In 2:2 Paul goes on to say that Christ is the mystery of God. Embodied in Christ is all that God is and has. As the mystery of God, Christ is the embodiment, definition, and explanation of God. All that God intends to do is related to Christ.
Furthermore, this One who is the mystery and embodiment of God is the reality of all positive things. Referring to the items listed in 2:16, Paul says in verse 17 that these “are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” Eating, drinking, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths are all shadows of which Christ is the body, the reality, the substance. Christ is the real food and the real drink. He is also the real feast, the real new moon, and the real Sabbath. As the embodiment of God, Christ is the reality of every positive thing. Hence, there is no room for Jewish religion or Greek philosophy. There is room only for the all-inclusive Christ. Although Paul was once very strong in Judaism, when he received the revelation concerning Christ, he realized that both Greek philosophy and Jewish tradition were nothing. In God’s economy only Christ counts for anything.
In 2:6 Paul says, “As therefore you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” The first thing we do concerning Christ is receive Him. Then we need to walk in Him. Christ is not only our life; He is our territory, our realm, our sphere, in which we walk. In their experience many believers have received Christ as Redeemer, Savior, and life. But we also need to receive Him as the mystery of God, God’s embodiment, and as the reality of all positive things.
We need to apply the matter of experiencing Christ as the reality of every positive thing to every part of our daily life. As we eat our meals, we should take Christ as the real food. Instead of saying a word of grace in a traditional way, we should speak something higher according to the revelation in Colossians: “Lord Jesus, I do not simply thank You for this food and take it into me. Lord, I take You as the reality of this food.” We who believe in Christ should consider all things and evaluate all things according to Christ, who is everything to us in a practical way. If we consider all things according to Christ, our daily living will be changed.
In 2:3 Paul tells us that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. Then he goes on to warn us about being deluded from Christ through someone’s persuasive speech. We must not allow religion or philosophy to delude us and to carry us away from Christ. We should not turn from Christ to any kind of culture. Christ, the mystery of God and the substance of every positive thing, is everything to us: food, clothing, housing, transportation. As we consider all the positive things in the universe, we should evaluate them according to Christ. What a tremendous revelation this is! The Christ we received is not a narrow Christ. On the contrary, He is unlimited, all-inclusive. He is not only our Redeemer, Savior, and life—He is everything to us. What a full and rich Christ we have received!
Having received such a Christ, we should now walk in Him. Many Christians think of the Christ they have received only as their Redeemer, Savior, and life. They appreciate Him as the Redeemer who shed His blood for them, and as the Savior who saved them from sin. However, they do not realize that the very Christ whom they have received is the embodiment of God and the reality of all positive things. We need to walk in such an all-inclusive Christ. When you eat, walk in Him. When you dress yourself, walk in Him. Walk in Him when you converse with your husband or wife.
We need to be those who are filled with Christ, saturated with Christ, clothed with Christ, and fully taken over by Christ. Many of us in the Lord’s recovery are not yet saturated with Christ. In the church meetings we may pray in Christ or sing in Christ. But as soon as we get back home, we may neglect Christ altogether and live according to our culture. In the meetings we may proclaim that to us to live is Christ. But in our daily life, especially at home, we may live by the self, not by Christ. What a difference there would be if in our daily living at home we would live by Christ! While a sister is cooking, she may realize that to her to cook in the kitchen is Christ. If we all exercise to live by Christ day by day, we shall live Christ, grow Christ, and produce Christ. In daily life we need to see Christ in all things and walk in Him.