Transcript

John Newton wrote the following poem: What think ye of Christ? “What think ye of Christ is the TEST, to try both your state and your scheme; you cannot be right in the REST, unless you think rightly of Him:

“As Jesus appears in your view, as He is beloved or NOT, so God is disposed to you, and mercy or wrath is your LOT.

“Some take Him a creature to BE, a man, or an angel at most; but they have not feelings like ME, nor do they know themselves wretched and lost.

“So guilty, so helpless am I, I durst not confide in His blood, nor on His protection RELY, unless I were sure He is God.

“Some call Him a Saviour, in word, but mix their own works with His PLAN; and hope He His help will afford, when they have done all that they CAN:

“If doings prove rather too light, and before God their works do not measure up and they FAIL, they purpose to make up full weight, by casting His name in the SCALE.

“Some style Him ‘the Pearl of great PRICE,’ and say, He’s the fountain of JOYS; yet feed upon folly and VICE, and cleave to the world and its TOYS.

“If asked what of Jesus I THINK, though still my best thoughts are but POOR, I say, He’s my meat and my DRINK, my life, and my strength, and my STORE;

“He is my Shepherd, my trust, and my FRIEND, my Savior from sin and from hell; my Hope from beginning to END, my Portion, my Lord, my God and my All.”

In the Colossians’ day, as in ours, there were many teachings that attack and diminish the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. But Christ is our Portion, our God and our all in all. And as the Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 2:10, we are complete in Him.

Colossians 2:8: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Concerned about the Colossians believers being influenced by false teachings and led away from Christ, Paul wrote, “Beware!”

“Beware” means to watch, to see, but in the context of the spiritual dangers it conveys the idea of more than just to see, but to “Look out!” “Watch out!” “Take note!”

The Church is taught here to be on guard, alert, and to keep a watchful eye. And we are to do so “lest any many spoil you.”

Now, this isn’t the kind of spoiling that a grandparent does to their grandchildren, but literally speaks of being led away as a slave, carried away as a captive.

We’ve all heard of the “spoils of war,” or the phrase, “To the victor goes the spoils.” In biblical times the spoils were the gold, silver, goods, merchandise, and livestock taken by the victorious army from its defeated enemy after a battle.

Spoils were also many times people, as they would be taken away as prisoners to be made slaves in the homeland of the victors.

And this was Paul’s concern that the Colossians’ faith would be overthrown by false teachers and they would be carried as a slave to their beliefs.

Paul just taught the Colossians in verse 7 of the need to be “Rooted and built up in Him [or Christ], and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught.”

This rooting and grounding and being established in our faith are for the purpose that we do not become prey or spoiled by those who would seek to capture us by false teaching and lead us away from the Lord.

And Paul says that one way believers can be entrapped and carried away from Christ is through “philosophy and vain deceit.”

The term “philosophy” is made of up two Greek words, “phileo” and “sophia.” Phileo is speaking of love, brotherly love, and Sophia means wisdom. Putting this together, philosophy means “the love of wisdom.”

There is nothing wrong with loving wisdom, just so it is the right kind of wisdom. The wisdom Paul is talking about here is a godless wisdom of man that spoils and leads one away from the Word of God and the simplicity that is in Christ.

The construct of the original Greek here is that the words “vain deceit” are explanatory of the term “philosophy.” In other words, the type of philosophy that Paul is referring to is vain deceit.

And “vain deceit” refers to empty lies, hollow speculations, high-sounding nonsense. Revelation 12:9 tells us that Satan deceives the whole world, and by his influence, there is much philosophical nonsense and vain deceit surrounding us in the world today.

Tim Timmons wrote this: “It is said that the great French philosopher, Sartre, summed up all of life with the statement, “To do is to be.” Camus, his contemporary, summed up all of life with a conflicting statement, “To be is to do!” Then Frank Sinatra came along and put them both together in a song: “Do-be-do-be-do!”

Human philosophy can be contradictory and constantly changing. And it can be nonsense. And as we know, the pursuit and love of man’s philosophies and speculations is an empty idol to many in this world, all of which cannot truly meet the needs of the soul.

It’s been said well that “Philosophy is the search for truth. In Christ, the search ends.” And as our apostle wrote a few verses earlier, that in Christ “are hid all the treasures of WISDOM and knowledge.” We find the truth and true wisdom by looking to Jesus Christ.

Continuing to define “philosophy,” Paul wrote that these philosophies that we need to beware of are empty and deceitful, and next they are “after the tradition of men.”

The empty philosophies of men are often according to the “tradition of men.” They find their authority in the fact that they are from antiquity and have been handed down been believed to be true for so long a time.

They arise out of the thinking of men, find a foothold in society, and then are passed along from generation to generation so as to appear popular and widely supported. Hardly anyone dares question it because it seems like everybody believes them.

But just because people have believed something and handed it down through the years does not make it true. Tradition can merely serve to perpetuate error.

This takes place with spiritual teachings as well, with long-held beliefs, that they find their authority in the fact that so many have believed it for so long and so they’re never questioned. But as our Lord said, it is possible to “[Make] the Word of God of none effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13).

Tragically, like with the Pharisees of our Lord’s day, man-made traditions can often be given more importance than the God-breathed teaching of Scripture!

And the message of grace that was committed to the Apostle Paul by the risen, exalted Savior for the Church today is often rejected because it disagrees with traditional teachings. But we need to get back to the Word and see what it says.

These traditions can keep one from seeing what Christ is doing today under grace in His heavenly ministry as the Head of the Church, the Body of Christ.

And this keeps us from doing what Paul instructs a few verses later in 2:19: “And not holding [fast to] the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.”

We increase and grow spiritually by holding fast and remaining fixed to Christ our Head, living with the consciousness that Christ IS our living Head under grace.

And as His Body, the Church, the Body of Christ, we draw the supply for all our spiritual needs from our Head and His exhaustless resources, thinking with His mind, doing all for His glory, and finding all our satisfaction and sufficiency in Him.

Continuing to define “philosophy,” Paul wrote that they are empty, deceitful, they are “after the tradition of men,” and next, they are “after the rudiments of the world.”

The word “rudimentary,” of course, speaks of that which is basic or elementary. And rudiments of the world refers to “things in a row,” and like the alphabet is made up of letters in a row, the term is often associated with the alphabet.

Rudiments speaks of the basic principles of this world, rudimentary teaching of the material world. This shows us that, in God’s eyes, philosophy isn’t advanced, deep, or new knowledge, but actually finds its basis in the ABCs and basic principles of this world.

The phrase, “rudiments of the world” also reminds us of the law of Moses in God’s Word. Galatians 4:3 states, “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements [or rudiments] of the world.”

Many, under grace, willingly place themselves back under the bondage of the law, and the basic, elementary principles of it. This, too, leads people away from Christ under grace.

Paul went on in Galatians and asked them, “how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements [or rudiments], whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years” (4:9-10).

And in this context, Colossians 2:20-21 reads: “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the RUDIMENTS of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not…after the commandments and doctrines of men?”

Many turn and desire to be in bondage to the law and its ordinances. They would rather live in the shadows and pictures, and be placed under a list of do’s and don’t’s: “touch not, taste not, handle not”, observing the days, months and times of the law.

Many prefer this than going beyond into an understanding of God’s grace for today, and living in the glory, depth, and freedom of our personal relationship with Christ.

Continuing to define “philosophy,” Paul wrote that they are empty, deceitful, “after the tradition of men,” “after the rudiments of the world,” and finally, they are “not after Christ.” And that is the greatest danger of man’s philosophy.

That is truly why we must “Beware.” Any teaching or belief that is “not after Christ” that disregards Him, demotes Him, and leads us away from Him is satanic and dangerous and is something that we must avoid.

Colossians 2:9: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

The word, “For,” introduces the reason for abandoning the false teachings of philosophy that are not after Christ. And the reason is that Christ is God! The reasoning is why would anyone settle for anything less than Him who is God Almighty.

Man’s philosophies are “vain” or empty, and they only fill anyone with more emptiness, but in contrast Paul wrote about the One who has all fullness, the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Christ, dwells ALL the fullness of the Godhead. He is not part God or 75% God, or 99% percent God, but 100% God. This verse is a dramatic, airtight declaration of the deity of Jesus Christ.

Since all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, He cannot be a halfway god or a junior god. Christ wasn’t merely inspired by God or illuminated by God, Christ is not God-like, He was and is and always will be, God. And He will never cease to be God.

All that God is, Christ is. Christ is complete Deity. He is God essentially and perfectly and has all the infinite attributes and perfections of God in full measure.

Jesus Christ isn’t just a good man. He’s not just a teacher, or a prophet, or a good example. Jesus Christ is God.

And the term “dwelleth” here speaks of permanence. Commenting on this, Marvin Vincent writes: “The indwelling of the divine fullness in Him is characteristic of Him as Christ, from all ages and to all ages. Hence the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him before His incarnation. It dwelt in Him during His incarnation.

“The fullness of the Godhead dwells in His glorified humanity in heaven. He carried His human body with Him into heaven, and in His glorified body now and ever dwells the fullness of the Godhead.”

All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ. And that fullness dwells continually and permanently in Him. And this verse teaches that not only is Christ fully God, He is fully human as well. He is the fullness of the Godhead BODILY.

Having the fullness of the Godhead in His Person as God the Son in the Trinity has been the case from eternity past. But having the fullness of the Godhead “bodily” has been the case since the incarnation 2000 years ago and for eternity future.

Christ is God in a human body. And when Christ ascended to heaven, He did so in His human body. He is now in heaven in His risen, glorified body.

After His resurrection, in Luke 24:39, the Lord said, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”

In heaven, Christ currently and permanently has a body of flesh and bones and He will always be now the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Part of Christ’s sacrifice for us is that He who is God, the Son of God, took on a human body for eternity. And now forever He is the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” as 1 Timothy 2:5 tells us.

Verse 9 declares Christ’s full Deity and His full humanity. Christ is not 50% God and 50% Man, but the God-Man, 100% God, 100% Man. As such, He is the perfect Intercessor and Mediator between God and man.

As John Newton put it: “So guilty, so helpless am I, I dare not confide in His blood, nor on His protection RELY, unless I were sure He is God.”

We are sure He is God, and before us is one of the clearest statements in all Scripture testifying of this fact. He is God and the Savior of the world, and through Him we have salvation from all our sins and in Him we are complete.

Colossians 2:10: “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

A Sunday School teacher asked her group of children if anyone could quote the entire Twenty-third Psalm. A curly-haired 4½-year-old girl was among those who raised their hands high in the air.

A bit skeptical, the teacher asked if she could really quote the entire Psalm. And she nodded yes. So the little girl came to the rostrum, faced the class, and said: “The Lord is my Shepherd, that’s all I want.”

Christ is all we want and He is all we need, and as the Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 2:10, we are complete in Him.

The clear implication of being complete in Christ is that we are incomplete without Him. As a result of the Fall, mankind is in a state of incompleteness. He is spiritually incomplete, dead in his sins, and separated from the life of God.

But when we trust the One who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, when we trust His sacrifice for us, that He died for our sins, was buried and rose again, immediately we go from incompleteness to being “complete in Him.”

We are “complete” or literally “made full” in Christ. “In Him” dwells all fullness of the Godhead, says verse 9, and “in Him” we find fullness, says verse 10. Christ is the Completer. He makes us whole spiritually, and He does so by His shed blood.

As the old song goes: “Complete in Thee! No work of mine may take, dear Lord, the place of Thine. Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and I am now complete in Thee. “Yea, justified! O blessed thought! And sanctified! Salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and glorified, I too, shall be!”

In Christ, we are made full. There’s nothing missing. We are complete in Him. There aren’t any other things to add. We have everything we need for salvation in Christ.

The teaching of fullness from verse 9 carries into verse 10. There is total fullness of the Godhead bodily in Christ. There is nothing that could be added to Christ to make Him be more God. He is completely God. He lacks nothing as God.

Likewise, believers find total fullness and completeness in Christ. Like Christ is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and there is nothing that He lacks as God and there is not one thing to make Him more God, there is nothing we lack, there is not one thing that could or ever needs be added to make us be more complete in Him.

In Him, we have everything we need for salvation and life. You cannot add anything that is going to help add to your completeness that you have in Christ. You do not need anything more than you already have in Christ. Being complete in Christ is a fact, a truth, to be enjoyed. It is not a status to be achieved.

And it is all by grace. Nothing we deserve. By faith alone, trusting that Christ died for our sins and rose again, at that moment we are complete in Christ.

Warren Wiersbe has stated: “When a person is born again into the family of God, he is born complete in Christ.” Paul doesn’t say to the believer that you will be complete in Christ, he says, you ARE, right now, complete in Christ.

From the moment you believe, and for all eternity this is permanently so. The believer’s position in Christ of being complete will continue for eternity. Being in Him, we will never be anything but complete in Christ.

Being complete in Christ is true because Christ is truly God. If He were not God, we couldn’t be complete in Him. We won’t find completion in anyone or anything else. Salvation is in Christ alone. In Him alone our hope is found.

The teaching of Colossians is that we have Christ is in us, the hope of glory (1:27), and we are also taught that we are in Christ (2:10), by virtue of our baptism by the Holy Spirit. Christ is in us and we are in Christ.

And by this union, we are filled full with Him, with His righteousness, His perfection, with His life. We are filled full, possessing the fullness of His salvation. Our fullness of life comes from Christ’s fullness.

Paul goes on to show in verse 10 that we are complete in the One who is far above, high above the entire hierarchy of heaven, over all principalities and all powers.

He is the Creator of those principalities and powers according to Colossians 1:16: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers.”

Reinforcing His Deity and our completeness in Him, Paul shows us that Christ is abundantly able to save, because He is Lord, Creator, God Almighty, before whom all in heaven submit, who commands all the host of angels.

In this all-glorious One, we are complete. It is He which supplies us with so great a salvation. He, the mighty God, has furnished us with complete deliverance from sin’s penalty, with complete forgiveness of all our sins, and imputes His complete righteousness to our account. And we are complete in Him.

Paul provides us here with a startling and stark contrast to the emptiness and incompleteness which is found in the philosophies of this world, to the greatness and majesty of our Savior and the fullness of His person and completeness we have in Him.

The reasoning of the apostle first was negative, to beware that you don’t allow yourself to be carried off by human wisdom which is nothing more than empty, deceitful tradition passed down century after century, and is the same-old ABCs of human thought, reasoning, and speculation.

Then Paul’s reasoning turned positive that when you have Christ, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power, you have everything you need in Him. Human philosophy and religion all infinitely pale in the face of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor C. R. Stam has said, “You and I are either ‘complete in Christ’ or we are completely out of Christ.” Which are you today?

Without Christ we have nothing, but in Him we have everything. Being completely out of Christ and therefore still in your sins, means you are perishing and on the road heading toward the second death and the judgment of the lake of fire.

But that isn’t God’s desire for anyone. God desires all to be saved, and He gave His Son to die for all, so that anyone can be saved through His finished work.

All you have to do is trust Him as your Savior to be saved. Having trusted Christ, and thus being complete in Him, we are right with God and we know we are headed for glory.

Benjamin Reaves tells the following story: He was just a little fellow. His mother died when he was just a child. His father, in trying to be both mommy and daddy, had planned a picnic.

The little boy had never been on a picnic, so they made their plans, fixed the lunch, and packed the car. Then it was time to go to bed, for the picnic was the next day. He just couldn’t sleep. He tossed and he turned, but the excitement got to him.

Finally, he got out of bed, ran into the room where his father had already fallen asleep, and shook him. His father woke up and saw his son. He said to him, “What are you doing up? What’s the matter?” The boy said, “I can’t sleep.”

The father asked, “Why can’t you sleep?” In answering, the boy said, “Daddy, I’m excited about tomorrow.”

His father replied, “Well, Son, I’m sure you are, and it’s going to be a great day, but it won’t be great if we don’t get some sleep. So why don’t you just run down the hall, get back in bed, and get a good night’s rest.”

So the boy trudged off down the hall to his room and got in bed. Before long, sleep came, to the father, that is. It wasn’t long thereafter that back was the little boy. He was pushing and shoving his father, and his father opened his eyes.

Harsh words almost blurted out until he saw the expression on the boy’s face. Then the father asked, “What’s the matter now?” The boy said, “Daddy, I just want to thank you for tomorrow.”

Because of what Christ has accomplished for us, because we know we are complete in Him, we know without a doubt that we are heaven-bound, and we can say, “Thank you Father for tomorrow,” the tomorrow of eternity and heaven.

This is what Paul did earlier in this letter: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:12-14).