Colossians 2:10
Complete In Christ
Tonight, I want to look at a section of Scripture that, to be honest, is beyond
my comprehension. I think the statement is just too deep for me to comprehend,
but at the same time, the statement is too powerful to ignore any longer. I
suppose what I want to do is to think out loud with you. Whether what I
say tonight will pass for preaching or not remains to be seen.
In studying these verses, I am convinced that the truths contained here are
great and awesome. However, getting a handle on exactly how they fit together
has proved to be a challenge I have not yet achieved. My outline tonight (and I
do have an outline) will consist of three points.
I. \\#Col 2:10\\ A Statement
A. Paul makes an amazingly deep statement.
1. This statement is only five words in length, but I am convinced
that its depth is unfathomable to us.
2. The statement is-You are complete in Him.
B. The word that I want to draw your attention to is the word COMPLETE.
1. The word means to be full, or to be fulfilled.
2. It means all, entirely, wholly.
3. It means every bit.
4. It means 100%.
C. It means that in Christ, you have and are everything that God intended
you to be.
1. This is an amazing statement.
2. We know that God originally created man to behave perfectly and to
have a perfect relationship with God.
3. Then sin entered and destroyed all of that.
4. God’s original plan was destroyed so badly that one cannot even
recognize what God intended us to be.
5. But, by and through Jesus Christ, things have been set into motion
that will ultimately restore all things to what God intended in
the beginning.
D. Let’s put some statements together in an attempt to try to make this
statement more understandable.
1. You are 100% forgiven.
2. You are 100% restored.
3. You have 100% fellowship with God.
4. You have 100% of God’s power.
5. And you are entitled to 100% of all that God has.
II. Reasons-All of the reasons for this completion is related to Jesus.
A. \\#Col 2:9\\ The reason we are complete is because of who Jesus is.
1. All of the fulness of God is in Him.
2. That means that Jesus is 100% God.
3. We are so blessed not to have to figure out all the theology that
has been studied in the past. Down through the ages, theologians
have concluded that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. (I know that
is a mathematical impossibility, but this is God we are dealing
with and He wrote the book on mathematics!)
4. So Jesus made us complete because He is God; that is, because as
God, He wanted to do so. After all, who is going to tell God that
He cannot do something?
5. So we are complete because Jesus, as God, wanted to make us
complete.
B. \\#Col 2:10\\ The reason we are complete is because of Jesus’
position.
1. He is the head of all principality and power.
2. The word PRINCIPALITY means BEGINNING or ORIGIN.
a. When applied to a person, it seems to mean the person who
starts or begins something.
b. The notion being that as the one who begins something, that one
is the leader or ruler.
c. This passage says that Jesus is over all who are in charge.
d. A similar thought would be both the titles "The beginning and
the end" and "King of kings and Lord of lords."
e. Jesus’ position is that He is over every ruler whether it be
a physical or spiritual ruler.
3. If that is not plain enough, the verse also asserts that Jesus is
Head over all power.
4. So Jesus is the before all beginnings,
King of all kings,
Lord of all lord,
Ruler of all rulers,
and Head of all heads.
5. Now when you are both God and over all other authorities, you can
pretty much do what you want.
6. Jesus wanted to complete us, so He did.
7. His position is the reason we are complete.
C. \\#Col 2:11-14\\ The reason we are complete is because of Jesus’
actions.
1. \\#12-13\\ The action that sticks out the most centers on Jesus’
death, burial, and resurrection.
a. We knew this to be the case.
b. Jesus, dying for our sins, carrying them away from us to the
lost grave, and then rising from the grave to demonstrate
that our sins are gone, paid the price for our sins.
c. What other work could make us whole? None!
2. \\#14\\ In dying for our sins, Jesus blotted out the charges that
were against us.
a. The phrase "the handwriting of ordinances" is a reference to
the charges that were against us (our sins).
b. The custom of the Romans when they crucified a criminal was to
write the charge for his crucifixion on a board and nail it
to the cross. This was done as a deterrent to crime.
c. Pilate wrote Jesus’ charge, "The King of the Jews." You will
remember that the Jewish leaders did not like that charge.
They wanted the sign to read, "He says that he is the king of
the Jews." Pilate refused to change it. (I believe Pilate
had an understanding of who Jesus really was!)
d. Here, Paul is telling us, that although unseen to the human
eye, God wrote our sins upon the placard that hung above
Jesus’ head! It was our sins that crucified Jesus and in
dying on the cross, He took every charge against us away!
3. \\#11\\ Jesus circumcised us. He cut away the bad flesh.
a. In the Old Testament, circumcision was a procedure done on the
Jewish males to show they were apart of the Old Covenant.
This act was an outward manifestation of their inward faith.
b. Of course today many males (most all who are in the US) are
circumcised, but it has nothing to do with the Old Covenant.
c. Today, it is a medical procedure done to remove un-needed
skin that, if left, might harbor disease and cause harm to the
body later in life.
d. Here, the Bible says all Christians (male and female) have been
circumcised with a concussion not by human hands (one done by
God Himself).
e. What does that mean? It means God has cut away the carnal skin
that always holds us back and holds us down! It is the flesh
that hinders the spirit and keeps us in sin; but thanks be to
God, He has cut that carnal flesh off us so that we can enjoy
His completeness!
III. Results-Several results are given. These results are more directed to
the church of Colosse and their issues, so that they may not mean as much
to us today.
A. Background
1. The church of Colosse, like so many other churches, were being
infiltrated by Judaizers, those who wanted to mix the grace of
salvation with keeping the Old Testament law.
2. These people were "legalists." Some times, people who have Bible
standards (like myself) are called legalists.
a. Anyone who calls a person with Bible standards a legalists,
does not understand the term that they are using.
b. Perhaps they meant to call the person with standards
"militant"; perhaps they mean to call that person a "zealot";
but a legalist is always someone who mixes law and grace in
the matter of salvation.
c. By the way, I am not militant either. I just believe that
when it comes to holiness, God wrote what He meant and meant
what He wrote.
3. At any rate, Paul addresses most of the results of being complete
in Christ to those who are being tempted with legalism.
B. The results
1. \\#Col 2:16\\ We do not have to let anyone judge our keeping of the
commandments.
a. No Christian has to keep Old Testament diets, observe their
holy days, or even worship on the Sabbath,
b. Why? Because the message being conveyed by those laws has been
completed. They spoke of the coming of Jesus and He has now
come.
c. So, we don’t have to worry about being judged by others on
these issues because Jesus has taken care of it.
d. Of course, that truth relates to all areas of the Christian
life.
(1) Although I may not approve of all you do and you may
not approve of all I do, we don’t have to worry about
what each other thinks.
(2) Why? Because Jesus will take care of it.
(3) The Holy Spirit will teach and guide and convict and God
will do His work.
(4) It is best for us to let the Master take care of His own
servants!
2. \\#Col 2:18-19\\ Don’t let anyone beguile or trick you into not
following Jesus.
a. Again, this is likely directed to warn those who might be
derailed to worship another beside Jesus.
b. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the Head.
c. Because He is our Completor, let us not get sidetracked.
d. We are complete in JESUS, and we need no other thing!
3. \\#Col 2:8\\ Don’t let anyone spoil (or ruin) you by substituting
philosophy or tradition for Christ.
a. When something spoils, it ruins.
b. A ruined fruit or vegetable is then good for nothing but to
be cast away.
c. Many today have allowed philosophies and traditions to turn
them from the Christ.
d. Because of this, some churches are good for nothing at all.
(1) They serve as social gathering and activity centers, but
those are not the main causes of the church.
(2) The church is called to preach and teach the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
(3) We must not let man's philosophies direct the church!
e. Christ has made us complete in Him so that this might never
happen.
I wish I could comprehend better Paul’s statement. But even with my dimly lit
mind, I believe this statement is a treasure trove of spiritual wealth to us.
Explore it. Pray over it. Meditate on it. And remember it. You are complete
in Him!
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