西三11 在此并没有希利尼人和犹太人、受割礼的和未受割礼的、化外人、西古提人、为奴的、自主的，唯有基督是一切，又在一切之内。

　　　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。

　　保罗在歌罗西书里所对付的，乃是深藏在人类文化里的事。三章十一节用到“化外人”这辞，就是这一点很有力的证明。林前十二章十三节和加拉太三章二十八节，是和歌罗西三章十一节类似的经节，但在那两段经节里，都没有用到这辞。保罗在歌罗西书用“化外人”这辞，指明这封书信所对付的，乃是文化。

　　歌罗西信徒中间的难处，根源乃是文化，就是犹太文化和希腊文化。我信在小亚细亚的众召会，都被犹太文化，特别是宗教规条，以及希腊文化，特别与哲学有关的，所浸透了。在保罗的时代，地中海一带的文化包含三个主要的元素：犹太宗教、希腊哲学以及罗马政治。其中两个元素—犹太宗教和希腊哲学—已经侵入了召会。

　　当初文化如何对歌罗西的信徒产生了强烈的影响，今天，文化也照样强烈地影响我们。我们不知不觉就受到生长于其中的文化所影响。文化中宗教和哲学的元素好像是我们这人的一部分。在许多基督教的团体中，也有文化中政治的元素（歌罗西书生命读经，三三八至三三九页）。

　　Col. 3:11 Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

　　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.

　　In Colossians Paul is dealing with the hidden matter of man’s culture. A strong indicator of this is the use of the word barbarian in 3:11, a word not used in either 1 Corinthians 12:13 or Galatians 3:28, verses parallel to Colossians 3:11. Paul’s use of the word barbarian in Colossians indicates that this Epistle deals with culture.

　　The source of the trouble among the believers in Colossae was culture, Jewish culture and Greek culture. I believe that all the churches in Asia Minor had been saturated with Jewish culture, particularly with respect to religious observances, and with Greek culture, particularly related to philosophy. At the time of Paul, the culture in the Mediterranean region included three main elements: Jewish religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics. Two of these elements—Jewish religion and Greek philosophy—had invaded the church.

　　Just as culture exerted a strong influence on the believers in Colossae, culture today exerts a strong influence on us. Unconsciously, we are under the influence of the culture into which we were born. It seems that the religious and philosophical elements of culture are part of our being. In many groups in Christianity the political element of culture is present also. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 273-274)

　　保罗在歌罗西二章十八节说，“不可让人凭故意卑微，并敬拜天使，所作反对你们的判断，骗取你们的奖赏；这等人留恋于所见过的，随着自己肉体的心思，徒然自高自大。”保罗在这里警告信徒，不要让人凭故意卑微，骗取了我们的奖赏。他不是警告他们不要放纵肉体的情欲。卑微是人类最好的美德之一。许多伦常的教训对卑微评价很高。就某些方面说，卑微甚至是比爱更好的美德。但是连卑微也会骗取信徒对基督的享受。

　　今天原则也是一样，那狡猾者撒但仍然利用伦理和宗教，骗取基督徒对基督的享受。我这么说，不是指别人，不是指那些在天主教里的人，而是专指我们这些在主恢复里的人。

　　我们若进入歌罗西书的深处，就会看见这卷书不是对付罪，也不是对付律法，而是对付人类的文化。文化是每一个人不知不觉的生活。无论是原始社会或是进步的国家，都是如此。这个原则在各处都是一样。全世界的人都受文化的影响。……照歌罗西书看，骗取我们对基督的享受、破坏召会生活的，乃是我们的文化。

　　歌罗西书说到我们今天的需要。我们主要的还不是受罪恶事情的搅扰，像在哥林多前书一样；也不是受律法的搅扰，像在加拉太书一样。但我们都不知不觉地，在下意识里受了文化的影响。我们进入召会生活时，也把文化带了进来。这个文化现今一直破坏我们对基督的享受。文化乃是我们发展出来，使我们赖以生存并得以维生的有系统的方法。我们的文化越强，对别人就越挑剔。根据我们的文化，我们发展出自己禁欲的方式，自己限制肉体情欲的作法。我们的禁欲主义是我们所发明，克制自己，使自己不犯罪的方法（歌罗西书生命读经，三三九至三四一页）。

　　参读：歌罗西书生命读经，第三十三篇。

　　In Colossians 2:18 Paul says, “Let no one defraud you by judging you unworthy of your prize, in self-chosen lowliness and the worship of the angels, dwelling on things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his mind set on the flesh.” Here Paul warns the believers not to be defrauded through self-chosen lowliness, or so-called humility. He does not warn them about fleshly indulgence. Humility is one of the best human virtues. In many ethical teachings, a high value is placed on humility. In certain respects, humility is even a finer virtue than love. But even humility can be used to defraud the believers of the enjoyment of Christ.

　　The principle is the same today. Satan, the subtle one, is still using ethics and religion to defraud Christians of the enjoyment of Christ. In saying this, I am not referring to others, such as those in the Catholic religion, but especially to us in the Lord’s recovery. If we get into the depths of the book of Colossians, we shall see that it deals not with sin or with the law, but with man’s culture. Culture is the unconscious living of every human being. This is true both of primitive society and of advanced countries as well. The principle is the same everywhere. People throughout the world are under the influence of their culture…. According to the book of Colossians, what defrauds us of the enjoyment of Christ and frustrates the church life is our culture.

　　The book of Colossians speaks to our need today. Mainly we are not troubled by the sinful things, as in 1 Corinthians, nor by the law, as in Galatians. But we are all unconsciously and subconsciously under the influence of culture. When we came into the church life, we brought our culture with us. This culture is now undermining our enjoyment of Christ. Culture is the systematic method we have developed to exist and to maintain our being. The stronger our culture is, the more critical we shall be of others. Based upon the culture we have, we develop our type of asceticism, our own practices to restrict the indulgence of the flesh. Our asceticism is the method we devise to restrain ourselves and to keep from doing sinful things. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 274-276)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Colossians, msg. 33