THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
THE HEAD OF ALL PRINCIPALITY AND POWER (4)
FER Then masters are to give that which is just and equal.
Verse 3: “To speak the mystery of the Christ”. It is a great pity that the article is omitted in our version. The Christ is the official Head, and includes the whole system which comes into reconciliation. “By him to reconcile all things”. The apostle’s idea of preaching was to preach the mystery of the Christ. The gospel preached today is a diluted gospel (I do not say adulterated). Christ is to be presented as Head of all things on the ground of redemption, and He is the centre of attraction for man; and hence, if people are attracted to Christ, they are connected with the “all things”. Christ has come in as Head, and man has responsibility in regard to Christ, for He is Head of every man. Man has responsibility in regard to God, but he has also responsibility in regard to Christ. The latter is the greater test. In preaching, Christ has to be presented from heaven, that is the report of the Holy Spirit. Christ has ascended up on high, that He may fill all things. Faith cometh by report, and report by the word of God. The report has come by the Holy Spirit, and the report is that Christ is Head of every man on the ground of redemption, and that therefore He is an object of attraction to men. God will take all up on the ground of redemption.
What about angels?
FER Reconciliation depends upon redemption. All will be put under the Son of man, and angels will be put under Him as such. Unfallen beings like holy angels cannot enter into the sense of God’s mercy as we can. Christ can; He came under the judgement of [p. 106] our sins and iniquities, and therefore He is the vessel of God’s mercy to man; but unfallen angels cannot enter into that. It would be a great thing to enter into the mystery of the Christ. The only thing which will save things at this moment is the testimony of the Christ, and it has to be understood. Many people nowadays are hurried into preaching; we hear of boy preachers. What can such an one know of the mystery of the Christ? The mystery of the Christ is much more than presenting Christ as a Saviour. It is Christ in regard to all things. I do not think the testimony of the Christ is to be understood in a moment. The apostle had conflict for these Colossians to the end “that they might have the riches of the full assurance of understanding”.
At the end we get the mention of different names, Epaphras, Luke, Demas, Archippus, Onesimus, etc. Demas is not described at all — all the others are; there is some comment about every other. Demas has a cold mention, his defection may not have become apparent. The apostle was guided by the Holy Spirit. If a man has received a ministry of the Lord, he has to see that he fills it out. If a man goes about, he ought to have a sense of having a ministry from the Lord, and he ought to fulfil it. It was a recognised thing that Archippus had received a ministry.
The fact of our having the New Testament scriptures has not altered the ground of faith. The ground of faith is what it always was; that is the report. “Who hath believed our report?” “So faith then is by a report, but the report by God’s word”, Romans 10: 17.