Alive in Christ
Introduction
At the end of this lesson, summarize in one sentence what this passage of scripture is saying to you.
Colossians 2:8-15 NLT
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Examine the Scriptures:
Alive in Christ
Colossians 2:8-15 NLT
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
- Paul repeatedly warns the church to be vigilant against the destructive teachings of false teachers.
Previously in Colossians 2:4
4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.
Later in Colossians 2: 20 & 22
20 … So why do you keep on following the rules of the world … 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.
Paul warns the Colossians to be vigilant against false teachings that are based on human traditions rather than in Christ.
False teachers were combining faith in Christ with “man-made regulations. (Salvation = faith in Christ + works.)
They should have been teaching “Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone”.
… rather than from Christ.
- True wisdom and understanding come from Christ.
John 14:6 NLT
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Here Paul is affirming Christ’s deity, emphasizing that He is fully God in bodily form.
John 10:30 NLT
30 The Father and I are one.”
John 14:9 NLT
9 Jesus replied, … Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! …
John 1:1-5 NLT
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
- Jesus is God in the flesh.
10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ,
- Believers are united with Christ.
Romans 12:4-5 NLT
4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
John 14:20 NLT
20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
1 Corinthians 6:15 NLT
15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ?
1 Corinthians 12:27 NLT
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
Believers, united with Christ, are made complete in Him and do not need any additional religious rituals or human philosophies.
John 11:25-26 NLT
25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die…”
- What believers have in Christ is completely adequate for their spiritual needs.
John 15:5 NLT
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
The heresy being taught to the Colossians was that Christ alone is not enough.
who is the head over every ruler and authority.
- Jesus Christ is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.
We have no need for anything other than Jesus.
Review: From Colossians 1
Colossians 1:15-20 NLT
Christ Is Supreme
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.
In the Old Testament, physical circumcision was established as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Physical circumcision was a requirement for participating in Israel’s religious community.
- The New Testament emphasizes a spiritual circumcision, the cutting away of the sinful nature, — a transformation of the heart through Christ.
Romans 2:29 NLT
… And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit…
12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Baptism symbolizes this inward change.
- Baptism symbolizes and confirms the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Through faith, believers partake in Christ’s victory over sin.
Romans 6:3-6 NLT
3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Water baptism was closely related to conversion in the early church.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away.
Before salvation, believers were spiritually dead in sin.
Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
We owed a debt we could not pay.
Paul describes the believer’s past state—spiritually dead due to sin. However, through Christ, God grants new life and complete forgiveness.
Review:
Colossians 1:13 NLT
13 For he (the Father) has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Romans 3:23 NLT
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 6:23 NLT
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:10 NLT
10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.
- Jesus, through His death, satisfied the legal requirements of the Old Testament Law.
- Through His death and resurrection, Christ paid the penalty for our sins, freed believers from legalistic bondage, and triumphed over spiritual enemies.
15 In this way, he (Christ) disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Ephesians 6:12 NLT
12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
- Christ’s death and resurrection defeated the powers of darkness, stripping them of their authority over believers.
By fulfilling the demands of the Law, Christ disarmed the demonic powers and authorities.
God Himself is the source of all truth, and His Word (the Scriptures) is the revealed truth. Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, embodies truth, and the Holy Spirit guides believers into understanding and living by that truth. (ChatGPT)
This passage emphasizes that Christ alone is sufficient.
