"That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and to all riches
of the assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God,
and of the Father, and of Christ."
(Colossians 2:2)
Hubble Telescope
Image courtesy/Pinterest
In view of the last verses of the preceding chapter:
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in
all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Whereunto I labor, striving according to His working which
worketh in me mightily."
(Colossians 1:27-29)
We can understand his (the apostle Paul's) anxiety he had for the Colossians, and
for those living in nearby Laodicea, and for as many who had not seen his face
in the flesh. He was deeply concerned about them after he heard of their
danger of going into error. It was a spiritual conflict.
(The Colossians turned to what was later called "gnosticism"*).
He was greatly exercised in his thoughts and feelings. He knew the powers of evil
so well; hence the burden for the Colossians, for the Laodiceans, and for all others.
In writing to them about his great conflict for them, and therefore his
prayerful interest in them, he did so that their hearts might be comforted
thereby and then, being knit together in love for this purpose: into all
riches, of the full assurance of understanding, to the full knowledge of the
mystery of God, in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
And what is this mystery of God in which the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge are hidden?
The mystery of God is Christ. But it is not Christ in incarnation,
in His life on earth, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
Nor is it Christ at the right hand of God, or Christ coming again to rule
over the nations on earth and establish His kingdom of glory. All these things
are subjects of divine revelation in the Old Testament. They are not a mystery.
It is Christ, the Head of the body, and believers in union with the glorious Head, joined
to Him by His Spirit, possessing His life, one with Him, destined to share His glory.
This is the mystery of God in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
And what treasures these are!
How little His people know of all this mystery of God contains!
It will take eternity to know and enjoy these treasures, the unsearchable riches.
-Gaebelein's Annotated Bible
* The heresy of Gnosticism claimed to possess secret, hidden, special knowledge that the
ordinary Christian did not have. The apostle Paul referred to it as "a philosophy of vain
deceit; after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
(Colossians 2:8)
The Colossians also leaned toward a false legalism which demanded that Christians
observe Jewish sabbaths. Again Paul addresses this problem plaguing the assembly of
believers in Colossae: "If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.
Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. For ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God."
(Colossians 3:1-3)
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