The problem in Colosse was not sinfulness, as in Corinth; it was culture. Asceticism and philosophy are two of the leading products of culture. Uncultured people are wild, altogether without any form of asceticism. Furthermore, those of a low culture do not have philosophy. The more cultured people are, the more highly developed their philosophy is. The Greeks are strong in philosophy, whereas the Jews are known for their religious observances. Most religious observances are related to the putting down of the flesh and to the suppression of the self. The church in Colosse was composed of both Greeks and Jews. With the Greeks the problem was philosophy, but with the Jews the problem was religious practices. This indicates that various cultural practices had invaded the church life and pervaded it.
In 3:10 and 11 Paul says that in the new man “there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but Christ is all and in all.” To say that there is no room for Greek and Jew means that there is no room for philosophy and for religious observances. If you compare Colossians 3:11 with parallel passages such as 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:28, you will find that only in Colossians does Paul mention barbarian and Scythian. The Colossian believers devoted much attention to matters of culture and did not want to be like barbarians or Scythians. Hence, Paul pointed out that in the church as the new man, there is no room for either the cultured or the uncultured. There is no place for philosophy, asceticism, or observances. In the new man Christ is all and in all. The new man is constituted of Christ, not with any element of culture.
The Colossians were not sinful like some of those in Corinth. However, the believers in Colosse replaced Christ, the constituent of the new man, with various aspects of culture. Some treasured philosophy, whereas others treasured religious observances. These things were allowed to come into the church life as substitutes for Christ. But in the new man there is room for nothing other than Christ.
This understanding of the constituent of the new man should not be mere doctrine to us. We need to realize that every one of us has his own type of philosophy and asceticism. The fact that we are critical of others proves that we hold on to our own philosophy. Moreover, humanly speaking, it is better to have philosophy and asceticism than to be uncultured. At Corinth there was fornication, but in Colosse the people were cultured and self-controlled. However, their culture and their refinement had become a substitute for Christ. No matter how high their culture was, it was not Christ.
Do not regard your asceticism as something of Christ. You may beautify your asceticism by claiming that it is the bearing of the cross. But even what is termed bearing the cross or denying the self may actually be subtle forms of asceticism. For example, when a brother’s wife gives him a difficult time, he may suppress his anger. This is asceticism. It is neither the bearing of the cross nor the denial of the self. As the brother is suppressing himself, he may say inwardly, “I will not lose my temper. I will not fight with my wife or argue with her.” This brother may seem to be victorious. But the praise for this so-called victory should not be given to Christ; instead, it should go to this brother’s asceticism. In that particular situation he used his philosophy and asceticism in place of Christ.
In my experience I have learned the difference between the suppressing of the self and living by Christ. Now, instead of trying to suppress myself, I turn to the Lord and say, “Lord Jesus, You are here. I need You to live in me.” Then I am not living by my philosophy or asceticism, but by Christ as the life-giving Spirit.
The Christian life is not a life of isms or practices. It is a life of Christ as a living Person. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The actual living of Christ in us is very different from asceticism, suppressing the self, denying the self, and the so-called bearing of the cross. What a tremendous difference there is between God’s salvation and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism! God’s salvation is a matter of Christ living in us. In God’s salvation there is no room for our efforts and practices. God’s salvation is a matter of Christ alone. Instead of trying to deny the self and bear the cross in a religious way, we should simply allow the living Person of Christ to live in us moment by moment. If your wife gives you a difficult time, do not try to do anything. Simply allow Christ to live in you. The Christian life is absolutely a matter of a living Person living in us.
In the Gospels we are told to deny the self and to take up the cross. However, it is easy for us to apply these words according to our natural understanding. But to live Christ is not according to the natural concept. In the natural concept there is the thought of denying the self and of suppressing the indulgence of the flesh. But there is no thought of Christ as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit being the living Person in our spirit. Having been processed through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ is now the Spirit in our spirit to be our life in a practical way.
It is possible to have a doctrinal knowledge that the Christian life is Christ living in us. But in our daily living we may actually live according to certain practices. Instead of living Christ, we may endeavor to deny the self or to bear the cross. Hence, we may actually live according to our philosophy and asceticism. This means that in our practical daily life Christ is replaced by our own personal philosophy and asceticism.
In the book of Colossians Paul points out that Christ must be all and in all. In the new man there is no room for culture or personal practices. God’s intention in His economy is for Christ to be everything. Christ should be our life, our living, our patience, our holiness, our kindness. Christ should be the way we deal with our wife or husband. Moment by moment in our daily living, Christ should be everything we need. Instead of living by certain practices, we should simply live Christ.
It is significant that after covering so many important matters in Colossians, Paul speaks of the peace of Christ arbitrating in our hearts and the word of Christ inhabiting us richly. Whenever we think that our philosophy is better than that of others, we become critical. This was the situation among the Colossians. There was rivalry and criticism between those with a Greek background and those with a Jewish background. This was the reason Paul told them to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in them. He was encouraging the saints to forget their philosophy and culture. Culture and philosophy are not to be the standard or the referee. The referee is the peace of Christ. We need to drop our cultural practices and allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts. It seems as if Paul was saying to the saints in Colosse, “Let the peace of Christ preside in you. You believers in Colosse have been taking philosophy as the standard. You must let the peace of Christ be your standard. You need to drop your culture and your philosophy.”
In 3:16 Paul goes on to charge the saints, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Negatively, we must set aside our cultural standards, and positively, we need to be filled with the word of Christ. This means that we must allow the word of Christ to fill our mind, emotion, will, thought, and consideration. Every fiber of our being needs to be occupied by the word of Christ.
God’s desire is that we live Christ moment by moment and leave no room for culture and philosophy. Our only practice should be the living Person of Christ Himself. Second, we should lay aside our cultural standards. Our standard should not be any form of culture; it should be the indwelling peace of Christ. Third, we need to allow the word of Christ to fill our entire being. We need to let our whole being be permeated and saturated with the word of Christ. If we do these three things, we shall experience Christ spontaneously. Not only shall we have a lofty revelation of Christ, but we shall also experience Him in a practical way in our daily life.