Col 3:10 And have put on the new man... (11) Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all. 1 Cor 12:12 For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.
[Part 2 of 2] The word all in verse 11 refers to all the members who make up the new man. Christ is all these members, and He is in all the members. For this reason, in the church there is no room for us. There is no room for any nationality. As those who are part of the new man, we should not regard ourselves as Chinese, Americans, Germans, or any other nationality. Do not even say that you are so-and-so. Since Christ is all and in all in the new man and you are part of the new man, then you are part of Christ. Each member, each part, of the new man is Christ. In saying that there cannot be any natural person in the new man, verse 11 is very strong. According to the context, the new man in 3:10 certainly does not denote the new self, for the new man is made up of believers from many different cultural backgrounds. This is not true of the so-called new self. No doubt, the new man here is a corporate man, the church, Christ's Body. Although many different kinds of people make up the church, all are part of Christ. They are no longer the natural person. Christ is everyone in the new man, and He is in everyone in the new man. What a tremendous vision it is to see that Christ is all and in all!
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Colossians, pp. 237-238. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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