Scripture Reading: Col. 1:15-19, 25-29; 2:2b, Col. 2:6, 9, 18, 23
Although the book of Colossians is short, the revelation it contains is higher than that in any other book in the Bible. The Bible may be compared to Mount Zion, which has a number of peaks. The highest “peak” in the Bible is Colossians.
If we compare Colossians with the Gospel of John, we shall be helped to realize how high is the revelation in Colossians. Most of us appreciate the Gospel of John because it is a book of life. It is also a book of the mystery of life. Although the Gospel of John is mysterious, the revelation it contains cannot compare with the revelation in Colossians. John’s Gospel opens with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In 1:18 John goes on to say, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” Colossians does not tell us that the Word was God, but it does speak of Christ as “the image of the invisible God” (1:15). Paul’s utterance and expression here are marvelous. Then, in apposition to this clause, Paul continues in the same verse by speaking of Christ as the “firstborn of all creation.” This indicates that the “firstborn of all creation” is synonymous with “the image of the invisible God.” This proves that the firstborn of all creation is the very image of the invisible God.
John 1:3 says, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being which has come into being.” Compare this with Paul’s word in Colossians 1:16 and 17: “Because in Him were all things created in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and unto Him. And He is before all things, and all things subsist together in Him.” It is rather easy to recite John 1:3, but it is difficult to recite Colossians 1:16 and 17, verses which are far more complicated. According to Colossians, the very Christ whom we have received as our Savior and our life is the image of the invisible God. Furthermore, the One who is the image of God is the firstborn of all creation because in Him, through Him, and unto Him all things have been created. Furthermore, we see from 1:17 that Christ is before all things and that all things subsist together in Him. This word points to Christ’s eternal preexistence and to the fact that all things exist together by Christ as the holding center, just as the spokes of a wheel are held together by the hub at their center. Such a revelation as given in these verses is beyond our ability to understand fully.
In 1:18 Paul goes on to say that Christ is the Head of the Body, the church, and that He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead. Then in verse 19 we read, “For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” The fullness has more than one aspect. Therefore, Paul is careful to point out that all the fullness, the fullness with its various aspects, is pleased to dwell in Christ. The different aspects of the fullness include the fullness in the firstborn of all creation, the fullness in Christ’s being before all things, the fullness in creation’s being in Him, through Him, and unto Him, the fullness in being the firstborn from among the dead, and the fullness in His being the Head of the church. All this fullness was pleased not only to dwell in Christ, but also to reconcile all things to Himself. Where else can we find a revelation to compare with this?
In contrast to the Gospel of John, Colossians does not use simple words, expressions, and sentences. The sentences in this Epistle are complicated and often include many phrases and clauses. In fact, all the verses from 1:9 through 20 should be regarded as a single sentence. This is much different from the simple expressions in the Gospel of John: “I am the bread of life,” “I am the light,” “I am the door.”
In 1:25 we see that Paul became a minister according to the stewardship of God “to complete the word of God.” The word of God is the divine revelation. No doubt Colossians is part of the completion of God’s revelation through Paul. Without this Epistle, the divine revelation would not be complete. Because Colossians is part of the completion of the divine revelation, the revelation in this book is exceedingly high and rich. Because this revelation is so high and because Paul’s writing is complicated, not many Christians have a proper understanding of this book. We believe that now, at the close of this age, the Lord is opening this book for the sake of His purpose.
In chapter one of Colossians we have a high revelation of who Christ is and of what Christ is. Actually, this book reveals more concerning what Christ is than who He is. Most Christians, however, only know who Christ is; they have little knowledge of what He is. But if we would know the all-inclusive Christ, we must know what He is as well as who He is. It is easier to know who Christ is than to know what He is. In Colossians 1 we see that Christ is the portion of the saints (v. 12), the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the Head of the Body, the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, and the One in whom all the fullness was pleased to dwell. Is this fullness related to what Christ is or to who Christ is? It is difficult to say. It seems, however, that Paul personified the fullness. This indicates that he considered the fullness a Person, for the fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ and to reconcile all things. These are the functions of a living Person, not of a thing. As we consider the aspects of Christ unfolded in chapter one, we find that some are related to who Christ is, whereas others are related to what He is.
The revelation of Christ given thus far in Colossians is altogether objective. For example, Christ is objectively the image of God and the firstborn of all creation. However, in verses 24 through 29 we have the stewardship, the economy, the dispensation, through which the objective Christ is dispensed into us. The Christ revealed objectively in verses 15 through 19 is ministered into us in a subjective way through the ministry of God’s steward in verses 25 through 29. Therefore, in Colossians 1 we have both the objective revelation and the subjective ministry. The goal of the subjective ministry is to dispense the Christ of the objective revelation into us. If we had verses 15 through 19 without verses 25 through 29, we would have only the objective revelation, not the subjective ministry. We need the subjective ministry in order for the all-inclusive Christ revealed objectively to be supplied to us.
The subjective ministry of the objective Christ is the completing of the word of God. Hence, the completing of God’s word is not mere doctrine; it is a matter of ministry. Through the subjective ministry, the objective Christ becomes the very Christ in us, according to verse 27. In verses 25 through 29 Christ is no longer merely objective, for He is now the subjective Christ dwelling in us to be our hope of glory. He has become subjective because He has been dispensed into us through the ministry of the steward. Now the objective Christ has become the subjective Christ, the Christ living in us.
It is rather easy to speak of the objective Christ, but it is difficult to minister this Christ into the saints so that He becomes subjective to them. For this, Paul had to labor, struggling according to God’s operation which operated in him in power (v. 29). Paul labored, struggled, agonized, so that the saints could have Christ ministered into them and so that they could experience Him. Paul’s goal in his labor was to “present every man full-grown in Christ.” His aim was to minister Christ to others so that they would become perfect and complete by maturing with Christ in full growth. First Paul endeavored to minister Christ into the saints. For this reason in 1:27 he speaks of “Christ in you.” Then he went on to struggle on behalf of the saints to present “every man full-grown in Christ.” On the one hand, Christ had to be in the saints; on the other hand, the saints had to mature in Christ. This requires a great deal of labor, even struggling according to the divine operation.
It is not easy to help the saints experience the Christ revealed in chapter one of Colossians. In 2:1 Paul spoke of the great struggle he had on behalf of the believers in Colosse and Laodicea. If we desire that others enter into the practical experience of the all-inclusive Christ, we also need to labor on their behalf.
After presenting the objective revelation of Christ, Paul went on to speak of the need for the subjective ministry of Christ. By means of this ministry the objective Christ revealed in 1:15-19 is dispensed into the saints to dwell in them as their hope of glory. Furthermore, there must be the labor, the struggle, to present the saints full-grown in Christ. To minister Christ into others is difficult, but to present others full-grown in Christ is even more difficult. It is crucial that we experience Christ living in us and also that we have the genuine experience of becoming full-grown in Him.
In chapter one we have touched upon the objective revelation of Christ and the subjective ministry of Christ. Now in chapter two we have still another matter — the practical experience of the objective Christ who has been subjectively ministered into us. Hence, we have the objective revelation, the subjective ministry, and the practical experience. Colossians 2 is devoted to the full development of the practical experience of the all-inclusive Christ.
Related to this development, Paul says that he struggled on behalf of the saints so that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love. Paul realized the importance of being comforted in heart and made happy in heart. I can testify that if our heart is not happy, it is very difficult to experience Christ. For example, one day I became unhappy because of the way I was treated by a certain airline and by the prospect of having to wait several hours for a flight. Not wanting to remain in my unhappiness, I prayed, “Lord, make me happy as I wait three hours for another flight.” I realized at that time, as I do now, that it is difficult to experience the all-inclusive Christ unless our heart is happy. When our heart is unhappy, experientially Christ seems far from us. If you want to experience the all-inclusive Christ, do not allow yourself to remain angry with your husband or wife. You need to pray that the Lord will take away from you any kind of unhappiness. Knowing the importance of a comforted heart, Paul struggled on behalf of the saints that their hearts would be warmed so that they could have the “full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.”
In 2:6 and 7 we find more concerning the practical experience of Christ. Verse 6 says, “As therefore you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” To experience Christ in a practical way, we must first receive Him and then walk in Him.
In verse 7 Paul continues, “Having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Although we have been rooted in Christ, we must go on to be built up in Him and to be established in the faith. All these matters, including abounding in thanksgiving, are related to practical experience.
Verse 8 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.” This verse speaks of three negative things: philosophy and empty deceit, tradition, and the elements of the world. These negative things are versus Christ. We need to beware lest we be carried off as spoil by such things. In verse 9 Paul explains that in Christ “dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Since we have such a Christ, what need do we have for philosophy, the tradition of men, or the elements of the world?
In 2:18 Paul issues another warning: “Let no one purposely defraud you of your prize, in humility and worship of the angels, standing on things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh.” The prize here is Christ as our enjoyment. Paul warns us not to allow anyone to defraud us of our enjoyment of Christ through such things as humility, the best of human virtues, and the worship of angels, a refined form of religion.
In verses 20 and 21 Paul goes on to speak of ordinances. Here he says, “If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why as living in the world do you subject yourself to ordinances: do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” As Paul points out in verse 22, these are things “which are all for corruption in the using.”
In 2:8, 18, and 20, Paul mentions a number of matters: philosophy, tradition, elements of the world, humility, angel worship, and ordinances. Actually, all these items can be summed up in one word — culture. Philosophy is one of the highest products of man’s culture. Tradition also is related to culture. In fact, tradition comes from culture, and culture is embodied in tradition. If there is no culture, there is no tradition; and if there is no tradition, there can be no culture. Furthermore, the elements of the world, which are rudimentary principles of basic teachings, are also aspects of culture. Humility is a virtue found among the most cultured of people. The more refined and cultured a person is, the more humble he is. But the more uncultured and barbarous a person is, the less humble he is. Thus, humility is intimately related to cultural refinement. Furthermore, the worship of angels is found among people of high culture. Those with a rather low culture may worship beasts, but those who are more highly cultured may worship angels. The worship of angels is actually a refined form of idolatry, a practice still to be found in today’s Catholicism. Some people may even justify the worship of angels by arguing that it is better than the worship of animals. Finally, man’s ordinances are related to his culture. Ordinances are rules related to our way of living. For example, table manners are ordinances. The more cultured people are, the more ordinances they have. The more cultured a person is, the more he will say, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.”
Although the word culture is not found in Colossians, actually this book was written to deal with culture, a real enemy to our experience and enjoyment of Christ. All people appreciate their culture and value it. For this reason, it is a hindrance to the experience of Christ.
In the section of Colossians dealing with the practical experience of Christ, Paul lists many things that frustrate this experience. The items mentioned in Colossians are very different from those listed in 1 Corinthians, where Paul deals with division, jealousy, fornication, and lawsuits. In Galatians Paul deals with the law as a frustration to the experience of Christ. But in Colossians he comes to the deeply hidden and subtle matter of culture. Christians condemn fornication and divisiveness and for the most part realize that the law is over. But who repudiates culture as a hindrance to the enjoyment of Christ? Even among us there are very few who condemn culture for this reason.
The church in Colosse had been invaded by a mixture of Jewish and Greek culture. Elements of Gnosticism and asceticism had made inroads into the church life. Both Gnosticism and asceticism are products of highly-developed cultures. Those who practice asceticism, the severe treatment of the body, are usually refined, cultured people.
We need to keep in mind that the book of Colossians was written not to deal with sin or the law, but to deal with culture. The Christ revealed in Colossians cannot be experienced unless the cultural hindrances have been exposed and dealt with. We may hold on to our culture and experience the Christ revealed in other New Testament books. But the experience of the all-inclusive Christ unfolded in Colossians requires that we repudiate the frustration presented by our culture.
In Colossians Paul first presents the objective revelation and then the subjective ministry. Coming to the practical experience of Christ in chapter two, he points out that the most subtle hindrance to the enjoyment of Christ is our culture. Concerning the objective revelation of Christ, the book of Colossians gives us the highest revelation. In the same principle, concerning the practical experience of Christ, this book points out the most subtle frustration. May we all be impressed with the fact that if we would have the practical experience of the all-inclusive Christ, we must deal with our culture.
Some of those who see the importance of laying aside culture may claim that they have already done so. The American saints may claim to have dropped their American culture, and the Chinese believers may claim to have dropped their Chinese culture. Nevertheless, they may not have dropped their self-made culture, the culture they themselves have developed. Actually, by dropping our culture we may simply devise another culture — a culture-dropping culture. In such a case, we replace our culture, not with Christ, but with a non-culture culture. The crucial point is not that we drop our culture — it is that we live Christ. The issue is not culture versus no culture; it is culture versus Christ. We need to care for Christ and live by Him. Therefore, the important thing is not that we attempt to drop our culture negatively; it is that we live Christ positively.
Children must be raised according to certain cultural standards. Otherwise, they will be wild and unruly. It is a serious mistake for Christian parents to tell their children that they do not need culture, but only need to enjoy Christ. Children need culture until they are old enough to experience Christ and live by Him. Anyone who has not received Christ must have culture in order to live properly. Today’s society needs culture. The more cultured people are, the less they need to be controlled by the police or by the law court. I wish to make it emphatically clear that I am not saying that we should merely drop our culture. Instead of trying to lay aside culture, we should concentrate on gaining Christ. The more we have of Christ, the less we shall need to live by culture.
Actually, everything we have apart from Christ is some form of culture. For example, to eat with a knife and fork is a matter of culture, and to eat with chopsticks is also a matter of culture. We all have our own kind of self-made and self-imposed culture. This means that we all have our particular way to live. You live according to your way, and I live according to mine. To live according to our way is to live according to our culture. As we have pointed out, this is the greatest frustration to the enjoyment of Christ and its ultimate enemy. Therefore, let us care more and more for the experience of Christ and for living Christ in a practical way day by day.
