God's heart's desire is to work Christ into a people, to mingle Christ with these people, and to make these people a living Body to Christ. This is God's intention and purpose. After the resurrection and ascension of the Lord, God began this work, that here and there, in all the communities where human beings live, there may be a living expression of Christ. This is God's eternal purpose, and it is to be realized on this earth and in this age. If we are not preoccupied by anything else, this vision from the Scriptures must be clear to us.
Immediately after God began this divine project, however, the enemy Satan intervened to frustrate and damage His plans. The church now has a history of nearly two thousand years. In all these years Satan has been exceedingly active in many things. They may all be summed up in three categories:
The first category of Satan's activity is to produce many substitutes for Christ. God's intention is to work Christ into His chosen people. He intends that Christ should be their center, their reality, their life, and their all in all. But Satan has brought forth many subtle substitutes, many clever counterfeits.
Why was the book of Colossians written? Because at that time among the saints in Colossae human philosophy was brought in as a substitute for Christ. Human philosophy is the best of human civilization and culture, and the enemy utilized it to draw the believers away from Christ. Therefore, Paul wrote to the Colossians, telling them that Christ is "the allotted portion of the saints" (Col. 1:12), and Christ must be all and in all to the saints (Col. 3:11). "Beware that no one carries you off as spoil," he said, "through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ" (Col. 2:8).
Why was the book of Hebrews written? Because Satan was utilizing the very religion formed according to God's oracles to replace Christ. The Jewish religion was of God; it was established by God and even used by God. But God's intention is not to work the Jewish religion into His people. A mother, for example, may intend to give medicine to her child, but the child in his naughtiness does not cooperate. Instead of taking the medicine, the child grasps the bottle in which the medicine is contained. He would take the container and play with it, but he would not take the medicine. The Jewish religion was simply a container, conveying Christ to God's chosen people, but the subtle enemy caused them to appreciate the container more than Christ. Religion, even a God-appointed religion, became a substitute in the hand of Satan to replace Christ. The writer of the book of Hebrews, therefore, wrote that Christ is above all and better than all. Christ is the goal, not the Jewish religion, not anything religious.
The book of Galatians was written to expose another of the enemy's substitutes. The Judaizers at that time were utilized by the enemy to make the law a substitute of Christ. The law was divinely given and was "holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12), even from God's standpoint. But even such a thing was used as an instrument by the enemy to replace Christ. Thus, we see that philosophy, religion, and the law are all used by Satan to distract people from Christ.
In the book of 1 Corinthians we see a further distraction and substitute. Even the New Testament dispensational gifts were used by the enemy to replace Christ. The apostle said, "Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ.." (1 Cor. 1:22-23). Signs and wisdom can be substitutes for Christ. All these things were utilized by Satan in the very first century of the church to take the place of Christ.
If we read church history, from the second century to the present day, we see many other substitutes. One which has been much used is the forms. How many forms and rituals there are in Christianity, and how they have taken the place of Christ! Another substitute is the teachings—even the very teachings about Christ. Good, sound, scriptural, and even spiritual teachings have been used by the enemy as a substitute for Christ Himself. Many groups of Christians are not standing for Christ, but for their teachings. Theology is still another substitute. Theology takes the place of Theos—God. Theology replaces the reality, which is Christ Himself.
The enemy is exceedingly subtle. He injects something very close to the real thing but not the thing itself. So many are poisoned by these things. They take his bait before they are aware, and they are hooked. They have been distracted from Christ by something which is very close to Christ, but which is not Christ Himself.
There are so many substitutes—we cannot enumerate them all. How pitiful is the situation today! There are so many things, both good and evil, spiritual and secular, which take the place of Christ. Satan does not care what kind of substitute he uses, as long as he can distract you from Christ. If he can only do that, he is satisfied.