第四週■週五

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晨興餧養

西二7『在祂裏面已經生根，並正被建造，且照着你們所受的教導，在信心上得以堅固，洋溢着感謝，就要在祂裏面行事爲人。』

   19『…持定元首；本於祂，全身藉着節和筋，得了豐富的供應，並結合一起，就以神的增長而長大。』

身體持定元首〔西二19〕的意思是，身體不〔讓任何事物使〕自己與頭分開。…當我們憑文化活着，而不憑基督活着的時候，我們就使自己與元首基督分開了，我們的獎賞（對基督的享受）就被騙取了。…我們若在基督裏生根，並且在祂行動的時候行事爲人，我們就自然而然的把基督的豐富吸收到我們裏面，並且以神的增長而長大。這長大乃是藉着持定基督作元首而有的。

歌羅西二章十九節說到供應，以及身體結合一起。身體藉着持定元首而得着供應並結合一起，就以神的增長而長大。本節中『本於祂』這辭很重要，指明基督的身體是本於元首而長大的，因爲一切的供應都來自元首。一面，基督是元首；另一面，祂乃是土壤。當我們吸收土壤的豐富，我們就持定了元首。照樣，從元首接受供應，就是從土壤吸取豐富。…我們因着土壤之豐富的增加而長大；作爲身體，我們也是本於元首得着供應而長大。（歌羅西書生命讀經，四七四至四七五頁。）

信息選讀

歌羅西二章七節說到在基督裏面已經生根，並正被建造。植物越長大，就越把自己建造起來。譬如，一棵樹從土壤裏吸取豐富，就把自己建造起來。這含示生機的活動。藉着這樣的活動，就把土壤裏的養分吸收到樹裏面。

在二章七節，保羅把生根和建造相題並論，這是很有意義的。原因在於：生根是爲着長大，而長大就是真正的建造。長大不只是爲着建造，長大事實上就是建造。一棵樹長大時，就把自己建造起來。人也是這樣。作母親的都知道，孩子越得着健康食物的滋養，他們就越長大，而藉着長大，他們就被建造。他們裏面所進行的生機活動，使他們長大；這個長大就是他們肉身的建造。

生根帶進長大，而長大就是建造。我們若沒有長大，就不能有甚麼建造。我們乃是藉着吸取土壤中豐富、營養的元素而長大。我們在基督裏面已經生根，如今在祂裏面正被建造。我們已經在基督裏生根，並且藉着把祂的豐富吸收到我們裏面而長大。這個長大就是在基督裏把自己建造起來。

在二章十九節保羅說到，『持定元首；本於祂，全身藉着節和筋，得了豐富的供應，並結合一起，就以神的增長而長大。』持定元首等於住在基督裏。當然，持定元首含示我們沒有與祂分離，沒有與祂隔絕。保羅寫信給歌羅西人的時候，他們因着文化，已經有點與基督分離了。文化能成爲一種絕緣體，使我們離開基督。持定元首就是留在基督裏，在我們與祂之間沒有任何的絕緣體。

十九節裏『本於祂』一辭指明有些東西從元首出來，使身體長大。身體的長大在於有東西從基督這位元首出來，正如植物的長大在於養分從土壤進到植物裏。植物若沒有從土壤裏吸取養分，就無法長大。照樣，我們若沒有接受從基督這元首所出來的，身體也無法長大。所以，持定元首就等於在基督這土壤裏面生根。（歌羅西書生命讀經，五六一至五六三頁。）

參讀：歌羅西書生命讀經，第四十四、五十一篇。

WEEK 4 — DAY 5

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Morning Nourishment

Col. 2:7 Having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith even as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

       19…Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.

For the Body to hold the Head [Col. 2:19] means that the Body does not allow itself to be separated from the Head…by anything. When we live by our culture instead of by Christ, we separate ourselves from Christ as the Head and are defrauded of our prize, which is the enjoyment of Christ. If we are rooted in Christ and walk as He moves, we will spontaneously absorb the riches of Christ into our being and grow with the growth of God. This growth is by holding Christ as the Head.

Colossians 2:19 speaks of the supply and of the Body being knit together. When the Body is supplied and knit together by holding the Head, the Body grows with the growth of God. The phrase out from whom in this verse is important. It indicates that the Body grows out from the Head, for all the supply comes from the Head. In one sense, Christ is the Head; in another sense, He is the soil. As we absorb the riches of the soil, we hold the Head. Likewise, to receive the supply from the Head is to absorb the riches from the soil .. We grow with the increase from the soil; we also grow as the Body with the supply out from the Head. (Life-study of Colossians, 2nd edition, pp. 376-377)

Today’s Reading

Colossians 2:7 speaks of having been rooted in Christ and of being built up in Him. The more a plant grows, the more it builds itself up. A tree, for example, builds itself up by absorbing into itself nourishment from the soil. This implies organic activity. Through this activity the nourishment from the soil is absorbed into the tree.

It is significant that in 2:7 Paul puts being rooted and building together. The reason for this is that being rooted is for growing, and growing is genuine building. Growth is not only for building but is actually the building itself. As a tree grows, it builds itself up. The same is true of human beings. As all mothers realize, the more their children are nourished with healthy food, the more they grow, and by growing, they are built up. The organic activity that takes place within them causes them to grow. This growth is the building of their physical bodies.

Being rooted brings in the growing, and the growing is the building. If we do not grow, we cannot have any building. We grow by absorbing the rich, nourishing element of the soil. Having been rooted in Christ, we now are being built up in Him. We have been rooted in Christ, and we grow by absorbing His riches into us. This leads to growth, which is the building up of ourselves in Christ.

In 2:19 Paul speaks of “holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.” Holding the Head is equal to abiding in Christ. Of course, to hold the Head implies that we are not detached, or severed, from Him. At the time Paul wrote to the Colossians, they had been somewhat detached from Christ by their culture. Culture can be a form of insulation that keeps us from Christ. To hold the Head is to remain in Christ without any insulation between us and Him.

Out from whom in verse 19 indicates that something is coming out from the Head to cause the Body to grow. The growth of the Body depends on what comes out of Christ as the Head, just as the growth of a plant depends on what comes into the plant from the soil. If a plant does not absorb nutrients from the soil, the plant cannot grow. Likewise, if we do not receive what comes out from Christ as the Head, the Body cannot grow. Holding the Head is, therefore, equal to being rooted in Christ as the soil. (Life-study of Colossians, 2nd edition, pp. 444-445)

Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 44, 51