Colossians 2:6–15 - 6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 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. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
What does today’s passage say?
In today's passage, Paul strongly encourages the Colossian Christians to continue living out the basic Christian faith just as when they first believed (vv. 6-7). He cautions them not to abandon the foundational Gospel truth by getting deceived into thinking man-made religious ideas somehow supplement Christ's complete work (v. 8). With urgency, Paul spotlights understanding who Jesus fully is - He created and sustains everything, contains God's fullness bodily, and reigns over all authorities since He Himself is fully divine (v. 9). Our spiritual completion comes only through His mighty power at work within us, not external religious duty (v. 10). When we first trusted Christ, a profound inner transformation happened: we died and were raised with Him by virtue of God's resurrection life now in us (vv. 11-12). Because Jesus blotted out our sin's record on the cross, we now walk in freedom, forgiven and liberated from guilt's power over us (vv. 13-15).
How can I apply Colossians 2:6-1515 to my life?
Today, Paul gives us essential truths for how we should live in light of our new identity in Christ. After coming to saving faith, the Colossian believers were facing false teachers attempting to add man-made religious requirements to the free grace of the gospel. In dealing with this deception, Paul reminds them not to abandon the simple faith through which they began their walk with Jesus. He then explains the protection and benefits believers have through knowing Christ’s supremacy over all spiritual powers because He Himself is fully God and, instead, embracing what His death and resurrection accomplished. This profound spiritual transformation means we can live secure and undefeated by our sin or condemnation. The timeless principles in this passage apply to us today just as much as they did to the Colossian believers. Here are some basic principles from this passage that we should apply to our lives:
1. Live Out Your Life with the Same Faith that Led to Your Salvation (vv.6-7): As Paul exhorts the Colossians to continue living in Christ in the same way as when they first received Him, it is vital that we live out that faith daily in the same way we first came to salvation. The faith and thankfulness we felt when we first believed should characterize how we walk each day. Our lives should be rooted in Christ through building ourselves up in Him, established in the faith we were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. This means applying the core truths of the gospel to every aspect of life just as we did when we first believed. It means choosing to fix our eyes on Jesus instead of getting distracted by peripheral issues. It means holding fast to sound doctrine and allowing it to bear fruit in our character, conduct, and conversations. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we must perpetually realign ourselves to the simple yet profound faith that transformed us when we first met Christ. We too often make the Christian life complex when really it is a daily decision to cling to Christ in childlike trust according to the truth of the gospel (Ephesians 4:14-16; Hebrews 12:1-2; Psalm 107:1-2).
Food for Thought: What are some ways you can refocus on maintaining the simple, steadfast faith that led to your initial salvation? What fruit might come from realigning yourself to your first love for Christ?
2. Stand Guard Against Deceptive Philosophies as You Recognize the Deity of Christ (vv. 8-9): Paul cautions the Colossians about empty philosophies that diminish the glory due Christ. We must heed this warning and always remember that Jesus is fully God in bodily form. Since He is sovereign, created all things, and deserves first place in everything as the image of the invisible God, we should reject any worldview centered around human wisdom that contradicts biblical truth. Our spiritual maturity is demonstrated when we avoid teachings that detract from Christ’s supreme authority and, instead, see Him as He is - the divine Son and exact representation of God’s nature. We too often entertain ideas that reduce who Christ is in a misguided attempt to understand Him through earthly limitations. But we must let our minds be renewed to grasp His eternal power and divine attributes that surpass all created boundaries. As we submit our thoughts, our faith, and our hopes to the revelation of Scripture, the Spirit will transform how we view Jesus. False philosophies often creep in slowly which is why we must continually realign our perspective to recognize Christ as supreme over every power. As we grow in understanding His divine nature and work, we will more readily detect beliefs that contradict the truth about Jesus. Let us passionately pursue knowing Christ above all else (1 Timothy 6:20-21; 2 Timothy 2:15-19; 2 Peter 3:17-18).
Food for Thought: What are some false philosophies you need to stand guard against? How can you grow in your knowledge of Christ’s preeminence so you can avoid spiritual deception?
3. Embrace Your Spiritual Transformation in Christ (vv. 10-12): As Paul described to the Colossian believers and as we see what Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection, we can embrace the spiritual transformation happening in our lives. When we trusted in Jesus, we died to our old sinful ways and were made completely new creations united with Him. This fundamental shift in identity and position means we are no longer bound to the futile ways of our flesh. We now have resurrection power and Christ living in us to enable righteous living. Our conversion was not just mental assent but an inward renewal only made possible by God’s power and grace. We truly are new creations in Him. However, we too often resist embracing the full implications of this change. As we grow in understanding what Jesus did for us, we must submit every area of life to its transformational effects. Our thought patterns, desires, behaviors, and relationships should increasingly align with belonging to Christ. Daily, we should be walking in the reality of who we are in Him with full confidence in the work of the cross and His Holy Spirit in us (Romans 6:4-14; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:6).
Food for Thought: What areas of your life do you still resist full transformation by Christ? How can you more fully embrace your new identity in Him?
4. Celebrate Your Victory Over Sin (vv. 13-15): Paul reminds the Colossian believers that they have the forgiveness of sins and defeat of evil powers through Jesus’ death. We too should celebrate the victory we now have over sin’s penalty and power. When God blotted out the record of our sins through Christ’s sacrifice, He disarmed evil’s ability to wield condemnation against us. No longer can guilt, shame, or regret determine our standing since we have been permanently pardoned. Sin lost its oppressive grip over how we live when we died and rose with Jesus. We now can choose righteousness by the Spirit’s enablement. Our struggle with temptation remains, but we are no longer enslaved to wicked desires or habits. This is God’s amazing grace that we can walk free of sin’s mastery because He made us alive together with His Son! As we grow in our understanding of the implications of the cross, we must live as those who have been crucified with Christ. This means not only celebrating forgiveness but embracing new life defined by righteousness rather than sin. Let us boldly engage in the Christian life knowing our sins are both forgiven and defeatable (Romans 6:14; Romans 8:1-4; 1 Corinthians 15:56-57).
Food for Thought: What sins do you still struggle with that you can walk in greater victory over? How should remembering your spiritual freedom motivate righteous living?
This passage in Colossians reminds us that the Christian life is simply a continuation of the faith through which we first met Christ. We must be vigilant against beliefs that diminish His glory while we grow in understanding His supremacy over all. As we embrace the profound identity shift that happened when we trusted Jesus’ finished work, we can walk in resurrection power and victory. Our spiritual transformation is not just a one-time event but an ongoing journey of allowing the implications of the gospel to permeate every area of life. May we anchor ourselves to Christ just as we did when He first captivated our hearts.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that You would establish me firmly in the faith that first led me to receive Christ Jesus as my Savior. Guard my mind against false philosophies and give me discernment to recognize teachings that detract from Your Son's glory. Help me to know fully the power of Jesus' resurrection that raised me to new life when I first believed. I pray that You would continue to transform my thoughts, behaviors, attitudes, and relationships to align with belonging to Christ. Give me the strength to walk in the reality that my sins are forgiven, and sin no longer has mastery over me. I pray that you would help me to live daily in the new identity I have through redemption in Jesus. Help me to have that simple childlike faith with which I first trusted in the finished work of the cross.
I pray these things in the most precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Colossians 2:6 – “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
With His Blessings,
Pastor Corby
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