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between the members of the Body. Any breaking of this can only lead to trouble and a
grieved Spirit of God (Eph. 4: 30). Not only this but it gives place to the Devil and he
will not be slow to take advantage of the situation.
No.57.
The Epistle to the Colossians (7).
pp. 166 - 170
The context in Col. 2: which we are studying lays great emphasis on unity which is
so important in the out-working of God's gracious purposes. Hence the injunction to
guard this unity as the first part of the worthy walk (Eph. 4: 1-16).
". . . . . being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, that they may know the mystery (secret) of God, even Christ" (Col. 2: 2
R.V.).
Then follows one of Paul's supreme phrases, an antidote surely to the false knowledge
that was leading some astray at Colossae and possibly elsewhere. The gnosis,
knowledge, that the false teachers were trying to foist on the Colossians might have been
externally impressive with its prohibitions and false holiness, but it could never lead to
the `full assurance of understanding' of God and the One Who sums Him up concretely,
namely the Lord Jesus Christ. The `secret of God' is Christ--He is not just a part of it.
This should remind us that not all God's secret are fully revealed. The Saviour declared:
". . . . . no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him" (Matt. 11: 27).
It is impossible for any finite being to completely comprehend God whether revealed
as Christ or as the Father. Now we only know `in part' (I Cor. 13: 12). Those who deny
the deity of Christ and glibly talk of Him being a created being should remember this.
Our knowledge of this profound mystery can only grow and deepen as we acknowledge
in practice the One of Whom it can be said with truth that `in Him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily' (Col. 2: 9). The words of 100: H. Welch are to the point
here:
"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'
(Eph.iv.13). Paul's gospel was Christ (I Cor. 1: 23; II Cor. 4: 5; Gal. 1: 16). Paul's