The
Sufficiency of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:6-15)
This section and the next are the meat
of Paul’s doctrinal treatment in Colossians.
Recall that Paul was writing this group of believers, whom he had never
before met, to correct some doctrinal errors they had. He was writing this letter at the request of
Epaphras, who was the pastor of the church in Colosse. At the close of chapter one, Paul wrote that
classic piece on the supremacy and preeminence of Jesus Christ (
1. The Principle of Sufficiency Stated
(vv. 6-7).
The “therefore” that begins this
section of Scripture indicates that what is to follow is a conclusion to a
previous argument. That argument is
stated in Colossians 2:3-4 (“In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you
with plausible arguments”). Paul
then concludes, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in
him.” This is one of my favorite verses
in Scripture! How did we receive Jesus
Christ? By faith! So then, how do we “walk in him?” By faith!
The first step in understanding that Christ is all-sufficient is
realizing that Christ is necessary for our Christian walk. If you’re a Christian and you think Christ
was necessary and sufficient for salvation, but unnecessary (or worse,
insufficient) for the Christian walk, you’re completely missing the reason
behind salvation. Salvation isn’t about
getting our sorry, sinful selves into heaven.
It’s about enabling us to become the people God designed us to be—people
who progressively reflect the glory of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18). If forgiveness was all that God was
interested in, then Jesus would have just come down for the cross and been done
with it. Why did Christ submit to the
incarnation and walk this earth for 33 years?
Three reasons: To perform the
atonement to be sure; also to live a perfectly righteous life and fulfill the
law of God; finally, to be an example for generations of Christians to follow.
Notice v. 7, this expands a bit on v.
6; this is how we walk in Christ. Paul
says we are “rooted and built up in him.”
In John 15, Jesus pictured himself as the vine. The vine is the source of nourishment for the
branches connected to it. The idea of
being rooted in Christ pictures us as connected to the true source of spiritual
nourishment. The phrase “built up” is a
picture of a building, and back in Ephesians 2, Paul describes the church as a
building erected on the foundation of Christ and the apostles, with Christ
being the chief cornerstone. If we are
built up in Christ, we are being built on the true foundation. Paul continues with, “established in the
faith.” Whenever you see “the faith” in
the NT, it always refers to the body of doctrines that make up orthodox
Christianity. If we are established in
the faith, we have all we need. Paul
makes reference to the fact that these truths were taught to them (by
Epaphras). Finally, we are to be “abounding
in thanksgiving.” Genuine thanksgiving
is a hallmark of Christian character.
2. Warning! (v. 8).
Paul has just stated the principle of
Christ’s sufficiency (that he is not only the way to salvation, but the means
of living the Christian life too). In v.
8, he gives us a warning. He’s basically
saying, “Now that you know Christ is all you need for the Christian life, watch
out!” Watch out for what? Watch out for things that will seek to rob us
of the sufficiency we have in Christ.
Paul lists two things to watch out for:
Philosophy and empty deceit.
Philosophy literally means the love of wisdom, and Hellenistic culture
was infatuated with it. The Greeks gave
birth to the modern discipline of philosophy.
Empty deceit is speech with the intention to deceive or lead
astray. This would be like the huckster
who uses slick words to get people to do or buy something they don’t need. In both cases, Paul uses strong warning
language. He says, “Let no one take you
captive.” Why are these things so
bad? Because they are based on “human
tradition” and “ elemental spirits.” In
other words, these are systems or traditions that don’t involve God. Why would any serious Christian involve
themselves in human philosophy and elemental spirits (e.g., the occult,
mysticism, or new age religions)? These
things have nothing to do with God, and everything to do with the god of this
world, Satan. They don’t bring us closer
to Christ, but further away. Watch out!
3. The Principle of Sufficiency
Defended (vv. 9-10).
Paul moves from the warning to defend
the principle of Christ’s sufficiency that was stated in vv. 6-7. The question being asked is: Why is Christ all-sufficient? Because “in him the whole fullness of deity
dwells bodily.” Let that thought sink in
for a while. In Christ, the whole
fullness of deity dwells bodily. The
next time a Jehovah’s Witness or some other Christ denier tries to back you
down on your faith in Christ as God’s unique Son and the Second Person of the
Trinity, just quote Colossians 2:9 to them:
“In [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Jesus Christ is complete deity; in essence
equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, but that deity also dwells in
bodily form. This one verse states in no
uncertain terms the complete deity of Christ and the full incarnation of
that deity in human flesh. That is why
the angel told Joseph that Jesus’ name would be Immanuel—God with us!
Now wait, it gets even better! Verse 10 says we “have been filled up in
him.” Christ has all the fullness of
deity in him, and he completely fills us.
There is nothing we could ever lack that he won’t provide. There is no other source that can satisfy our
every need like Christ can. He is
all-sufficient!
4. The Principle of Sufficiency
Expounded (vv. 11-15).
Having just defended the sufficiency of
Christ, Paul begins to expound on this concept.
There are five main aspects that serve to underscore Christ’s
sufficiency in our lives.
First is spiritual circumcision (v.
11). Circumcision is the Jewish rite
performed on all male children once they were eight days old. It marked entrance into the covenant people
of
The second aspect is spiritual baptism
(v. 12). Just like circumcision, many
are placing their faith in the fact they were dipped, dunked or sprinkled. What Christ has to offer is far better! The baptism Paul refers to here is not
water baptism, but spiritual baptism.
When we become followers of Christ, we are identified (or immersed,
baptized) into his death, burial and resurrection.
The third aspect is spiritual life (v.
13). Conversion brings with it a new
spiritual life—this is what being “born again” means. When we’re born into this world, we are alive
physically, but dead spiritually (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3). In a sense, all unbelievers are the walking
dead—spiritual zombies. That changes
once we come to faith in Christ. We
become alive spiritually, and our attitudes and appetites become attuned to
God’s. This is awesome!
The fourth aspect is forgiveness (v.
14). The end of v. 13 belongs with v.
14. In order to get into heaven, we need
to have our sins permanently removed.
That is exactly what God did for us.
He cancelled the “record of debt that stood against us with its legal
demands.” You can call this our
spiritual “rap sheet.” What did God
do? He nailed it to the cross! The Romans, when they crucified someone,
would nail their offense to the cross.
When Christ was crucified, what was nailed to the cross? The only crime they could find him “guilty”
of: “This is Jesus, the King of the
Jews” (Matthew 27:37). When we accept
the forgiveness God offers us in Jesus, our sins are nailed to the cross. What a beautiful picture painted by the
Apostle Paul.
The final aspect is spiritual victory
(v. 15). The cross was God’s greatest
victory this side of the Second Coming.
Our faith in Christ disarms the demonic hosts arrayed against us, and
gives us a place in the spiritual victory procession!
Application Time.
If you recall from our study of the
book of Galatians, Paul chastised his readers for trying to fulfill in the
flesh what can only be accomplished in the Spirit (cf. Galatians 3:1). Faith in Jesus Christ is not some fire
insurance policy designed to get you into heaven. Salvation is the beginning of a faith walk
that is empowered and energized by our faith in Jesus Christ. Our sanctification is accomplished in the
same manner that our salvation was accomplished (notice that the phrase
“in/with him” is mentioned eight times in this passage). Don’t let anyone steal the sufficiency you
have in Jesus Christ!
Bottom Line.
“For in him the whole fullness of deity
dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him” (Colossians 2:9-10).
Have a blessed day!