The fullness of our salvation, Colossians 2:9-15

As you know I just got back from vacation on Friday night.  And one of the interesting things you do when you come back from a trip like that is unpack your suitcases and unpack the car.  It can be an interesting experience to relive the trip through what you find in your suitcase.  Especially the smells.  I’m not sure I should explain all that though this morning. But I’m talking about the things you find there which bring back memories of what you did while you were away.  Some things are souvenirs, things you want to keep.  Other things are things you want to throw away, or throw in the washer as soon as you can.

Well, that’s a bad analogy for this passage before us today.  But the fact is that there is a lot to unpack in this passage.  And I am happy to say that it is all good stuff.  Nothing bad is in there.  In fact, what Paul is presenting here are souvenirs of our salvation by which we can remember what Christ has accomplished in our salvation.

But first as a reminder of the general context of this epistle so far,  Paul is continuing his letter to the Colossians in which he is attempting to turn them away from deceptive “wisdom” and philosophy which had infiltrated the church.  And of particular note in chapter one he had given a liturgy of sorts of Christology, the doctrine of Christ.  Now he does so because the pervasive false teaching was to indicate that Christ was not sufficient.  That Christ was part of an order of angelic beings that they could learn about God from, but there were also other angelic beings, and other philosophies and wisdoms and mysteries that could give a person a higher knowledge.

But Paul is arguing that Christ alone is sufficient, and in Christ alone is our salvation, and from Christ alone is our source of knowledge and wisdom.  So in vs 9 he reiterates that doctrine by saying, “For in Him (that is in Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”  Now we should really thank God that Paul felt the need to restate that principle.  Because if there is one constant source of demonic attack it is on the deity of Jesus Christ. If there is one common denominator of most of the cults and false religions of the world it is on this point of Christ’s deity. 

Now this is not the only place in scripture that attests to Christ’s deity, of course, but it is a very solid one.  But Christ also made the claim that He was God saying, “I and the Father are One.” And, “if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Such claims were either the claim of a madman, or the God/man.  No one can be a  good man, and make such a claim, unless He was also God in the flesh.

There are a number of scriptures that make this claim of Christ’s deity, not the least of which is chapter one vs 19 of this epistle, which says, “For it was the [Father's] good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.”  That statement is expounded for us in chp. 2 vs 9, “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” They both say virtually the same thing, chapter one just shortens it.

But I would also point out Hebrews 1:1-4 which says, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,  in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.  And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,  having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”  Now that statement at the end of vs4 answers the question of the Colossians about angels that possessed some sort of mystical insight about God, had the Colossians had access to that book at that time, which they did not.

But to go back to our text, Paul says that Jesus is fully God, or completely God.  And Jesus Himself said that He was the manifestation of God, which is directly correlated by Hebrews 1 which says that He is the exact representation of God’s nature.  Now that is a tremendously important doctrine.  Because if Jesus is not God, then Jesus cannot save.  The death of Jesus as just a man could never atone for the sins of the world. No matter how good of a man it is who dies, their goodness cannot possibly be enough to extend to save another person, much less the world.  Only God could atone for the sins of the world.

Now to that doctrine of the sufficiency of Christ Paul adds a number of qualifying statements or illustrations. And all of these statements are designed to illustrate the sufficiency of our salvation in Christ.  Paul uses another word though instead of sufficiency.  He uses the word complete.  He says, in vs 10, “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

So as Christ is the fullness of God in bodily form, we are made full, or complete in Him.  Now what does that mean, “ in Him?”  If you notice in our text, Paul uses that phrase “in Him” in vs 9, 10 and 11.  Then notice that he changes the phase to “with Him” in vs 12 and 13, and then in vs 15 he changes it again to “through Him.” Now I hope to deal with each of these phrases in order.

But first, what does it mean to be “in Him?”.  Let me give you a bad analogy, but perhaps a pertinent one since we are in an election season. It’s like saying you are in the Republican party, or the Democrat party, and you have a representative of that party which is the presidential candidate.  You are in effect, represented in that candidate.  You derive your benefits from that candidate.  He is your representative, and what he does in  that capacity directly benefits you.

Now thankfully, being “in Christ” is a lot more beneficial than we can expect from the elected candidate.  Not the least of which is that our benefit of being in Christ is eternal, whereas the best we might get from our elected official is only temporary.

What Paul is saying here though is that by being in Him, we are made complete.  We receive the fullness of salvation.  There is nothing more that can be gained through any other person or entity. There is no need for a secondary experience where we can get more from God. There is no need or benefit to seeking another intermediary or from some other source of higher knowledge.  He is above or the head of all rule and authority.  That speaks of not only earthly dignitaries and government officials and so forth, but also, and maybe principally, that He is over angelic principalities.  If we are in Christ, then He is superior to any other source, any other power, be it angelic or spiritual or of this world.  

For those of you who have come out of Catholicism, there is no benefit to going through an intermediary, be it Mary, or the Pope, or a priest, or a dead saint.  To use the analogy of politics again, if you have direct access to the office of the President, then what added benefit could there be to going to a lower ranked administration official?  We have complete, full access to God through Christ because He is fully God.

The second benefit of being “in Him” comes in vs 11, “and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”  Now what’s interesting is that Paul is speaking here to a predominately Gentile community.  They did not practice circumcision. And yet he says that in Christ they are circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands.  

So first of all, we must understand that he is not talking about physical circumcision, but spiritual circumcision.  Even though physical circumcision was a rite performed under the law by the Jews, yet there are multiple references in the scriptures to a more necessary circumcision of the heart.  That cut made in the flesh was but a symbol of the cutting away of the sin nature that has to occur in the heart.  As Moses wrote in Deut. 30:6  "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

And also in the NT Paul wrote about spiritual circumcision in Rom 2:29 saying, “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”  So the benefit of circumcision was to be a sign of God’s covenant people.  However, if we are in Christ, even though we are not physically circumcised, we are still circumcised in Christ’s circumcision.  What He has done, has been done also in us as our representative man.

Paul speaks of this circumcision of Christ being applied on our behalf, so that there is “the removal of the body of the flesh.”  In physical circumcision, the flesh was cut away from the foreskin which had significance in the sin nature which was passed on from generation to generation.  But in spiritual circumcision, the sin nature is cut off so that we might live in the newness of flesh.  

I was speaking to someone just the other day who was talking about their previous life of addiction.  And they said when they gave it up to Christ, then they discovered that Christ had removed the old nature, the old desire for that sin.  They had a new nature.  But that didn’t mean that it was impossible to go back to that old life.  It was still there, they just no longer were enslaved to it.  Though you have a new nature, you still live in your old body.  And as long as we are in the body there is still the possibility that we might go back to it.  So it’s necessary to die daily, to consider it as dead.  It’s necessary to constantly put off the old man, and put on the new man.  To walk in the spirit, and not in the flesh. There has been a spiritual operation in which the old nature has been cut off, and we’re given a new nature. New desires. Old things have passed away, all things become new.  That’s spiritual circumcision.

There is another benefit to our salvation, in how we have been made complete, and that is found in vs 12.  And now Paul changes that phrase from “in Him” to “with Him.”  So “in Him” being something that Christ does for us as our representative, “with Him” signifies something we do in conjunction with Him.  He does it, and we do it as well.   Let’s read what that benefit is in vs 12.  

Vs 12, “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” This rite of baptism is something that we do with Christ.  We that are saved are physically baptized in solidarity with Him.  

But like the rite of circumcision, Paul is saying that there is a spiritual component which is more important than the physical aspect of being immersed in water.  Being immersed and then raised out of the water signifies a spiritual death and resurrection with Christ.  In baptism, we identify with the death of Christ by dying to sin, and being raised from the water we signify that we are raised with Him to walk in newness of life.  

What baptism indicates then is that the power of God to raise the dead is employed on our behalf as we identify with Christ by faith, so that we have the power of God to walk in newness of life. We haven’t got the power to walk in this new life unless God gives it to us. We cannot walk in sanctification unless God gives us the power to do so. And as God had the power to raise the dead and give life to Christ so that same power is available to us as well.  Our identification with Christ provides the power of God in our lives to live the life that He has given us. As Phil. 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Now Paul expands upon that principle in vs 12 and 13, explaining how that process happens.  He says “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,  having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

The premise of our salvation is that before Christ we were spiritually dead. Paul echoes this passage in Ephesians, detailing the deadness due to our sin, and the means by which we received new life.  He says in Eph 2:1-7 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,  in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,  so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” 

Now Paul says that is illustrated in baptism which we participate in with Christ.  Signifying that we were dead in sin, buried with Him indicating our old nature was done away with, and then raised up with Him, so that we are positionally already seated with Him in the heavenlies, and we live in the new life which God has given us, and empowered us to live.  What tremendous benefits are given by our salvation, not the least of which that we have been forgiven.  All the things that we have done, all the laws that we have broken, all the people we have wronged, all the sins that we have committed, God has forgiven us.  Forgiven is a concept that we should contemplate more than we do.  Quite a bit of our mental anguish in life comes as a result of guilt.  But in Christ we are forgiven.  God has punished Jesus Christ for our sins.  So that we might be forgiven.  He has cast them as far as the east from the west and they will not be remembered any more.

We may talk about forgiving someone, but we can’t ever forget, can we?  We may want others to think we forgive and forget, but deep down we don’t forget. But the Bible says that God forgets our sin.  Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”  And Isaiah 43:25 says, “I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Paul says back in our text that He has cancelled out the certificate of debt against us.  That also can mean that whatever crimes we have been charged with have been cancelled.  Forgiven.  Expunged.  Forgotten. He says God nailed them to the cross, and Jesus paid for them.  There is a legal term called double jeopardy, which means that you cannot be charged twice for the same crime.  And that is true in the justice of God as well. If Jesus was charged for our crimes and paid the penalty for our sin, then it would be unjust for God to charge it to our account as well.  And God is not unjust.  His justice requires that the penalty for sin has to be paid, but His mercy caused His stripes to fall upon Jesus, so that we might be set free.

Then finally, let’s look at the last illustration of the benefits of our salvation and that is found in vs 15. “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”

As I indicated earlier, when Paul speaks of the rulers and authorities, he is not talking here about earthly dignitaries, but he is talking about spiritual rulers and authorities. Now he just referenced that Jesus was nailed to the cross to pay the penalty of our sin, but what is amazing about His death that is that though it appeared at the time to be a defeat for Christ, it was actually a victory for the kingdom of heaven. 

In Ephesians 4:9 Paul speaks of Jesus upon His death descending into the lower parts of the earth, that is Hades. Hades is the abode of the dead, which according to Jesus has an upper and lower compartment divided by a great chasm which no one can cross.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew that the Son of Man must go into the lower part of the earth for three days even as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days.  He furthermore said to the thief on the cross that today you will be with Me in Paradise.  Paradise being the upper chamber of Hades.

Peter elaborates on what Christ accomplished in Hades in 1 Peter 3:18-22 saying, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, [the] just for [the] unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;  in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits [now] in prison,  who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through [the] water.  Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

It’s interesting that Peter also alludes to the rite of baptism in this passage as an illustration of our salvation.  But the main point I want to emphasize that is made in this passage is the last phrase; “after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”  Peter is speaking of those fallen angels and principalities and powers of the realm of darkness.  Satan is called the accuser of the brethren.  But our accuser and his satanic hosts have been defeated at the cross.  Jesus broke the power of Satan.  Because the power of Satan is death.

Hebrews 2:14 says “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” 

This victory is the tremendous blessing of our salvation that Christ has accomplished for us, and Paul says that He did so through the cross.  Through His death, He rendered powerless Satan, our enemy.  Paul goes on to refer to the triumph that Christ has accomplished. 

Vs 15, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”  A triumph in Roman times was something akin to a victory parade in our country.  But what was unique in those celebrations was that they also paraded their enemies as captives in their train.  And so the conquering victors would parade into the city in triumph, In a parade of sorts, with their defeated enemies held captive in the rear, subject to the mocking jeers of the citizens who were the benefactors of that victory.

That imagery is  what Paul alludes to in this passage, showing Jesus Christ as the victorious general leading His army in a victory parade, and those fallen angels and principalities who are our enemies, our accusers, who went about like a roaring lion seeking to devour us, those same foes are already defeated, their power being broken, awaiting their final day of punishment. 

What tremendous benefits we see illustrated there of our salvation.  And in all these examples, we see that Christ has fully completed our salvation.  Wee participate, we benefit through faith in what He has done.  But He is the One who has conquered sin and death and given us life.  By faith we are the benefactors.  We are His citizens.  He is our King, our Victor, our Conqueror. And we as His citizens receive all the blessings of being in His kingdom through His salvation.  In Him, with Him, and through Him.  We have peace with God.  We have the blessing of God. We have life in Him.  

That concludes the exposition of this passage of scripture.  But before we leave this morning I want to add one more prepositional phrase for us to consider.  And that is receive Him.  To receive Christ is illustrated by another rite.  Not the rite of circumcision, not the rite of baptism, but the rite of communion.  And I would like to invite you to participate in that rite this morning as an illustration of receiving Christ.  We receive Him by faith, faith in who He is and what He has accomplished.  

And we can participate in that through communion, or the Lord’s Supper. (begin Lord’s Supper) 

Thanksgiving, Colossians 2:6-8

It is very unusual for me, as those who have been with us awhile are probably very aware, for me to ever attempt to preach a sermon that ties in to whatever holiday that happens to coincide with our Sunday service.  Today might be the exception.  If you read in the KJV or the NKJV, then you will notice that at the end of verse 7, Paul says we are to be overflowing with thanksgiving. So for those of you who expected a message today on Thanksgiving, then that reference is going to be as close as I am going to get to that topic.  And by way of exposition on that subject, I will defer to the NASB translation of that word, which is gratitude.  So thanksgiving involves gratitude.

I think it’s horrendous that Thanksgiving in America has become so far removed from what it really is supposed to signify.  Our children in school today are taught that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to thank the Indians for teaching the Pilgrims how to plant and survive during the first year of their colony.  And at most dinner tables this week across America, the extent of thanksgiving is that there may be a time when they go around the table and say what they are thankful for. Not to whom they are thankful, but what they are thankful for.

And that’s a good indication of the problem with our idea of Thanksgiving. It is centered on things rather than on who.  It’s thankfulness that we have what we want, rather than gratitude for what God has done in our hearts.  Our gratitude is too often defined by our material riches, rather than our spiritual riches.

Thanksgiving was commemorated by the Pilgrims and by many as a religious holiday for many years afterwards, but it was President Lincoln who designated it as a national holiday in 1863, which during his subsequent speech said, “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”  I reference that just to make the point that Thanksgiving is a time when we are supposed to give thanks to God. 

Now thanksgiving in context with the verses we are looking at today as used in vs 7, does not in any way reference a national holiday.  Not that a national holiday is a bad thing, it’s just not what is being talked about here.  What I think Paul is referring to is an attitude of gratitude for our salvation.  Gratitude, or overflowing with gratitude, should be the appropriate response of our salvation.  “We love, because He first loved us.”  We respond in gratitude by serving the Lord, and being obedient to the Lord, because of His grace towards us, and because of the life which He gave us.

It’s obvious that our gratitude is to be towards God for our salvation by the context of verse 6, which precedes the admonition for thanksgiving, by saying, “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk in Him.”  Receiving Christ is salvation.  As John 1:12 states; “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, [even] to those who believe in His name.” 

Notice that John equates receiving to believing.  And back in our text, actually in vs 5, Paul equates receiving as faith in Christ.  And we know that faith is the means of justification, and justification is the beginning of our salvation.  Ephesians 2:8,9; “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

We all know that verse so well, many of us by heart.  But it’s important to also know the next verse, Eph. 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  That illustrates for us what Paul is saying here in Colossians 2:6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

The emphasis in both cases is that salvation is evidenced by your walk. In other words, justification produces a new birth, which results in a new life.  And this new life is spoken of as a walk. So that we walk by faith and not by sight.  We walk in newness of life.  We walk in the good works of God.

The point that Paul is emphasizing here is that justification is not the destination.  It’s the beginning, it’s new birth.  The destination of our salvation is glorification, when we are completed, perfected with a new body and a new spirit in the presence of God.  And the path which leads from justification to glorification is sanctification. Sanctification is our walk.

Another frequently used analogy of our salvation is that of the word of God which is compared to a seed, which finds root in us, that’s the believing unto salvation part, then God causes it to grow, springing up into new life, and the life brings forth fruit.  But Jesus said in a parable of the fruit tree, that the tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Jesus said in Matt. 7:19-20  "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.”  So salvation is not just indicative of believing, but growing and bearing fruit.

That analogy of a tree is one that Paul employs here in Colossians 2. He speaks of the need to be rooted in your faith.  Vs 7, “having been firmly rooted [and now] being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, [and] overflowing with gratitude.”

I’m not sure if Paul is mixing metaphors here or if the translators are, but there seems to be in my version at least a transition of metaphors from a tree to a house, “being firmly rooted and being built up and established.”  But if we were to look at it from the perspective of a tree, then it would indicate that there needs to be deep roots if the tree is going to grow up and become mature, to be able to stand, and then to bear fruit.

But if you looked at it from the perspective of a building, it would seem the emphasis is on a firm foundation, from which a temple is built, and established, from which emanates an overflowing of gratitude to God.  And that gratitude we have already indicated results in doing the works of God.

In either illustration, our faith then must be firmly rooted, grounded, a strong foundation from which to build, to grow, to bear fruit.  So what is this foundation of our faith comprised of? Well, the text makes it clear that it is  Christ.  In vs 2 it’s “the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Christ is the truth of God. He is the manifestation of God.  He is the salvation of God, the Savior of the world.  He is Lord God.  Faith is believing in the gospel of Christ; who He is and what He came to do,  what He accomplished, and what He has promised He will do.

Paul says in vs 5, he was “rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.”  There it is again, this emphasis on a stable foundation of who Christ is and what He has accomplished and what He will accomplish. Christ has accomplished our salvation and He will one day accomplish our glorification when He comes again as the returning King to claim His kingdom. This knowledge, this faith in Christ is the foundation for our life.  This knowledge and faith in Christ is the root system that produces growth and maturity and fruit in our lives.

And notice that Paul brings all the fullness of Christ to bear in His name and titles given in vs6. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”  Christ is the Greek word for Messiah. So Christ as a title encompasses the full doctrine of the Messiah. The Messiah is foretold way back in the Garden of Eden, as the one who will come from the seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent. He was the One promised to be the seed of Abraham by whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He is the Anointed One promised by the prophets who would be a great light to the nations, and to whom all people would come.  The Messiah is the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I don’t have the time this morning to expound the doctrine of the Messiah in all it’s fullness.

But a summary of it is revealed in Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

That prophecy includes another title which Paul gives us here in Col. 2vs 6, which is the Lord. Christ Jesus the Lord.  The Lord is a reference to His kingdom, to the Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to His government. He will sit on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice  and righteousness fro then on and forevermore.  The Lord Jesus is king over all the universe and it is an eternal kingdom that has no end.

Paul said in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”  Our salvation is not only faith in Jesus as our Savior, but confession of Jesus as our Lord. We bow to His authority over our lives.  He is our Government.  He is our King.  He is our Sovereign, and we bow our will to Him, we live our lives for Him, we serve Him as our King.  

Now that constitutes a firmly rooted faith, rooted “in true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  This is the start of our salvation, the start of our new life.  Knowing Him.  Knowing Christ. That’s what it means to believe in Christ. 

Notice something else that is important in vs 7.  “having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed. “ I want to emphasize that phrase “just as you were instructed.”  Just as you were taught.  The foundation of our faith, our walk in faith, and the produce of faith, all are contingent upon the instruction in our faith.  That’s why it’s so important to preach the gospel.  That’s why it’s so important to preach Christ.  Not to preach a social gospel, or a prosperity gospel, or a philosophical and psychological gospel.  But to preach the pure word of God, unmixed, unfiltered, not watered down. Because the deeper our roots go, the greater our fruit grows.

Not long ago I decided to dig a pond and I planned to make a little fountain and raise some koi fish. It will be easy, they said.  It will be fun, they said.  Little did I realize when I started digging that I had planned the pond too close to a large tree in my back yard.  I think I ended up cutting roots more than I dug dirt.

Sometime later I was explaining how difficult that whole process  was to a lady in the church, and she told me that the root system of a tree mirrored the scope of the branches in the tree.  So if I wanted to see how extensive the roots were, I only had to look up and see how expansive the branches were. I had never heard that before.  But I think that is sort of what Paul is indicating here.  As our roots go down deep in our faith, our branches grow up and out resulting in an abundant life of fruitfulness.

Notice that this instruction that we are given results in our faith being established.  Established means to make sure, to confirm.  It means to prove it’s truth.  Being established then indicates giving heed to instruction, which informs our faith, assures us of our faith, and confirms our faith.  Faith is not just wishful thinking.  Faith is not wanting something to be true and so you just imagine it is possible, and hold onto it, and somehow if you believe it enough it will come true.  No, faith is believing in the promises of God.  So when we preach, we preach not some fanciful imaginative thing that we want to believe will come true, but we preach the truth of God, the word of God, and very importantly, the promises of God.  Our faith is founded on the promises of God.  And so it’s important that we preach and teach the promises of God.  And as Peter said, the promises of God are written down for us that they may be a more sure word.

2Peter 1:19 “[So] we have the prophetic word [made] more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”  Paul warns against unfounded promises in vs 18 which we will get to next week, but I reference now as a contrast to the sure promises of God. Vs 18 “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on [visions] he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.” 

So as a counterpoint to the sound instruction that informs and confirms our faith, Paul gives a necessary caution.  He cautions against false promises, empty promises, man made wisdom, which may have the appearance of spirituality, but it lacks substance because it is not founded on the truth of God’s word, but it’s founded on man’s philosophy and the devil’s lies.  If our lives depend upon our faith being true, then it’s paramount that we are discerning as to what is true, what is promised by God, and what is not true, or what is promised by man.

So Paul waves a cautionary flag in vs 8 “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”  

Jesus told a parable about wheat and tares which illustrate this principle. Matt. 13:24-30 says, “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.  'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”'"

Now there is a lot in that parable which I cannot take the time to expound upon this morning, but one thing that should be clear is the importance of bearing fruit.  The wheat is the fruit of the good seed which was sown in the field.  Jesus said in another parable that the seed was the word of God, and I see no reason not to exegete that here as well.

But what I want you to notice is that He said the enemy came into the field and sowed takes among the wheat while his men were sleeping.  The tares looked like wheat.  His men were not able to discern the wheat from the tares until it came time to reap, which is when the fruit comes to it’s fullness. 

So if the good seed is the word of God, and the seed of the tares is sown by the enemy, then it stands to reason that the seed of the tares is what Paul refers to in Colossians 2 as man’s philosophy and empty deception.  Empty deception is another way of saying empty promises.

Notice that Paul warns about being taken captive by one who teaches this false doctrine.  Satan’s goal is to capture as many people as he can by his lies and deception.  Promising them freedom but they end up being captured and enslaved.  Peter speaks of this type of false teacher in 2Peter 2:18-19 “For speaking out arrogant [words] of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”  

So our fruitfulness can be eliminated by false teaching if we succumb to it.  In fact, false teaching can even provide a false salvation. It looks like the real thing, just like the tares looked like wheat, but the evidence is in the fruit.  So a foundation must be founded on the truth, otherwise, it is a false foundation, and the entire structure is threatened with ruin. I’m not a builder, but from what I know of it if you are off on your foundation, then the whole house will be off, and in fact nothing will work as it should and the structure can end up being condemned.

I’m afraid that is the devil’s strategy in the church.  To mislead, deceive on the basis of empty deception, empty promises that do not give the freedom that they promised, but instead leave you enslaved to a corrupted, false doctrine.

Notice Paul says their false doctrine is “according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”  When I hear that phrase, “according to the tradition of men” I cannot help but think of the Roman Catholic church.  The Catholic church claims on a lot of the same truth that we believe.  But they have added traditions of men in such a way that it overshadows the truth, it conceals the truth, and as a result many people in it may be sincere, they may be zealous, they may be very religious, and yet still be totally lost.  

And unfortunately it can happen in evangelical churches as well.  It’s possible to water down the gospel and add to the gospel a lot of things that sound good, and are what we want to hear, what we want to believe, and yet miss the mark of saving faith.  It’s important that as Paul says, our faith is according to Christ.  According to His word.  According to His gospel.

And the gospel of Christ is simply this; that every man and woman is a sinner, and condemned to eternal death as a result of their sin.  But Christ Jesus the Lord came to save sinners, by offering Himself as our substitute in death, that by faith in HIs atoning work we might be justified and given the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and who is coming again to take His people to be with Him forever in His Kingdom of righteousness.  

If you believe that gospel, if you receive that gospel, if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, and confess Him as your Lord, your King, then so walk in Him, walk in His righteousness, walk in obedience to Him, walk in His teaching,  having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.  Walk in Him. Bear the fruit of righteousness in gratitude as your response for what He has done for you.  

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;  for our God is a consuming fire.”   Let us close in prayer.

True Knowledge and wisdom, Colossians 2:1-5

Most Bible scholars agree that there was a dangerous heresy which had begun to surface in the Colossians church which had been reported by Epaphras to Paul, and was thus the reason for Paul writing this epistle.  Though Paul had not ever visited Colossae that we know of, yet as the apostle to the Gentiles he was nevertheless concerned about them, and no doubt felt a certain responsibility for them.

Theologians may agree that there was a dangerous heresy in the church, but they are not in agreement as to exactly what it was.  Last time, I used the term Gnostic Judaism to describe it, which obviously tries to tie certain elements of Gnosticism with Judaism.  It would seem to include a mixture of the worship of angels, a generous measure of philosophy, and a certain measure of asceticism which stemmed from certain Jewish requirements regarding the law.  

There is a term for the blending such disparate components together which is called synergism.  It’s the belief that two or more components blended or working together produce a sum that is greater than their individual parts.  That term seems to sum up the thinking of the Colossians. Simply stated, they thought that Christianity alone was not sufficient.  They believed the gospel needed human philosophy and a measure of spiritualism added to it to make it more effective, and more palatable.

So at the root of this heresy is human philosophy. Philosophy refers to any body of knowledge. And in this sense, philosophy was closely related to the subjects of religion, reality, natural science, and existence.  Philosophia is the Greek term that means a love of wisdom. And the Greeks loved what they perceived to be the pursuit of wisdom.  Paul warned in vs 8; “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”  So philosophy was the dangerous heresy confronting the church.

As I’m sure you know, Greece is the birthplace for philosophy and it had become popular long before Christ came on the scene in Israel.  Socrates was the father of philosophy and Plato and Aristotle his disciples.  And so being a Greek city of some standing there was a great appetite in Colossae and the surrounding areas for this higher knowledge that they thought helped to complete what was lacking in the gospel.  And so Paul is writing to refute this type of thinking and the dangerous teaching that was finding it’s way into the church.

Now this false teaching was not just a particular failing of the church at Colossae, but it has become prevalent in the church today.  The church at large doesn’t think that the gospel alone is sufficient and so they add to it a mix of science and human philosophy. Man’s wisdom, knowledge, psychology, and philosophy has so pervaded Christian teaching so that it has become virtually indistinguishable from the truth of the gospel.  The modern Christian accepts Christian doctrine as long as it is compatible with their philosophy.  And so he calls himself a Christian.  But in his thinking his philosophy is central and Christ is subjected to being a shadow in the background.

Now if you look carefully at this epistle, you can’t help but notice the emphasis on this philosophy and false knowledge and worldly wisdom in Paul’s writing. In some cases, he is using a play on words, taking terms that were associated with their teaching and applying them to the gospel.  But I want you to just notice the frequency of such terms, so that you understand what Paul is talking about.

Starting in chapter 1, vs 5 and 6, Paul speaks of the word of God as truth, which is the gospel.  And from that foundation of truth, they are to be “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”  Now in contrast to Gnosticism, which professed to achieve spiritualness apart from the body, Paul says this knowledge and wisdom from God produces fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Gnosticism, this false knowledge and wisdom promised that you could reach a spiritual plane apart from the physical. It taught that you could attain knowledge and wisdom from spiritual beings apart from the word of God.  It taught that you could spiritually live in a plane above sin, and even though sin was alive in your body it did not affect you spiritually. But Paul is saying that real spirituality comes from true knowledge of God through Christ, and true knowledge produces practical godliness. 

You hear a lot today about people who claim to be spiritual, but have little regard for the church, and little regard even for the word of God.  They claim all sorts of spiritual revelation for some mysterious spiritual connection to God.  In a similar way, Gnosticism considered their false brand of spiritualism as a mystery, some sort of deeper knowledge gained through the intercession of angels, or spirits, and through the wisdom of philosophy. But Paul relates the true wisdom in vs 27 and 28 as being found in Christ through the preaching of the gospel.

Then at the end of chapter one Paul says he is laboring or striving for the purpose of being able to present the church to Christ as complete.  Not just enlightened spiritually, but a complete in their salvation from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin. To be complete in the sense that they were in practice what they claimed by profession.  Paul is saying that is the point of his labor, and he is striving mightily to accomplish that in the church. 

Now as we look at chapter 2, Paul takes this idea further of laboring or striving on their behalf and says he is wrestling, or struggling on the behalf of the Colossians. He uses a word there which can mean a fight or a contest, but it particularly was used in the context of the Greek games, as a contest in front of an arena of spectators.  

I think Paul is thinking of spiritual warfare, in the arena of the church and witnessed by heaven. I can’t help but think of his statement in Eph 6:12 which says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].”

So Paul was spiritually contending for the faith among the church at Colossae, and also he says for the church at Laodicea.  Laodicea was a neighboring city about 10 miles away.  It would be comparable to the relationship between Bethany and Rehoboth.  Now today with cars that is not such a great distance, but when the primary transport was by foot, it was a good half day’s journey.  And in vs 1, Paul indicates that he had not visited neither town, nor probably even that region, and so no one had seen his face. They knew him by reputation, by position as an apostle, but not in person.

So how did Paul contend for the spiritual maturity of the churches there then if he had never visited them?  The answer is that he fought for them in prayer.  You go back to Ephesians six which we just quoted from concerning spiritual warfare, and you will see that prayer is the means of conducting our warfare.  After listing the armor of God, Paul says in vs18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,  and [pray] on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”

You know, we talked recently about the ministry of reconciliation which is assigned to all of us.  We talked about what your ministry should be as a member of Christ’s church.  We often look for ministry opportunities which we think are appropriate to our talents or our skill set.  And of course, we all think we have worthy talents that will really help God out and that he can magnify and use.   But the ministry of prayer is one that I suggest we have all been given, and yet for the most part we have sorely neglected. Perhaps because it is not a ministry that many people are going to see us do.  And also, because intercessory prayer is hard labor.  I think that is what Paul is referring to here.  Laboring, striving, wrestling, fighting in prayer for the Colossian church.  And it’s something that we should be doing as well. It is our ministry, our responsibility. It doesn’t take a lot of talent, just hard work.  It takes time, time spent on your knees in prayer for someone, laboring in prayer for them.  Wrestling with angelic principalities through prayer on the behalf of the church.

Now look at what Paul was praying for; vs 2, “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and [attaining] to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, [resulting] in a true knowledge of God's mystery, [that is,] Christ [Himself,]  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  

It’s amazing isn’t it, how Paul manages to rebuke their false knowledge in such a positive way. He doesn’t just flat out condemn them for their heresy, but he manages to state it in a positive way, while at the same time addressing what was in error.  Proverbs says, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  So Paul is concerned that their hearts are encouraged. The heart is the source of our will, our emotions and our intellect.  If the people at Colossae are going to live their lives in obedience to the truth then it’s important that it starts in the heart.  If their heart is right, then their behavior will be right.

Jesus said in Matt. 15:18-19 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”  That’s why David cried out, “Create in me a clean heart O Lord, and renew a right spirit in me.” A clean heart produces a right spirit, which produces right behavior.  

Paul prays that their hearts may be encouraged.  But that word in the Greek means more than what we typically think of when we think of encouraged. It is also used for implore, to comfort, to strengthen, to teach. Perhaps you might say, that their hearts may be exhorted.  Exhortation has to do with the will of man. It’s a call to action.  It’s not just a theoretical or ephemeral condition only, but a call to action.  Exhortation is not just to produce intellectual assent, but to prod into action. 

And what is Paul calling them to action to do?  To love one another.  “Having been knit together in love.” Love is the tie that binds Christians together.  Christian love is the glue of the church. But as we have often discussed, Christian love does not refer to affection, or sentimentality.  But it refers to a sacrificial commitment to put another’s needs and benefit ahead of your own.

As I have said repeatedly, the church is not just a place to have your own needs met, or even just to be “fed”, as we often hear people claim.  But the church assembles to serve one another, to love one another, to encourage one another.  And let me tell you something. It doesn’t take much to encourage one another or to discourage one another.  Just showing up is a means of encouraging others. When you come together as an assembly you identify with one another. When you see one another at church you recognize that you share in some way with them.  They feel connected with you because you are there.  And that’s an encouragement to them.  I saw that yesterday some people from our church went to the MAGA rally in DC.  When you attend something like that you identify with others who share your interests.  You feel connected with them even if you don’t know the people attending. And the same is true in church.  And if you take it a step further and speak to someone and shake their hand or give them a hug, that can be an incredible encouragement to someone.  And we can do so much more than that. For instance, as I said earlier, we can begin to pray for one another.  Really labor in prayer for someone else can be the source of tremendous blessing not only for them, but also for you. But if we at least show up, assemble together as a church, that alone can be an immense encouragement to someone.

And then the other blessing that comes from assembling together as a church, provided you are being taught the word of God, is, as Paul says in vs 2, “attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

The false knowledge and wisdom of the Gnostics led to spiritual bankruptcy.  But Paul says that the true knowledge and understanding, or wisdom, is akin to wealth.  He is talking about spiritual riches.  Being filled, being complete. Wealth in an agrarian culture was correlated to your crops bearing fruit, or your cattle bearing fruit. And in human terms, bearing fruit 30 fold, or 60 fold, or 100 fold comes from true knowledge of God’s mystery.  Paul loves to use that word mystery.  It simply means something that was hidden that is now been revealed.  And he says the mystery of God is Christ himself.  The mystery of God was manifested in Christ.

The Gnostic Judaiser false teachers at Colossae were all about mysteries.  They professed to have secret knowledge of spiritual matters which they could teach you to understand if you conformed to their doctrines. Paul uses similar language in 1 Corinthians 13 and 14 to talk about speaking in tongues (secret languages) or word of knowledge which were gained through some spiritual experience.  That same emphasis is happening a  lot of charismatic churches today.  Having some sort of mysterious spiritual experience which supersedes knowing God through the truth of the gospel. Notice how Paul repeatedly takes this pet word of the Gnostics, and uses it to describe the truth of God which is revealed in Christ.  Back in chapter one vs 27 Paul talked about the mystery, which he said is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  That salvation provides the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in us now, who is the deposit of our future hope of glory, where we will one day see Him face to face in our glorification.

Now Paul elaborates on that mystery, saying it is Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  In other words, knowledge and wisdom are not to be sought from philosophy or some spiritual experience, but it is understood as we come to know Christ.  I would also say that knowledge is different from wisdom in the sense that wisdom is knowledge applied.  Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, but wisdom is the practical application of those facts. And that again addresses the problem with Gnosticism.  They claimed heavenly knowledge, but it did them no earthly good. Because they did not apply it to godly living, but only cerebrally. 

But when we are conformed to the image of Christ, then we become complete in body, soul and spirit.  In 1Thess. 5:23 Paul ties sanctification to completeness.  Not just our spirit, but all three; spirit, soul and body.  He says, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Sanctification is a progressive state for the Christian.  It is daily dying to sin, growing in knowledge, growing in wisdom, growing in the word, growing in likeness to Christ.  It’s the part of our salvation. but a part that is sadly overlooked and under taught.  

The grace of God in justification never fails to be taught in most churches, be they fundamental or ultra liberal.  And the hope of glorification in heaven never fails to be taught.  But sanctification is what we do and how we live in the middle between justification and glorification.  It’s how we live in the here and now.  And that is to be growing in conformity to Jesus Christ.  Growing in likeness of Jesus Chris.  Letting Him live in me, and dying to self.  And to do that, I must grow in knowledge of Him, and in wisdom apply that doctrine in practical living.

So on this subject of the ethereal quality of knowledge and mysteries that the Colossians were starting to pay attention to, Paul figuratively dumps a bucket of the water.  He says in vs 4 “I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.”  There is a reason that such arguments may be persuasive.  And that’s because we find them appealing to begin with.  They appeal to our baser instincts.  These false doctrines appeal to our flesh, to the lusts of the flesh.  All of us like things that appeal to our baser natures.  We like what makes us feel good, what makes us look good. All you have to do to know that is true is to examine how much money people spend on health and beauty products.  In 2019 it was 90 billion dollars that was spent on beauty products. And it not’s just women either.  Actually, I understand that one of the fastest growing segments of the make up industry is men’s beauty treatments. Men are just as into what feels good and makes them look good as women, I suppose.  It’s endemic to the human race.

And philosophy and deceptive spiritual doctrines play to those desires. They appeal to our baser nature.  It’s appealing because we want to believe we can have our cake and eat it too.  We want spirituality, we want some heavenly knowledge to assure us of our salvation, our security, but we don’t want to have to sacrifice anything enjoyable on earth in order to have it. And any false teacher who can claim that you can have both will certainly be a popular teacher.

Paul reminds them of the truth of the gospel so that they would not be deceived.  So they would not be deluded by persuasive arguments. Paul said in 1Cor. 2:2 “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”  Our protection against such false teaching is to focus on Christ alone, and His crucifixion.  In that, we have all the wisdom that we need.

Then in vs 5, Paul alludes to the fact that even though he is not with them in person, yet he is able to contend for them in spirit, to protect them from false teaching which threatens to undermine the church.  He says “For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” Once again, Paul manages to couch correction in a positive tone.  He is confident His prayers will prevail for their benefit.  And of course, he adds to his prayers the writing of this epistle, which will be read as a sermon to the church, and which is the inspired word of God which is the only reliable source of wisdom and knowledge.

Paul says he rejoices to see their good discipline and stability of their faith in Christ.  One has to wonder if Paul isn’t using flattery as a means of inducing them to do what he wants them to do.  But he also just said that he was warning them so they wouldn’t be deluded by persuasive arguments.  And so we can assume that they had not swallowed the hook yet, but perhaps had just been tasting the lure.  

What is important from Paul’s perspective is that they have a firm foundation in their faith. That they are not tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine.  As he said to the Ephesian church in Eph 4:14-16 “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;  but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Growing up, that’s where the discipline part comes in. As part of our growing up, after our new birth, our heavenly Father disciplines us.  And we discipline ourselves in holiness lest we become a castaway or become shipwrecked in our faith.  A great passage on discipline is found in Heb 12:6-14 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."  It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom [his] father does not discipline?  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.  Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He [disciplines us] for [our] good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,  and make straight paths for your feet, so that [the limb] which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.  Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

If we are children of God, then He will raise us up to be like Christ, which is the process of sanctification.  And He will discipline us to correct us, and conform us.  But the goal is not to punish us, but to perfect us.  So we can rejoice in discipline, because it assures us of our sonship and that God loves us, and will complete in us what He has begun.  And we also need self discipline so that we don’t fall under the judgment of God.  As Paul said in 1Co 11:31 “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.”

I pray that you may be found complete in Christ, that all may see your good discipline and the stability of your faith as you apply the knowledge of God in all wisdom and understanding.