There is a temptation that is always lurking that says we need something more. Commercials try to capitalize on this, suggesting that if we only had this certain product or service we would all the sudden find cleaning our houses a breeze, mowing the lawn sheer pleasure, or the like. We are told that if we only had a certain food or beverage, our boring backyard barbecue would turn into a scene where all our friends are present and everyone is having a great time. But again, what stands between us and that glorious setting is something that we don’t have, something else that we need.
This thought is not unique in the world, however. It’s also quite present among believers in the church as well. There’s a temptation in the church to always think that there’s something lacking. If you only had this experience or that piece of wisdom, then you could get over the hurdle in your battle with sin, you’d have wisdom and knowledge, the dryness and distance you often feel in prayer would disappear, and you’d want to love and obey Christ much more than you do now. This temptation for me was great in college. I had great zeal in wanting to grow in godliness and to know the power of God that Paul talks about in Colossians 1:29, as he notes that he struggles “with all [Christ’s] energy that he powerfully works within me.”
And, I just assumed that I must not have that power and that what stood between me and such power was some great experience – an experience I needed to seek. So I would spend time in the prayer chapel at Union waiting for something to happen. I would pray in my dorm room (which was like a closet and in that way quite fitting for prayer), waiting for something to happen. And, again, the reason I was seeking something is that I assumed there must be something else that I was lacking, something I needed in addition to faith in the crucified and risen Christ, some experience or whatever that would help me get over some hump where life would be altogether different.
What made this worse was that at every turn there was always someone ready to help and encourage you that they’d had this experience. Whether it was a pastor saying that after one amazing night in prayer his sermons were never powerless again or someone saying that after a certain charismatic experience life was never the same, there was always someone suggesting something else that was needed, something I didn’t have.
Well, it seems that this kind of thinking is not unique to our day but that the Colossians were coming up against something like this as well. Up to this point, though the text has been rich and nourishing to our souls, we’ve really just been working our way through Paul’s introductory portion of this letter. He’d told them how he prayed for them, laid out for them a number of the themes he’d address in the letter, reminded them of the importance of continuing in the faith, and unveiled what he does in ministry and why he does it. But beginning in 2:6, Paul, it seems, confronts the reality that he knows is going on with the Colossians. They are feeling pressure to think they need something more than have through faith in Christ. It seems, according to 2:16-18, that some had come to them telling them that in addition to faith in Christ, they needed to follow certain aspects of the law, or live a life of asceticism (denying themselves a number of things), or have certain visions, or worship and appease angels. Whatever the precise details of what they were hearing, it’s pretty clear that they were being told they needed something more than what they had through faith in Christ. In essence, what Epaphras had told them from Paul’s gospel message was not enough. They needed more. They needed something in addition to what they heard and something that they did not have. This is why to this point, it is clear that Paul’s focus is to show that having Christ is having everything. That theme shows itself throughout every part of this book, and we’ll see it again today.
And since this isn’t unique with the Colossians, but (as we’ve mentioned) is present in our own day as well, it’s helpful for us to hear for ourselves what Paul says to the Colossians in 2:6-15. And the first thing they needed (and we need) to hear is . . .
Paul gives this command to the Colossians in a positive and negative manner. First, he tells them positively, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (2:6-7). Paul wants them to know that when Epaphras came to them, having heard the gospel (most likely) from Paul and told them that they needed to trust in the crucified and risen Christ alone in order to be justified, receive the Spirit, and begin to be conformed to the image of Christ, that what they received and believed from Epaphras was and is true. On that day, when they heard the gospel and believed, they received a true word. As Paul says, they received Christ. Their trust was rooted and built up in Christ, and they were established in the gospel, as they were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. And now, they needed to continue in that and not turn away from it. So, first Paul tells them, having Christ is sufficient. Having Christ is all we need. They’d received that truth, and they needed to continue to live in that truth.
Then, in verse 8, Paul encourages them along the same lines, by stating the exhortation in verses 6-7 negatively. He provides a warning, saying, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
It seems that Epaphras had told Paul that this very thing was happening. People had come in and told the Colossians that they needed something else. Trusting in Christ was not sufficient. And Paul warns them now not to be taken captive by such deceit that is not from God’s Word but from human tradition and not according to Christ but according to the elementary principles of this world.
Now, is Paul warning us against being philosophy majors in college lest we slide away from truth? Of course not. However, he does want them to see that there are really only two roads in life, only two roads of thinking. Either we bow the knee to Christ and accept what God has revealed to us in Christ in the Scriptures or we believe that man is sufficient without revelation from God in determining what is right, what is true, and what we need.
This is why Paul says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles of the world, and not according to Christ. When we read “according to human tradition,” we are to recognize that Paul is setting this apart from the gospel message he proclaims. You’ll remember from Galatians 1:11-12 how Paul says, “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel [or literally, ‘according to man’]. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Paul’s gospel was what had been revealed to him by God through his Son, Jesus Christ. It did not originate in man’s mind but was revealed by God to him. The false teaching they’re hearing sounds good to them. Paul knows it does. That’s why he’s already warned them not to be convinced by “plausible arguments” in 2:4, and it’s why he admits in 2:20-23 that teaching according to the elementary principles of this world (that tell us to “do this and live,” for example) and according to human precepts and teachings “have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (2:23).
So, again, there are only two starting points in understanding God, ourselves, and the world around us. Either we bow the knee to Christ and accept his Word as the true revelation from God, incapable of being in error, or we consider ourselves as sufficient to understand God, humanity, and the world around us and turn from God’s revelation and determine truth as we perceive it apart from him. And man’s own determination of truth apart from God’s revelation may look a hundred different ways so that Kant’s understanding of these things looks different than Descartes who looks different than liberal theologians who look different than the latest philosopher who looks different than Joe your unbelieving neighbor. But in the end, all of these are fundamentally alike in that they have as their starting point something other than the truth that God has revealed to us in the Scripture, which is according to Christ. Instead, they have as their starting point mankind as the supreme arbiter of truth which is as old as Satan leading Eve in the garden to think that she was in the position to determine whether or not God’s revealed Word to her was right or wrong, good or bad for her, true or false.
Paul wants the Colossians to see that as stand firm in the truth that they have received, and we must do the same. Do not be taken captive by plausible arguments that tell us we need more than what we have in Christ, more than what God has revealed to us in the Scripture in order to be found standing in the right on that final day.
But then Paul goes on to show them why they need nothing more than they have been taught as he reminds them that . . .
Paul tells them why they need nothing more than Christ as he writes in verses 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.” This is the gist of what Paul wants the Colossians to see – if you have Christ, you have everything. He’s noted already that all things were created by Christ, through Christ, and for Christ (1:16), that in him all things hold together and that he uphold the universe by his divine power (1:17), and that in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3). Now, he continues that by reminding them that the “whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” in Jesus Christ. That is, Jesus is the God-man. He is God, the Son. He is by definition, then, as Paul says “the head of all rule and authority” (2:10). So, if you have Christ, do you really think you need anything else? If you have Christ, do you really think you’re lacking something that might give you more? Of course not. This is why Paul says that Christ has all this (including being himself the God-man) and “you have been filled in him” (2:10).
Now, how does this work, though? I mean, we might say, “I know Jesus is the God-man and that all things are in him, but how does that necessarily mean that I have all that is found in him?” That’s a good question. But Paul’s answer is given to us in practically every verse of our text this morning. Notice how many times Paul uses the language of “in” or “with” Christ in talking about us and our blessings. He writes in verse 7 that we are “rooted and built up in him,” in verse 10 that “you have been filled in him,” in verse 11 that “in him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,” in verse 12 that you’ve “been buried with him in baptism” and “raised with him through faith,” and in verse 13 that “God made [you] alive together with him.”
You see, then, that Paul clearly pictures us as being united with Christ. But how are we united with Christ? We are united with Christ through faith in him. That is, when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ as our only hope for righteousness before the Father, then we are united with Christ so that what is true of him counts for us. What that means is that if he has conquered death, then death will not hold dominion over us; if he’s been raised to live forever, then we will live forever as well; if he’s the head of all rule and authority and has triumphed over every ruler and authority, then it is certain that we will one day see Satan crushed under our feet; if he has been declared God’s righteous Son, then we are all sons of God in him; if he is an heir of all things because all things were created for him, then we are fellow heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Do you see, then, why our message is, “Hallelujah, all I have is Christ”? That’s not a proclamation of defeat but one of victory. All I have is Christ, and in him I have all things.
Again, as we’ve said for weeks now, this is why it is fundamentally off-base to think that one might be saved who has not been united with Christ by faith because Christ is the one in whom all the benefits of salvation are found. So, Paul wanted the Colossians to see they needed nothing more. All that they needed for salvation and power and life and godliness was theirs through faith in the crucified and risen Christ, and that is true for us as well.
But finally, Paul spells out for them how all of this works. He tells that not only are they united with Christ so that what is true of him counts for us as well but he notes that . . .
In verses 11-15, Paul explains everything that Christ has done to free us from sin and condemnation, Satan, and death. Now, consider the problem of every person born into this world. We’re all condemned before God, under the dominion of sin, under the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air, and subject to death as the penalty for sin. That’s a pretty rough place. And this week, we’ll be reminded in numerous ways that the answer to our need, that the solution to our desperate situation is provided through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as we approach Good Friday and Easter Sunday at the end of this week and beginning of the next. But it’s not enough for us to know that Christ’s death and resurrection provided the solution to our plight; we need to understand why Christ’s death and resurrection were sufficient for us. And Paul tells us here. So, let’s deal with each of these at a time.
First, what about the dominion of sin in our lives? We are born into this world under the dominion of sin so that we are powerless to throw off the reign of sin in our lives. We cannot escape the rule, reign, and tyranny of sin over us. Therefore, what we need, is a stripping off of the nature of sin over us. The bible regularly refers to our sinful nature as the flesh. And in the Old Testament, God has his people identified by taking on a sign of cutting off of the flesh literally, as they were circumcised.
But again, this was just a sign. The cutting off of the flesh profited them nothing. It served merely to point to something greater that we need. Because again, as Paul mentions in 2:23, “severity to the body . . . [is] of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” You can pluck out your eye and still lust, can’t you? So, what circumcision pointed to was a greater need that the Old Testament spoke of as a circumcision of the heart. You needed a cutting away of our fleshly sinful nature not from our body itself but from within us, from our hearts. We needed a circumcision that could not be made with human hands, but one that had to be made by God. We needed to be freed from the dominion of sin over us.
The problem, however, with this is that the reason sin has dominion over us is because of our guilt. Every human is born into this world with the command to obey God and his laws perfectly. And we have all failed to do that, so that we are guilty and condemned before God. So the dominion of sin is rooted in our condemnation before God for failure to obey his law perfectly. And because we are powerless to rid ourselves of guilt and condemnation because of the debt to God’s law that we have, we are powerless to rid ourselves of sin’s dominion over us and “circumcise our hearts.” But note what Paul says in verse 11. He notes something else that happens to us via our union with Christ by faith. He writes, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, but putting off the body of flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.” This great isn’t it. It’s just what we need. But how? Because, after all, we are sinners and still have failed to meet God’s legal demands. Paul goes on to answer, “Having been buried with him in baptism [which is a reference to our faith – baptism is the public profession of faith], 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” (v. 12-13). This is great news isn’t it? Our sins have been forgiven. But how? We really were guilty, and God is a just judge. Paul continues, “By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (v. 14).
You see, what God did, was he set aside our debt. But he didn’t set it aside in the since of saying, “I’ll just let this IOU for perfect obedience go.” No, rather, he paid it himself. You see, this is what the text means when it says that he nailed it to the cross. On the cross, Jesus died, taking the penalty and punishment that we deserved. The condemnation and guilt for my sin fell on him so that he bore God’s wrath for us. He paid it all. This is why our legal demands have been cancelled. The law says you are condemned and should be punished. We can say, “He was condemned and punished for me, and because I’ve been united with him by faith, his punishment counts for me.” Our condemnation under the law has already been borne. It has been borne by Christ, who died for us.
And because the dominion of sin is over us because of our guilt and deserved condemnation, we are also free from sin’s dominion. This is why Paul writes in Romans 6:14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
You see, there is nothing more you’re lacking to be free from sin’s dominion. There’s no secret knowledge out there or spiritual experience that will finally free you from sin’s dominion or “circumcise your heart,” we could say. You’re free from sin’s dominion over you because Christ has paid your penalty if your faith in resting in him alone. It doesn’t mean we’ll go through life without sinning – of course not. We’ll not be free from our battle with sin until the resurrection. But it does mean that you are not powerless over sin and can repent and obey Christ. You can obey Christ, because through his death he has freed you from the dominion of sin.
Second, what about Satan and rulers and authorities? What about Satan seeking whom he may devour? Doesn’t the Bible tell us that he is the god of this world, the ruler of this age, and the prince of the power of the air? Yes, and everything born into this world is born under his kingdom, as Paul says in Colossians 1:13 – in the “domain of darkness.”
However, Satan’s dominion is rooted in our guilt. He is the accuser of the brethren. This is why when Christ died to pay our penalty and satisfy the payment for our sins it also resulted in Satan being conquered. This is why verse 14 is followed with the words of verse 15, in which Paul writes, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Satan has been disarmed and no longer holds power over you. When he accuses, we can simply point to the finished work of Christ. Here’s where Luther’s famous quote is so helpful. “When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares that we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.1
And finally, what about the reign of death? Again, death is a reminder of the penalty for our sin. But for the believer, death is no longer that. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:56, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.” Because the law’s demands have been satisfied and our sins forgiven, death no longer has its sting for the believer. Yes, we are all sinners and deserve to die, but we have already died. When? Paul tells us that we died with Christ in verse 12. When Christ died as payment for our sin, we died with him. Again, because what is true of him with whom we are united by faith is true of us as well. We have already died and then been raised, so the law cannot condemn us again. As John Macarthur’s illustration reminds us, if you are sentenced to death for murdering 100 people, you will not die 100 times. You can only die once. And we have died. Our penalty has been paid in Christ. So, no longer can death hold its sting over us. No longer can Satan accuse us. No longer can the law make demands of us in order to have eternal life. Our sins are forgiven because Christ died for us, and we are righteous because he perfectly obeyed the law for us. We now live because he was raised, and we will live forever, even as Christ does.
Therefore, do not be deceived this morning. All we need for life and godliness is ours as we are united by faith in the crucified and risen Lord. Let us then proclaim him as our only hope as we come to the table this morning. Amen.