Colossians 2:10 – Complete In Him – Bible study

Colossians 2:10 Complete In Christ Tonight, I want to look at a section of Scripture that, to be honest, is beyond my comprehension. I think the statement is just too deep for me to comprehend, but at the same time, the statement is too powerful to ignore any longer. I suppose what I want to do is to think out loud with you. Whether what I say tonight will pass for preaching or not remains to be seen. In studying these verses, I am convinced that the truths contained here are great and awesome. However, getting a handle on exactly how they fit together has proved to be a challenge I have not yet achieved. My outline tonight (and I do have an outline) will consist of three points. I. \#Col 2:10\ A Statement A. Paul makes an amazingly deep statement. 1. This statement is only five words in length, but I am convinced that its depth is unfathomable to us. 2. The statement is-You are complete in Him. B. The word that I want to draw your attention to is the word COMPLETE. 1. The word means to be full, or to be fulfilled. 2. It means all, entirely, wholly. 3. It means every bit. 4. It means 100%. C. It means that in Christ, you have and are everything that God intended you to be. 1. This is an amazing statement. 2. We know that God originally created man to behave perfectly and to have a perfect relationship with God. 3. Then sin entered and destroyed all of that. 4. Gods original plan was destroyed so badly that one cannot even recognize what God intended us to be. 5. But, by and through Jesus Christ, things have been set into motion that will ultimately restore all things to what God intended in the beginning. D. Lets put some statements together in an attempt to try to make this statement more understandable. 1. You are 100% forgiven. 2. You are 100% restored. 3. You have 100% fellowship with God. 4. You have 100% of Gods power. 5. And you are entitled to 100% of all that God has. II. Reasons-All of the reasons for this completion is related to Jesus. A. \#Col 2:9\ The reason we are complete is because of who Jesus is. 1. All of the fulness of God is in Him. 2. That means that Jesus is 100% God. 3. We are so blessed not to have to figure out all the theology that has been studied in the past. Down through the ages, theologians have concluded that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. (I know that is a mathematical impossibility, but this is God we are dealing with and He wrote the book on mathematics!) 4. So Jesus made us complete because He is God; that is, because as God, He wanted to do so. After all, who is going to tell God that He cannot do something? 5. So we are complete because Jesus, as God, wanted to make us complete. B. \#Col 2:10\ The reason we are complete is because of Jesus position. 1. He is the head of all principality and power. 2. The word PRINCIPALITY means BEGINNING or ORIGIN. a. When applied to a person, it seems to mean the person who starts or begins something. b. The notion being that as the one who begins something, that one is the leader or ruler. c. This passage says that Jesus is over all who are in charge. d. A similar thought would be both the titles "The beginning and the end" and "King of kings and Lord of lords." e. Jesus position is that He is over every ruler whether it be a physical or spiritual ruler. 3. If that is not plain enough, the verse also asserts that Jesus is Head over all power. 4. So Jesus is the before all beginnings, King of all kings, Lord of all lord, Ruler of all rulers, and Head of all heads. 5. Now when you are both God and over all other authorities, you can pretty much do what you want. 6. Jesus wanted to complete us, so He did. 7. His position is the reason we are complete. C. \#Col 2:11-14\ The reason we are complete is because of Jesus actions. 1. \#12-13\ The action that sticks out the most centers on Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. a. We knew this to be the case. b. Jesus, dying for our sins, carrying them away from us to the lost grave, and then rising from the grave to demonstrate that our sins are gone, paid the price for our sins. c. What other work could make us whole? None! 2. \#14\ In dying for our sins, Jesus blotted out the charges that were against us. a. The phrase "the handwriting of ordinances" is a reference to the charges that were against us (our sins). b. The custom of the Romans when they crucified a criminal was to write the charge for his crucifixion on a board and nail it to the cross. This was done as a deterrent to crime. c. Pilate wrote Jesus charge, "The King of the Jews." You will remember that the Jewish leaders did not like that charge. They wanted the sign to read, "He says that he is the king of the Jews." Pilate refused to change it. (I believe Pilate had an understanding of who Jesus really was!) d. Here, Paul is telling us, that although unseen to the human eye, God wrote our sins upon the placard that hung above Jesus head! It was our sins that crucified Jesus and in dying on the cross, He took every charge against us away! 3. \#11\ Jesus circumcised us. He cut away the bad flesh. a. In the Old Testament, circumcision was a procedure done on the Jewish males to show they were apart of the Old Covenant. This act was an outward manifestation of their inward faith. b. Of course today many males (most all who are in the US) are circumcised, but it has nothing to do with the Old Covenant. c. Today, it is a medical procedure done to remove un-needed skin that, if left, might harbor disease and cause harm to the body later in life. d. Here, the Bible says all Christians (male and female) have been circumcised with a concussion not by human hands (one done by God Himself). e. What does that mean? It means God has cut away the carnal skin that always holds us back and holds us down! It is the flesh that hinders the spirit and keeps us in sin; but thanks be to God, He has cut that carnal flesh off us so that we can enjoy His completeness! III. Results-Several results are given. These results are more directed to the church of Colosse and their issues, so that they may not mean as much to us today. A. Background 1. The church of Colosse, like so many other churches, were being infiltrated by Judaizers, those who wanted to mix the grace of salvation with keeping the Old Testament law. 2. These people were "legalists." Some times, people who have Bible standards (like myself) are called legalists. a. Anyone who calls a person with Bible standards a legalists, does not understand the term that they are using. b. Perhaps they meant to call the person with standards "militant"; perhaps they mean to call that person a "zealot"; but a legalist is always someone who mixes law and grace in the matter of salvation. c. By the way, I am not militant either. I just believe that when it comes to holiness, God wrote what He meant and meant what He wrote. 3. At any rate, Paul addresses most of the results of being complete in Christ to those who are being tempted with legalism. B. The results 1. \#Col 2:16\ We do not have to let anyone judge our keeping of the commandments. a. No Christian has to keep Old Testament diets, observe their holy days, or even worship on the Sabbath, b. Why? Because the message being conveyed by those laws has been completed. They spoke of the coming of Jesus and He has now come. c. So, we dont have to worry about being judged by others on these issues because Jesus has taken care of it. d. Of course, that truth relates to all areas of the Christian life. (1) Although I may not approve of all you do and you may not approve of all I do, we dont have to worry about what each other thinks. (2) Why? Because Jesus will take care of it. (3) The Holy Spirit will teach and guide and convict and God will do His work. (4) It is best for us to let the Master take care of His own servants! 2. \#Col 2:18-19\ Dont let anyone beguile or trick you into not following Jesus. a. Again, this is likely directed to warn those who might be derailed to worship another beside Jesus. b. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the Head. c. Because He is our Completor, let us not get sidetracked. d. We are complete in JESUS, and we need no other thing! 3. \#Col 2:8\ Dont let anyone spoil (or ruin) you by substituting philosophy or tradition for Christ. a. When something spoils, it ruins. b. A ruined fruit or vegetable is then good for nothing but to be cast away. c. Many today have allowed philosophies and traditions to turn them from the Christ. d. Because of this, some churches are good for nothing at all. (1) They serve as social gathering and activity centers, but those are not the main causes of the church. (2) The church is called to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. (3) We must not let man’s philosophies direct the church! e. Christ has made us complete in Him so that this might never happen. I wish I could comprehend better Pauls statement. But even with my dimly lit mind, I believe this statement is a treasure trove of spiritual wealth to us. Explore it. Pray over it. Meditate on it. And remember it. You are complete in Him!