In Colossians 2 Paul told the Colossians that he wanted them to know how great a struggle he had for them and for those who had not seen his face, that their hearts might be comforted and that they might be knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ (vv. 1-2). Here, the mystery of God, Christ literally means that God is difficult to understand and comprehend and therefore is a mystery, but Christ is the explanation, expression, and manifestation of the mysterious God. Thus, Christ is the mystery of God. When one sees Christ, one sees God and knows God. When the Lord Jesus was living on earth, He was full of love, grace, forbearance, meekness, and authority. Although we always have the desire to care for others and love our children, relatives, friends, brothers, and sisters, we are unable to do it. However, Christ is not like us. We desire to love, yet we are unable to love. Yet, Christ not only has love, but He is also able to love. With Him nothing is impossible; He can do all things. He is able to meet the needs of anyone. If you are sick, He can heal you; if you are deadened, He can enliven you; if you are hungry, He can feed you and five thousand others with five loaves and two fish. All His acts reveal all the fullness of the Godhead to the uttermost. Therefore, you can see God in Christ.
The literal meaning of the phrase the mystery of God, Christ appears to be very simple. Yet, according to the Bible, what this phrase implies is not so simple; rather, it includes a great many things that are beyond human imagination and comprehension. For example, a person who has received little education and has only a little knowledge may be able to recognize and read almost all the words in the newspaper, but he still does not understand what he has read. On the contrary, a knowledgeable person can tell what the end of the story will be by simply reading the opening lines and can know the content of a whole line by simply reading the first few words. Since he has been equipped with the knowledge of the subject matter, it is very easy for him to comprehend when he reads it. The same is true in reading the Bible. If our mind does not have the divine concept, regardless of how hard we try in our reading, we cannot receive the divine revelation. Eventually, what we receive in our reading is actually what we already have in our natural concept. For example, the Bible says, “Husbands, love your wives” (Eph. 5:25a). Every wife who comes across this verse would exclaim in her heart, “Amen! The Bible is really good and it is so right!” Why? The reason is that since the day she got married, she has earnestly hoped that her husband will love her. However, every husband who is provoked daily by his wife responds with an “amen” when he comes across the verse that says, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands” (v. 22). He understands this matter immediately because this is exactly what he expects of his wife. Actually, the book of Ephesians is filled with many high revelations and profound truths, yet we are unable to take them in.
The high revelations and profound truths in the Bible are fundamentally non-existent in our natural concept. Our natural concept does not have this knowledge or this vocabulary; therefore, in our Bible reading we can understand only the superficial meaning of the words but not their intrinsic significance, much less understand the hidden mystery.
Colossians 2:2 speaks of “the mystery of God, Christ,” referring first of all to Christ as the mystery of God being in us as our life (3:4). In the Scriptures, the book of Colossians is on the objective truth concerning Christ, while the book of Philippians is on the subjective experience of Christ. Colossians pulls open the heavenly veil to show us who Christ is and what Christ is. In Colossians 1 more than ten items concerning Christ are mentioned. The most important ones are Christ being the allotted portion of the saints (v. 12), Christ being the image of the invisible God (v. 15a), Christ being the Firstborn of all creation (v. 15b), and Christ being the first One in resurrection and in the new creation (v. 18). After speaking about who Christ is in chapter one, Paul goes on in chapter two to give Christ an aggregate title by saying that Christ is the mystery of God. Christ as the mystery of God is an aggregate title, just like the sum total in arithmetic. Christ is the mystery of God, and in this mystery many items are included. Then in chapter three, Paul says that this Christ, the mystery of God, is our life. This is Colossians, a book that reveals the truth concerning Christ.
The Bible is complete and covers all aspects. Not only does it speak about truth and revelation, but it also refers to the experience. Not only does it have the book of Colossians with the revelation of Christ, but it also has the book of Philippians with the experience of Christ. Not only does Paul tell us in Colossians that Christ is our life, but he also tells us in Philippians that Christ is our experience of life. The entire book of Philippians is filled with the experience of Christ.
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