Old Testament Reading: Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Colossians 2:8-15

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 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 2:8–15, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he addressed them as true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He rejoiced over their faith (see Colossians 1:3-5) and even commended them for their good order and the firmness of their faith, and, in so doing, encouraged them to continue therein (see Colossians 2:5).

His stated concern for them was that they would grow in the faith, being “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him…” (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV). Paul was concerned for them because there were false teachers in their midst. And it appears that this particular form of false teaching was a distortion, not so much of the doctrine of justification, but of the doctrine of sanctification. This is why Paul lays such a heavy emphasis on walking worthily in this epistle. This is why he has so much to say about wisdom and where true wisdom is found. In this epistle, Paul insists that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. Not only is he able to justify us in the beginning and to save us in the end, but he is also able to sanctify us completely from the beginning to the end (see Ephesians 5:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).  In other words, in Christ we find everything we need to walk worthily before the Lord so as to please him.

Paul’s concern for the Colossians was that they would walk worthily in Christ Jesus. And so, in Colossians 2:6, he issued this command: “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, ESV). 

The question is, what do we need to walk worthily in a way that pleases the Lord? 

Colossians 1:9-10 mentions two things: One, we must be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. That is to say, we must know God’s commandments—the moral law as summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments and the positive precepts of the New Covenant. Two, we must be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. As was said in the previous sermon, it is possible for someone to be very smart and to have a lot of information crammed into their head, and yet be a fool. A fool may know the truth and yet not live according to it. But a wise man knows the truth, understands what God requires of him, and strives to live or to walk according to the truth he knows. 

But a question remains. How can we, who are sinful by nature, walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord? In other words, even if we have the truth concerning God’s will for us in our heads, and even if we possess spiritual wisdom and understanding in our hearts, how can we possibly walk worthily, given the guilt and corruption of sin that resides in us by nature?   

I do believe this is the question the Apostle addresses here in Colossians 2:8-15. Why does Paul describe philosophies that are rooted in human traditions and the elementary principles of the world—principles that say, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch (see Colossians 2:21)—as being empty and deceptive? He describes them this way because, as he says in Colossians 2:23, although they “have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body… they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23, ESV). In other words, these philosophies are empty and misleading, because, though they can make men look good on the outside, they cannot make them good on the inside. This, evidently, was what the false teachers in Colossae were promoting—empty and deceitful philosophies rooted in human traditions and not in Christ. They claimed to have faith in Christ, but when it came to their pursuit of wisdom and holy living, they moved away from Christ and looked to philosophies that were not rooted in him. Paul says, No. These philosophies are empty, powerless, and misleading because they cannot solve the problem of our sinful corruptions and desires.

Dear friends, if your heart and mind are sinful and corrupt, more instruction concerning the will of God for you, more rules and regulations, and more external religion, will do you no good. Philosophies like this can make a hypocrite of you, but they cannot make you holy; they will produce Pharisees, but not saints; they are great at transforming men into white-washed tombs—pretty on the outside, but vile within. These Christless philosophies are empty and deceiving. They cannot produce a walk that is pleasing to the Lord. But wisdom that is rooted in Christ can. And Paul tells us why.

Here in Colossians 2:9-15, the Apostle explains why Christ is the only source of true wisdom (see Colossians 1:9), and why he has the power to stop the indulgences of the sinful flesh (see Colossians 2:23), to enable us to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord—in a way that is fully pleasing to him. In our text, Paul presents seven reasons why Christ is the only source of true wisdom. The first has to do with who is in Christ. The last six are about the work that Christ does in and for all who are united to him by faith. 

In Christ, The Whole Fullness Of Deity Dwells Bodily

First, let us consider who it is that is in Christ. Please look with me at verse 9. “For in him [that is to say, in Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV). 

The Greek word translated as “For” (ὅτι) is a marker of cause or reason. It could also be translated as “because” or “in view of the fact that” (Louw Nida 89.33).  Consider Paul’s flow of thought beginning with verse 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…” (Colossians 2:8, NASB95), because or in view of the fact that,  “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV).

Who is in Christ? God is in Christ. More specifically, it is the person of the eternally begotten Son or Word of the Father who is in Christ. He, that is to say, the person of the Son or Word, the second person of the Triune God, is the acting subject within Christ. And because he is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father…” (Nicene Creed), Paul says, “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” 

What is Christ? He has two natures. He is human. He has a true human body and a human soul. And he is also divine, for the person of the Word or Son cannot be separated from his divine nature—the nature that he shares in common with the Father and the Spirit. What is Christ? He is the God-man; God come in the flesh. The word translated as “dwells” in Colossians 2:9 means, “to live or dwell in a place in an established or settled manner—‘to live, to dwell, to reside’” (Louw Nida 85.69). This is a wonderful way to describe the mystery of the incarnation. And who is Christ? Specifically, he is the Son or Word of God incarnate. 

Think of the implications of this concerning our search for true wisdom. Who is the most-wise being and the source of all true wisdom? God is. And how has God revealed his wisdom to us? The Father reveals wisdom to us through the person of the Word in three ways: One, the Father created through the Word and made the world in such a way that wisdom can be found in the natural world. Two, by speaking to and through the prophets of old by the Word. Consider, for example, the wisdom of God found in the law of God. Consider also the wisdom found in the books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs. How did we come to have those Scriptures except by the Father speaking through the Word and by the Spirit? ​“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, ESV). And three, the Father has spoken to us “in these last days… by his Son [the Word incarnate; the Lord Jesus Christ], whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:2, ESV). 

Jesus Christ is the Son or Word of God incarnate—“in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” This means that in him the fullness of wisdom is found. The fullness of the wisdom of God is found in Christ, not only because he was the wisest man ever to live, as he “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, ESV), but because “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” He is the person of the Son or Word of God incarnate.

The Apostle John says the same thing at the beginning of his gospel, but in different terms. He speaks of Jesus when he says,  

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… [verse 9] The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… [verse 16] For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:1–18, ESV)

Do you want to have true wisdom? Do you want to know how to walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord? Then run to God. Fear him, for this is the beginning of wisdom. And then receive his Word—the word that he revealed to and through his holy prophets. And especially run to Jesus, for he is the eternally begotten Word, come in the flesh. He is the true light that gives light to everyone. He makes the Father known. All who wish to have true knowledge and wisdom must come to him—he must not be despised or rejected.

In Christ, You Have Been Filled

Why is Jesus Christ the only source of true wisdom? Paul gives seven reasons. The first has to do with who is in Christ. But the last six are about the work that Christ does in and for all who are united to him by faith. 

In verse 10, we see that in Christ, we have been filled: “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority”, Paul says. 

What does Paul mean when he says that we have been filled in Christ? To be filled is to be made complete. This means that, in Christ, through our faith-bound union with him, we have all that we need for our salvation and to draw near to God. In Christ, we have perfect wisdom or saving knowledge. In Christ, we have righteousness. In Christ, we also have sanctification. 

Davenant says, 

“1. In Christ we have perfect wisdom; because by the right knowledge of him, according to the doctrine of the Gospel, what is sufficient to salvation is known: This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. John 17:3…” (Davenant, 424)

“2. In Christ we have complete righteousness; because he has fully satisfied both the Divine law, and even God himself for our sins: according to that declaration of Isaiah 53:11. By the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities…” (Davenant, 424)

“3. In Christ we have sanctification, or indwelling righteousness. For what else is sanctification than a cleansing from sins and iniquities, whereby we were separated far from God; and a reception of gifts and graces, whereby we are brought nigh to him to serve him?” (Davenant, 425)

“And in Him you have been made complete…”, the Apostle says. In Christ, you have all you have been furnished with all you need for salvation: true spiritual wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.  And the Apostle adds this remark: “And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:10, ESV). Why would Paul say this here? It must have to do with the false teaching that was threatening the Colossians. Some, we are told in Colossians 2:18, were insisting on the worship of angels. This likely means that they were teaching that to draw near to God, one must pass through several levels of heaven, each governed by an angel. To pass through and to draw near to God, worship would need to be offered to the angel. Here, after reminding us that we are complete in Christ, Paul reminds us that Christ is the head of all rule and authority. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to” Christ (see Matthew 28:18). He is the only mediator between God and man. He is all we need, therefore. We are made complete and worthy to enter God’s presence through faith in him alone. Worship must not be given to any other besides God and Christ.

In Christ, You Have Been Circumcised

The second thing that Christ does in us is mentioned in verse 11. There, Paul reminds us that in Christ, we  have been “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” 

As you may know, there were some false teachers active in the early church who taught that New Covenant Christians still needed to be circumcised in the flesh in obedience to the commands given to Abraham and to Isarel under the law of Moses. Paul opposes that false teaching thoroughly in his letter to the Galatians. Perhaps this error was also present within Colossae. Paul quickly proves those who taught that physical circumcision is still required under the New Covenant wrong by teaching that all who are united to Christ by faith have been circumcised spiritually. 

The sign of the Old Covenant was circumcision. In that symbolic ceremony, a small piece of flesh was removed from the male infant children who descended from Abraham. This marked them off as members of the Old Covenant community. There is a counterpart to this under the New Covenant. It is not water baptism, as many suppose, but the spiritual circumcision (or removal) of the sinful flesh that Paul here describes. 

All who are united to Christ by faith have been circumcised “with a circumcision made without hands”. In other words, this circumcision is not physical, but spiritual. It is not performed by Abraham or Moses, but by someone greater than them, namely, Christ. Christ does not perform this circumcision with a knife of steel, but with the sword of his word and the Spirit. This spiritual circumcision, of which the Apostle speaks, does not remove the foreskin, but the whole “body of the flesh”. That is to say, it is the removal of the sinful flesh from all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and united to Christ by faith. 

You say, but I am united to Christ by faith, and it does not seem as if my sinful flesh has been removed entirely, for I still sin! Well, corruption does remain. So do old habits. And temptations to sin do constantly come from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But sin does not have dominion over you, for, as Paul will say in Colossians 3:3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” 

All who are united to Christ by faith have been “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” And now we must “put off [the] old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of [our] minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24, ESV).

In Christ, You Have Been Baptized

The third thing that Christ does in us to enable us to walk worthily is mentioned in verse 12: “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.” (Colossians 2:12, ESV)

The Greek verb translated as “having been buried” is a passive participle. It refers back to the spiritual circumcision mentioned in verse 11. When God regenerates a sinner by his word and Spirit, the sinflesh is removed (spiritual circumcision). In other words, the old sinful man is put to death spiritually and is laid in the spiritual grave. More than this, through regeneration we are raised to newness of life. How does this happen? It is the work of the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, we are united to Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. Just as the circumcision mentioned in verse 11 is spiritual, so too is the baptism of verse 12. It is a spiritual baptism that Paul refers to here—it is a spiritual union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

Paul speaks of this more thoroughly in Romans 6:1-14:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:1–14, ESV).

Clearly, there is a connection between this spiritual baptism involving spirit-wrought union with Christ in his death and resurrection and the sacrament of water baptism. The sacrament of water baptism is a sign of spiritual baptism—it is an outward, physical sign of an inward, spiritual reality. This is why baptism is for those who make a credible profession of faith, and not infants or the unregenerate. And this is why baptism is to be administered by dunking a person under water and bringing them up again. It is a sign that the person has been united to Christ by faith in his death and resurrection. It is a sign that the person has died to their old, sinful self and has been raised to new life by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

In Christ, You Have Been Made Alive

Fourthly, in verse 13, Paul stresses our new life in Christ Jesus. “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” This new life has already been mentioned, but here it is brought to the forefront,

“And you…” To whom was Paul speaking except the Christians in Colosse? “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh…” This was their spiritual condition in the past. Though they were alive physically, they were at one time dead spiritually. And why were they dead spiritually? They were dead spiritually because they were in sin, and they were sinful. This should remind us of the Covenant of Works that God made with Adam in the very beginning. Adam was warned, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17, ESV). Adam sinned against God. He ate of the forbidden tree. Though he lived physically for many more years, he died spiritually. His trespass plunged him, and all humanity with him, into an estate of sin, misery, and death. This was the condition of the Colossians before the gospel of Jesus Christ came to them and the Spirit of God regenerated them, and this was our condition too, before God called us to Christ and gave us new life in him. 

 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” Friends, if you are alive spiritually today, it is because God the Holy Spirit made you alive. And the Holy Spirit made you alive in Christ Jesus. You have been brought by God from death to life because of what Jesus has done. You are alive in Christ, given your spiritual union with him in his death and resurrection. And you are united to him because he has come to you through the preaching of his Gospel.  

In Christ, You Have Been Forgiven

Why were we at one time dead spiritually? Because of transgressions (Adam’s and ours) and the uncircumcision (sinfulness) of our flesh. In verses 13 and 14, Paul reminds us that Christ has solved this problem for us. God has made us alive together with Christ, “…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.”

If we are in Christ Jesus, God has forgiven our trespasses. 

How did he do this? He has canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 

The Greek word translated as “canceled” is very strong. It means “to cause something to cease by obliterating any evidence—‘to eliminate, to do away with, to wipe out’” (Louw Nida 13.102).

And what has God obliterated any evidence of? The record of debt that once stood against us with its legal demands.

What is this record of debt? It must be the record (some say it is literal; others metaphorical of that which exists in the mind of) of all of the sins we have ever committed. Sin, as you know, “is any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” (Baptist Catechism 17). The Jews who lived under the Old Covenant were bound to keep the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant. The Gentiles are obligated to keep the moral law. Just think of it: God has a “record” of each and every sin that those not in Christ have committed! And what are the legal demands? They are God’s just judgments. Those who are united to Christ by faith have had that record of debt, and the legal demands associated with it eliminated, such that no evidence of its existence remains. 

And how did God, who is perfectly holy and just, wipe this record of debt away? He set it aside, nailing it to the cross. When Paul says that God set the record of debt that stood against us to the side by nailing it to the cross, he means that the debt was removed because it was paid in full by the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. It was there that Jesus atoned for the sins of people. It was there that he paid the price for them. Just as a sign was nailed to the cross above Jesus’ head with the charges that were leveled against him written on it, so too, all of our sins were nailed to the cross as Jesus bled and died there as our substitute and Savior. We owed a great debt to God, and Jesus paid it all. 

In Christ, You have Been Set Free 

The sixth and last thing that Paul mentions that Christ has done for us is found in verse 15. There, Paul reminds us that in Christ Jesus we have been set free from bondage to the Evil One and his dark kingdom. “He [Christ] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” 

Satan and his demons are our adversaries still, but they are disarmed, for Christ has already won the victory over them. 

Davenant says this whole passage is about: 

“a spiritual spoliation, a leading forth, and triumphing openly accomplished upon the Cross. He spoiled demons then, he made a shew of them, and also triumphed over them upon the Cross, when, to carnal eyes, he seemed to be conquered and triumphed over by them: For, as the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, neither sensible; so the victory and triumph of Christ over our enemies, is not proposed to be surveyed by the eye, but to be contemplated by the mind by faith. Now faith easily conceives that the devil was spoiled by the death of Christ; because mankind are plucked from his jaws, and his dominion is broken and diminished. For he held us bound with the chain of our sins: his bonds, therefore, being broken asunder, he is stripped of his prey, and we are delivered. Hence Augustin, De Trinit. lib. 4, says, From whence the devil received the power of externally wounding the flesh of the Lord, from thence his inward power, which held us captive, was slain” (Davenant, 473-474).

Suggestions For Application

Dear brothers and sisters, be on the lookout for Christless forms of Christianity, for they are all around us. 

What is Christless Christianity? It is a distortion of true Christianity that teaches good morals and imposes many rules and regulations on its adherents, but is devoid of Christ and his gospel. Here is how you ought to live. Do more. Try harder. 

Orthodox Christianity is different. It says, here is how you ought to live, but you have not, and you cannot. You have violated God’s law in thought, word, and deed. You are guilty, therefore, and in need of forgiveness. More than this, you need to be renewed and changed inwardly if you are to obey God and walk worthily from this day forward. Only Jesus Christ can save you from your sin and misery. Humble yourself before God, therefore. Cry out to him for mercy. Turn from your sins and to Jesus, for he is able to save you from your sins and to sanctify you further. 

He is able to save and to sanctify, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. 

And he saves and sanctifies by doing great things in us and for us. In Christ, we are complete. In Christ, we are circumcised inwardly and baptized spiritually. In Christ, we are made alive. In Christ, we are forgiven and set free.

What, then, does it look like to walk worthily in Jesus? Paul will tell us all about that in Colossians 3:1-4:5. I’ll tell you what it doesn’t involve. It doesn’t involve the imposition of man-made rules and regulations. It doesn’t involve more grit and determination. It involves abiding in Christ. It involves obeying the Lord out of the victory he has won for you and the work he has done in you. 

Soon, the Apostle will command those who have been raised with Christ to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God…” (Colossians 3:1, ESV), and to “Put to death… what is earthly in [them]: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…” (Colossians 3:5, ESV), and to “Put on… as God’s chosen ones… compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another… [and] forgiving each other… And above all these [we must] put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV). 

It’s easy to go through motions, friends. It’s easy to follow the traditions of man and to perform external religious duties. Paul is going to call us to worship and serve God, Christ, and one another from a heart of love. Keeping the heart is the real work to be done, and it is hard work. But Jesus Christ gives us everything we need to do this work, so that we might walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.