Scripture Reading: Col. 3:5-11; Rom. 12:2
The last two chapters of Colossians cover various aspects of the Christian walk. The first aspect is that we seek the things above and set our mind on them. Paul’s charge to seek the things above is based on the revelation presented in chapters one and two. This means that our seeking of the things above must be based on the revelation of the Person and work of Christ. In Colossians 1 and 2 Christ is revealed in a marvelous way. Furthermore, the work Christ has accomplished for us is also presented in a full way. In these chapters Christ is revealed as the all-inclusive One. Based on this revelation of Christ’s Person and work, we may seek the things which are above. As we have pointed out, these things refer to Christ’s heavenly ministry, to His ministry as the High Priest, Minister, and Administrator of God’s economy.
Christ is not idle. He is interceding, ministering, and executing God’s administration. We on earth should respond to Christ’s activities in heaven. Although Christ in His earthly ministry fully accomplished redemption for our salvation, He has not yet completed the building up of His Body. For the building up of the Body, His ministry in heaven is necessary. It is not the desire of Christ simply to have a large group of saved people; He wants the saved ones to be built up together as His Body. Christ desires a Body, a building, a bride. In order to have the Body built up, Christ must carry on the work of His heavenly ministry.
Between Christ in heaven and us on earth there is a divine transmission, a heavenly current. If we are receiving this transmission, we shall respond to Christ’s work in heaven. However, if in our experience we are not continuously connected to Him or if we allow insulation to build up between us and Him, the transmission will cease. It is most pitiful that among many genuine Christians today the connection with the heavenly Christ in their experience has been severed. They are genuine Christians, but they do not experience the divine current, and there is no fellowship between them and the Lord. We hope that the situation among us will be absolutely different from this. Instead of being cut off from the heavenly Christ, in our experience we need to continually receive the divine transmission. Day and night, we should be infused with a supply from heaven, and experience the transaction between the heavenly Christ and us. We should continually respond to Christ’s interceding, ministering, and executing of God’s administration.
To seek the things above means that we correspond to Christ’s heavenly ministry. According to Colossians 3, corresponding to Christ’s heavenly ministry by seeking the things above is the first aspect of our Christian walk.
The second aspect of the Christian walk revealed in Colossians 3 is the renewing of the new man. In 3:10 Paul says, “And having put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him Who created him.” On the one hand, Paul speaks of the creation of the new man; on the other hand, he refers to the renewing of the new man. Since the new man has already been created, why is there still the need for the new man to be renewed? How can the new man be both created and renewed? We have seen that the creation of the new man took place in our spirit. When our spirit was regenerated, the new man was created. Hence, the regeneration of the spirit is actually the creation of the new man. However, as far as the soul is concerned, the new man still needs to be renewed. It is crucial that this renewing take place especially in our mind, the leading part of the soul. Before we were regenerated, our human spirit was part of the old creation. Then at the time of our regeneration, God the Spirit came into our spirit with the divine life and divine nature. This means that the Spirit of God regenerated our spirit with the elements of the divine life and divine nature. In other words, when we were regenerated, God the Spirit brought the divine life and nature into our spirit. Before regeneration we did not have anything divine. But at the time of regeneration, something divine — the life and nature of God — was added into our spirit. By receiving the life and nature of God, we were born of God and became sons of God. Now we are not merely sons of man, but we are also sons of God. Moreover, we are not God’s sons-in-law; we are His sons in life.
Because the divine life and nature have been added to our spirit, our regenerated spirit has become part of the new creation. The difference between the old creation and the new creation is that the old creation has nothing of God in it, but the new creation does have something of God added to it. The reason the regenerated spirit is part of the new creation and of the new man is that the life and nature of God has come into it. In our spirit we have something divine — God’s life and nature.
At the time of regeneration the life and nature of God were added into our spirit, making it the new creation; nevertheless, the soul with its faculties of mind, emotion, and will remains in the old creation. Thus, there is the need for the divine life and nature to spread from our spirit into our soul and to saturate the soul. This process of spreading and saturating is what we call transformation. In Romans 12:2 Paul charges us to “be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Since the mind is the leading part of the soul, the renewing of the soul depends on the renewing of the mind. As the divine life and nature spread from our regenerated spirit into the mind, emotion, and will, our soul will be renewed. This renewing of the soul is actually the renewing of the new man.
Even though we have been regenerated, we are often inclined to live according to the old man, that is, to live according to the old creation. However, deep in our spirit we have the aspiration, the desire, to live in newness of life. This desire comes from the new man in our spirit seeking to spread the divine life and nature into our soul. This spreading is the renewing of the new man.
Not many Christians have seen that the renewing of the new man depends on our seeking the things which are above. If we do not seek the things above and set our mind on them, it will be difficult for us to be renewed in soul. But whenever we set our mind on the things above, our inner being is renewed spontaneously. Our experience testifies of this.
Paul admonished the Colossian believers to seek the things which are above because they had been distracted to earthly things, to the elements of the world such as Judaism, Gnosticism, mysticism, and asceticism. As long as they were distracted by these things, they could have nothing to do with the things above. This was the reason Paul charged them to forget Judaism, Greek philosophy, Gnosticism, mysticism, and any kind of culture and to seek the things above and set their mind on them. The things above do not include any religion, philosophy, or culture. Instead, they include Christ’s priesthood, ministry, and administration with all His activities. It is crucial for us to realize that Christ is our Head and that we are the members of His Body. Christ and we together form a universal man. As the One in heaven, He is the Head, and as those on earth, we are the Body. As the Head is working in heaven by interceding, ministering, and administrating, we, the Body, are working on earth responding to the heavenly ministry of Christ and reflecting what He is doing in heaven. What a tremendous matter this is! Instead of caring for earthly religion, worldly philosophy, and the other elements of the world, we should seek the things above and set our mind on them. If we turn to the heavenly Christ with all His activities and set our mind on these things, the renewing of the new man will take place automatically.
What we think about day by day indicates where our mind is set. At the time Paul wrote to the Colossians, the mind of the Judaizers was set on their religion, and the mind of the Gnostics was set on their philosophy. Our mind, however, should be set not on religion, philosophy, or culture, but on Christ and His heavenly ministry. The more we set our mind on the things above — on Christ and His heavenly ministry — the more the divine elements in our spirit will saturate our soul and renew our soul. All that is in our spirit will have free course to spread throughout our inner being. Through this saturating and spreading, the soul is renewed.
If we had only Romans 12:2 but not Colossians 3, it would be rather difficult to understand what it means to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. But as Colossians 3 makes clear, this renewing is related to seeking the things above and setting our mind on them.
Let us not care for earthly things such as religion, philosophy, ethics, or culture. These things are needed by society and are helpful in society. However, they are a hindrance to God’s economy and a frustration to its accomplishment. In God’s economy there is no need for religion, philosophy, or culture. God’s economy is His dispensation of Himself into us. As long as we in the Lord’s recovery have God’s dispensation, we do not need religion or culture. Just as those in the New Jerusalem will not need either natural light or man-made light, we in the church today do not need religion or culture. However, religion and culture are necessary in society. Outside the church they are definitely needed for the preservation of society. But in the church we have God’s dispensation and therefore have no need for religion or culture. Day by day, God is dispensing Himself into us. How wonderful!
The Christians at Colosse were not clear about the difference between culture and God’s economy. This lack of clarity opened the way for religion, philosophy, and culture to creep into the church life and frustrate the accomplishment of God’s economy. In principle, the situation is the same among Christians today. Consider how much religion, philosophy, culture, and all manner of isms have hindered God’s dispensation! Therefore, it is crucial for us to see that in the Lord’s recovery we have a unique need — our need is for the living God to dispense Himself into our being continually.
During the years the Lord’s recovery has been in this country, many saints have experienced God’s dispensation. At first, the messages concerning God’s economy were like a foreign language to them. But now the truth and experience of God’s economy are part of their living. In fact, many are now able to minister along the same line. There has been considerable progress even among the young people because of the renewing by the divine life and the divine nature. The divine elements have been saturating the saints. This saturation makes a real difference. Years ago, a brother may have lost his temper in a certain way. But now when he loses his temper, he is different. In many respects the behavior may be the same, but there is a difference in nature. Something divine has been wrought into the inner being of the saints. This is not a mere change in behavior; it is a change in nature. Through such an inward change, the new man spreads from our spirit into our soul and actually increases within us. May the Lord preserve all the saints in the way of life that the new man may increase more and more.
I wish to emphasize the fact that even though the new man has been created in our spirit, there is still the need for the new man to be renewed throughout our whole inner being. This requires that the new man spread in the divine life with the divine nature throughout our being. Then we shall be fully renewed.
According to 3:10, the new man is being renewed “unto full knowledge.” Some translations say “in full knowledge” instead of “unto full knowledge.” However, the Greek preposition should be rendered “unto.” This rendering indicates that full knowledge is the issue of renewing, its result, not the means of being renewed. For example, children grow unto knowledge, but they do not grow by means of knowledge. The more children grow, the more they know. However, it is not true to say that the more they know, the more they grow. If parents consider the growth and development of their children, they will see that they do not grow by means of knowledge. Rather, they grow unto knowledge, increasing in knowledge as they grow and develop.
This principle of growing unto knowledge applies to our spiritual life. If we seek the things on earth instead of the things above, we shall not have the renewing of the new man. This means that we shall not experience the growth of the new man. It is extremely difficult for the new man to grow as long as we seek earthly things. But when we seek the things above, the new man grows within us. The result of this growth is full knowledge. Therefore, the new man grows unto full knowledge. Years ago, the new man within you had not grown very much. This made it difficult for you to know spiritual things. But now that the new man has grown within you, it is much easier for you to understand spiritual things. This indicates that growth issues in knowledge. This is the reason Paul says that the new man is being renewed unto full knowledge.
When I was a young Christian, I read books on discerning the spirit from the soul. However, I could not discern the difference between soul and spirit, no matter how hard I tried to analyze the matter and discern it according to my natural mind. But as I grew in life, it became easy to discern between soul and spirit. This illustrates the fact that spiritual things cannot be known through the exercise of the natural mind. They can be known only through the growth of the new man. The growth of the new man within us issues in true spiritual knowledge.
At birth, a baby has all the necessary physical organs. However, if these organs are to function properly, the baby must grow. In order for the infant to become complete in function, there is the need of growth. The more the child grows, the more the functions will be developed and perfected. Eventually, at maturity, the functions will be full and complete. The principle is the same with the growth of the new man within us. When the new man was created in our spirit, it was complete as far as organs are concerned. But because it has not yet been completed in function, there is the need for growth and renewing. Growth and renewing issue in knowledge. Actually, the full knowledge in 3:10 is equal to function. The growth and renewing of the new man results in the function of the new man. Without knowledge, we cannot function. The use of our organs depends on knowledge. As the members of our physical body function according to knowledge, so the new man functions as it is renewed unto full knowledge. For the renewing of the new man to result in knowledge means that the renewing results in function. As long as the new man is short of growth and renewing, it will be lacking in function. This means that even though the new man has been created, it is not yet complete in function. For this, the new man must grow, develop, and be renewed. Then, as a result of this renewing, it will become perfect in function.
We have seen that the Colossians were distracted from the things which are in heaven by earthly things such as religion, philosophy, and culture. In writing this Epistle, Paul was seeking to bring them back from the elements of the world to the things which are above. He wanted them to set their mind on the things above so that the new man could spread from within their spirit into their mind and eventually saturate their whole being with the divine element. This saturation would issue in full knowledge, the completion of the function of the new man.
Now we must go on to see that this renewing is according to the image of God, the One who created the new man. In other words, the renewing of the new man is according to Christ, who is the image and expression of God. When we set our mind on the things above, the way is open for the new man to spread the divine element from our spirit into our soul. This spreading of the divine element within us is according to Christ, who is the image of God, God’s expression. The more renewing that takes place in our soul, the more we shall be able to express God. In other words, the more renewing we experience in the soul, the more we shall have of the image of Christ.
Although we have been regenerated, we may have very little of the image of Christ in our mind, emotion, and will. Instead, we may cling to the image of the old Adam. But if we set our mind on the things above, the divine element in our spirit will spread into our soul. This spreading will be according to Christ as the image of God. As a result of the spreading of the divine element, we shall have the image of God and become His expression.
In 3:11 Paul goes on to say, “Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” According to this verse, in the renewing of the new man there is no room for any natural man — no room for Greek or Jew, for religious or unreligious, for cultured or uncultured. In the renewing of the new man, Christ is all and in all.
In Greek the first “all” is neuter gender and denotes things. But the second “all” is masculine gender and denotes persons. Therefore, in the renewing of the new man, Christ is all things, and He is in all the members. This indicates that in the renewing of the new man, Christ truly is all-inclusive. On the one hand, He is in all the persons, the members of the new man; on the other hand, He is all things in the renewing of the new man.
Perhaps you are wondering what are all the things in the renewing of the new man. At least, all things must include all virtues and attributes. Love, patience, and humility are all excellent virtues. All these virtues are Christ Himself. In the renewing of the new man, Christ is all the wonderful virtues, all the good things, and all the positive attributes.
How can we, the New Testament believers, realize the life of the universal new man in a practical way? Among those Christians who set their mind on the things on earth, there is no renewing of the new man and no possibility of having the life of the new man in a practical way. But when we set our mind on the things above, spontaneously the new man grows and is renewed within us. This causes our whole being to be renewed and transformed. Then wherever we may be, we can have the practice of the new man. Recently I heard of a young brother in the Navy who visited a number of churches in the Far East. He enjoyed good fellowship with the saints. To be sure, this brother experienced the life of the new man. Although he was from the United States, he could be merged in the spirit of fellowship with so many saints from the Orient.
If we are not willing to set our minds on the things above and thus do not open the way for the new man to increase within us, it will be very difficult for us to experience the life of the new man in a practical way. But if we set our mind on the things above, the new man will spread from our spirit into our soul. Then no matter where we may be with the saints, we shall realize the life of the new man.
Colossians is definitely a book on the all-inclusive Christ. However, in this book Paul also speaks of the new man. The practical life of the new man comes out of the revelation of Christ and the experience of Christ. When we have the revelation of Christ with the adequate experience of Christ, the new man will appear among us in a practical way, and we shall realize the life of the new man.
God’s goal is to have this one new man, which ultimately will consummate in the New Jerusalem. Therefore, the New Jerusalem will be the final consummation of the one new man. When we are in the New Jerusalem, we shall enjoy the life of the universal one new man. Today we may have a foretaste of this enjoyment by setting our mind on the things above and giving a free way for the new man in our spirit to spread into our whole being.
