Scripture Reading: Col. 1:27-28; 2:4, 2:6-8, 8, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20
In the book of Colossians a number of important phrases or expressions point to our experience of Christ. Some of these phrases are “Christ in you” (1:27), “full-grown in Christ” (1:28), “walk in Him” (2:6), “according to Christ” (2:8), “made alive together with Him” (2:13), “died with Christ” (2:20), “holding the Head” (2:19), “out from whom” (2:19), and “grows with the growth of God” (2:19). These nine expressions give us a complete picture of the proper experience of Christ. In this regard, we need to pay special attention to the prepositions in, according to, with, and out from. Furthermore, it would be a great help to pray-read all the verses related to these points.
In addition to all these positive points, Paul gives the Colossians some negative points, in particular, four warnings. In 2:4 he says, “This I say that no one may delude you with persuasive speech.” In 2:8 Paul issues this warning: “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.” The third warning is in 2:16, where Paul 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.” Finally, in 2:18 Paul says, “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.” Notice that in each of these verses Paul uses the words “no one.” If we would have the real experience of Christ, we must take heed to all these warnings and beware that no one delude us, carry us off, judge us, or defraud us of our prize.
In 1:27 Paul speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Do you realize that Christ is in you? The Christ who is in us is the extensive, immeasurable, unsearchable One. How marvelous that such a Christ dwells in us! We need to become full-grown in such a Christ, to walk in Him, and to be according to Him. Having died with Christ and having been made alive with Him, we should hold Him as the Head out from whom the whole Body grows with the growth of God. All these matters indicate that Christ is near, available, and applicable. Otherwise, how could Christ be in us, and how could we be full-grown in Him? Unless Christ were applicable, we could not walk in Him, be according to Him, or die and be made alive together with Him. Neither could we hold Him as the Head out from whom the Body grows with the growth of God. All these points are related to the subjective experience of Christ. Furthermore, these points are neglected or altogether lacking among today’s Christians, where there is little emphasis on walking in Christ, being according to Christ, or holding Christ as the Head.
If Christ were merely objective to us, He could not be in us, and we could not be full-grown in Him. None of the other positive points of the experience of Christ covered in Colossians could be our experience. What other person is capable of being in us and of making it possible for us to die with Him, to live in Him, and to walk according to Him? The unique person qualified for all these nine points is the Spirit. This term, the Spirit, is of tremendous significance. John 7:39 says, “But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Although the Spirit of God was in existence, the Spirit was not yet because Jesus had not yet been glorified. In the Epistles the term the Spirit is used frequently. It denotes the processed all-inclusive Triune God. Ultimately, the Triune God reaches us as the Spirit.
To reach us the Triune God had to pass through the process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. By incarnation God came into man. Then for thirty-three and a half years the Lord lived on earth as a man. Jesus, the embodiment of the Triune God, lived for years in the house of a poor carpenter. Imagine, the almighty, infinite God living day by day in a carpenter’s home! Eventually, the Lord Jesus was put to death. But on the third day, having passed through death, conquering and subduing it, He came out of death and entered into resurrection. By incarnation, divinity was brought into humanity. But by resurrection humanity was brought into divinity. Through incarnation God was brought into man, and through Christ’s resurrection man was brought into God. Through Christ’s resurrection, the Triune God, mingled with man, became the Spirit. This Spirit includes God, incarnation, humanity, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. Redeemed and uplifted humanity is in this Spirit. The all-inclusive life-giving Spirit is the Triune God reaching us in a final and ultimate way. This is the Spirit. Furthermore, the very Christ today is this Spirit. Therefore, it is easy for Christ to be in us and for us to be in Him. It is also possible for us to become full-grown in Him, to walk in Him, and to be according to Him.
On the one hand, Christ is in us; on the other hand, we are in Christ. Consider the air in the atmosphere as an illustration. We are in the air, and the air is in us. Both are necessary if we are to remain alive. Today the processed Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit is our air. This air is in us, and we are in this air and even walk in this air. Moreover, we can be people according to this air who grow in this air with the growth of God. The all-inclusive Christ is, therefore, the experiential Christ. He is a Christ who can be in us, and a Christ in whom we can walk. We can live, walk, move, and have our being in Him.
In all that we do, we should be according to Christ. We should not be according to philosophy, ethics, culture, or religion. We should not in any way be according to the old man. Rather, we are here to be according to the processed, all-inclusive life-giving Triune God. This, however, should not be a mere doctrine. For example, a brother should not deal with his wife according to culture; he should deal with her according to Christ, according to the processed Triune God.
If we would live, behave, and have our being according to the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God, we would all be like Paul the apostle. Paul became a person who was not according to his forefathers, the law, tradition, Judaism, or the teaching of Gamaliel. He became a person who was absolutely according to the processed Triune God. His Epistles were written not according to anything other than the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God. How different are Paul’s writings from today’s Christian writings!
Our daily walk should be according to the processed Triune God. For example, when a brother gets a haircut, he should do so not according to any particular standard, but according to the processed Triune God.
Do you know where the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God is today? He is in our spirit. In our spirit He is the all-inclusive One, the life-giving One. In our spirit He is the processed Triune God. If we live according to the processed Triune God in our spirit, every type of culture will be gone. Only the all-inclusive life-giving Triune God will remain. The Christian life and the church life are without culture, but according to the processed Triune God. If we live according to the processed Triune God, there will be no need for us to try to drop our culture. Culture will be gone automatically.
With the all-inclusive life-giving Triune God we have the experience of dying with Christ and of being made alive together with Him. Here we experience being members of the Body, living in oneness with Him and holding Him as the One out from whom we receive the supply to grow with the growth of God. This is the Christian life and the church life. This is the life that overcomes sin and that brings us the reality of holiness, spirituality, and victory. Here we have all we need: patience, humility, righteousness, love, kindness, holiness, life, light, power, strength, might, and every other positive thing. All the divine attributes and all the human virtues are in this life. Christ as the all-inclusive, life-giving, processed Triune God is everything to us. When we have Him and live according to Him, we do not need regulations. We have the extensive Christ who, in our experience, is everything to us.
Turning now to Paul’s words of warning, we see that in 2:4 he indicates that we should take heed that no one delude us with persuasive speech. What a tragedy and a pity that among today’s Christians so many have itching ears! They have the appetite to listen to eloquent speech and persuasive words. But if we truly experience Christ, we shall have no interest in such speech. On the contrary, we shall find sugar-coated messages very unpleasant. In the church life we care only for Christ, not for persuasive speech.
In 2:8 Paul says, “Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit.” We should not allow anyone to carry us off as spoil through philosophy. We should care not for theory or philosophical thought, but for the all-inclusive Christ.
In 2:16 Paul tells us to let no one judge us “in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of Sabbaths.” If we are those who are filled with the all-inclusive Christ, we shall not give ground for others to judge us. However, if we insist on particular or peculiar practices, we shall be criticized. If we are occupied with Christ and not particular in other matters, others will have no reason to judge us. In the churches we should all be common; no one should be particular. This means that we should not care for anything in place of Christ.
A certain brother in the church may be very good; however, because of the influence of his self-made culture, he may also be rather peculiar. If this brother would truly walk in Christ and have his being according to Christ, he would not be peculiar. Instead, he would be common, ordinary. All the saints in the church should be constituted with Christ. If this is the situation, then we shall meet Christ when we contact them. In each one there will be the expression of Christ. This is possible only when we are the same with respect to caring only for Christ and are no longer peculiar or particular concerning other things.
Many saints love the Lord Jesus and the church, but because they are so peculiar in their being, it is difficult for others to bear them. The church life is frustrated and even damaged by those who insist on their peculiar opinions, opinions that are according to their culture. This exposes the fact that they are short of Christ.
However, I have the assurance that what the Lord has been speaking to us about culture is not in vain. I believe that what He has spoken will bring us into the experience of Christ. Eventually, all the peculiarities will disappear, and only Christ will remain. Oh, let us grow in Christ until we become full-grown in Him! Let us also walk in Him, having our being in Him and realizing that we have died with Him and are now alive together with Him. Let us also be one with our Head, out from whom we receive the supply to be knit together and to grow with the growth of God. God’s goal is that we have such a Christian life and church life. I believe that before long such a wonderful situation will be expressed on earth.
Paul’s last warning is that we should let no one purposely defraud us of our prize. The prize is the full experience and enjoyment of Christ. Any kind of culture, religion, opinion, or peculiar teaching can defraud us of this prize. We should stay with the experience of Christ so that we may have the full enjoyment of Him, not caring for any religious or ethical practices.
