This post was first delivered as a sermon message on 7 May 2017. You can listen to the message here.
In his great book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote,
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic on the level with a man who says he’s a poached egg—or else he would be the devil of hell; you must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a mad man or something worse. You can shut Him up for a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But don’t come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great moral teacher. He hasn’t left that alternative open to us. He did not intend to.”
Long ago in the city of Colossae, the Christian church was assaulted by teachers that falsely said we do not have everything we need in Jesus Christ. Just like in our own day, these people suggested that Christ was not enough. He was a good man, a great prophet perhaps — but God? No, they argued, He was not. Let's consider Colossians 2:8-15 and we’ll see Paul attack these false teachers head on. Christ is no liar, no lunatic, and not just a great man. He is God and sufficient for all things.
1. Christians must be on guard towards the wisdom of the world (vv. 8-10)
Paul begins with a warning…
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8-9; ESV)
Paul’s warns us that there are ideas in the world which are actually dangerous for Christian believers — ideas in the world that can kidnap you and essentially “take your mind captive.” And in three phrases, Paul gives us a description of the hallmarks of this false teaching.
First, it is according to the tradition of men. This teaching is not based on the Word of God. Evidently the false teachers were saying, “Oh, well these things that you have learned in the Scriptures, they are good. But if you really want to understand the fullness of Christian experience, then we have something else, something better, for you. Go listen to that and then you will really grow.” My friends, we need to be on guard against anyone who comes to us with a teaching that cannot be grounded and substantiated in the Word of God.
Secondly, Paul says the false teaching is “according to the elemental spirits of the world.” Now, admittedly this is a difficult phrase in the Bible. It may be that Paul is referring to ethical principles of behavior which are not grounded in the Word of God. Or Paul may be thinking of a particular teaching that says there are demonic spiritual beings who control elementary principles in the universe like the stars and such. And those stars then control our lives. It would not be unlike astrology today, where there are people who believe that the position of the planets and the stars actually control human destiny. But the Apostle Paul says this is utterly silly, because Christ is over all things. He is over the stars, He is over the elementary principles, and He is over the spiritual world. Christ is head of everything.
And then a third thing he says, that these teachings are not in accord with Christ. In other words, they don't measure up or, perhaps, they even contradict the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear friends, this is no less important for us today than it was for the Colossians. Because there are just as many religious philosophies on the market today, if not more, than there were in the day of the Apostle Paul and these believers.
So Paul's warnings to the Colossians are a warning for us. Are we on guard against false teaching? When you pick up books on religious subjects online or in even a Christian bookstore, are you on guard to make sure they square with the true teachings of the Word of God? Paul says if it is not according to the Word of God, you stop your ears. Do not listen to it. If it claims to give you teachings from outside the scriptures and if the teaching is not in accord with the basic doctrinal teaching about Christ, you reject it. Turn it off and be on guard against it.
2. Christians must remember who Christ is and who we are in union with Him (vv. 9-10)
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10; ESV)
Paul now turns our eyes to Christ in verses 9 and 10, and he reminds us that we Christians must remember who Jesus is and who we are in Him. If we will remember those two things, we will be unlikely to fall prey to false teaching.
First, Paul tells us that fullness of deity dwells in Christ. In this context, he means in Christ are found not just the attributes of God, not just the works of God, but in Christ is found the essence of God. And any teaching which says less about Christ is false. He is not merely a great prophet or a great priest or a great king or a great teacher. He is the Son of God.
Paul goes on to say we are complete in Him. That’s what it means to be “filled in Him.” There is nothing that we need to be spiritually grown and and complete that we cannot find in the Lord Jesus Christ. He has provided the means of grace, the word, the prayer, and the sacraments. He has provided the Christian ministry in order to minister those means of grace to His people. And there is nothing else which needs to be added to that for us to attain completeness.
Then finally, he says in this passage: “He is the head of all rule and authority. That is, everything is under Christ's authority. In many Christian circles today, there are people who say that Christ can be your savior and not your Lord. Well, that’s silly. The Lordship of Christ is vital in ALL things. Christ's lordship releases you from slavery to sin and to the world. And because He is Lord over all authority, we do not need to find secret rites in order to bind the elementary principles of the world from having authority over us, because He has already exercised His authority over them. Fullness of life is in Him, because in Him the fullness of the deity dwells, and we are complete in Him.
3. Christians must remember the specific benefits which flow from our being “in Christ.” (vv. 11-15)
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:11-15; ESV)
Paul expounds here upon the specific benefits which flow from our being united with Christ. And here I’d like you to notice the phrase “united to Christ.” What is Paul talking about? Well, Paul is talking about a doctrine called the “union with Christ.” It is one of the most mysterious and glorious doctrines of the Christian faith. “Union with Christ” is the doctrine which teaches that Christian believers, by the Spirit through faith, are united to Christ.
So what does it mean that we have “union with Christ”? Well, think about the answer through the lens of marriage. When you marry a person, you don't cease to be who you are. But you are united to them in a very special relationship. When we are united with Christ, we do not become Christ, Christ does not become us. But we enter into a covenantal relationship with Him whereby He is ours and we are His. And because of this… ALL the benefits of His life and death flow to us. In fact, Paul is talking about some of those benefits in verses 11-15. Let's look at them together.
The first benefit we see is complete salvation. He speaks about it in verses 11 and 12: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. “
Now it’s interesting, even though Paul is speaking about salvation, he talks first about baptism and circumcision. Why the parallel between circumcision and baptism? Apparently because the false teachers were commending the Jewish ritual of circumcision as necessary for these Gentile believers. And the Apostle says that in Christian baptism we have symbolized precisely what is symbolized in circumcision in the Old Covenant. In baptism you have set forth the truth that you are united in fellowship to God, to Christ. In baptism, you were buried with Christ. You were raised with Christ. You couldn't be closer to Him than you are. Dear friends, your baptism reminds you that your life has become intertwined with His life. And that means you have completeness of salvation in Christ!
Notice in verses 13 and 14, he goes on to say the result of this union with Christ is the forgiveness of sins and freedom in Christ. He writes, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Paul says that you are united to Christ, you are forgiven of your sins because He paid the price so that you would not be called to account at the bar of God's justice.
In fact, verse 15 goes on to say the further result of our union with Christ is freedom. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Paul is saying these false teachers, they come to you, they tell you we can give you power over the spiritual forces which are arrayed against you. And Paul says that you don't need that because Christ is already exercising dominion over the spiritual forces which are arrayed against God and His people. Because at the cross, He disarmed rulers and authorities, set over against the rule of God. He led them in a triumphant procession. And we have freedom!
Now, to appreciate the comprehensiveness of Christ’s victory which brings us this freedom, consider the following. If you had been in the Roman world in the times that the generals were going out and conquering the far-flung nations, you wouldn't have had CNN to tell you about the great victories that were being won on the frontiers. So the only way a Roman general could show you that he had really won a great battle was to parade all the captives, all the prisoners, in front of your eyes. The General would put his enemies in shackles and march them back into the city of Rome. The great soldiers would come first, the conquering king would then come, and behind him all of the captives would be there, imprisoned.
Paul is saying that is what Christ has done to the spiritual forces arrayed against you. Dear friends, Christ has already exercised this authority over everything that is arrayed against you and your freedom is assured because of His victory. You are not a victim in this world of demonic forces. You are not a victim in this world of the alignment of the stars and planets. You are not a victim in this world of fate and the outrageous claims of fortune, because Christ rules the world for the sake of His people. Because Christ is Lord, you are free.
If we will embrace Christ by faith, you will taste all the benefits of union with Him. If you reject Christ and His Lordship or if you attempt to supplement Him, you will not receive all the benefits which are stored up in Him alone. Why are you holding back from surrendering all your life to Christ?
In view of all this, why look to anyone but Christ for fullness? Cultivate human relationships, but do not look for ultimate fulfillment in them because they will disappoint you. Energetically pursue your career, but do not imagine that you will find transcending fulfillment in it. In Christ we have everything. May our prayer be:
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death." (Philippians 3:10)
If you are spiritually dead—without resurrection life—under sin—under guilt—empty, Christ invites you to come to him:
Come, all you who are thirsty. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)
If you are empty, call out to Christ. Do not let yourself go through another day without coming to him. Be born again, receive life, be filled, be delivered, join the victory parade!
