In the foregoing message we pointed out that Christ and His cross are the unique solution to all problems in the church. In this message we shall consider this unique solution in a fuller way.
Christ is the center of God’s economy. Among the thousands of verses in the Bible, one verse is extremely crucial regarding this matter, and this verse is Colossians 3:11. Speaking of the new man, Paul says, “Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” In the light of this verse none of us should boast in matters of race or nationality. During my travels around the world, I have observed that everyone is proud of his country and race. But as believers in Christ, we should not pride ourselves in our race or nationality. According to Colossians 3:10 and 11, the church, the Body of Christ, is the new man. In the new man there are no distinctions of race or nationality. As Paul says, in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew. The Jews are known for their religion, and the Greeks, for their culture, especially for their philosophy. However, there is room for neither Greek nor Jew in the new man. Paul goes on to say that there cannot be circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or freeman. This indicates that in the new man there is no place for religion or culture, no matter what a particular culture may be. Rather, Christ is all and in all.
Colossians 3:11 gives us a strong basis for saying that in God’s economy Christ is everything. He is every person, every matter, and every thing. Christ must be our race and nationality. If someone asks you to what race you belong, you should reply, “I belong to the race of Christ.” We should have the realization within that we are not Chinese, Germans, French, New Zealanders, Americans, or any other nationality, but are members of Christ. If all Christians knew that Christ is the center of God’s economy, all divisions would disappear.
Not long ago I read that in a certain country members of a particular racial group held a meeting in a cathedral to celebrate an event which they regarded as a victory for their cause. During this meeting, some things were said negatively about another racial group. Afterwards, directly in front of the cathedral there was a clash between members of these different racial groups. What a shame that such a confrontation could take place after a meeting which was supposedly held in the name of Christ! Such a thing is utterly contrary to the nature of the new man. In the church as the new man there are no distinctions on the basis of color; there is no white, black, red, brown, or yellow. To repeat, in the new man Christ is everything; He is all and in all.
In his preaching to the Corinthians, Paul testified to them of the all-inclusive Christ, of the Christ who is the center of God’s economy and everything in God’s economy. According to his background, Paul was an authentic and typical Jew. As such, he should have avoided all social contact with Greeks. But because Paul realized that in the new man there is no Jew or Greek but that Christ is everything, he could testify to the Greeks in Corinth concerning Christ. He could say, “I wish to testify that Christ is everything and that in the new man there cannot be Jew and Greek. In the new man, I am not a Jew—I am a person constituted of Christ. But although I have testified concerning this, you insist on remaining in your old social status. You have not taken Christ as the unique, all-inclusive center. Although I declare to you that I have dropped my religion and that I now uplift Christ, you still hold to your Greek culture and philosophy. You know that I was deeply involved with Judaism. I advanced in Judaism beyond many others. But I have abandoned all this. When I came to you, I decided not to know anything among you but Christ and Him crucified. God does not care for Jewish religion or Greek philosophy. He cares only for Christ, because in His economy Christ is the center and everything to us.”