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According to the book of Colossians, Christ is replaced by culture. Any culture is a composition of a number of items. Western culture, for example, is a composition of Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics. When the book of Colossians was written, the culture in the region of Colosse included Hebrew religion, Greek philosophy, asceticism, mysticism, and Gnosticism. Although the word culture is not used in this book, culture is nonetheless strongly indicated or implied. In 3:11 Paul...

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In the book of Galatians we see that Christ was replaced by Judaism. Judaism was a religion in which people worshipped the true God according to His holy Word. This religion included the law, which had been given by God through Moses, and also circumcision, the ordinances, and the traditions. Paul advanced in this religion and surpassed his contemporaries. But one day, when he was on the way to Damascus, the Lord Jesus appeared to him. At that time, God revealed the living Christ into Paul (Gal....

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In the New Testament three books portray the replacements of Christ: 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Colossians. First Corinthians deals with gifts and knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 1:7 Paul said that the Corinthians came behind in no gift. Furthermore, they had much knowledge, including spiritual knowledge. Nevertheless, they were carnal. Their knowledge did not help them adequately, and their gifts did not build them up. Paul told them that when he first came to them, he determined not to know anything...

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The revelation concerning Christ in Colossians is both all-inclusive and extensive. Colossians reveals that Christ is everything. Christ is the Firstborn both of the old creation, the universe, and of the new creation, the church (1:15, 18). The new creation is not as extensive as the old creation, the universe. The church is all-inclusive, but it is not extensive. For Christ to be the Firstborn of both the original creation and the new creation means that He is both extensive and all-inclusive....

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This principle has to be applied to us personally and to all our relationships. It is possible for fellow-workers, who love one another and work together harmoniously, to imagine that their mutual love and their cooperation is a spiritual thing; and others too may regard it as such. Yet it may simply be a human relationship without any divine content. But one day the hand of God falls upon it, and the cooperation comes to an end. For some indefinable reason those fellow-workers can no longer get...

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