Alive In Christ

What is life? One of the cardinal rules of “Preaching 101” is not to start any sermon with a question. However, in this case, it’s quite fitting to set the tone early about such a weighty question. If we were all asked this question, I’m certain we would give a different answer about what life is. Some might say that life exists. Others might even say life is about living your dreams and doing more than just existing. We may also have some that wouldn’t be able to answer this question and be satisfied. Then, some believe that life is a culmination of things that revolve around their day-to-to, like waking up, getting showered, and brushing their teeth (in no particular order for some), and the day gets launched from there. But now, before we shift into the day’s text, I’m asking the Bible-believing Christian the same question this morning: What is life? The more relevant question for the Christian should be: Who is our life? Let’s look at the text and see the answers to this question. Turn, scroll, or swipe to Colossians 2:6-15

Colossians 2:6–15 (ESV)

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 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. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 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, 12 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. 13 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, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:6–15). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Last week, as my brother Pastor DaQuan stated, we were able to hear the resume, if you will, of Jesus Christ. We heard about who he is and that He is the preeminent of creation and the believer’s lives. As also mentioned, we will not be doing a deep exhaustive dive into this shortened series, but I promise you that this passage of Scripture alone will give a wealth of understanding of what this life means. Chapter 2 of this book is a great segway of what our lives should look like after we have received the full testimony of Jesus’ life and character. In short, now that we know and have received him, what next? And as a teacher or preacher of the Gospel, the clock is always ticking to let’s get into this. Starting at verses 6 and 7:

Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:6–7). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Let’s start at “Therefore” - I can appreciate what McArther says concerning this transition in his commentary. He has written, “Therefore builds the concluding exhortation on what Paul has said in verses 2–5. The Colossians have received Christ Jesus the Lord, they have settled convictions about His deity and sufficiency, and are standing firm against the attacks of false teachers, so they must continue to walk in Him.”

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1992). Colossians (p. 92). Moody Press.

Remember, last week; it was spoken that a strong motive for writing to the Colossian believers of that time was to ward off false teachers and apostles. Some have this letter pinned between 50 and 58 AD, while others say around 62 AD. Here’s the point, despite this letter being written close to two millenniums ago, like the Colossians, we are still warding off false teaching in the Church. This type of teaching attempts to water down the deity and sufficiency of Christ. Today, the prevalent teaching type is the idea that we ARE Christ since Christ is in us. Hear carefully, not “Christlike” but rather as Christ Himself. Someone else had and still has the same line of thinking. He once said in his heart, “I will ascend to heaven; above the starts of God. I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend aboth the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” If you’re not too sure whom I’m speaking of, check out Isaiah 14:10-20 for more context on this. When this teaching and doctrine takes hold, where is the need for Jesus when some teach that we are God? This is a terrifying road to travel and a hard one to come back from if traveled too far. There’s a reason He, Jesus, is GOD and the Head while we, the sheep, are the body and we are not God.

So now that we received Christ as Lord, what follows right after is our lifestyle and conduct. We are taught as Christians to “walk” in him. Now for the sake of time and even deeper rabbit holes, there are many commentaries concerning what it means to walk in Christ, but it’s safe to say that all of them come to a similar conclusion: daily conduct. Our conduct is a clear sign of our union with Christ. How we live is an important aspect of our life. In short, show the world how we live, and we’re showing them what we’ve been taught. This is why verse 7 is key to living the Gospel out. It benefits us to be rooted in him - that is, to be fixed and never moved from our convictions of his sufficiency. Being built up in him - the process of being more and more like Jesus Christ; while salvation has been planted, the fruit of that salvation is growing and budding by the day as we grow in the “word of His grace, which can build us up” (Acts 20:32) and as believers, we will “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). And we then are established in the faith. In contrast, “established” indicates God sets the believers’ trust. We are to look to Jesus, who is “the founder and perfecter of our faith...” (Heb. 12:2), and it’s Jesus “who has begun a good work in us will bring it to its completion on his day.” (Phil. 1:6) It’s in this that we MUST have a firm foundation for faith based on walking in Christ if we are to have a healthy Christian life (see Rom. 16:25; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; 1 Pet. 5:10; Jude 24). And after all of that has been said up to this point, the verse says that we are to abound in thanksgiving. To speak about the thanksgiving of the Christian is a sermon in itself, but one of the hallmarks of the Bible-believing Christian is thanksgiving. If we were to reflect on everything God has done for us daily, this would give us a firm grasp of His word and faithfulness. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, I’m afraid. So what exactly can keep us believers from abounding in thanksgiving towards and for God? This next verse:

Colossians 2:8 (ESV)

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.

There’s a need to put a little weight on this verse due to what is packed in this passage. For starters, we’re warned not to be taken “captive.” Thayer's Greek Lexicon exposes the word “captive” as “to carry off as spoil; to carry one off as a slave (Jesus stated in Jhn.8:34 that “anyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.”); to lead away from the truth and subject to one’s sway (Jesus also said in Jhn.14:6 that He “is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father lest it’s by Him”) We also get our English word “captivate” (which means attract and hold the interest and attention of; to charm) through “captive.” In short, the apostle tells the Colossians that philosophy, deceit based on human traditions, and elemental principles of this world are mere parlor tricks to charm us at best. At worst, if we believe in these things, we are led away from the only one who gives us true freedom. What makes these things so detrimental is that none are according to Christ. Joseph Exell outlines this in his commentary of Philippians and Colossians in this way: “ The expression grasps powerfully the essence of the proselytizing spirit; the proselytizing spoil is the person proselytized. He aims at doing this through that which is at once in its arrogant claims a high philosophy, and in its miserable reality, empty deceit; a philosophy, artful, molded in accordance with an esoteric system, pervaded by five fatal deficiencies. I. It is merely traditional and, therefore, of precarious truth. II. It is human and, therefore, deficient in authority. III. It is elementary, belonging to the “outworn creed,” to the rudiments of religion, and, therefore, unfitted for Christian manhood. IV. It is material, not connected with the soul’s true home and center, but with the palpable and external, and is, therefore, deficient in spirituality. V. And being all this, assuredly, and as a matter of fact, it is not after Christ.”

Exell, J. S. (n.d.). The Biblical Illustrator: Philippians–Colossians (Vol. 2, p. 129). Fleming H. Revell Company.

So exactly what are we speaking of? Pick one, for there are many. Any form of worldly wisdom which isn’t rooted in Jesus will lead us astray. If you need help, let me name a view: political bends, our socials and the circles connected to them, our Oprah and Dr. Phil’s of the world, world religions, cultural waves, causes, etc. In a landscape inundated with so many influences and influencers to tell us what life is, it can be very easy to lose sight of our life in Christ. The most important thing that all of this lacks is what we find in the next verses:

Colossians 2:9–12 (ESV)

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 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, 12 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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:9–12). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Now verse nine is where we all stop getting along. In this verse, all of the vain philosophies and misguided world religions miss the mark - the full deity that is Christ! Just as the Scripture says, “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” It doesn’t get any clearer than this. The running issue of their day, and even ours, is that Jesus was everything “YOU” wanted Him to be except for that which he is - 100% God, 100% man, and absolute Lord of all! If we were to break down every single world philosophy and religion, we would be able to see attributes of Christ’s character as a catalyst to shape such religions, so on the surface, they seem similar. This is why we see so much unitarianism today; however, at the core, all these religions are fundamentally different because of how they view and esteem Jesus Christ - or, rather, a lack thereof. The preeminence and sufficiency of Christ are throughout the Scriptures. When it comes to this, more of these religions and philosophies will also give us messages that are laced with grace according to human wisdom and the principles attached. But if we look at John 1:14 we something that’s missing - “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and TRUTH.” Here’s the issue, when we preach just the “grace” of God apart from the “truth” of God, we’re presenting an incomplete Gospel and a marred Christ. We could not fully appreciate His grace without being taught the truth of God’s Word. In the same chapter John 1:16 double-down on this by stating, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” The grace spoken of here has many applications, but to keep in line with the text, here’s a clear indication of grace displayed by Christ,

Colossians 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 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, 12 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.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:11–12). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Raised from the dead with Christ? That’s grace! If Christ has circumcised our flesh, then that’s grace! According to Ephesians 2:6, “we are seated in the heavenly places with him.” That’s grace! As we can see, Christ’s sufficiency is again on display to the believer through the truth - anyone who does not believe in Christ according to the Scriptures has no life or part with Him and is declared spiritually dead. (see 2 Thess. 2:9-12 and Matt. 7:20-23). So if the opposite of being alive is being dead, what is life?

Forgiveness plays a huge role in our ability to be alive with Christ. Another reason why some folk won’t acknowledge Jesus has to do with the standard Jesus has set in the realm of forgiveness. Look at verses 13 and 14:

Colossians 2:13–14 (ESV)

13 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, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Col 2:13–14). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

Now take a look at Eph.4:31-32

Ephesians 4:31–32 (ESV)

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Eph 4:31–32). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

The moment we see the word “as” inside this verse, a standard has been set in motion. This is the “Lord” portion in Jesus’ Name we sometimes have a tough go-around with. Now, I’m by no degree a master in forgiveness, but can we honestly say that a life of bitterness and unforgiveness isn’t much of a life? God saw it fit to make us alive with Christ by forgiving us of ALL trespasses through the death of the cross. How much more so should we live a life of forgiveness? I get it; the hurts, disappointments, betrayals, shortcomings, and annoyances of folks and situations are real. And there are some cases where positive declarations, decrees, and affirmations aren’t nearly enough. But guess who is? Jesus - He’s more than enough. Why ask for more when we heard earlier he is the fullness of God given over to His enemies for us and His glory? In verse 14, we see the canceling of all our sinful debt and its legal demands all nailed to the cross. With over 600+ laws in the Old Testament, that’s a lot of demands, yet Jesus paid it all. Every single sin and debt, past, present, and future, is paid for through the obedience of Christ, even unto the death of the cross. Here’s something to think about why are some of us willing to pay financial consultants to give us strategies to tackle our temporal debts, but some of us won’t open an ear to listen to the one who paid for our eternal debts? The greatest debt to be free from is the debt of sin; ”for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:23)

So what is life? For those of this world, it's a host of things that fits the individual’s flavor. For the Christian, it's eternal victory over sin. Life is knowing that Jesus Christ has victory over every agent of this world, the flesh, and the devil. Knowing that the devil's works are dead in Christ, we can approach the throne of grace by obtaining mercy in times of need. (1 John 3:8 and Heb. 4:16) Want to know what life looks like? Being a citizen in the kingdom of God. Not just an idea of God’s kingdom or a subpar use of God’s kingdom to build a faulty earthly kingdom that will have an end, but rather what Romans 14:17-18 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ro 14:17–18). (2016). Crossway Bibles.

This is the good life, the only supreme life afforded to the believer at the price of Christ’s blood. God the Father would see no other way to receive the glory He deserves because Christ is all.