In 2:19 we have the words “holding the Head.” What does it mean to hold Christ as the Head? For the Body to hold the Head means that the Body does not allow itself to be separated from the Head. If we truly hold Christ as the Head, we shall not be separated from Him by anything. When we live by our culture instead of by Christ, we separate ourselves from Christ as the Head and are defrauded of our prize, which is the enjoyment of Christ.
Those Christians in Colosse who were embracing Gnosticism and living by it were being severed from the Head. They were being defrauded, deprived, of the enjoyment of Christ. However, if we are rooted in Christ and walk as He moves, we shall spontaneously absorb the riches of Christ into our being and grow with the growth of God. This growth is by holding Christ as the Head.
Colossians 2:19 speaks of the supply and of the Body being knit together. When the Body is supplied and knit together by holding the Head, the Body grows with the growth of God. The phrase “out from whom” in this verse is important. It indicates that the Body grows out from the Head, for all the supply comes from the Head. In one sense, Christ is the Head; in another sense, He is the soil. As we absorb the riches of the soil, we hold the Head. Likewise, to receive the supply from the Head is to absorb the riches from the soil.
In order to have proper growth as Christians, we need to realize that God has placed us, as living plants, into Christ. Now we should say, “Lord, I want to remain in You and walk whenever You move.” By walking in Christ, we absorb the riches of the soil into our being. Then, through the increase of these riches within us, we grow. Absorbing the riches of the soil is equal to holding Christ as the Head. We grow with the increase from the soil; we also grow as the Body with the supply out from the Head.
In the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul tells us to beware of philosophy, tradition, and the elements of the world. This means that we should beware of culture in every form: racial culture, national culture, and self-made and self-imposed culture. We should not allow culture to become a substitute for Christ. Although there is no need for us to deliberately try to drop our culture, we should stop appreciating it. In the past we treasured our culture, lovingly embracing it. But if we see that culture can be a substitute for Christ, we shall no longer treasure it or appreciate it so highly. Instead, we see that we are living plants rooted in Christ. Since we are rooted in Him, we should not allow anything to replace Him. We should simply walk in Him as the living land and grow by absorbing the riches of the soil into us. In this way the riches from the soil, who is also the Head, will be ministered into us. As a result, all the Body will grow with the growth of the Triune God. Automatically, our culture will be replaced by Christ.
Continually we should simply walk in Christ, not appreciating our culture and not treasuring it. The more we walk in Christ, the more we shall absorb the riches of the soil, the rich supply of the Head. Then, holding the Head, we shall experience the genuine and proper growth in Christ.