Scripture Reading: 2:11-12, Col. 2:20-23; 3:1-3
In chapter two Paul says that Christ is the mystery of God and that in Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Now that we have received such a Christ, we should walk in Him, having been rooted and being built up in Him. To walk in Christ is to have our living and our being in Him. In 2:9 and 10 Paul goes on to say that in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily and that we in Him have been made full. In Christ we have been completed, perfected, supplied, and satisfied. Furthermore, in Christ we were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, we were buried with Him in baptism, and we were also raised together in Him (vv. 11-12). According to verses 14 and 15, the handwriting in ordinances which was against us has been wiped out, and the rulers and authorities have been stripped off. All these things are true in Christ.
All the matters mentioned above are elements of Christ as the rich soil in which we are rooted. The first element of this soil is the fullness of the Godhead. Other elements include circumcision, burial, being raised, the wiping out of the ordinances, and the stripping off of the powers of darkness. Since we have been rooted in Christ, we may now absorb all these rich elements into our being.
In the eyes of God, believers can be likened to plants. For this reason Paul could say, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God made to grow” (1 Cor. 3:6, Gk.). Paul also said that we are God’s farm, God’s plantation (1 Cor. 3:9, Gk.). We have been planted into Christ who is the good land with very rich soil.
Verses 16 through 19 form a distinct section in Colossians 2. The matters in verse 16 — eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths — are all shadows, of which Christ is the reality, the substance. The “things to come” are the things related to Christ. In verses 18 through 19 Paul speaks of not being defrauded of our prize and of holding the Head. We have pointed out that, experientially and practically, to hold the Head is to enjoy Christ as the reality of all positive things. The result of holding the Head in this way is that we become Body-conscious. Whatever we enjoy of Christ is related to Him as the Head. This is why, when we enjoy Christ, we are actually holding the Head. We enjoy Christ as food, drink, Sabbaths, new moons, and feasts. But the Christ we enjoy in all these aspects is the Head who causes us to become conscious of the Body. The One we enjoy is not only Christ to us; He is the Head of the Body. Therefore, the issue, the consequence, of enjoying Christ and holding Him as the Head is Body-consciousness.
To enjoy Christ, holding Him as the Head, is to absorb into us the rich elements of Christ as the soil. Two of these elements are the experience of having died with Christ and of having been raised with Him. In 2:20 Paul indicates that we have “died with Christ from the elements of the world,” and in 3:1 he says that we were “raised together with Christ.” The New Testament clearly says that we have been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20). When I was a young believer, I tried my best to figure out how this could be true. How could we have died with Christ when He was crucified more than nineteen hundred years ago? Certain books point out that when Christ was crucified, He included us. Brother Nee used Hebrews 7 to illustrate this. According to Hebrews 7:9 and 10, “Levi also, who receives tithes, has been made to pay tithes; for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchisedec met him.” This means that when Abraham offered one-tenth to Melchisedec, Levi, the descendant of Abraham, who was in Abraham’s loins at the time, also offered tithes. If Abraham had died childless, Levi would have died also. This illustration helped me to see how we were included in Christ when He was crucified.
Seeking for further help in understanding the fact of our crucifixion with Christ, I read books which encouraged me to reckon myself dead. However, in my experience reckoning did not work. The more I tried to reckon myself dead, the more alive I became. Years later, my eyes were opened to see that the very Christ who was crucified on the cross became in resurrection the life-giving Spirit. When we believed in Christ, the life-giving Spirit came into our spirit. Now the two spirits are one (1 Cor. 6:17). Whenever we call “Lord Jesus,” the life-giving Spirit comes. This indicates that Jesus is the name and the Spirit is the Person. The Spirit as this Person is now in our spirit. Whatever He has experienced is now our history. He has passed through crucifixion and has entered into resurrection. Having come into our spirit to make us one with Him, He causes even these experiences to become our history. Hence, it is in the spirit that we participate in Christ’s death on the cross. This is not a matter of reckoning; it is a matter of union, of identification. When the Spirit came into us to become one with us, the Spirit brought with Him the effectiveness of Christ’s death. Therefore, through the compound Spirit in our spirit, we participate in the death of Christ. Day by day, we may experience the effectiveness of Christ’s death.
The compound, life-giving Spirit is an all-inclusive drink containing many elements. By drinking the Spirit, we spontaneously take in all the elements included in the Spirit. The effectiveness of Christ’s death is one of the elements in this Spirit. This is what enables us to experience Christ’s crucifixion. As the Head, Christ today is the all-inclusive Spirit in our spirit. In order to hold Him as the Head, we must be in spirit.
In Colossians 2 Paul speaks of being rooted and of holding the Head, and in John 15 the Lord Jesus speaks of abiding in the vine. Abiding in the vine is equal to being rooted in the soil, and being rooted in the soil is equal to holding the Head. On the one hand, Christ is the vine in which we abide; on the other hand, He is the soil in which we are rooted. But He is also the Head. Christ is the vine, the soil, and the Head. We abide in Him as the vine, we are rooted in Him as the soil, and we hold Him as the Head. In every case the principle is the same: we absorb Christ’s riches into us. As branches, we absorb the life juice from the vine; as plants, we absorb the riches of the soil; as members of the Body of Christ, we absorb the nourishing element from the Head. By absorbing the riches of the Head, the Body grows with the growth of God (2:19). As we have indicated, the riches we absorb include crucifixion, being buried, and being raised up with Christ. When we hold Christ as the Head, we absorb all these elements into us.
In 2:20 Paul says, “If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why as living in the world do you subject yourself to ordinances?” The Greek word rendered “if” may also be translated “since.” Since we have died with Christ, we should not live in subjection to ordinances. It is a fact that we have died with Christ. But although Christ died more than nineteen hundred years ago, our participation in this death takes place moment by moment in the present as we are enjoying Christ, holding Him as the Head. Our experience of Christ’s crucifixion is not once for all. On the contrary, it is a moment by moment matter. Perhaps last night you experienced Christ’s crucifixion. But today you are not happy with your husband or wife, so you purposely come down from the cross in order to argue and vindicate yourself. You have been provoked, and you can no longer bear to remain silent. Last night you were in the death of Christ, but now you are very much alive in yourself. In one of his hymns, A. B. Simpson says, “Oh! It is so sweet to die with Christ.” Last night this was sweet to you, but now you do not wish to remain in Christ’s death. This indicates that whenever we are not in the spirit, we are not in the experience of the death of Christ. But when we are in spirit, we are dead with Christ. Whenever we are not in the spirit, we are in ourselves, living according to our natural life. From our experience we know that when we hold Christ as the Head in spirit, we have the experience of being crucified with Him. At such a time, we can declare to all, even to the Devil, that we have died with Christ.
In 4:2 Paul says, “Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving.” If we would stay in the spirit, we need to watch and pray, even to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17). Only by praying without ceasing can we stay in the spirit. Many years ago I did not appreciate the Lord’s word about watching and praying (Matt. 26:41). But in recent years I have come to see the importance of this word. We need to watch whether or not we are in the spirit and to pray that we may be preserved in the spirit. Are you tempted to exchange words with your husband or wife? Watch! Do you intend to go shopping for a certain item? Watch to see whether you are shopping in the spirit or in the flesh. We need to be on the alert that we may stay in the spirit.
We also need to pray, “Lord, grant me the preserving grace to remain in the spirit. Lord, keep me in spirit.” If we stay in the spirit, we shall experience the death of Christ in the all-inclusive, compound Spirit. There is no need for us to reckon or even to believe that we have been crucified with Christ. All we need to do is to abide in the spirit by watching and praying. In the spirit we experience the death of Christ and are released from all the elements of the world.
According to 2:20, we have died with Christ from the elements of the world. The elements of the world are the elementary principles of religion and philosophy. Both the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers tried to bring elements of the world into the church life. We also may be subject to such elements. Unconsciously we may still be under the influence of our religious background. The elementary principles we inherited from religion are elements of the world.
In Colossians Paul implies that anything we cling to other than Christ experienced by us is an element of the world. For example, a certain sister in the Lord may be nice, kind, and disciplined. She had such a character even before she was saved. Now that she has become a believer, she brings this character into the church life. Others may appreciate her character, not realizing that it is natural. But whenever this sister lives according to her natural character, she is living according to the elements of the world, not according to Christ. Another sister in the church may have a character that is rather unrefined. Compared to the first sister, she is crude and undisciplined. But day by day she exercises to watch and to pray and thereby to remain in the spirit. Gradually, others notice a change in her living. It is difficult to describe her way of living. It is not altogether accurate to say that she is nice, kind, or disciplined. She is not living according to the elements of the world, but according to Christ. There is a vast difference between this kind of living and living according to one’s natural character. The elements of the world are useful in society, but there is no place for them in the church. When we remain in our spirit, we spontaneously experience the death of Christ included in the all-inclusive Spirit. In this death we are dead to the elements of the world.
We need to see that such things as natural kindness are simply elements of the world. Under the light of such a vision, we shall hate even our kindness because it is not of Christ, but an element of the world. Then we shall seek to remain in our spirit to enjoy Christ and to participate in His death. We shall even be able to tell Satan, “I am no longer living according to natural kindness. Satan, you have been deceiving me for years, keeping me under subjection to the elements of the world. Now I see that in Christ I have died from all these elements. In the spirit I enjoy Christ, hold the Head, and participate in His death. In this death I am released from the elements of the world.”
When we hold the Head by remaining in our spirit, we absorb all the rich elements of the compound Spirit. One of these elements is our crucifixion with Christ. Only in the spirit are we free in a practical way from the elements of the world. Only when we are in the spirit can we declare that we have nothing to do with religion, philosophy, culture, or natural virtues. When we are in the spirit, we can hate these things, because we recognize that they are worldly and not of Christ. There is no way to abandon the elements of the world unless we are in spirit. If we try to do this apart from the spirit, our efforts will be in vain. When we stay in the spirit by watching and praying, we have the experience of being dead with Christ to the elements of the world.
The principle is the same in being raised with Christ. If we stay in the spirit, we shall have the sense deep within that we have been uplifted, raised up with Christ. Sometimes the saints speak of being “down.” We are “down” because we are not in the spirit. Whenever we are in spirit, we are raised up. However, it is not possible to raise ourselves up. The more we try to do this, the lower we shall sink. But if we simply turn to the spirit and call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we shall be raised up with Christ.
In 3:1 Paul says, “If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” Notice that Paul does not speak of “things which are in the heavens,” but of “things which are above.” These things are high, superior things. Our natural virtues, however, are low and inferior. In 3:2 Paul continues, “Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.” What are the things above? As a child I was taught that the things above are the various features of heaven — the mansions, the pearly gates, and the golden street. However, if we follow the principle of interpreting the Bible by the Bible, we shall see that this is not the meaning of “the things above” in these verses. According to the New Testament, the things above include Christ’s ascension, His enthronement, and His being made the Head, the Lord, and the Christ. In Acts 2:36 Peter says God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. In Hebrews 2:9 we are told that the Lord Jesus has been crowned with glory and honor. In Ephesians 1:22 we see that in ascension Christ has been made Head over all things to the church. In Revelation 5:6 we see that Christ as the Lamb with seven eyes is now on the throne executing God’s government. Such things are the things above.
In writing to the Colossian believers, Paul was charging them to no longer pay attention to Judaism, Gnosticism, or asceticism, all of which are elements of the world, things which are low and inferior. As those who have been raised up with Christ and who are now living with Christ in God, they should seek the things which are above and set their minds on them. Christ has been crowned and enthroned; He has been made the Lord and the Head over all things. He is even now the Lamb with seven eyes executing God’s government in the universe. These are the things above, the high, superior things, and we should set our mind on them.
Setting our mind on the things above will help us to experience Christ. The Christ whom we may experience is not only our food, drink, Sabbath, new moon, and feast. He is not only our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly enjoyment. Our Christ is the One crowned and enthroned, the One who is the Lord and the Head, the One carrying out God’s governmental administration. How much richer our enjoyment of Christ would be if we set our mind on these things!
We in the churches in the Lord’s recovery talk much about the enjoyment of Christ. But our concept of enjoying Christ may not be high enough. According to our concept, Christ is our food, drink, clothing, transportation, and dwelling place. No doubt, all this is true. Nevertheless, our enjoyment of Christ still needs to be uplifted. We need to realize that our life is hidden with Christ in God. This means that our sphere of living should not be the earth, but should be God Himself. In 3:3 Paul clearly says that our life has been “hidden with Christ in God.” Paul does not say that our life is hidden with Christ in heaven, for that would be to emphasize something too material. Instead he says that our life is hidden with Christ in God. Whenever we are in the spirit, we are raised up and have the sense that we are in God, far above everything and everyone. At such a time, we are living in God. But when we are not in the spirit, we have the sense that we are still living on earth. God is high, far above everything and everyone, even far above the heavens. When we are in the spirit, we are living in God.
We have seen that, according to 2:16-19, to enjoy Christ is to hold Him as the Head. When we hold the Head, we absorb all the rich elements of Christ into our being. Two elements of these riches are the facts that we have died with Christ and have been raised up with Him. When we remain in the spirit holding the Head, we can proclaim that we have died to everything other than Christ. We have died from all the elements of the world. We can also proclaim that we have been raised with Christ and are now hidden with Christ in God. We shall have the boldness to testify that our realm, our sphere, is not the earth, but God. Praise Him that we have died from all the elements of the world and have been raised up to live with Christ in God! Do you have the boldness to say that you are now living in God? You will have this boldness if you are in the spirit. But you will not have it if you are in the flesh living on earth. Only when we hold the Head by abiding in the spirit do we have the experience of being dead to the elements of the world and of being raised to live with Christ in God.
