What is the Mystery of God in Colossians 2:2?

    Last week I saw something I had not seen before about Colossians 1:25.  Did you catch in last week's post that the stewardship Paul received was to complete the word of God?  Have you ever thought about that phrase "complete the word of God?"  In Chapter 13 of the Life-Study of Colossians Witness Lee talks about what that means.

      First, he shares that Paul's completing the word of God involves two major mysteries--the mystery of God (Colossians 2:2) and the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:4, 5:32).  I realized after I read a few of these chapters that God likes to unveil these mysteries to us!

Colossians 1:27 proves this:  To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.   

      And then I thought back over my own Christian life, and then I realized that these mysteries are not theories or doctrines like the excerpt below states but pivotal human experiences. Throughout his years of ministry, Witness Lee spoke again and again on this matter.  He was very burdened for this truth to be shared with all of the Lord's people. And I learned later that the mystery of God is seeing that Christ became the life-giving Spirit so that we could receive Him.  I liked his explanation of this on page 106:

As the mystery of God, Christ must be both the embodiment of God and the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17). All fundamental Christian teachers believe that Christ is the embodiment of God, but very few see that He is also the life-giving Spirit. In order for us to know Christ in reality as the embodiment of God, we need to experience Him as the life-giving Spirit.  Because the enemy
knows the crucial significance of this, he attacks this point intensely....The reality of Christ as the embodiment of God is in Christ as the life-giving Spirit (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Colossians. Anaheim:  Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print).

     While I was considering these chapters in the Life-Study of Colossians, I realized that I didn't see the mystery of God all at once, but over a period of many, many years.  For me this revelation has brought added meaning to my Christian life.  It's not like salvation is a ticket, and it doesn't matter how you live.  Paul brings out in his epistles that all the believers need to grow and mature.  And this happens when we contact the Lord each day through things like prayer, reading the word, singing, and fellowshipping with others.  And this is ongoing because daily we need to enjoy and experience Christ as the life-giving Spirit.  

Blog Update 3-12-14:  Here is a beautiful song written by Howard Higashi--What Made You Lord Die For Me?.  And another gospel song that has touched me for years is My Wandering Days (this is song by the New York City Young People, and you can purchase this and other CDs from their website.)

You can listen to excerpts from the Life-Study of Colossians given in 1979 on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. 

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Colossians:

What is God's Will in Colossians 1:9?
What is the Stewardship of God in Colossians 1:25?
What is the Hope of Glory in Colossians 1:27?
What is the Mystery of God in Colossians 2:2? (Part 1)
What is the Difference Between the Mystery of God in Colossians 2:2 & the Mystery of Christ in Ephesians 5:32?   (Part 2)
What is the Greatest Mystery?
What is God's Intention for Your Life?
From the Life-Study of Colossians - What Happens When We Pray?
How Does God Get the One New Man in Colossians 3:10?
What Does Colossians 2:7 Say About Spiritual Growth? (Part 1)
What is the Goal of Spiritual Growth in Colossians 2:19?  (Part 2)
What is Christ Doing at the Right Hand of God in Colossians 3:2?