Scripture:
“My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that’s not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. If it’s an initiation ritual you’re after, you’ve already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” Colossians 2:6-15 (MSG)
Perspective:
Paul exhorted the church in Colosse to not lose focus on the message about Jesus that they had been given. Instead of trying to wrap Jesus into other religions or be swayed by people following a different path, they needed to keep their eyes fixed on Christ’s power that had changed their lives. Even within their church, the good intentions of some to keep people on the straight and narrow was crippling. The rules and religious code undermined what Christ did on the cross. The Colossians knew what they needed to do to follow God; however, knowing wasn’t enough. They had to start walking in what they believed.
Christ came to bring freedom to the captives. We are all slaves to sin without Christ. Our sinful desires want to take root in our lives, but all our sins were nailed to the cross when Jesus died for us. The penalty that we should have paid was paid in full by Jesus. How often do we make it more complicated than it should be? God has not called us to abide by rituals for religion’s sake. Jesus came to expose and expel the weight of religion that could never free or save. It’s Jesus who calls us to freedom, but we keep wanting a process or rules that we can keep to ensure our salvation like the Colossians. Our faith in Jesus should be evident in our in lives. We can’t just know what we believe; it has to translate into what we live. In our efforts to honor God, the crux between our efforts and Christ’s power come together. We aren’t living to prove our salvation; we are living a life of truth to honor what God has done for us. Don’t try to undo what Christ already did for you. Our sin was nailed to the cross, and we don’t have to carry it with us anymore. Let’s celebrate that freedom through living our lives fully surrendered to Jesus.
Scripture taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
[separator_small separator_width=” thickness=” up=” down=”]
About Hona Amer
I help people live life to the fullest. Check out my book, Smart Work U. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. In order to receive updates, subscribe below.
[separator_small separator_width=” thickness=” up=” down=”]
Discover how to start a business + lead your life + create a life you love. Don't miss a post!:
