COLOSSIANS 2:9

In Colossians 2:9 we are given a declaration of who Christ is. It says, “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The word “Godhead” refers to the very essence of God. Combine that with the word “fullness” and we are being told that everything that God is dwells in Christ. Christ is fully God in every sense of the word. He is not a lesser God. He is not further down on the chain of command from the Father. Jesus Christ is the all-powerful almighty God. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” This being true, it is very interesting that the word “bodily” is used. Jesus Christ has a body. God has a body: the resurrected body of Christ.

Think of the body of Christ. It is a perfect body, and yet it has scars: the scars that He gained as a part of paying the price for sin. These scars are an eternal declaration that God loves mankind, even though man is so terribly sinful. We know that Jesus existed before His birth. Along with the Father and the Spirit, Jesus created the universe. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” Jesus existed in eternity past, but He did not have a body then. When He came into the world through the virgin Mary, He was given His body. Jesus said, “A body thou hast prepared for me.” It shows the great esteem that God gives to the human body. King David wrote, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” That pure body was injured and maimed and marred and hung on a cross. That body was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven. That body now is indwelt by the fullness of the Godhead, and God will be that way forever!

We are told two more things about Jesus Christ in Colossians 2:10. It says, “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” The first part of this verse says, “ye are complete in him.” Every true believer is complete in Christ. The emphasis is on what Christ is for us, and not on what we are for Him. Paul wrote in First Timothy 1:15, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Anyone who tries to emphasize his own accomplishments for God will always come up short, if he is honest. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” But anyone who thinks about the fact that all believers are “complete in him” will always have peace and rest and confidence because of Jesus.

The second part of Colossians 2:10 reminds us that Jesus is the “head of all principality and power.” Such a statement can only be true of God, and it is true of Jesus because Jesus is God. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords because Jesus is God. As believers go through this world complete in Christ and trusting in Christ, it is good to be reminded that all of the powers of this world and of this universe are under His authority. They can do nothing except that He allows it to happen, and somehow Jesus will use what they do for His glory. Jesus will change their mind at any moment. It says in Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever that he will.” The same is true of all levels of authority.

The Bible says about Jesus in Colossians 2:11, “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 this verse the Apostle Paul is making reference to one of the false doctrines that was being taught in the first century. Christians were being taught that they had to be circumcised in order to be rightly related to God. Of course, such a teaching is false and such a teaching takes away from the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul makes the point in Colossians 2:11 that believers have been circumcised spiritually by Christ. Circumcision is the removal of flesh, and human flesh is symbolic of sinful human nature. At the moment of your salvation Jesus removed your sins from you. Therefore, you do not need circumcision. Your sins have been circumcised from you by Jesus Christ.

The personal connection that believers have with Christ can be expressed in many ways. Colossians 2:12 says, “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.” The first word of this verse is “buried.” That is what happens to a person who has died: he is buried. God looks at each believer as though they have died. They have died to sin. You will stop sinning when you die, because a dead person does not sin. Once God reckons you as being dead, it means that He no longer counts your sins against you. Notice that Colossians 2:12 uses the phrase “with him” twice. God says that we are buried with Christ and that we are raised with Christ. Christ has already been buried and has already been raised from the dead. That means that every believer has already been buried and has already been raised from the dead, because every believer is joined with Jesus in His death and resurrection.

Colossians 2:12 says that we are “buried with him through baptism” and “risen with him through the faith.” The baptism that is being spoken of is spiritual baptism. At the moment of salvation the believer is baptized into Christ. The word “baptism” refers to immersion and cleansing. Romans 6:4 speaks of the spiritual baptism possessed by every true believer and says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Of course, this baptism into Christ comes by faith. Once we put our faith in Christ, we are baptized into Christ. We become united with Christ and identified with Christ so that we share in all of the victories over sin and over death.

The Bible says in Colossians 2:13, “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” The problem of the human race is the sin problem. Sin brings death: physical death and spiritual death. Spiritual death is separation from God. The way to fix this problem is to take away the sins, and that is exactly what the Lord has done. Those who believe in Jesus are given life instead of death. Those who believe in Jesus are forgiven “all trespasses.” The word that is translated “forgiven” means literally “to show favor to” or “to be gracious toward.” Jesus has been gracious towards us in regards to “all trespasses.” Notice carefully that it says “all trespasses.” Sin is the greatest problem that we have, and Jesus has repaired that problem. Once you believe in Jesus, He has graciously given to you a great forgiveness. Not one sin is left. Every sin has been forgiven.

Colossians 2:14 gives more detail about this forgiveness from sin that Jesus gives. It says, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” Notice the phrases that are used to emphasize the fact that the sins are totally and completely gone: “blotting out,” “took it out,” and “nailing it to his cross.” The word that is translated “blotting out” comes from a word that means “to wash away” or “to erase.” There is “handwriting” against us. This refers to the commandments that are written down in the scriptures. We have all broken the commandments. The very existence of the commandments condemns us, but with forgiveness it is as though the commandments do not exist. One thing is certain: the condemnation of the commandments does not exist for the believer. Colossians 2:14 says that He “took it out of the way.” This is an emphasis on the fact that Jesus did something for us. He took our sins out of the way. There is nothing for us to do because He did it all.

Of course, Jesus accomplished this on the cross of Calvary. Colossians 2:14 says that he nailed “it” to his cross. He nailed all transgressions to his cross. In reality Jesus was nailed to the cross. “He was made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Jesus had “his cross.” The followers of Jesus will each have a cross to bear. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.” There will always be a price to pay for following Jesus. That is because the evil forces in this world hate the followers of Christ, and the evil forces will find a way to make it hard on you. That will be your cross. The evil forces used Judas, the jealous religious leaders, the political Roman officials, and the weaknesses of the apostles to bring Jesus to His cross. Evil forces will bring you to a cross also.

But God is still in control. The same victory will be given to you that Jesus accomplished through His cross. Colossians 2:15 says, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Three things are said to demonstrate the victory of Christ over the evil forces. Jesus “spoiled principalities”. The word “spoiled” is translated from a word that means “to cast aside” or “to lay aside” as you would if you took off a garment. Of course, it demonstrates ownership and power over something when we say that Jesus did cast aside principalities and powers. Jesus also “made a show of them openly.” The victory of Jesus over the power of evil was openly demonstrated to all the universe. Now the judgment is secure. All beings will be judge by Him. All will appear before Him who is the Judge of all. What a demonstration of power and of majesty and of might that took place on the cross of Calvary. He defeated the powers of evil by allowing them do what they wanted to do to him in the arrest, the trial, the scourging, and the crucifixion. Jesus triumphed over them “in it.” He triumphed over them by means of the cross. And because of the cross of Calvary, His power over all will be manifest even more at the great judgment of all creatures before the King Eternal. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:38-44, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you.”

The Bible says in Colossians 2:16-17, “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Of course this verse is another reference to the false teachers of the first century, who were condemning Christians for not following certain teachings of the Old Testament. There were restrictions in the Old Testament concerning meat and drink. These restrictions from the Old Testament no longer apply to Christians. These false teachers are also exposed in First Timothy 4:4 that says “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 2:16 says that the false teachers will attempt to condemn believers because of “an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days.” These are references to religious observances that were required in the Old Testament. For example, it says in Exodus 2:4, “On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.” This is a commandment. This commandment was given by God. This commandment was given for the people of God. But this commandment no longer applies. False teachers will take commandments from the Old Testament and will tell Christians that they must obey these commandments to serve God. These false teachers do not understand that there is a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of the commandments from the Old Testament no longer apply to the age of grace. “We are not under law, but under grace.” There was a purpose for those things in the Old Testament. Colossians 2:17 says that they are “a shadow of things to come.” The key word here is the word “shadow.” These Old Testament commandments that no longer apply taught lessons by way of illustration. That is why they are called a “shadow.” They are also called a “shadow” because they have been replaced by a greater light, and that light is Christ. That is why the last part of Colossians 2:17 says that “the body is of Christ.” It was through faith in Christ that we were made a part of the body. It was not through the keeping of Old Testament commandments. It was not through legalistic restrictions, nor through the keeping of special religious observances. Turn away from the false teachers who misunderstand the Old Testament, and turn to Christ.

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