THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

SPREADING THE SOUL-SAVING MESSAGE OF JESUs

Colossians Lesson 2

(Chapter 2)

Introduction by narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Spreading the soul-saving message of Jesus. And now, Timothy Sparks and Ben Bailey.

Ben Bailey:

“As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col. 2:6). I’m Ben Bailey.

Timothy Sparks:

And I’m Timothy Sparks. Welcome to our study of the Book of Colossians. This message is being brought to you by individual members and congregations of the church of Christ. We hope you will visit the church of Christ in your area. Let them know how much you appreciate their support of these broadcasts. If you would like a copy of any of our broadcasts on CD or DVD, you can visit our website at www.thegospelofchrist.com, fill out the request form that you’ll find there, and we will be happy to send you whatever you need, completely free of charge. We’ll even pay the postage. We have 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and other lessons available on CD and DVD. In the churches of Christ, we never ask for contributions for you to help us with our work. We’re doing this because this is the mission that God has given us. God has told His disciples to take the Gospel into all the world. We count it a privilege to have the opportunity to do this at no cost to you. People in the church of Christ love to study the Bible, and they love your soul. They would be happy to study the Bible with you if you would like to do that.

The Book of Colossians is a book that exalts Christ as much as any book in the entire New Testament. We learn about the church of the Christ from the Book of Ephesians, and we learn about the Christ of the church from the Book of Colossians.

Ben Bailey:

That’s right. The theme of Ephesians is “the church of Christ.” Each chapter complements that singular theme. The theme of Colossians is “the Christ of the church.” The thematic statement of the Book of Colossians might be Colossians 1:18, “He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” Draw a circle, and then put a dot in the middle of that circle. The circle represents your life and mine. The dot in the center of the circle is the focal point, which is Christ Himself. Everything we do must revolve around that idea. In Colossians 2, Paul is going to talk about receiving the Lord. In our modern religious world, there is a lot of talk about “receiving Jesus.” We often hear people say, “All you have to do is say the sinner’s prayer and ‘receive Jesus’ into your heart.” But what does the Bible actually about how we “receive Jesus”?

Timothy Sparks:

In the religious world today, we’re frequently led to believe that people can come to know Christ and receive Him just by praying what sometimes is referred to as “the sinner’s prayer.” As you read your New Testament, however, you’ll find that there is no such thing as the sinner’s prayer (i.e., a prayer that will grant an alien sinner access to God). In Colossians 2, Paul is talking to Christians—people who had already received Christ. He tells them, in essence, “You received Christ initially; now, continue to walk in Christ.” This brings their mind back to their original conversion. Every time you read the New Testament, you’re going to learn that people came to receive Christ in a certain way. They had to believe on Him as the Son of God. But that wasn’t the point at which they were considered to be disciples and Christians. As Jesus said in Luke 13:3, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Repentance is absolutely essential. Without repentance, a person has not “received Christ.” A person also must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Confession, too, is also essential. Jesus makes it very clear that one must initially confess Christ, and then continue to confess Christ throughout the remainder of his life. In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus tells us that if we confess Him before people, then He will confess us before His Father.” If we fail to confess Christ, He will not confess us. Is this the point at which a person is considered to have received Christ? No, it’s not. Over and over throughout the New Testament, you will see that baptism is the point at which one comes into Christ. It’s the point at which one has access to forgiveness. It’s the point at which sins are forgiven and washed away. We learn from Acts 18:8 that many of the Corinthians, upon hearing the Gospel, believed and were immersed. Baptism—immersion—is the point at which one comes into Christ. Paul said in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as have been immersed into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” What if you are not clothed with Christ? Have you received Christ yet? No, it is only when you are baptized into Christ that you are clothed with Christ. At that point, you have “received Christ.” Thus, Paul tells the Christians at Colossae that since they had already received Christ, they must continue to walk in Him. In order to be finally and ultimately saved, one must be faithful after having been baptized into Christ. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul describes baptism as the manner in which we crucify and bury the old man of sin, and then arise from baptism to walk in newness of life. Paul told the Christians at Corinth, “If anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation.” Old things have passed away. Behold everything has become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

In Colossians 2, Paul tells the Christians, “Just as you received Christ, continue to walk in Him. Don’t go back to the beggarly elements of the world from which you’ve been delivered.” Peter said in 2 Peter 2:20-21,

“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

A person can lose what he has once had. You can lose your salvation. So Paul encourages Christians to continue to walk faithfully in the Lord.

Ben Bailey:

Paul wanted the Christians in Colossae to continue to walk faithfully in the Lord because there are many other ideas being promoted as ways by which people are supposed to be saved. One of those discussed in Colossians 2 is the idea of philosophy. One of the problems the church was facing had to do with philosophy. Paul says, “Beware, 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” (Col. 2:8). It’s evident from what Paul says that there were certain philosophies of his time that were deceiving people and cheating them out of their salvation. One of these was known as Epicureanism—a doctrine that says, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.” It’s a concept that says, in essence, “While you’re here, you need to ‘live it up, have a good time, indulge in every fleshly desire you so wish,’ because when you die, you’re dead like Rover—dead all over.” It’s the idea of, “Let’s have fun now, because this is all we have.” It is a false philosophy that is related to the idea of evolution. If evolution were true and God did not exist, then why couldn’t we just live it up and have fun here and now? There’s nothing to regret or worry about in the future. But, just like Epicureanism, evolution, too, is a false doctrine. There’s another very destructive philosophy among us today. It’s the idea of humanism. You may have heard of the Humanist Manifestos. Basically, humanism suggests that humans are the peak of our society. Everything must revolve around us. It’s “humanism” because humans are at the center of it. We are our own gods because in humanism, God does not exist. It’s much akin to anarchy, in which we make our own rules and do whatever we want. We are the centerpiece of this world. But from the Book of Colossians, we learn that we are not. Jesus is. He is the One Who is to have preeminence in all things (Col. 1:18). He is the Head of the church. He is the One to Whom we must turn. The important appeal in Colossians 2 is, “Don’t get caught in philosophy and vain deceit.” Unfortunately, many people do get caught up in what some today refer to as “intellectual thinking.” The same thing happened in Paul’s day. This is not a new problem.

Timothy Sparks:

No, it’s not. In fact, as we look at Colossians 2:9, we find Paul saying of Christ, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” In Jesus dwells all the fullness of Deity in bodily form. Jesus came and fully showed God to us. Jesus is wholly God. He left Heaven without ceasing to be God. And He left the Earth without losing His humanity. While He was on Earth, He was 100% God and 100% human. We learn from Colossians 2:10 that we “are complete in Him.” We don’t have need human philosophies. We don’t need the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Paul says, “You’re complete in Christ! You need Christ—plus nothing! You are complete in Him.” Here, we have a passage in which Paul makes it clear that Jesus is God. He is the “fullness of the Godhead.” As such, He is able to make us complete. We don’t have to be smart or rich. Christ makes us complete. Paul told Timothy, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Godliness—living a godly Christian life and being content with God in Christ—is “great gain.” Frequently, the wealthiest people are the poorest people, and sometimes the poorest people are the wealthiest people. Why is that? People who don’t put their trust in the things of this world are happier and content because they are putting their trust in God. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:17 to remind those who are rich in this world, not to be haughty or high minded, not to put their trust in the uncertain riches, but instead to place their trust in God, “Who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”

We can be complete in Christ. If you are not complete in Christ, is it because you have not yet come into Christ through baptism? If you have been baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, are you living for Christ? Sometimes, people start off just as Jesus explained in the parable of the soils recorded Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. They are like the seed that landed on the stony soil where there is only a thin layer of soil. As a result, the seed can’t take root downward to bear fruit upward. As a result, the seed dies. This type of seed represents those people who fall away and don’t really reach completion because they aren’t well rooted and built up. We have to be rooted and built up in order to grow—to reach the completion of which Paul speaks in Colossians 2. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus said, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” We’re to strive to be more like God. Is it your goal in this life to strive to have as close a relationship as you possibly can with God? Is it your goal to be as much like Jesus as you can? This is what Paul means by being “complete in Christ.” We don’t need philosophy, the world’s riches, or more earthly knowledge. Many people can use wealth and wisdom properly. But when you start going beyond the boundaries of what has been revealed, then you go beyond the doctrine of Christ. We learn from 2 John that we must not do that. We have to learn not to try to “outsmart God.” Even the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men (1 Cor. 1:25). Things in the Bible that may seem foolish to people are actually things of great wisdom that elude even the world’s wisest people.

Ben Bailey:

One of the problems with which they may have been troubled in the church in Colossae had to do with circumcision. It appears as if many of the Judiaizing teachers of Paul’s day may have had a philosophy that said, “Oh you need Christ, but not Christ alone. Instead, you need Christ plus circumcision.” We know from Acts 15 that this idea was a significant problem in the first-century church. The Christians in Colossae were having to deal with that doctrine. Paul makes it clear that you don’t have to have Christ plus circumcision. Christ alone makes you complete, as Colossians 2:10 plainly teaches. Paul wants the Christians to know that they have been circumcised. However, it is not a circumcision of the flesh, but a spiritual circumcision—which took place as they removed the sins of the flesh. Then Paul moves right into the idea of baptism. You’re circumcised, but how? We cut off sin from our lives, just like we cut off part of the skin in circumcision. Paul makes that point very clear. We’re circumcised (spiritually) when we repent and change our way of living. Then we are buried with Christ in baptism “by faith and the working of God,” Who raises us from the dead just as He did Jesus Christ (Col. 2:12). Paul says, in essence, “Yes, you are circumcised, but not via a physical circumcision. You don’t have to go out and be physically circumcised to go to Heaven.” That was an Old Testament teaching for Jews, but it is not a New Testament teaching for Christians. Christians are to circumcise their hearts (Joel 2:13). We are to repent by changing our ways. Then, we must be buried with Jesus Christ. How do we do that? We are buried with Him in baptism, and are raised through faith in the working of God. What takes place in baptism? What does it do for us? Do the waters of baptism have some “magical power”? No. We’re not teaching “water salvation,” in the sense that there is something mystical or magical in the water. If there were, I would be baptized everyday, wouldn’t you? It’s not mystical or magical. It’s by faith and the working of the power of God. What does baptism do for you? Through faith—through belief that God will raise you out of a dead spiritual condition—baptism gives you a new life. You are born again by being baptized. Because it is the case that we are raised from the dead through baptism, then unless you’ve been baptized, you are still dead in your sins. You may have repented, and you may have changed your life, but if you have not been buried with Christ in baptism so you can be raised to “newness of life,” then you are not saved. Baptism is essential in God’s plan of salvation. Ask yourself. Was it essential for Jesus to rise from the grave? What would Christianity be like if Jesus had stayed in the grave? There are far too many people in the religious world today who are still spiritually dead because they haven’t been baptized for the remission of their sins. Peter made it so clear when he said, “baptism does now also save us” (1 Pet. 3:21). Baptism, combined with belief, repentance, and confession, saves us. It is something that is essential. This is not to say that we “earn” or “merit” our salvation. Rather, it is to suggest that when God tells us we must do something, we have to meet His conditions. Salvation is still a free gift. Even when I’m baptized, I can’t look up to Heaven and say, “God you owe me salvation.” All I did was meet the conditions set forth by God. I didn’t earn my salvation by doing what God told me to do.

Timothy Sparks:

In Colossians 2:13, Paul says, “And you, though you were dead in your trespasses, yet He has made you alive together with Him.” Paul makes it very clear that God raised us up together with Christ. This follows on the heels of Paul’s comments about how we must be buried with Christ, and how we must be raised with Him. Paul is still speaking about our baptism, and he makes it clear that we died to the old life at baptism. We died to vain philosophy. We died to worldliness. We died to ourselves, so that we could be resurrected spiritually to live with Christ and God. In Colossians 2:14, in commenting about what Christ has done, Paul speaks of how He, “having blotted out the handwritings of ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us, having taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” In Mathew. 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I came not to destroy, but to fulfill.” Jesus did not come to obliterate all that God had purposed and planned. Rather, He came to fulfill God’s promises and to bring them to fruition. Paul makes it clear that by Jesus’ fulfilling God’s law and bringing to us forgiveness of sins, He took away the Old Law. We can’t live under both the Old Law and the New Law. The writer of Hebrews made that clear in Hebrews 8-10. Jesus “blotted out the handwriting of ordinances.” He nailed the Old Law to His cross. You and I now live, and will die, under the Law of Christ. Each and every individual has the responsibility to be obedient to the Gospel of Christ. Those who are not obedient to that Gospel reject God’s plan of salvation. They therefore will not be able to enter into Heaven. God loves us so much that He has provided a way for us to have our sins taken away. Therefore, we should live for Christ, as He is Head over all things, including the church for which He died.

Ben Bailey:

Since Paul has talked about how we are not under the Old Law anymore, he goes directly into this idea and says, “Let no one judge you in food or in drink, at a festival, a new moon, or Sabbaths” (Col. 2:16). The Old Law has been nailed to the cross. The word “judge” carries with it the connotation of condemning. Someone can’t come up to you and say, “I saw you eat a pork chop, you’re going to Hell.” Under the Old Law, they could have done that. You couldn’t eat pork. It was against the Old Law to do so. You couldn’t drink certain thinks if you were a Nazarite. You couldn’t drink anything made of grapes. Someone could condemn you for doing that. If you missed a festival, or if you didn’t keep the Sabbath, they could stone you for things like that. Since we’re not under the Old Law, no one can do that to us today. Here’s a very important point. There are many in our religious world today who still teach that we are to observe the Sabbath. But if people can’t judge us and condemn us according to the terms of the Old Law (since it has been taken out of the way), how can anyone ever say that we must keep the Sabbath? Such a position is wrong. It is not taught in the New Testament as part of Christ’s teaching. It’s false doctrine. People may promote it, but the Sabbath is not our day of worship. Jesus arose on the first day of the week. We learn from Acts 20:7 that Christians assembled on the first day of the week to take the Lord’s Supper. We learn from 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 that they assembled on the first day of every week to give and to partake of the Lord’s Supper. In the New Testament, the day of worship is Sunday—the first day of the week—not Saturday. Here’s a clear teaching. When it comes to things like circumcision, the Sabbath, new moons, festivals, certain kinds of foods, people can’t come up to you and say, “If you don’t start observing this feast, or keeping this part of the Old Law, you’re going to go to Hell.” Those things have been taken out of the way and nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ. As we get to the heart of the message in Colossians 2:16 (“Let no one judge you”), Paul says, “These things are the shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (vs. 17). Which would you rather have? Would you rather have a picture of Christ, or would you rather have Jesus Christ Himself? You see, the Old Law was just a shadow (2 Cor. 3)—a picture that began fading away at the moment it was taken. Under New Testament Christianity, you can have Jesus Christ personally in your life. Again, do you want the picture, or do you want to have Christ living in you as “the hope of glory” (Col.1:27)?

Timothy Sparks:

We learn from Colossians 2:18 that some people engage in “will worship”—that is, they worship whatever they want. We plead with you today, however, to worship the true and living God properly, and to serve Jesus Christ all the days of your life. If you have not become a Christian, we ask you to consider what we’ve said today, and to look at these passages to see what you must do to receive Christ. It’s made clear throughout the New Testament that you receive Jesus by believing in Him as the Son of God, by changing your heart and repenting of your sins, by confessing Jesus as God’s Son, and by being baptized into Christ.

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Narrator accompanied by a cappella singing:

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STUY QUESTIONS FOR Colossians Lesson 2 (Chapter 2)

  1. Where, in the Book of Colossians, is the “thematic statement” found?

  2. Who is Paul addressing in Colossians 2?

  3. According to Acts 18:8, when the Gospel was presented to the people of Corinth, once they believed, what did they do?

  4. Who is Peter describing in 2 Peter 2:20-21?

  5. Explain what the people described in 2 Peter 2:20-21 had done that caused the apostle to use such strong language.

  6. In Colossians 2:8, Paul warned the Christians in Colossae so that they would not fall prey to certain things. What were those things?

  7. What did the philosophy of Epicureanism teach?

  8. Humanism teaches that humans are the centerpiece of this world. Colossians 1:18 teaches something quite different. What is the teaching found in this particular verse?

  9. What did Paul mean when he said of Christ, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9)?

10. In Colossians 2:11, Paul spoke of how Christians had been “circumcised with the circumcision made without hands” What did he mean by that?

11. Explain the relationship between Joel 2:13 and Colossians 2:11.

12. According to the teaching found within this lesson, how is a person “born again”?

13. In 1 Peter 3:21, Peter mentions one specific thing that “saves us.” What is it?

14. Paul told the Colossians about a “handwriting of ordinances” that Christ had “blotted out” (Col. 2:14). How did Christ blot it out?

15. If someone today were to suggest to you that Christians must worship on the Sabbath (Saturday), to what chapter and verse in the Book of Colossians would you refer to prove them wrong?

16. What is the connection between Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2?

17. Paul taught that we should not allow anyone to judge us (Col. 2:16). Explain the context of his statement.

18. Is there any passage in Colossians 2 that would prohibit the worship of angels? If so, where is it?

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