The verbal form gives us the translations: "most surely believed" (Luke 1: 1); "fully

persuaded" (Rom. 4: 21, 14: 5); "make full proof" (II Tim. 4: 5); "fully known"

(II Tim. 4: 17). There is an element of completion about the word, together with the

feeling of enabling power, for phoria comes from phero = "to carry", which is directly

connected with the purpose of the apostle in his desire to present every man "perfect", or

carried along completely to the end.

This full assurance of understanding is "with a view to a full knowledge or

acknowledgment (epignosis) of the mystery of God".  This full knowledge or

acknowledgment of the mystery of God is summed up in one word--"Christ". The A.V.

here reads: "The mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." The R.V. reads:

"The mystery of God, even Christ." The Manuscripts show a great variety of readings,

almost every possible combination and arrangement of the words being found. Textual

criticism is not every man's work, for it is easy to rush in where, possibly, angels would

fear to tread. We believe the general reader would be little wiser if we occupied pages

filled with references to Manuscripts and quotations of the "Fathers".  It may be

sufficient to justify the acceptance of the R.V. reading if we say that  Greisbach,

Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford and Wordsworth (men who have edited the

Greek text at different times during a period of two hundred years) point to this as the

true reading, and the weight of that most important Manuscript, Vatican B, is in its

favour. In the series under the heading "The Volume of the Book" we shall be able to deal

with this question of the various "texts"; to attempt more here would but cumber the

mind, and stay the teaching that it is our object to give.

Proceeding, therefore, we observe that from the opening of this section in Col. 1: 28

until this point is reached in Col. 2: 2, there has been a definite movement in one

direction, a teaching leading to one person, a revelation of a fullness discernible nowhere

else but in Christ:--

The touchstone of all doctrine, whether it be expressed as "philosophy", whether it has

the sanction of "tradition", or comes with all the force of the accepted "rudiments of the

world", is CHRIST (Col. 2: 8). Christ is revealed as our very life itself (Col. 3: 4), and

eventually as our "All and in all" (Col. 3: 11).

It is the simplest yet the most profound lesson of the ages. "The mystery of God" is

the all embracive secret within which all other mysteries find their sphere, and which are

solved in the Person of Christ. "That I may know Him" is the climax of all prayer. "I

know Whom I have believed" is the basis of all assurance. "To know the love of Christ"

is to possess a knowledge far beyond our greatest faculties. "The excellency of the

knowledge of Christ" makes all lesser attainments so much offal, and the very unity of

the faith unto which we all press is, above all, "the knowledge of the Son of God". Paul's

gospel was Christ (I Cor. 1: 23; II Cor. 4: 5; Gal. 1: 16; Rom. 1: 1, 3, 16; Phil. 1: 18).