Colossians: Part 2 - Ch. 2

Sanctification

As Paul moves on in his letter to the Colossians, we see him hit on a topic in chapter two that is true for every believer in Paul’s day and every believer in our day as well. The topic that Paul discusses is how we are all alive in Christ. Now, why would Paul talk about such a topic? Could it be that he was just covering more of the gospel, like he has in previous epistles? Possibly. However, I think there is more to it. I believe the reason Paul wrote about this is not just to show us the beauty of the gospel, but to call out and confront a popular way of living that isn’t biblical. When we die to ourselves and repent and believe in Christ, we don’t walk around continuing to sin because we know that Christ has paid for our sin, but rather our hearts are transformed because our old lives didn’t just die with Christ, but our new lives came alive in Him as well. This is again what the process of sanctification looks like as the Holy Spirit transforms our lives. Sean Michael Lucas puts this in perspective when he states, “​​As we receive Jesus and rest in Him alone for our salvation, we are united to Him in such a way that God sees us in Him. What is the result? We shall be made alive. Not just the spiritual part of us—our immaterial parts that we often call our “souls”—but our bodies—our physical parts—shall be as well.” I know Mr. Lucas is more focused on the physical aspects of coming alive in Christ, but notice that he states the immaterial, spiritual parts of us are made alive as well. This is what Paul is trying to communicate in this chapter. We are no longer dead in our sins; they have been forgiven. So with this knowledge, Paul wants believers to live as a people who have been saved by Christ, who know that eternity with Him forever is in their future. 

Alive In Christ

To begin, Paul starts off explaining this whole concept by explaining how all good things and all treasures of wisdom are found in Christ and Christ alone. This is also why Paul explains the suffering that he is going through at the beginning of this chapter as well. Paul is not trying to throw a pity party by having everyone express their sorrow for him for his struggles, but rather, he is showing the church that if he is willing to suffer everything that he is going through, there must be a great reason for it. Paul builds off of this in Colossians 2:6-7 when he says, “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 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.” Living in sin because Jesus has paid the penalty for your sin comes to a screeching halt after you read this passage. Not only is Paul instructing us to walk in Christ, but he claims that we have been instructed to do this by the Lord Himself and to do so with overflowing gratitude. In other words, follow the Spirit as He leads you to be more and more like Christ each and every day. And don’t forget to thank God for your transformation either. Does it sound like there’s any room for staying in your dead life and living a life of sinful practices? Not at all. We are called to imitate a sinless being. There is no room for sin to have a say over anything we do anymore. 

Dead To Self

Furthermore, Paul continues to describe how our old lives are dead by describing what Christ truly paid for when He died on the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 says, “And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled 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.” I love how Paul states this right here. Paul mentions how we were once dead, but now we are made alive. But why have we been made alive? Because Christ forgave all of our wrongdoings and canceled our debt. What a beautiful picture of grace this is. But Paul doesn’t stop here. What is the last thing he states in this passage? ‘He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.’ Our sin isn’t just paid for, but it has been taken out of the way. We no longer need to be subject to our sinful desires anymore; God has made a way out. Now, this by no means states that once a believer is saved that they will no longer sin, that would be grossly incorrect. What this is stating, though, is that once we have been saved, we are no longer mastered by sin because Christ has overcome sin for us and is our new master. 

This is why Paul closes this chapter by showing us how we are no longer reliant upon traditions or sacrifices to save us, but only Christ and Him alone. Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day—things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Sin no longer rules over us, traditions no longer save us, and substance no longer keeps us. Every hope that we now have to die to our sin, come alive again, and live in heaven forever is all because of Christ. This is the joy we have of not just knowing who Christ is, but actually living in Christ by repenting and believing in His gospel. Our hope for salvation and sanctification our now in Him and no longer based on our efforts. This is the beauty of having a path to salvation that isn’t works-based. We are not expected to overcome the weight of this world, our flesh, and the devil; Jesus has done it all for us. I hope and pray that as you read this and study the second chapter of Colossians, you will be filled with hope and gratitude towards your savior for all that He has done for you. 

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Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

[2] Alive in Christ | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org. (2013, August 10). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/alive-in-christ