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.
Colossians 2:6-7
So far in our look at Colossians we’ve seen Paul’s praise for the Colossian church, the preeminence of Christ, and an overview of Paul’s ministry as a pastor and church planter. We’ve seen how Paul has pointed everything back to the central figure of the Gospel: Jesus Christ. We’ve seen how Paul draws his own encouragement, energy, and strength from the person of Jesus Christ. And we’ve seen Paul’s pastoral labors aimed at the church at Colossae.
Paul moves on from his joy for the church to offer two verses of exhortation. The section of Scripture that we will deal with in this essay comes from chapter 2 beginning with verse 6 and going through verse 15. Paul’s desire is for the Colossian church to walk in Christ. He longs to present everyone mature in Christ (1:28), and he is willing to sacrifice his own health and well being to see it happen (1:24).
Remember why this ministry is so important to Paul. Christ is our life (3:3); Christ is our hope of glory (1:27); Christ is before all things and in Him all things hold together (1:17). Paul is absolutely and unswervingly convinced that Jesus Christ is the only hope for a world full of lost sinners who have rebelled against a holy God. And we only have until our last breath to figure out that Christ is the answer to our greatest need. After that, it is too late. We should all be working towards possessing this singular focus like Paul. Eternity is at stake for every single person on this earth. They need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because there is no other name in heaven by which man must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Once we know this, the charge to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel takes on much more significance. Scripture tells us that we should shine as lights, be the salt of the earth, and exert all of our energy towards the pursuit of godliness. We must be faithful stewards of the grace we have been given in Christ. Eternity is at stake. Our joy is at stake. God’s glory is at stake. Considering what will be left when Jesus comes back, nearly everything is at stake! God is serious when He calls us to be holy.
For the remainder of this note, I want to make one point about the differences between the Gospel and human traditions (v. 8) and conclude with Paul’s masterful way of continuing to make the Gospel central to our charge to walk with Christ.
In verse 8, Paul cautions the church to avoid being taken captive by philosophy and human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world instead of Christ. In Paul’s day, these would be things like conforming to the Old Testament law or trying to find favor with one’s god(s) in order to prosper in this life. Today, the elemental principles have shifted to things like individualism, relativity, and science. I think Paul’s point is that none of these sources provide the ultimate answer to our dilemma. None provide true, lasting happiness. And none satisfy our deep longing to find that happiness. Sadly, countless people since the creation of man have turned to human traditions, philosophy, science, etc. as their ultimate realities and have come up empty in the end. Clearly this message is not just for the lost, but for Christians as well, because Paul is addressing this to the church. We all need to be careful that our ultimate satisfaction is aimed at Jesus Christ and no where else. The lost world needs their gaze directed to Christ, and the Church needs our gaze directed to our Anchor as well.
At best, our human wisdom results in external behavior modification and attitude adjustments. But it fails where we must succeed in order to find lasting fulfillment. It fails to address the reality of hearts hardened against God due to our sinfulness. Human tradition will always seek out a way to be self righteous and earn God’s favor. Our hearts, which are deceitful about all things and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9), will always lead us down a path towards destruction. Our minds will never reason their way into God’s favor. We are without hope, sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God.
But God…
That’s my favorite part of Scripture: the “but God” part. When we come to the end of our rope and realize that we have no way out of the mess that we have made for ourselves, God intervenes.
Verses 11-15 close out this section of text by giving two beautiful illustrations of the Gospel. This time, Paul speaks of the Gospel in terms of what Christ has done for those who have turned from their sin and placed their faith in Christ alone for their salvation. I’ll quote all of it because God’s Word is much more powerful than mine.
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, 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. 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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the Cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
Colossians 2:11-15
Do you notice who is doing all of the acting in these verses? It isn’t the ones dead in our sin doing much of anything. Paul ascribes all the glory of salvation to God alone. The Father willed it. Christ was the propitiatory sacrifice. The Holy Spirit gave us eyes to see and perceive our sinfulness and need for Jesus Christ.
But God…
The more awestruck I am by the Gospel, the easier it becomes to see how the Cross of Jesus Christ is folly to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18). In our arrogance, we believe that we can be good enough to earn the favor of a holy God who demands perfect righteousness from any that would be in His presence. The Cross tells us that we can’t earn God’s favor. It is a free gift that declares us righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ. We did nothing to deserve and we can never earn it. We have nothing to use as a bargaining tool for salvation. We must humble ourselves and cry out to God for salvation. But we don’t because it is folly. The Gospel is our only hope and we reject it because it is the most ridiculous thing we’ve ever heard.
But God…
All who receive the Good News of Jesus are born again to a living hope by the great mercies of God. Then begins the joyful, yet tumultuous, pilgrimage of sanctification. But we must never forget the message that set us on a path of righteousness. And we must never forget the Savior who made it possible!
“Walk in Christ” sums up Paul’s exhortation in our text. How? By always remembering the finished work of Jesus Christ in emptying Himself, taking the form of a servant, living a life of perfect righteousness, and dying on the Cross. Without this act of God, all would perish in our sins. Without Jesus, we would be strangers and exiles with no hope. God has brought us near to Himself through the blood of Christ. The Gospel must sink in. Its roots must go down deep.
Christian, can you fathom how much it cost God to ransom your soul? Does the Gospel cause you to find joy in all of life’s circumstances because your greatest need has been met in Christ? Do you find strength to endure and reason to die to yourself when you consider Christ crucified?
Affection for Christ is not optional. It is the fruit of those who have been made alive upon receiving Jesus Christ and placing all of their hope in Him.
May your hearts be stirred. May they burn with ever-increasing longing for Christ. Those who have given everything over to Jesus will find themselves lacking nothing on that Day when Jesus comes back to gather His bride.
For the glory of the reigning King Jesus who will return to make all things new…
Comments
Post a Comment