Greek philosophy, but with the word of Christ. We are containers of the word of Christ, not of philosophy or religion. We need to be emptied of all such things in order to be filled with the word of Christ. If we allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in us and if we are filled with the word of Christ, we shall have the new man in a practical way. All the saints in all the churches throughout the Lord’s recovery will be living Christ in the one new man. One day the Christ who is our life will appear in glory, and we shall appear in glory with Him (3:4). But today we need to live by Him. We care for Him as our life and as the constituent of the new man, not for our background, culture, opinion, and judgment. We want His peace to arbitrate in us and His word to fill us.
We have pointed out again and again that in the new man there is no room for Jews or Greeks, circumcision or uncircumcision, cultured or uncultured, slaves or masters (3:11). In the new man there is room only for Christ. Therefore, in the new man Christ is all and in all. He is every part of the new man, and He is in every part. This should not simply be a teaching, but our experience in a practical way day by day. May we all have a full experience of the all-inclusive Christ, the Christ who is everything to us.
