In the New Testament three books portray the replacements of Christ: 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. First Corinthians deals with gifts and knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 Paul said that the Corinthians came behind in no gift. Furthermore, they had much knowledge, including spiritual knowledge. Nevertheless, they were carnal. Their knowledge did not help them adequately, and their gifts did not build them up. Paul told them that when he first came to them, he determined not to know anything among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). Paul realized that the Corinthians were occupied with knowledge and gifts. For this reason, he emphasized the crucified Christ. This indicates that the Corinthian believers needed to live a crucified life, a life of the cross.
In 1 Corinthians 1:22 Paul said, “For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom.” To the Jews, the crucified Christ was a stumbling block, and to the Greeks, He was foolishness. Neither the Jews nor the Greeks cared for such a Christ. They preferred a Christ of splendor to a Christ crucified. However, Paul told them that he did not want to know anything among them except Christ and Him crucified.
In the book of 1 Corinthians Paul eventually indicated that to have the church life we need the experience of Christ crucified. The church life must be a crucified life. What the Corinthian believers needed was to live a crucified Christ and not pay their attention to knowledge and spiritual gifts.
In Corinth Christ was replaced by knowledge and gifts. In the charismatic movement today, Christ is also replaced by the gifts. Where in charismatic meetings is Christ emphasized and realized properly? Today Christ is still being replaced by knowledge and gifts. Of course, He is also replaced by the various forms, rituals, and ordinances of religion.
In the book of Galatians we see that Christ was replaced by Judaism. Judaism was a religion in which people worshipped the true God according to His holy Word. This religion included the law, which had been given by God through Moses, and also circumcision, the ordinances, and the traditions. Paul advanced in this religion and surpassed his contemporaries. But one day, when he was on the way to Damascus, the Lord Jesus appeared to him. At that time, God revealed the living Christ into Paul (Gal. 1:16a). Thus, in the book of Galatians we have a clear record of how Christ was replaced by the Jewish religion with the law, circumcision, and the traditions.
When the book of Galatians was written, not only had the Jews replaced Christ with such a religion, but even many saints had been influenced to turn from Christ to the law and circumcision. According to Galatians 5:2, if we are circumcised, Christ will not profit us at all. Those who seek to be justified by the law are actually “brought to nought from Christ” (v. 4). This means that if we try to be righteous by keeping the law, we shall be severed from Christ, and He will be of no effect to us. This indicates clearly that the law can replace Christ and keep God’s people from Christ. Furthermore, circumcision annuls the grace of God.
The law had been given by God, and circumcision and many rituals had been ordained by God. The Jews used all these things apparently for God. However, the law, circumcision, and the ordinances, the components of the Jewish religion, replaced Christ and were used to distract the believers from Christ. The saints in Galatia were distracted from Christ to certain God-given and God-ordained things. In their case, Christ was replaced by religion.
According to the book of Colossians, Christ is replaced by culture. Any culture is a composition of a number of items. Western culture, for example, is a composition of Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics. When the book of Colossians was written, the culture in the region of Colosse included Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, asceticism, mysticism, and Gnosticism. Although the word culture is not used in this book, culture is nonetheless strongly indicated or implied. In 3:11 Paul says that in the new man there is no Greek or Jew, no circumcision or uncircumcision, no barbarian or Scythian. These terms indicate both religious and cultural distinctions. Circumcision and uncircumcision refer to religion, whereas barbarian and Scythian refer to culture. Thus, the book of Colossians indicates that the ultimate replacement for Christ is our culture.
As we consider the three books of 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians, we see many replacements for Christ. Christ is replaced by knowledge and gifts, by religion with its law and ordinances, and by culture. Among the Corinthians, Christ was replaced by knowledge and spiritual gifts. The same is true among Christians today. Some people think that charismatic meetings are quite living. But are these meetings living because of Christ or because of something else? If we are not careful, various things may come in to replace Christ in our experience. If Christ is not replaced by knowledge or gifts, He may be replaced by religion or culture. We may use some man-made law or ordinance to replace Him. Certain isms may come in to be a substitute for Him. Our self-made and self-imposed culture may also replace Christ in our daily living. Because there are so many different substitutes for Christ, we can say that in the experience of Christians throughout the centuries, Christ has been replaced in every way.