Complete in Christ: Part 2

Colossians 2:8-15

I am so glad to be with you for part two of “Complete in Christ.” If you missed the first part of this teaching, please take the time to look it up; it is worthwhile. The first reason we are complete in Christ is because of His person. The following two reasons are His power and His provision. Notice the three “P” words: His person, power, and provision. Each of these comes through knowing Jesus. He is the real focus; we are here to learn about Him.  

Turn to Colossians 2:8, and J Mark will read these verses before we look at Christ’s power and provision.   

Last week, we began exploring Paul’s teaching in Colossians 2:8 to 15, “Complete in Christ.” As we resume our study, here is the Scripture text. 

⁸Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  

⁹For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  

¹⁰and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 

¹¹In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  

¹²buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  

¹³And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  

¹⁴having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  

¹⁵Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 

The Next REASON (that reassures us that we are complete in Christ) is, 

Because of His Power 

  An attack on Jesus’ person is an attack on His power. If He is not who He said He is, then He doesn’t have the power He claims. Christ’s sufficiency is evident in three things that God has done for us through Him: He has spiritually circumcised us (vv. 11-12), He has forgiven our sins (vv. 13-14), and He has given us victory over the forces of evil (v. 15). 

In stark contrast to the teachings of the Gnostics, Paul emphatically states that the Colossian Believers were complete in Christ! Completeness means being filled up, crammed, and fully furnished, like a net crammed with fish when the miraculous catch broke the nets of Peter, James, and John.  

As he did earlier, Paul reasserts Christ’s preeminence. He is first in both time and rank. He is the head of ALL powers, whatever their source. They are ALL subject to His control. Not only is His power absolute, but it’s also transformational.  

Paul speaks of a circumcision performed without human hands, a spiritual circumcision. Circumcision was given to Abraham and his descendants to signify their separation from the world. Romans 2:28 and 29 state “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”   

That circumcision of the heart enables us to put off the indwelling power of sin. “The body that was put off when the Colossian saints were saved was the physical body as dominated by the depraved nature. This body, while still the temporary dwelling of the believer, was put off because it was rendered inoperative so far as the constant control of the evil nature was concerned.”¹ Sin was no longer the controlling influence.  

This putting off is likened to stripping off clothing or armor. An added prefix suggests that you are not only getting out of those garments but also distancing yourself from them. You are rejecting them, disowning them. You won’t return later and put them on again! Paul’s concept of putting off the controlling passions of the flesh is only possible through the power of Christ.  

The Final REASON (that reassures us that we are complete in Christ) is, 

Because of His Provision 

Paul further illustrates our completeness in Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. In verse 12, he states that we have been buried with Christ in baptism. Water baptism is a vivid analogy of having our old, sinful self put to death and buried.  

The believing sinner’s identification with Christ in His death broke the power of indwelling sin. His identification with Him in His resurrection resulted in the impartation of the divine nature. The baptism (introduction into) is the one that the Holy Spirit affects. The baptism in our Colossian passage is the same. Thus, “risen with Him” does not refer to our future physical resurrection but to that spiritual resurrection from a sinful state into divine life.  

According to I Corinthians 10:2, it was a baptism when the children of Israel went through the Red Sea with Moses. It signified their cleansing from Egypt, which, biblically, is a type of sin. It also signified that they were exchanging a state of bondage for freedom.  

Baptism also declares that we accept Christ’s sacrifice as the only adequate payment for our past, present, and future sins. Emerging from the waters of baptism signifies being raised in the power of Christ’s resurrection so that we can walk in newness of life. We access these provisions through faith in the effective working of God, who raised Christ from the dead.  

Paul begins verse 13 with the words “and YOU.” YOU (the word is emphatic) Gentiles were dead (spiritually) in your trespasses and your alienation from God. The sinful nature possesses all people in their unsaved state. Our uncircumcision is a symbol of that separation from God because of the controlling impulses of the flesh. Your carnal nature hasn’t yet been “cut away.” Your heart is uncircumcised.  

But now, God has made you alive through Christ since ALL (note this word again) your sins have been forgiven. Further, Christ’s sacrifice blotted out, erased, rubbed out, and wiped off the handwriting of requirements against us.  

The handwriting of requirements was a legal certificate of debt. In other words, it showed the amount you owed to someone and was legally enforceable. Paul is most likely referring to the Mosaic Law, but it can also include God’s law in general. It was against Jews and Gentiles in the sense that neither of them could keep it!  

Paul says this handwriting of requirements was contrary to us. One writer said, “Law is against us because it comes like a taskmaster, bidding us do, but neither putting the inclination into our hearts nor the power in our hands. It is against us because it comes with threats and foretastes of penalty and pain. Thus, as standard, accuser, and avenger, it is against us.”² Praise God this handwriting can be erased and something else can take its place.  

In addition, “the law with its decrees was abolished in Christ’s death, as if crucified with Him. It was no longer in the foreground, as a debtor’s obligation is perpetually before him…”³ John the Baptist said about Jesus in John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus nailed that document of guilt and condemnation to His cross. Hallelujah!  

This brings us to verse 15. First, who is the subject of this verse, God or Christ? I believe God accomplished these things through Christ, consistent with the earlier verses.  

But who are the principalities and powers? Are they good or evil? Several Scripture portions refer to the role of angels in giving the Law, such as Acts 7:38 and 53, Galatians 3:19, and Hebrews 2:2. These must be good angels, so why would they need to be “triumphed over?” One possible explanation is that their subjugation declares Christ’s superiority over the Law.  

A second plausible idea connected to the former view is that these powers are the “angels” the Gnostics worshipped. This angel worship shows up in verse 18 of this chapter.  

Another idea is that it could be evil angels, as Paul references in Ephesians 6:12. The powers of darkness facilitated Jesus’ death on the cross. In responding to the Jewish leaders who came to arrest Him, Jesus said, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.”   

In this view, Christ needed to pass through the kingdoms of Satan in the air (Ephesians 2:2) to reach the heavenly Holy of Holies and present His blood on the Mercy Seat. When the demons offered opposition, He boldly stripped them off, signifying His power over them. 

I’m not convinced we must restrict this verse to a single idea. However, what is clearly expressed in all of these views is Christ’s supremacy! Paul paints a word picture of the Roman military victory parades. The conquering general would lead his chained captives in a triumphal procession. God won a complete victory over all angelic spirits. He alone emerges as supreme!  

What does all this mean to you and me today? I return to the words I used at the beginning. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  

If you have acknowledged the fact that you are a sinner, and confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and have believed in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead – you are complete in Christ! There is nothing you can add to the sacrifice of Christ; it is full, complete, and sufficient.  

And when you confess Christ, you will receive the circumcision of the heart and mind. The fleshly mind that is in opposition to Christ is put to death, and you are raised to newness of life in Him. That new heart will bring forth new patterns of living in harmony with the commands of Jesus, whether He spoke them or other inspired writers of Scripture. You will be made alive in Christ. You will demonstrate that you are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works.  

For these REASONS, you will stand “Complete in Christ” in His person, His power, and His provision. I urge you to enter into that assurance today!  

Wow, this is encouraging teaching. It is just good for us to think about Jesus and meditate on what he has done for us. Thanks, J Mark, for this teaching. His one line near the end was an excellent summary of the lesson. He said, “There is nothing you can add to the sacrifice of Christ; it is full, complete, and sufficient.” Imagine all of that being yours! Jesus has done this for you, for me. He has given us access. He has opened up the way, and it’s through Him that we can come to God. Don’t hesitate; move toward completeness in Christ.     

If you have any questions about today’s teaching or want to contact us for any reason, here are a few ways to reach us. An easy way is email; our email is [email protected]. You can also message us online; our website is heraldsofhope.org. Once there, click “Contact Us” on the top right. And of course, there is always a pen and paper. Our address is Hope for Today, Box 3 Breezewood, PA 15533. We look forward to hearing from you soon.  

Thanks for being with us this week, and blessings as you grow in Christ and are completed in Him. Paul also taught this principle to the church at Ephesus. He wrote, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” May all of us be more like Jesus.  

*This episode is an exposition by J. Otis Yoder, re-recorded by J. Mark Horst, with an opening and closing by Arlin Horst.