Christ Preeminent (Part Twelve): Fullness in Christ

Transcript

JRNT 34
10/01/2023
Christ Preeminent (Part Twelve): Fullness in Christ
Colossians 2:8-10
Jesse Randolph


If you’ve been a follower of Jesus Christ for any amount of time, you’re well aware of the fact that there’s certain built-in points of tension that are just innate to the Christian faith. I don’t mean contradictions, not even paradoxes, necessarily. I mean tensions, points of tension. For instance . . . We are told in scripture that we are in this world, but at the same time not to be what? Of this world. We are justified by grace through faith, but at the same time we’re called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We’re called to wait on the Lord, but at the same time we’re called to walk worthy as we’ve seen earlier in this study in Colossians [Colossians 1:10]. And not only that, we’re called to run a certain race as we wait. And then this one: we’re called in 2 Corinthians 5:7 to “walk by faith, not by sight”, but at the same time, to be “on the alert.” How’s that work?

Well, that’s the one I want to hone in on this morning, as we get started in our time together. That tension between walking by faith and not by sight, and at the same time always being “on the alert.” Because if any church, including a church like ours, fails to rightly understand and embrace and hold those two points of tension equally, what’s inevitably going to happen is that there’ll be this skewed perspective on the scripture. And a skewed perspective on what faithful living as a Christian is supposed to look like.

For instance, if the continual focus of the Christian is always and exclusively on being “on the alert”, they may actually develop, over a series of time, this unhealthy paranoia, concerning spiritual elements that may or may not be in play in any given situation. It might also be demonstrating, if that’s where they tilt, a deep-seated -- though they may not say it this way -- lack of faith, a lack of trust in God. A lack of confidence that God will give them, for instance, strength to overcome certain trials and tests. A lack of belief that God will always be faithful to His children, to the promises that He’s made in His word.
But on the other hand, if a Christian completely puts the blinders on, and refuses to develop or exercise any sense of spiritual alertness as they stumble their way through this life, and adopts some sort of myopic perspective that is unrealistically idealistic -- one which fails to recognize that true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ do experience worry, and do fear, and do doubt, and do struggle with sin, and sometimes don’t want to go on -- and which fails to recognize that true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ can sometimes find themselves in danger of drifting, and flirting with, and eventually, if not careful, being sucked into serious theological error -- they can find themselves, if they have the blinders on, only over here, not being alert, but rather just sort of walking by faith and not by sight -- at risk of being taken out to sea, or, as we’re going to see this morning, being taken captive.

As we turn back to our study of Colossians this morning, that’s precisely the situation the church at Colossae found itself in. This was a church that was walking right between those two points of tension. This was a church that was “walk[ing] by faith and not by sight.” These were genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see from Colossians 1:4 that they had “faith in Christ Jesus.” We see from Colossians 1:5 that they had heard “the word of truth, the gospel.” We see from Colossians 1:6 that they had “understood the grace of God in truth.” We know from Colossians 1:21 that they were once “formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds”. But now, Colossians 1:22 they had been “reconciled… in His,” Christ’s, “fleshly body through death.”
So, they were walking by faith and walking in the faith. But at the same time, they needed to be alert. Yes, they were continually walking worthy, not by faith but by sight -- but by faith not by sight, excuse me. But here’s where the tension comes in. They also needed to keep their eyes wide open. They needed to make sure that they weren’t nodding off, spiritually speaking, or dozing off. Which is why Paul exhorts them continually throughout this letter. Like in Colossians 1:23 where he says that they need to persevere, “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.” And which is why, he had to remind them of these very basic and foundational elements of the Chistian faith. That all believers have to undergird their spiritual walks with things like “good discipline” in Colossians 2:5, or “stability” in Colossians 2:5. Or being “firmly rooted” and “built up”, Colossians 2:7, or being “established” in their faith.

Now, up to this point in his letter to the Colossians, Paul has more or less been hinting at the source of the danger the Colossians faced. That danger being, as I have articulated up here, that multi-pronged body of insidious false teaching that was starting to make its way into the church, what we now know as the Colossian Heresy. But in the three verses we’ll be looking at this morning, Colossians 2:8-10, Paul is going to start to unmask the menace that was starting to face the Colossian church. He was going to start to drag out into the open the heretical teachings that were right there on the front porch of the Colossian church. And then through this use of very vivid language in these verses, he’s going to sound the alarm. Not only that, though, he’s going to call out the false teaching for what it is. And at the same time remind the Colossians of how foolish it would be if they fell for the false teaching, in light of who they already were in Christ.

Turn with me, if you would in your bibles if you’re not there already, to Colossians 2. And we’re going to look at verses 8-10 this morning. Colossians 2:8-10, God’s word reads, “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. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

This title of the message this morning is “Fullness in Christ.” All those who are in God’s family, all of those who truly are of Christ’s sheepfold, we need regular warnings, just as the Colossians did here, of the perils of chasing after the glimmering and glittering and trending philosophies and so-called worldly wisdom that’s offered today. All of which is a mirage, all of which is empty. We need regular reminders, as the Colossians did here, that everything we need and everything we’ll ever need is found in Christ. We have “fullness,” we have sufficiency, we have all that we need in Christ.

Let’s jump into our study of this section of God’s precious word. Starting with verse 8, where he says, “See to it.” Right out of the gate here Paul is coming in hot. He’s not warming up to what he eventually wants to say. No. With those three words he is getting right to the heart of the matter, he’s cutting right to the chase, and with this imperative language, this language of command. He is here telling and warning his audience about what they needed to do. And this is not an abnormal approach for Paul, is it? No. This was what he was accustomed to, in his apostolic role, when he was charged with addressing somebody. He would frequently tell them that they needed to take note of something. Or they needed to heed something. Specifically, the dangers that they were facing, and that he was warning them about.

For instance, I’ve just jotted a few here, down. 1 Corinthians 8:9, Paul says, “take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” Or 1 Corinthians 10:12, “let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” Or Galatians 5:15, “take care that you are not consumed by one another.” Or Ephesians 5:15, “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.” And then here in Colossians our text, verse 8, “See to it.”

Now, Paul was known to run long on his sermons. In him I have a kindred spirit in that way. You know, Acts 20:8, there’s that story of Eutychus falling out of the window past midnight because Paul is going so long. (Oh, what a dream . . . to preach past midnight.) But though he was long-winded in his sermons, he was actually quite punchy and direct in his writing, in his epistles, his letters. And we have an example of that here.

“See to it.” And those three little words in English, “see to it”, are actually just one word, one Greek word in the underlying text. And the verb here is strong. It’s emphatically a word of warning. It’s an intense and strategic word of command. And by using this three words, or this word, Paul is saying, beware, look out, danger ahead. The word here signals that Paul was warning his audience of an existing threat on which was very real, a very clear, a very present danger. Not only that though, with this Greek verb that I’ve just mentioned, is in the present tense. Which means that the Colossians were to be constantly watching. Constantly on the alert. And as we’re going to see, constantly looking out for that false teaching, that was seeking to infiltrate their fellowship. And note, that Paul here doesn’t say to the Colossians, “You know, I just feel like you’re not being sufficiently alert.” Or “maybe you should think, friends, about being a tad more alert.” Or “You know, it really benefits you if you were a bit more alert.” Like I mean, that’s the methodology of communication in pastoral roles throughout our day today. Where folks are, or pastors are tiptoeing around their topics rather than hitting them square on. They’re so afraid of stepping on toes, and ruffling feathers and being culturally sensitive in their woke environments, that they won’t say things like this. Beware! Don’t do it, or, to it, as the case may be. Paul here sounds the alarm. He speaks clearly and plainly. He tells it like it is. He issues his command. And he does so not only with authority, and in his case, apostolic authority. He does so out of genuine concern and love, for this body of believers that he deeply cared for.

So there we go, beginning of verse 8, “See to it.” Well, see to what, Paul? He tells us. Look at the next few words. “See to it that no one takes you captive.” Now, as if the first three words of the verse, at the head of the verse there, didn’t catch their attention right away, those next few words certainly would have. “See to it that no one takes you captive.” That is a vividly dramatic expression. See, Paul here wasn’t warning the Colossian believers about the perils or the dangers of being hauled away physically. He’s not talking about physical kidnapping here. At least not at this point. He was warning them of a different type of captivity, an intellectual captivity, spiritual captivity. Paul here is painting the picture of false teachers who are already there on the fringes of Colossae. And they’re like slave traders. And the audience of this letter would have known exactly what Paul was referring to when he uses these words. He’s writing in the context of the Roman empire. And in the Roman Empire at this time it was a common practice, like it was in other ancient empires, that when you conquered a people, you would take their survivors captive, and haul them back into your homeland, back to wherever you were from. So, the Colossian Christians here, with this imagery in mind, are being pictured as a potential target, as spoils, as a prize of war, as a group of people who are in danger of being captured. And then the false teachers here presented like slave traders who are seeking to capture their allegiance, and to pull them away from their spiritual family. And to bring them into a new family that was made up of a bogus body of false teachers. So the imagery here, describing the Colossians as potentially being captive was vivid. But not only that, it was frightening, and would have been readily understood by this crowd.

Now, as we gradually make our way through the rest of Colossians 2 over the next several weeks, as we work our way through the rest of the chapter, we’re going to eventually work through the various components of this multi-point teaching that was happening here in Colossae. What I’ve called this kaleidoscopic heresy. But this morning, we’re going to really latch on and lock into just one component, that being philosophy. Look what Paul here says about philosophy in verse 8. After he says, “See to it that no one takes you captive,” he gives the object here, “through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

If you’re a note-taker here this morning, the first of our three points is this, “The Emptiness of the World’s Wisdom.” The key idea being presented here in verse 8. The major source of warning that Paul is giving here stems from that first word that I read there – philosophy. A word, by the way, which is not separate from the next couple of words that follow – empty deception -- which I’ll get into in a little bit. But the form of philosophy that Paul is going after here, this “empty deception”, is then marked by, as we see in the rest of verse 8, “tradition of men, “and elementary principles of the world.”

We’ll go through these ideas and these concepts each in order. But we’ll start with that first word there, philosophy. Now, to start with the very basics. That word, “philosophy”. And I’m sure many of you have heard this, comes from a very simply defined but compound Greek word. Philosophy, which is “philein” and “sophia,” love of wisdom. Now, are Christians allowed to love wisdom? I’m going to give a “yes” answer to that. But I’m also going to work through some definitions in just a minute. We should be, we know biblically speaking, seeking wisdom. We should be acquiring wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 says it negatively when it says, “fools despise wisdom.” And then Proverbs 4:6-8 states the matter positively saying, “Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her,” So, the proverbs speak to the importance of acquiring wisdom.

James, moving to the New Testament, also speaks to the importance of seeking wisdom. James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who give to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” And as we keep on reading in the New Testament, we know we’re called to act in wisdom. In fact, in Colossians, just a couple of pages over in Colossians 4:5 we’re told we need to “Conduct ourselves [yourselves] with wisdom toward outsiders.”

In other words, it’s not wrong and it’s not sinful to pursue wisdom. It’s not wrong and it’s not sinful to seek wisdom. It’s not wrong and it’s not sinful to love wisdom. It’s not compromising in your Christian convictions to be committed to philosophy even, in that sense of the term, the term that’s defined biblically. But as always, how one defines one’s terms matters and the key to understanding, and that is key to understanding, what’s happening here at Colossae. See, the purveyors, the pushers, of this Colossian heresy, they weren’t pushing the godly kind of wisdom that’s mentioned in Proverbs or in James or in Colossians. No, the philosophy that these false teachers were pushing was not rooted in a right and reverent fear of the Lord, or a right desire to honor and glorify Christ. Rather, they were promoting through their teaching a form of philosophy that was purely humanistic, a form of philosophy which was saturated in the so-called wisdom of this world. They were promoting a form of philosophy which diluted the gospel and took away from the sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross. They were promoting a form of philosophy which failed to “take captive” 2 Corinthians 10:5, “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” And in the end, they were promoting a form of philosophy which, because it was not anchored in Christ, was actually elevating an empty idol. Wisdom for wisdom’s sake, which sadly is really the mark of any philosophy as we know it, as it’s taught today. As it’s taught in high school classes. As it’s taught on college campuses. As it’s taught, sadly, even today in certain evangelical seminaries. Wisdom that’s detached from Christ.

And so here in verse 8, Paul is saying, “See to it that no one takes you captive,” by that type of “philosophy”. Don’t be swayed or led astray by the false teachers who, as Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:7, are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Don’t be directed or duped by unbelievers, as Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 4:4 whose “minds” have been “blinded” by the “god of this world,” who has blinded their eyes to “see the light… of the glory” of the face of God and the face of Jesus Christ. Don’t be ensnared and taken captive, by the so-called wisdom of this world, which is detached from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ, the one who is called “the wisdom of God” in 1 Corinthians 1:24.

Again, this philosophy that Paul is going after here in Colossians 2:8, is not, it was not the pursuit of true wisdom, true wisdom that can only be found in Christ. No, the content of this philosophy, this philosophical system, that was being peddled there in Colossae was in the truest sense of the term ‘anti-Christ.’ It was demonic. It was worldly. It was evil. It was evil because it sought to exalt human reason above God. It worshipped the creature rather than the Creator. It was evil in the same way it’s evil in our day to tell human beings, whose hearts are already plagued with the sickness of self-love, that they just need to love themselves a little more -- by spoiling themselves, and indulging themselves, and stoking the embers of a greater and greater love for themselves. It was evil in the same way that it’s evil in our day -- in a world that’s been plagued by post-renaissance intellectualism and rationalism, and romanticism and liberalism, and secularism, and atheism and postmodernism -- to tell human beings who, already in their naturally sinful condition, suppress the truth and reject the truth, to tell them that its ok, truth doesn’t exist. Or truth isn’t objective, it’s subjective. It’s whatever you want it to be. Or whatever truth is, one thing we know for sure, this truth we know, that truth cannot be found in the bible. Because we know, and one truth we’d all have to agree on, is that Christianity is an invented white man’s religion. It was designed to oppress all other people groups in this world. The gospel, you could say, according to BLM [Black Lives Matter]

As we think about how these anti-Christ systems of worldly philosophy were starting to infect the church at Colossae. And as we think about how these same systems of philosophy have run roughshod all over our world and its systems today, we can’t help but be reminded about those pointed questions from Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:20 where he says, “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” And we can’t help but be reminded, by way of exhortation, of what Paul says in Ephesians 6:11 where he charges them to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.”

So again, Paul here was not saying that philosophy in the abstract, the love of wisdom, is in every case wrong or inappropriate or sinful. But what was wrong, and what was inappropriate, and what was sinful in his context was the type of philosophy that was being promoted here at Colossae. It was a way of thinking and a world view that took attention off of Christ and His supremacy, rather than pointing people to the truth and the light and the life that are found in Him. It threatened to enslave these Colossians in error. It threatened to enshroud them in a way of thinking that was marked by darkness. The very darkness they had been rescued from.

As we continue on in verse 8, we’re going to see Paul adding more color to his commentary. More ammunition to his exhortation with these words, “and empty deception.” So it’s “See… that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception.” Now, when we first look at those words “empty deception,” we may be tempted to believe that what Paul is describing here is a whole new category of information that he’s talking about or he’s addressing. Philosophy and empty deception, or philosophy as distinct from empty deception. But we know grammatically that that can’t be the case. Because when you look at this in the Greek New Testament, what you’ll find there is that there is a definite article. And all that means is the word “the.” And that word “the” precedes the word “philosophy” here only. So, in the Greek New Testament, it would read something like: “see to it that no one takes you captive through the philosophy and empty deception.” I won’t go into all the reasons why there’s no “the” in your English bibles here. But what’s important for us to note here today, is that there is not a definite article before the word “empty deception.” So, it doesn’t say the philosophy and the empty deception. If it did, you’d have two different distinct ideas there. Rather, it reads “the philosophy and empty deception.” And all that means, is that those two terms, those two concepts, are grammatically linked. Empty deception is descriptive of the philosophy we’ve just looked at.

So, to make a long point longer, what Paul was saying here is philosophy, the type of philosophy that’s being introduced here, was both empty and was both deceitful. It was empty in the sense that it was speculative, void of any facts or basis, void of any transformative power, void of any hope. And it was deceitful, in that it was void of truth. What was being offered here by the Colossian false teacher’s philosophy and empty deception -- note here how contrasted that is to the gospel message the Colossians had already received, where we know from Colossians 1:5, that they had received “the word of truth.” -- now, they’re being presented with empty deception.

Here’s the thing though. Even though this body of teaching was empty, and called out as such by Paul, and even though it was deceitful, somehow and someway this empty deceitful form of philosophical teaching was still generating a following among the Colossians. And it likely is doing so by simply catering to man’s naturally curious condition. It’s the same curious condition that we have when we’re driving down the interstate and we see a wreckage, you know, an accident on the other side of the interstate. And what do we do? Don’t act like you don’t do it. I know. The neck just kind of naturally cranes, right? Its that same sense of natural curiosity that every two-year-old has, when they’re on a death wish, as they sprint toward any body of water without parental supervision or floaties or you name it. They are continually, through curiosity, seeking to prematurely end their own lives. The Christians at Colossae were in danger of likewise succumbing to their own curiosity, by falling prey to the philosophy and the empty deception that was being promoted by the heretics in their midst. And so here, in a manner similar to the way he charged Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:20, where he says, “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’.” Similar to that, Paul here is warning the Colossians against being taken captive, against being carried away, by the empty and deceitful speculations which were now masquerading in their midst as true wisdom.

Well, as we move deeper into the topic, verse 8, we see Paul going even further into this subject. And providing even more commentary and more caution about the specific nature of this philosophy and empty deception that was in their midst. Look at the next three clauses in verse 8. He says, “according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” So, you have “according to”, “according to”, “according to.” Those are governing the next three aspects of this type of philosophy that was being promoted there in Colossae.

First, there’s “according to the tradition of men.” We’ll work through that one first. Now, as is true of the word “philosophy”, that word “tradition” can be used either positively or negatively. Depending on the context it can have either negative or positive connotations. For instance, turn over with me to 2 Thessalonians. In 2 Thessalonians 2 specifically and into 3, we’re going to see the word “tradition” used positively. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2, just two books over from Colossians. 2 Thessalonians 2:15, it says, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.” Or look down at 2 Thessalonians 3:6 where it says, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.” So, there’s a sense here in which tradition is being viewed positively as the apostolic doctrine that’s been passed down from Christ, through the Apostles. But on the other hand, we vividly remember the words of Jesus in Mark 7 [verse 8], in His interaction with the Pharisees, where He excoriates them for, not only “neglecting the commandment of God”, but doing what? Upholding “the tradition of men.”

Here in Colossians, we have to make a choice. Which version of tradition is Paul going after when he says, not “according to the tradition of men”? Well, he was using it in the negative sense as Jesus did with the Pharisees. What Paul is getting after here, is that what the false teachers in Colossae were communicating what was not true and genuine Christian doctrine. It was not from the apostolic tradition like we see in 2 Thessalonians. No, here at Colossae, what was being promoted was a series of religious-sounding teachings, which had no foundation, no root, no anchor in the scriptures. Their teachings came from man, not from Christ. And as we’re going to see as we move on through the passage, that these teachings took away from the supremacy and the sufficiency of Christ. So, this empty and deceptive philosophical teaching was from, “according to the tradition of men.”

Next, see that it was “according to the elementary principles of the world.” Now, that’s a really interesting expression. It’s one that’s lead to much speculation, one that’s lead to much writing and many felling of trees, as various theologians have tried to write and theorize what may be happening here. I’ll try to boil down, as best and as concisely as I can, what I believe to be happening here with those words, “elementary principles.” Now, I’ll start by saying the words “elementary principles”, we see them elsewhere in the New Testament. And they don’t always have a negative connotation. So, just like “philosophy”, just like “tradition”, you can find examples of “elementary principles” being used in a neutral, or even a positive way.

For instance, (and this first example was extra-biblical, from extra-biblical Greek writings) those words “elementary principles” can be used very neutrally to describe a series of items. Like the letters in the alphabet, or the beads on an abacus as you would slide it over, or the astral elements in the sky, or musical notes on a page. They could be just referring to a series. An element, the elements would be the series of things or items on the page. Then you go to Hebrews 5:12, and we see the same words “elementary principles” used to describe the instructions contained in the word of God. I’ll just read it for you. Hebrews 5:12 says, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God.” So, in that case, “elementary principles”, it’s clearly not referring to something bad or sinful or problematic. Its referring to the very “oracles of God.”

Here in Colossians though, contextually we see that Paul is very clearly referring to some negative example of “elementary principles of the world,” problematic examples of the “elementary principles of the world.” And what were they? Well, we get our clue, our clearest clue, when we go over to Galatians. Go with me, if you would, to Galatians 4. And as you turn to Galatians 4, by way of reminder as you’re turning there, the churches in Galatia had been confronted with false teaching just like the Colossians had. But a little distinction here is that the Galatian churches had already fallen prey to that false teaching. They had taken the bait, they had bitten the hook. Which is why Paul says in Galatians 1:6, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ.” Or why, he would say in Galatians 3:1 – O “foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?”
Well, at the heart of what’s happening here in the Galatia churches, was that these Galatian Christians were falling under the sway of this group known as the Judaizers, these individuals who were telling these Galatian believers that they needed to go back to the Law, in some sense, as a means of gaining favor with God. In other words, the Judaizers were promoting a false gospel, a false form of teaching that subjected those who were free in Christ, to now being enslaved again by the Law. Completely undermining the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

And as we look at Galatians 4, starting in verse 3, we’re going to see how this informs what Paul is saying in Colossians, when he mentions “elementary principles of the world. Look at Galatians 4:3, he says, “So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” And then look at verse 9 here. “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?”

So, now, bringing it back to Colossians. There was some sense in which the false teachers there at Colossae, similar to the false teachers in Galatia, were seeking to bring these Gentile converts under the reins and the ropes of the Law. They were trying to impose upon them Jewish rituals and ceremonies and ordinances that weren’t for them, as a way to somehow be given access to God and gain God’s favor. In fact, we know from Colossians itself, that’s exactly what these false teachers were doing.
Drop down, if you would, in Colossians to Colossians 2:16, (we’ll get here in a few weeks), it says, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day – things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Or verse 20 of chapter 2, “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’” There’s our phrase again, “elementary principles of the world.”

So if we had to boil down what Paul is getting at, and if we had to boil down what I’m trying to communicate to you… What am I getting at? Before I preach until midnight again tonight…
What’s he saying? If we could boil this down it a single word, as he’s talking about the elementary principles of the world, what would that single word be? He’s talking about legalism. The Colossian Heresy was marked by, among other things, legalism.

Now, legalism is a term that gets thrown around so loosely, and frankly, inaccurately in our day. Legalism is a word that is routinely and lazily lobbed in the direction of those we don’t like. Or those whose practices we don’t like. Especially when those practices cause us to reflect on our own faith, and the depth of our faith, or the lack thereof. Christians are called legalistic when they are openly committed to hearing from God through His word. They are called legalistic when they’re openly committed to speaking to God through prayer. They’re openly called legalistic when they make it a priority to be in church on Sunday. Rather than at sporting events. Or at the house doing chores. Or at the lake house. Or at the Haymarket for brunch. Christians are legalistic or called legalistic when they make it clear that they are serious about fighting the sin in their lives which still remains. Christians are called legalistic because, we not only, at least at our church, worship in the morning on the Lord’s Day, but we come back and do it again in the evening. And pastors like me and my predecessor, Gil Rugh, we’re called legalistic because of our commitment to preach the text of the word of God, line-upon-line, and verse-upon-verse, and then we dare to do it in a suit and a tie.

But is any of what I’ve described “legalism,” theologically and biblically speaking? No. Not at all.
Legalism and obedience are not synonyms. Legalism and devotion are not synonyms. Legalism and piety are not synonyms. Legalism and serious attention to one’s faith are not synonyms. Legalism and preference are not synonyms. Legalism has a very specific and a very narrow definition, and it’s this: to think that you can add, through your own works, or deeds, or actions, or merit, or value, what has already been done for you on the cross of Jesus Christ. Wearing a tie does nothing to add to the salvation equation. Church attendance has nothing to do in terms of being made right with a holy God. How many Christian friends you have will not indicate and testify to the fact that you are now made right with God. All those things can be fruit of salvation (maybe not the tie), but let’s not get those things mixed up. Legalism is getting those things mixed up. And acting as though what you do, or what you attribute, could somehow add on to the finished work of Christ on the cross. That’s legalism. And that’s what was being promoted here in Colossae. The idea that following or adhering to certain man-made commands, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,” had anything to do with one’s standing or position before God. When in reality, Ephesians 2:8, it is “by grace”, “through faith” that one is saved.

And that segues nicely into the next part of verse 8, where Paul, with another of these “according to” statements, sets another contrast. The false teaching that was being promoted here in Colossae was not only “according to the tradition of men,” and not only “according to the elementary principles of the world”, i.e., legalism. It was “rather than according to Christ.” Simple words. Understandable words. And they are profound words. Not only did the “philosophy and empty deception” that was being promoted there at Colossae reek of high-minded intellectualism -- not only was it man-centered and in the worst sense of the term, tradition-driven -- not only was it promoting this soul-destroying form of legalism, “according to the elementary principles of the world,” -- worst of all it disregarded Christ, it was not “according to Christ.” It did not align with the character and the teachings of the One who is the North Star of all sound doctrine. He was neither the source, nor the content of this form of teaching. Our Lord was neither honored, nor glorified through this form of teaching. And any who were ensnared in this form of teaching would ultimately be led away from having a sincere and a pure devotion to Him.

I need to move on. We get into our next couple of verses, 9 and 10. Where we’re going to see Paul lay out an intentional contrast, between what we’ve looked at in verse 8, the emptiness of worldly wisdom, the so-called wisdom that was being pushed and peddled by these false teachers at Colossae, and now we’re going to see the fullness that’s found in Christ. In verse 9, we’re going to see Paul lay out the fullness that Christ Himself possesses, as the eternal Son of God. And then in verse 10, we’re going to see him describe the fullness we have as His followers.

We’ll start in verse 9, and our second heading, or second point this morning is “The Fullness Of God In Christ.” Look at verse 9, it says, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Let me just begin here by saying, with zero exaggeration, and no intention engage in hyperbole, that we could spend the rest of our lives in just this verse and never get to the bottom of it. It has Trinitarian theology in it. It has Christology in it. It has Incarnational theology in it. You’d be hard-pressed to find another bible verse that is so succinct, but at the same time, pack such a hard theological punch. And I wouldn’t mind taking you through this passage for the rest of my life, but we are under time constraints this morning, so we’ll just hit some of the highlights.

To start with, note that there’s this conjunction, this connecting word “for” there in verse 9. It’s “for” in Him. And by using that connecting word here, Paul is simply and intentionally linking all that he’s said in verse 8, about the folly and the emptiness of worldly wisdom and philosophy, now with the fullness that’s found in Christ. And then, these words, “in Him”, “for in Him”. In who? In Christ. And the placement of those words “in Him”, are strategic here. In the Greek text, as in the English text, they’re fronted in the sentence. And that’s placing emphasis on what’s being said here. And it’s not only just emphasizing what Paul is saying here, it’s actually demonstrating exclusivity. In other words, it’s saying “in Him” as opposed to anybody else. There’s only one of these. He, our Lord, is one of a kind.

And then we hit the mountain peak of this verse, where it says, “all the fullness of Deity dwells.” So, it’s “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells.” Now, back in Colossians 1:19, we saw Paul say, “it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” So, we’ve seen similar language in this book.
But here in verse 9 of chapter 2, Paul delivers essentially the same truth, but now it adds these words at the end, “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” We’ll work through this piece by piece. We’ll start with the words “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells.” That is referring to the fact that all who God the Father is, in His essence, in His perfection, in the totality of His divine attributes, all you could say that makes God “God,” exists, and is true of, God the Son. Now, in terms of function and role and action, the members of the Trinity, the three persons of the Trinity, are distinct. The Father didn’t descend upon Jesus like a dove, the Spirit did. The Father didn’t give His life upon the cross, the Son did. The Spirit didn’t choose us in Christ, the Father did. However, the Father, the Son, the Spirit, they’re distinct persons, but they share of a singular divine essence. Meaning the Father is God, the Spirit is God, and pertinent to our text, the Son is fully God. He possesses “all the fullness of Deity” it says. All the fullness of the Godhead, all the fullness of the divine essence, which is shared equally with the three Persons of the Trinity.

Now, importantly, that verb “dwell” here, when it says, “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,” is in the present tense. And that’s significant because it tells us that Christ has always had, and always will have “all the fullness of Deity” dwelling in Him. He had “all the fullness of Deity” dwelling in Him in eternity past. He has “all the fullness of Deity” dwelling in Him today. And He will have “all the fullness of Deity” dwelling in Him in eternity future. There never has been, is, or will be, a time in which “all the fullness of Deity” does not dwell in Christ.

And then we’re given this additional language at the end of verse 9. This is all said to dwell in bodily form, “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”, with the reference being, in Christ. So, it’s not just that Christ is God. Though He is. It’s not only that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells.” It does. We’re also told, that “all the fullness of Deity dwells in Him in bodily form.” So, all the fullness of Deity, like I’ve already said, has always resided in Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1. That’s why Jesus could say to the Pharisees in John 8:58, “before Abraham was… I Am.” But it was not until His arrival on earth, in the incarnation, that He took on bodily form. It was in that moment, in the incarnation, that He clothed Himself with flesh and humanity, “the Word became flesh,” John 1:14, “and dwelt among us.”

And we hear that all the time, here at Christmas especially, right? We have to appreciate how radical a statement that would have been coming from a former Jewish Pharisee like Paul to these Gentile new believers who maybe had heard of the God of Israel at some point. But all they had ever heard, if they had heard anything, was that He dwelt at Mount Sinai and showed His glory there. Or that He filled the tabernacle with His glory, or then it shifted over to the temple. But now, Paul is saying, that all dwells in Christ. That’s an important reminder for us this morning. To consider “the fullness of Deity” dwelling in Christ “in bodily form” specifically. Because in our day, there is an on-going play, I guess you could even say, in our zeal to be considered orthodox, lower case ‘o’, orthodox in our zeal to affirm in all situations and in all times, the Deity of Christ, the Godness of the God-man, so as not to be lumped with ancient heretics like the Arians. And so as not to be lumped with modern day heretics like the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are so ramped up and revved up to make sure we affirm that Jesus is God that we can tend to undervalue or even to ignore His humanity. The humanity of the Savior. The humanity of the God-man. We can never downplay Christ’s humanity at the expense of His deity. Just like we can’t downplay His deity at the expense of His humanity. Because the bible teaches both, the bible affirms both. That Jesus is both fully God and fully man. And it is just as much a test of true Christian orthodoxy that we affirm the humanity of Christ as it is that we affirm the deity of Christ.

And Paul’s words here, Colossians 2:9, concerning the humanity of Christ, were a much-needed reminder, not just for us today, but especially to the Colossian church in his time. And the reason I say that is because the false teachers there, the ones who were spreading this false dogma and doctrine in their midst, they were openly downplaying the humanity of Christ.

A little mini history lesson, the Colossian Heresy was a nascent form of the Gnosticism that would come later. You’ve heard of the Gnostics, this was a sect, a group, of false teachers that came late in the first century into the second, even into the third centuries. Which is post-dating where we are here in Colossae. But the Colossian Heresy already had traces of what would later become Gnosticism. And one key teaching of Gnosticism, and is evident here in Colossae, was this overarching perspective that all matter is evil. Only the spiritual realm is good, but the earthly realm is evil. Our spirits that live inside of us are good, but our bodies, our flesh, is evil. Which applied to the Christian faith meant they rejected the idea that Christ could have come in an actual body of flesh. He must have been, because flesh is evil, a spirit, or a phantasm, or a ghost of some sort. It just appeared that He came to earth, it just appeared that He died on the cross, but that didn’t actually happen.

Well, you know, the problem with that, is that that completely refutes the biblical narrative. It completely refutes what God’s revealed word has taught. John 1:14, “the Word became,” spirit? “the Word became,” appearance? No, “the Word became flesh.” Philippians 2:6-7 speaks of both the deity and the humanity of Christ. We see there that He “existed in the form of God,” that’s deity. Then He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant”, and then here the key terms, “being made in the likeness of men,” that’s humanity. Earlier in Colossians, back in Colossians 1:22, we saw that Christ has reconciled us to Him “in His fleshly body through death.” Not only that, the Apostle John would make affirming this belief in the humanity of Christ, that He did put on flesh, a true test of orthodoxy. 1 John 4:2-3 says, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” In other words, one cannot truly claim to know God through Christ, one cannot truly claim to be saved if they deny the humanity of Christ. If they deny Colossians 2:9 here that “in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”

As we move onto verse 10, we’re going to see Paul again stack up another key idea on top of what he’s laid down here already. Not only is the philosophy and the so-called wisdom that is offered by the world, empty and deceptive and “according to the tradition of men” and “according to the elementary principles of the world” -- and not only is the emptiness of this so-called wisdom already been set in contrast to the fullness of God found in Christ -- but as believers, as we’re going to see here in verse 10, we are ourselves, have been made full in Christ. We “have been made complete” in Him.
Look at the first few words there in verse 10, “and in Him you have been made complete.”
If you’re taking notes, our third point this morning is “Our Fullness is Found in Christ.” “In Him you have been made complete.”
Now, since that word “complete” comes from the same word that we see back in verse 9 for “fullness,” you could just as easily translate this: “in Him you have been made full,” or even “in Him you have been filled.” It’s a perfect passive verb. And why that’s significant is that what is being described here is something that’s already done, it’s already been effected. The idea here in verse 10 is that for those who have trusted in Christ and believed in His finished work on the cross and have their hope in His name, they are already full in Christ, they are already complete in Christ. They can’t become more full or more complete. And not only that, this is not some future possibility or some zealous wish. It’s already happened, it’s been done.

Of course, for the Colossian false teachers, they were teaching something altogether different. They were sowing seeds of doubt. They were teaching these people who, if they had trusted in Christ, were already full, that they needed to do something more or experience something more in order to truly experience God. They needed to add philosophy. They needed to add Jewish rituals. And they needed to add angel worship. And they needed to add ascetism, self-deprivation. And they needed to add… you name it. But in fact, the opposite is true. See, for true believers in Christ, we already know, on the authority of what God has revealed in His word, that we already have been, past tense, reconciled, Colossians 1:22. That we already have, past tense, “been buried with Him in baptism,” Colossians 2:12,
and “raised up with Him through faith.” We already know, if we’ve been made right with God, if we’ve trusted in Christ’s finished work on the cross, that we already have, past tense, been “made… alive together with Him,” Colossians 2:13. We know that we already have been, past tense, “forgiven… all our transgressions,” Colossians 2:13. We already know that we have had, past tense, a “certificate of debt consisting of decrees…” Colossians 2:14, “taken… out of the way.” In other words, we already have everything we need. We already have been, past tense, made complete. And because of that, we can say, with a resounding “yes and amen…” We can affirm the truths of passages like John 1:16, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” Or Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.”
We can say “yes and amen” to each one of those. With confidence. With joy. Knowing it’s already been done.

Getting back to where we started in verse 8. I hope you can see what Paul is doing here. We can see this contrast that’s being developed, right? Even between verses 8 and 9, let alone verse 10. He’s saying to these Colossian believers, who he cared about and loved so deeply, “You already have all that you will ever need in Christ. You are already complete in Him. You are already full in Him. So why in the world would you ever pursue ‘philosophy and empty deception,’ why in the world would you ever pursue ‘the tradition of men,’ or these legalistic ‘elementary principles of the world,’ when you already have all that you will ever need according to Christ?”

And then, just to round out the thought in the section in the verse here at the end of verse 10. We see Paul saying, after he says, “in Him you have been made complete,” he says, “and He,” meaning Christ,” is the head over all rule and authority.” So, we have been made complete in a Savior with that kind of power. There’s no power or authority in this world, no governmental power, no spiritual power, no angelic realm of power, that can rival Christ. There’s no power or authority, whether governmental or spiritual or angelic, that is independent of Christ. Or not under the authority of Christ. This passage here, this statement here, is a testimony to our Lord’s great power, the same Lord in which we have been made complete, in whom we have fullness. Reminds me of Colossians 1:16 where it says, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” What a wonderful reminder that is of the supremacy of Christ over all things under heaven and earth. And it’s that same supreme and sovereign Christ in whom we now have fullness, sufficiency, in whom we have been made complete.

Well, we’ve had our feet planted in ancient Colossian soil for much of the morning. As we carry what we’ve learned from these verses, these three verses, over to our times today, these confused times in which we live, and to this hope-starved world in which we live, I pray you’ll remember at least this one truth. Which is that you will never be made complete by an anti-depressant or a mood stabilizer or any psychotropic drug. You’ll never be made complete by seeking the bottom of a bottle. You’ll never be made complete by a GPA, or a relationship, or a promotion, or a diploma, or a degree. You’ll never find fullness in the writings of Plato or Aristotle or Voltaire or Spinoza or Descartes. Rather, it is only in the One, this One, who “is the head over all rule and authority.” Jesus Christ our Lord. Our supreme Sovereign. The One in whom “all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” That you and I will ever be, and will be, made complete. Could be or will be made full. As Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer said, “Thou O Christ art all I need, more than all in Thee I find.” Even better are the words of Paul, just over the page, in Colossians 3:11, where he says, “Christ is all, and in all.” Amen

Let’s pray. God, thank You for the truth of Your word. Thank You for the privilege of proclaiming it. And thank You for the Spirit that moves in the hearts of Your people as they sit under it. God, I do pray that for those of us in this room, who have put our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, for those of us who have been saved, that this word from Paul this morning would be a good reminder to us to not drift in the direction of the alluring attractions of the world. In this case, philosophy, empty deception, traditions of men, legalism. That we would not be taken adrift by such things. But rather that we would remember that we have completeness, we have fullness already in Christ. Not because of who we are, not because of our innate goodness, not because of how worthy we were, but rather because of Your great love for us. May that truth resonate in our hearts and clang around in our minds for the rest of the day. And God if there’s anybody here that does not know You -- maybe they’re visiting, maybe they’re deceived, maybe they’re open in their rebellion -- pray that they would hear these words that I’m about to say. Which is that we cannot be made full in this world, in anything, in any way, other than trusting in the name of Jesus Christ. Trusting in what He has accomplished on the cross. Dying for the world. Atoning for the sins of the world. And making salvation available to all who would believe on His name. So God, if there is anybody here this morning who sat under this teaching, pray that they would not seek to will their way to You, that they would not seek to just become better, or look at their neighbors and say, I’m better than that person, that must make me good before You. But rather that they would put everything, bank their entire eternity, on what has already been done at the cross of Calvary on their behalf. God, we thank You for this morning. We thank You for the privilege of worship. We thank You for Your Son. It’s in His name we pray. Amen