The Sufficiency of Christ

Colossians 2:6–19 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. 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

1. Christ is over all human tradition and cosmic powers. (vs. 6-11)

Matthew 15:2 ESV

2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

Ephesians 6:12 ESV

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Paul shifts to talk about the real world implications of what it means for Christ to be exalted and right belief in him as our foundation. We have received the truth of Christ and now it is our call to walk in him and to be rooted and built up in him. It is because we know the truth of Christ that we are warned not to fall victim to those things that heretical and become enslaved to false doctrines and practices.

Paul’s warning to the Colossians is because the Greco-Roman world was enamored with all kinds of different philosophies. There were people on every street corner expounding their particular teachings. The hollow ideas that were taught could be reasonable and compelling for Christians. They would use eloquent words and phrases that would make others think that their ideas were revolutionary and exciting. But the flowery language was a deceptive tool. These were just human traditions and were based in human understanding.

Paul reminds the Colossians that they have been taught about things that are greater than human understanding. What was being taught by these philosophers were demonic - “elemental spirits of the world.” Instead, they were to be focused on Christ in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.

Even today, we deal with this kind of teaching that sounds good to the ear. Flowery language that can touch our souls and create an emotional response in us can lead us away from the foundations of Christ. Rather, we are to be protected by the armor of God from the powers of this world as Paul talks about in Ephesians 6:12. This is why it is so important that we know who the true Christ is. We can spot the Christ that is being preached that is contrary to the Christ revealed to us in scripture. The Jesus that is popular among so many today is a Jesus that is rooted in human tradition and one that plays on the sympathies of the human heart rather than the truth of the gospel. We must see this for what it - a false Christ used by Satan to lead people astray.

2. The baptized participate in Christ’s victory. (vs. 12-15)

Ephesians 2:5 ESV

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

The next implication of belief in the true Christ is that we get to participate in his victory over sin and death. Paul uses baptism as the metaphor to explain how we are buried with him in our sin and raised with him to new life by the power of the resurrection. All of this is done through faith in Christ. It is only Christ who has the life-giving power and can offer forgiveness of sin. We deserve condemnation for our sin, but through his death and resurrection, Christ has set us free from that fate. Now, we can be reconciled and in right relationship with God through Christ because of his work when we place our trust in him.

What Paul does here is ingenious. He takes language that is used in the Torah to describe how the law condemns us of our sin and turns that against itself by nailing it to the cross. The powers of this world whether demonic or political that try to use the law as in an oppressive way against Christians by claiming a false gospel are disarmed. The powers that tried to destroy and humiliate the One in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell by crucifying him gave way to a triumphal procession that put them all to shame. Paul tells us that there is nothing in this world that is seen or unseen that has power over Christ and in turn has power over us as those who claim victory with him over all things.

It is easy for us to look at the world and be discouraged by everything. We can live defeated as Christians because we see so much that is wrong that is happening. We see a world that has turned completely against Christ and his word. People deny him and live in rebellion against him. We see hurt and pain abound in those that seem crushed by the weight of the world. Perhaps, we find ourselves in these places, and living for Christ has become too difficult in this postmodern and secular world. But Paul reminds us that Christ has already given us the victory over these things. The defeat of Christ’s enemies is not something that will happen in the distant future when he returns. It is something that has already taken place. As Christians, we live in a world and with a faith where the powers that try to hold us down have been defeated. We stand in victory. We live in victory every day. We have died to sin and been raised to new life through faith in Christ. He is the One through whom all things have been created and in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Placing our faith in this Christ gives us the victory.

3. Anything not relevant to faith in Christ is to be rejected. (vs. 16-19)

Matthew 12:8 ESV

8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Hebrews 10:1 ESV

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.

There are two areas that Paul delineates as not being relevant to the faith: Jewish ceremonial laws and pagan practices. Both of these influenced the believers at Colossae. It is not that keeping Sabbath or even participating in various Jewish festivals is bad. These are good things. He calls them shadows of the things to come in Christ. This same thought is given to us again in Hebrews 10:1. It is the doing of them in excess to the point that they define or cause salvation. Jesus says that he is the Lord of the Sabbath in Matthew 12:8.

He then talks about focusing on pagan practices such as asceticism and angel worship that could influence the Colossians. Doing these things are not ways to gain a greater access to God. We cannot do anything physically to our bodies that can harm us to somehow get closer to revelation or in a deeper relationship with God. This does not refer to fasting or denying the flesh. These are things that take it to the extreme like fasting for days and days or perhaps weeks. He also specifically points out here that we are not to worship angels because Christ created the angels and is above all created things.

Although Paul points out specific things that the Colossians dealt with, it is no different than us in trying to add things on to our faith in order to gain more of God. When we get an idea that if we do more it will somehow get us closer to God or win favor. We may even try to bargain with God about something, “O Lord, if you do this, I will do that.” When we try to add on to the gospel, we think that Christ is not sufficient for our salvation. We have to do other things in order to be in right relationship with God. But that is not the case. Paul is clear that Christ has done all the work necessary for us to be reconciled. All we do is accept Christ and trust in him fully. There is nothing that we have to add to his work. Denying the sufficiency of Christ is to deny what Christ has done on our behalf.