Colossians 2:6-12
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 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. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 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, 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.
ESV
This passage builds on Paul’s thoughts from the previous verses and connects to what we considered in the last devotional. Remember that Paul wants the Colossian believers (and us too if he were here) to grow and mature in their faith.
So verses 6-7 are incredible encouragements that can be summed up in two “G’s;” Grow Deep and Give Thanks. Literally, Paul is encouraging us to grow deep in our faith by being with Jesus and then, from that deep rooted relationship, to give thanks, letting thanksgiving overflow in our lives because we know what Jesus has done in us.
Now Paul is adding a third “G;” Guard your heart and mind against false teachers.
In this cultural context, Colossea wasn’t that far from Galatia. In Galatia there was a group of people who insisted that if you wanted to be a good Christian you first needed to be a good Jew and adopt all practices and beliefs of the Jewish people which included circumcision and the Law of Moses.
To their assertion, Paul responds by saying simply “no” and points back to Jesus.
Remember Colossians 1:15-23 and Paul’s incredible poem on the awesomeness and supremacy of Jesus above all others?
That’s what Paul is pointing to here, and there is that amazingly clear statement about Jesus in verse 9. Jesus is fully human and fully divine…, and then Paul says something incredible…., Christians are filled with Christ. Through faith in Jesus and in a relationship with Him, we have everything in Christ! So, there is no need to have an “additional” thing that we must do to be followers of Jesus and have a relationship with Him. We have Jesus! That’s all we need: no rules, no regulations, no lists of what we need to do or what we need to avoid.
With Jesus, we’re good—in every sense of the word and every definition.
Paul then adds the encouragement for Christians to “Guard” their heart—don’t let anything or anyone lead you astray in your relationship with Jesus.
I think that’s one of the biggest challenges we face in our cultural context today. Our culture wants us to follow its wisdom and accept as truth whatever seems to be popular. The challenge for us is to take everything that comes our way and examine it in the light of our relationship with Jesus. It is tempting to follow along with the flow of our culture, but popularity and relativity don't equate to truth.
One great example for us to follow when we struggle to discern the truth is from the book of Acts with the Bereans (Acts 17.10-15). Paul shows up and begins to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah and I love what the Bereans do. Rather than simply take Paul’s word for it the Bereans look through the Scriptures (the Old Testament) to see if what Paul is talking about is true.
We need to follow that same pattern. Whenever we have things that come to us claiming to be truth, or claiming that this is the path to follow, we must examine Scripture to see if it is true.
When it comes to knowing the truth and knowing Jesus, we are called to pursue Jesus, to know Jesus so well that nothing will cause us to stumble or fall—to be firmly rooted and established in Him.
When that happens, when we center our hearts and minds on Christ alone and filter everything through our relationship with Him, it’s amazing how everything is transformed. Overwhelming problems and struggles suddenly take on a much smaller stature in His presence. We are able to love each other and our neighbors, including those who are difficult for us to love. We are even able to love those we consider our enemies with all gentleness and compassion. That’s because Jesus is with us, and our lives are hidden in Him. The light of Christ shines through our lives, touching our work, our neighborhoods, and our relationships in amazing ways, all because we are finding ourselves in him in every way.
The truth is that we will be found “in” something. What will that be for you?
God bless you, and have a great day! Know that I am praying for you.
Scott