Colossians 1:19 says that all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Christ. This thought is echoed in 2:9, where Paul says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The fullness both in the old creation and in the new creation dwells in Christ. This fullness refers not to the riches of God, but to the expression of these riches. The expression of God’s riches dwells in Christ.
Many Christians speak of the indwelling Christ without realizing that the Christ who indwells them is the all-inclusive One. If some were asked what kind of Christ lives in them, they would speak only of Christ as the Savior and the Redeemer. This, of course, is not wrong, but it is very inadequate. When Paul says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27), he is referring to a very rich Christ, to the Christ who is our good land, the expression of the invisible God, the firstborn of both the old creation and the new creation, and the One in whom all the fullness is pleased to dwell. Even these items do not exhaust all that Christ is. It is the Christ with all these aspects who dwells in us to be our hope of glory.
Many Christians, even Christian pastors and ministers, do not know what the mystery of God’s economy is. Some are not even familiar with this term. The mystery of God’s economy is Christ. The Christ who indwells us is the mystery of this economy, an economy that involves God’s administration of the whole universe. How profound! God has a universal economy, and the center, the focal point, of this economy is Christ. Furthermore, this economy is abstract, profound, and mysterious. The mystery of this universal economy, its indescribable element, is Christ. The Colossians were very foolish in turning from such a Christ to Gnosticism, mysticism, and asceticism. What need did they have for philosophy when they had the very Christ who is the mystery of God’s universal economy? How vital it is for us to realize that the very Christ who is the mystery of God’s economy dwells in us!
In 2:2 Paul speaks of the “full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” As the mystery of God, Christ is the embodiment of God and also the life-giving Spirit. Although we find it easy to speak of many things, it is difficult for us to speak of Christ as God’s mystery. Concerning this, our mind is like a block of marble that is not able to absorb liquid. Although we may hear message after message about Christ as the mystery of God, we may not apprehend anything we hear. Many years ago I met a certain brother who was fond of repeating the phrase, “Christ in me, the hope of glory.” However, this brother had very little knowledge of Christ. Although he liked to talk about the indwelling Christ, he did not truly know Christ in this aspect. He did not realize that the Christ who lived in Him is the very mystery of God.
Colossians 2:16 and 17 say, “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, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” These verses indicate that Christ is the reality of all positive things. He is the real sun, air, water, food, flowers, and trees. Compared to Christ, all the different trees are shadows. He is the real apple tree, fig tree, olive tree, pomegranate tree, and vine tree. In fact, He is the tree of life. He is also the reality of all the positive people in the Old Testament. For example, He is both the greater Solomon and the greater Jonah (Matt. 12:41-42).
In this Epistle, Paul was telling the Colossians that they were misguided in turning away from such an all-inclusive Christ to philosophy, observances, and the worship of angels. Why should they be subject to regulations about eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths when all such things are shadows of spiritual things in Christ? There was no need for the Colossians to go back to those things because they had Christ, and Christ is everything.