Background
Colossians → Written to “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse”
“Colosse” → A city in Asia Minor (Southwest region of Turkey; East of Ephesus)
“To the saints and faithful brethren” → Strong case that these are two groups
“Saints” → Jewish believers (Deut, 1 Sam, 1 Chron, Job, Psa, Dan, Hos, Zec)
“Faithful brethren” → Non-Jews who accepted Paul’s Gospel of Grace
2 Timothy 2:15 → “Rightly Divide the Word of Truth”
We need to determine which parts are for Israel and which is for the Body of Christ
1:25-27 → Paul preaches “the Mystery” to the Colossians
“the dispensation of God which is given to me for you” → Paul received this new dispensation
“the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations” → A new revelation.
“the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you”
The mystery is the salvation in Christ Jesus through his death, burial, and resurrection.

Verse 6 → “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:”
“As ye have therefore received Christ” → How do we receive Christ?
Faith: 1:23 → “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled”
Paul is not supporting that you can lose your salvation if you do not continue in faith
“Continue” → (ep ee may no) stay over, abide, remain
Paul is saying that salvation is received by moving forward in faith.
They could not reject Paul’s teaching and accept another doctrine.
They must accept Paul’s teaching of salvation by grace through faith.
“and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel”
Don’t hear Paul’s Gospel and then move on to something else.
“so walk ye in him” → 2 Cor 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight)
We walk after the spirit, not after the flesh
The Spirit comes by faith.
FAITH IS ESSENTIAL.

Verse 7 → “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein
with thanksgiving.”
“Rooted and built up in him” → Paul is clarifying his position.
Salvation is rooted in Christ (No other name by which we can be saved.)
“Stablished in faith” → They must accept that salvation is built upon faith in Christ.
They must continue in it by accepting it as truth.
*Paul doesn’t know for sure how many of them have actually accepted his gospel.

Verse 8 → “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
“Beware lest any man spoil you”
“Spoil” → Don’t allow someone to deceive you into thinking that you must accept another gospel
An essential part of receiving salvation is understanding that there is no other way to be saved.
They would be spoiled if someone came along and deceived them before they understood Paul.
Virtually every other world religion (except universalists) requires works or sacraments.
A gospel of grace and freedom is hard to accept. (Even churches struggle accepting it.)
Verse 9 → “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
“fulness” → completion, filled up (we get plethora)
Jesus is the Godhead!
The fullness of God the Father and the Holy Ghost in flesh!
Jesus lacks nothing in righteousness or power.
Mat 28:18 → “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”
“Power” → (exousia) meaning authority or jurisdiction
If all the fulness of the Godhead (divinity) dwells in Jesus…
Surely, salvation must come only through him (through faith in him as revealed by Paul)
Paul’s asking them to do the sniff test, logically think through this.

Verse 10 → “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
“complete” → (playro) to fulfill, cram (as if filling up a net complete full) lacking nothing
Another form of “fulness” in verse 9 (playro ma)
“Fulfill” (51x), “fill” (19x), “be full” (7x), “complete” (2x)
This word means completeness and totality in its usage.
It is the word used to explain Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophets.
“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,”
“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,”
If something is full, it is not void of something.
“Which is the head of all principality and power” → Christ is over all creation.
“Principality” → (arche) he is above all things, no matter how long standing or old
Paul’s point → Christ is all powerful and in complete authority over all things.
If the One Who is before and above all things has put away your trespasses…
There is nothing more that you could do to perfect it, complete it, or add to it.
Upon receiving the gift of salvation through faith, you lack nothing.
There is not a ladder you must climb to achieve greater righteousness in God’s eyes.
You do not have to complete a list of tasks in order to be loved by God more.
You don’t have to attend “x” amount of church service or events in order to be approved by God.
You are simply, complete in Christ!

Verse 11 → “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”
“In whom also ye are circumcised”
“Ye are circumcised” → plural (consistent with verse 10; “ye are complete”)
“With the circumcision made without hands” → This is not a literal circumcision
The Bible almost always tells you when it is being literal or figurative.
“in putting off the body of sins of the flesh” → How is this body of sins of the flesh put off?
Paul gives us the answer.
“By the circumcision of Christ” → Figurative, Paul is painting a picture.
Circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant
Christ is the hope of God’s promise of salvation.
1:27 → “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
This “circumcision” is not some slow process by which one becomes more Christ-like…
It is not done through one’s own labor or long suffering.
It has already been provided through the work of Christ and received upon faith!

Verse 12 → “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of
God, who hath raised him from the dead.”
“Buried with him in baptism” → figuratively to be assimilated with Christ
In Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; we have died to our old selves and are resurrected.
This is the figurative interpretation.
But very literally, we have resurrection because of Christ’s defeat of death.
“Baptism” → (baptisma) immersed in Christ
“ye are risen with him through faith of the operation of God”
Through faith in God’s plan for salvation.
Through faith alone, one is made complete in the work of Christ.
For those who disagree, who is man to think they can perfect God’s perfection?

Pastors don’t want to preach on being “complete in him”
They have to give their congregation a reason to keep listening to them.
It is seen as being some lofty and unattainable goal.
Sometimes you are walking obediently after the Spirit, sometimes you’re not.
Sometimes you are content in Christ, sometimes you are not.
Sometimes you are courageous in your faith, sometimes you're not.
Pastors will preach ten part sermons to this topic!!!

Pastors and theologians just can’t accept how simple it is!
Charles Spurgeon felt the need to add “if we have love for all the saints and a hope laid up in heaven.”
Many will argue that Paul is referring to just spiritual blessings.
You must be mindful of the spiritual blessings and walk in them to experience your completion.
That is a pitiful understanding of scripture.
*It is adding things that just aren’t there.
Some will agree from the moment you are saved that you are complete in Christ, but…
You have to grow in your knowledge of God and be mentored by more mature believers.
You have to grasp it and take possession of it.
They will say “you are complete in him” but they can’t just be content.
They have to add, “And a part of being complete in him is growing spiritually!”
*That is simply not what Paul teaches.

Some pastors say that there is too much liberty in this doctrine.
*But if you fully understand, you become so much more grateful.
***God’s gift of salvation is even better than you realized!!!