西二8 你们要谨慎，恐怕有人用他的哲学，和虚空的欺骗，照着人的传统，照着世上的蒙学，不照着基督，把你们掳去。

　　三10~11 并且穿上了新人；这新人照着创造他者的形像渐渐更新，以致有充足的知识；在此……唯有基督是一切，又在一切之内。

　　〔歌罗西二章八节〕“照着基督”这辞很重要，指明每一件事都当照着基督来评断、衡量。当我们看看自己、我们的家庭、环境和周遭，我们不该照着人的传统，乃该照着基督来估量这一切（歌罗西书生命读经，三六二页）。

　　Col. 2:8 Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.

　　3:10-11 ...Put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where...Christ is all and in all.

　　[In Colossians 2:8] the expression “according to Christ” is very important. It indicates that everything should be estimated and evaluated according to Christ. As we consider ourselves, our families, situations, and environment, we should evaluate them, not according to the tradition of men, but according to Christ. (Life-study of Colossians, p. 292)

　　保罗在歌罗西二章四节特别提到“花言巧语”。通常那些欺骗人的都是能说善道、善用花言巧语的。我们要提防花言巧语，……我们不要被讲员的口才吸引，反倒该问他的说话中是否有实际。

　　和受恩教士曾帮助倪弟兄学这重要的功课。倪弟兄年轻时……以为某某传道人的道非常美妙，他相信和教士……一定会同意。然而，和教士……指出那篇信息没有生命和实际。从那次以后，倪弟兄就不再欣赏口才便捷的讲道人的空话。但愿我们也学习不被花言巧语所欺骗。

　　无疑的，当蛇在园中靠近夏娃时，它的说话必定很文雅。但你一定要警觉，免得被这些有教养之人的花言巧语所欺骗。唯有我们对包罗万有的基督在神经纶中的地位有清楚的看见时，我们才能识破欺骗和诱骗的事。

　　堕落的人用文化作为神的代替品。首先，这样的文化是神的代替品。然后基督进来，以祂自己来顶替这个代替品。既然我们不再是小孩子，就需要基督来顶替我们文化的每一样元素。这意思不是说，我们该轻视文化。这乃是说，我们应当爱基督。如果我们被基督充满直到满溢，其他的东西在我们里面就没有地位了。我们的每一部分都会被基督占有，被基督充满。然后我们在经历中就有基督的丰满。……这位充满我们全人的基督，要以祂自己来顶替我们的文化。这就是歌罗西书里的启示。……基督这位延展无限者，必须顶替我们天然人性生活中的一切元素。……在作为新人的召会里，任何一种天然的人都没有地位。在新人里，基督必须是一切，又在一切之内（三11）。

　　我们不该恨恶……〔或〕珍赏我们天然的所是。……我们不该想去恨恶天然的所是，〔那是实行禁欲主义，〕反倒该照着主的话来否认己。否认己就是不顾己，忘掉己，不去注意己。……我们不该恨恶己或爱惜己，只该不注意己。……然而，我们若要不注意己，就必须专注于比己更好的事。我们之所以需要看见歌罗西书所陈明，基督之延展无限的异象，其原因就在此。我们若看见这个异象，就会把我们的全人集中在这位延展无限的基督身上，然后基督就要充满我们，并占有我们。我们既被这位延展无限的基督所充满，就不需要犹太教、智慧派学说、奥秘主义或禁欲主义。我们全人会被这位宽广、有追测不尽丰富、延展无限的基督所占有。自然而然的，这位基督会进来，以祂自己顶替我们天然人性生活中的每一方面（歌罗西书生命读经，二一二至二一四、五二八至五三一页）。

　　参读：歌罗西书生命读经，第三十二、三十四至三十六、三十九、二十一、二十六、二十八至二十九、四十九篇。

　　In Colossians 2:4 Paul specifically refers to “persuasive speech.” Usually those who deceive others are eloquent and persuasive in speech. Beware of eloquence.... Instead of being taken in by a speaker’s eloquence, we should ask if there is reality in his speaking.

　　Sister M. E. Barber helped Brother Nee to learn this important lesson. When he was young,... Brother Nee thought that a certain preacher’s message was marvelous, and he was confident that Sister Barber would agree. Nevertheless, Sister Barber still pointed out that the message was void of life and reality. From that time onward, Brother Nee no longer appreciated the empty speech of eloquent preachers. May we also learn not to be deluded by persuasive speech.

　　No doubt, when the serpent approached Eve in the garden, he spoke in a very refined way. Be on the alert lest you are deluded through the persuasive speech of cultured people. Only when we have a clear view of the place of the all-inclusive Christ in God’s economy shall we be able to see through delusion and deception.

　　Fallen man uses culture as a substitute for God. First, such a culture is a substitute for God. Then Christ comes in to replace this substitute with Himself. Since we are no longer children, we need Christ to replace every element of our culture. This does not mean that we should despise culture. Rather, it means that we should love Christ. If we are filled to the brim with Christ, there will not be any room in our being for anything else. Every part of us will be occupied by Christ and with Christ. Then in our experience we shall have the fullness of Christ.... The Christ who fills our being will replace our culture with Himself. This is the revelation in the book of Colossians.... Christ, the extensive One, must replace every element of our natural human life. In the church as the new man, there is no room for any kind of natural person. In the new man Christ must be all and in all (3:11).

　　We should neither hate our natural being nor treasure it.... Instead of trying to hate the natural being [which is to practice asceticism], we should follow the Lord’s word to deny ourselves. To deny the self is to ignore the self, to forget it, to pay no attention to it.... Instead of either hating the self or loving it, we should simply refuse to pay attention to it.

　　However, if we would keep from paying attention to the self, we must concentrate on something better than the self. This is the reason we need a vision of the extensiveness of Christ.... If we see this vision, we shall concentrate our entire being on the extensive Christ, who will then fill us and occupy us. Because we are filled with the extensive Christ, we shall have no need of Judaism, Gnosticism, mysticism, or asceticism. Our being will be occupied with the vast, unsearchably rich, extensive Christ. Spontaneously this Christ will come in to replace every aspect of our natural human life with Himself. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 172-174, 426-428)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msgs. 32, 34-36, 39, 21, 26, 28-29, 49