Christ in Colossians -- All We Need

Paul wrote his letter to the church in Colossae from his prison cell in Rome, probably in 60 or 61 A.D.  Colossae was a city in Phrygia in the Roman province of Asia Minor, what is now Turkey.  It was about 13 miles from the city of Laodicea, so it is not surprising that Paul asked the churches in those two cities to share his correspondence with each other (see Colossians 4:16).  The leader of the church in Colossae, Epaphras, had come to visit Paul in prison.  He brought with him good news and bad news.  The good news was that the church was growing and that its members were continuing in their faith and in their love for others:

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News . . . You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker. He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf. He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you (Colossians 1:4-5,7-8).

But the bad news was that there were seeds of heresy being planted in the church – seeds that were contrary to the gospel.  False teachers were spreading the idea that grace through faith in Christ is not enough.  These false teachers were slick, seemingly well-educated, but were controlled, not by Christ, but by human thinking and the powers of the world, i.e. the devil himself:

I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments (Colossians 2:4).

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ (Colossians 2:8).

So, what exactly were these false teachers claiming?  Well, it was not so different from what false teachers claim today.  They were saying that, in addition to grace, believers need to abstain from certain foods, follow certain rituals, observe certain feast days or festivals, worship angels, and deny self.  They claimed to have a higher knowledge than is available to the ordinary person:

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body (Colossians 2:16-19a).

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

• Do you know of people who teach that certain foods or drinks are prohibited by God?

They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:3-5).

• Do you know teachers who say that salvation is gained through reciting a certain prayer, or taking communion, or baptism?  These rites are all good, but they are to be an outward expression, a picture of what Jesus has done in our hearts and a picture of all we look forward to in Heaven.  The rites in and of themselves are just empty activities:

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again (Matthew 6:7).

And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved (Romans 11:6).

• Do you know teachers who say that we must worship on a prescribed day of the week, or that any particular season of the year is to be set aside as holy?  Jesus didn’t teach that.  Yes, it is important to worship together regularly, and God did command us to “remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.”  But we should not worship the day, rather we should worship Him every day:

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” (Mark 2:23-24)

• Do you know people who fast publicly or who are proud of what they are “giving up” in order to observe a special season?  Read what Jesus had to say about fasting:

And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you (Matthew 6:16-18).

• Have you heard of some who teach that angels or priests or saints must intercede to God on our behalf?  God’s word tells us that we can come directly to Him in prayer, boldly and confidently because of our faith in Jesus:

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence (Ephesians 3:12).

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results (James 5:16b).

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:16).

The over-arching theme of the book of Colossians is that Jesus is all-sufficient.  I actually don’t much like the word “sufficient” because it carries a connotation that implies that something is just enough, just okay, just enough to do the job.  But Christ is so much more than that.  Yes, He is sufficient for our salvation.  There is nothing more that can be added to make us more righteous than what He has already done.  But He is more than sufficient.  He is abundant.  He causes my “cup” to overflow:

You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy (John 6:24).

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20-21).

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:3-8).

My prayer this week for you and for me is adapted from Colossians 1:11-14.  I hope you will join me in this prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
(I) pray that (we) will be strengthened with all (Your) glorious power so (we) will have all the endurance and patience (we) need. May (we) be filled with joy, always thanking (You). (You have) enabled (us) to share in the inheritance that belongs to (Your) people, who live in the light. For (You have) rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of (Your) dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

All scripture references are from the New Living Translation.