“… that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2–3
I am a lifelong student. I love taking classes, reading, and researching. And my favorite subject to learn about is God. In fact, I went to seminary in my 50s with a goal of getting answers to all the questions I had about God!
So, Paul’s words to the believers at Colossae really pique my curious brain. Reaching all the riches of full assurance of God’s mystery is my heartfelt goal. But Paul says that wisdom is not a destination we arrive at, but a treasure we dwell with.
Paul writes that God’s mystery is Christ, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Hidden does not mean withheld and unavailable. It means protected, precious, and uncovered over time. Wisdom unfolds as our trust in Christ deepens.
Paul reframes wisdom not as an objective to be gained, but as a Person. This reminds me of advice one of my seminary professors gave us: Don’t let your Savior become merely your subject.
Treasures and wisdom do not come from just increasing our information about Christ. True wisdom comes from long term intimacy with Christ Himself. The mystery, and thus all Paul describes, is Christ Himself, present with us now, all sufficient for every need. Wisdom increases as we remain firmly rooted in our relationship with Him.
This is important because learning, as essential as it is, can subtly replace trust. Paul’s words remind me that Christ is my goal, not reaching all the riches Paul describes. These come only through Him, not through my own striving and working.
Spoiler alert: Seminary did not deliver all the answers. Instead, it taught me to dwell deeply with Christ, while doing exegetical and hermeneutical work needed to find the answers for myself, a lifelong gift.
Let Christ Himself be your wisdom, not just your subject of study.
Prayer: Father, thank You for providing the mystery that is Christ, and all the treasure that He reveals. Give me a heart that delights in dwelling in Him more than anything else. Guard me from letting study replace trust. Help me to grow in wisdom and knowledge through Christ, not merely through my own efforts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Want more?
Read 1 Corinthians 1:20–25. When you think of wisdom, what do you instinctively picture—insight, answers, experience, certainty? How does Paul’s declaration that Christ Himself is the wisdom of God reshape that picture? In moments of decision or uncertainty, where do you tend to look first for wisdom—information, advice, past experience, or the presence of Christ? What does that reveal about what you trust most? What would it look like for you to abide in Christ as wisdom, rather than striving to master wisdom on your own?
