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Paul's doctrine was Christ (Eph. 4: 20). His life here in the flesh (Gal. 2: 20), the goal of
this life (Phil. 1: 21), and the life of resurrection glory (Col. 3: 4) was Christ:--
"Yea thro' life, death, thro' sorrow and thro' sinning
He shall suffice me, for He hath sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning,
Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ."
No language of ours can express anything approaching the fullness that the heart
realized to be resident in these words of Col. 2: 2. Nothing less than a life-long
exposition of these epistles could hope to touch the fringe of so mighty a theme. We will,
therefore, continue our study of the many facets of this one truth that irradiate with His
glory the sacred page:--
"In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2: 3).
The English word "treasure" comes from the Greek word thesauros. The Lexicons
suggest that it is made up of the phrase, thesis eis aurion = "laying up for the morrow".
More than one Hebrew word has the idea of something hidden or concealed in its
composition. The word otsar of Deut. 28: 12 means "a thing laid up", and is
possibly the original from which the Greek thesauros was derived. Matmon, of
Job 3: 21, is from taman = "to hide or secrete", as in Gen. 35: 4. It seems to be the
essence of a treasure that it should be stored, concealed or hid:--
"Is this not laid up in store with Me, and sealed up among My treasures?"
(Deut. 32: 34).
"The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure" (Deut. 28: 12).
"What have they seen? There is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed
them" (II Kings 20: 15).
"Dig for it more than for hid treasures" (Job 3: 21).
"If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure" (Prov. 2: 4).
"Treasures hid in the sand" (Deut. 33: 19).
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man
hath found, he hideth" (Matt. 13: 44).
"We have this reassure in earthen vessels" (II Cor. 4: 7).
God's secret and God's treasure seem to meet in Christ:--
"In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2: 3).
It is not accurate to deduce from this statement that the treasures of God hidden in
Christ are exhausted in wisdom and knowledge, for we have already seen that all the
riches of grace and glory are also to be found in Him. The apostle particularly selects
wisdom and knowledge, because of the teaching of a vain and deceitful wisdom
("philosophy" and "show of wisdom", Col. 2: 8, 23), and the "opposition of knowledge
(science) falsely so called" (I Tim. 6: 20), the incipient Gnosticism that is found in the
great warning of Col. 2: 4-23.
Including the compound philosophia, the word
"wisdom" (sophia) is found in Colossians seven times, and appears in such an order as to
compel attention:--