Fullness Of God

Good evening. I pray this finds you well. It has been a good Lord's Day here in the panhandle. When I was a kid when something was filled to capacity, we would say, “It is fullup.” That is how Christ Jesus is, He is fullup with God because He is God.

Paul is writing to the Church at Colosse warning them about false teachers and false teachings. In the verses 4-10 of Chapter 2, Paul is warning against find sounding arguments and reaffirming the deity of Christ Jesus.

Elvis Presley once sang, “Wise men say only fools rush in...” Elvis of course was talking about love but his advice could be modified for the folks in the Church at Colosse. Paul was worry about them rushing in to follow false teachers trying to teach them Christ Jesus (+) for salvation.

The sages or wise men in Paul's time often criticized professional public speakers for their unethical use of persuasion at all cost, regardless of truth. This kind of reminds me of some commission salesmen I worked with. Many educated people of antiquity were trained and skilled in persuasive speech. Unfortunately some of these people skilled in persuasive speech were trying to lead the Colossian believers astray.

Of the 800,000  words in the English language. 300,000 are technical terms. The average person knows 10,000 words and uses 5,000 in everyday speech. A journalist knows approximately 15,000 and uses around 10,000.

Col 2:4-10

4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority

1. Concise Words (vs. 4-5)

In Colossians 2:4, Paul warn the Colossian believers not to let anyone deceive them with fine-sounding arguments. The term Paul uses literally means “pithy words” and “pithy” means meaty and concise. False teaching promotes itself through “smooth talk,” but it is still just “high sounding nonsense.” The old addage, “If it sounds to go to be true it probably is” applies here. Lies that come all dressed up in persuasive and pretty speech are still lies. 

You need to also remember who is the father of lies: "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). The bad news, like the believers in Colosse, we are under attack. 

The good news, like the believers in Colosse, we can stand strong. Paul though … absent ...in the body, rejoices to see ...discipline and stability of their faith in Christ. Letters were meant as a surrogate for one's presence while one was absent, as ancient writers sometimes pointed out. Saying that one remained with someone “in the spirit” was an expression of intimacy and affection. The point is Paul was writing the letter inferring intimacy not some kind of supernatural unity. 

In using the words discipline and stability, Paul is using terms that were originally military terms: “Your church is an orderly formation or array, of unbroken ranks, a solid unit.” The Church in Colosse presented a united, and solid front against the false teachers. And why was that? Because of their faith in the head of the Church, Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is the good news for the church and for each and everyone who will call on His name. In Christ Jesus you can stand strong against the armies of the enemy.

Believers can avoid the deception of false teachers by not just maintaining a solid front but by moving forward with steady progress. When you stop going forward, you stall; when you stall, you can fall. You received Christ Jesus as Lord. Now you are to continue living with Him as your Lord and Saviour. Christ Jesus is a sovereign antidote against seducers.

2. A Sovereign Antidote Against Seducers (vs. 6-7)

“Walk” or “Live” was a regular term for behaving according to God's laws. Step by step, day by day, you are to conduct your life in conscious submission to the lordship of Christ Jesus. Life is a journey, and you are not expected to sprint through it. You are just expected to make steady progress. 

Received is a technical term (in Greek) for the continuation of the traditional teaching by formal instruction for similar use. Received meant more than just to be taught. It meant actively using what you were taught and teaching others to do so also. Paul encourages the Colossians and you to continue in what (and whom) they were taught , not according to mere human traditions. What has been taught? Christ Jesus; God/man; through whom salvation comes both full and free.

Four words describe how you should relate to Christ Jesus to draw on His riches:

1. Rooted. The Greek tense looks back to that saving faith that initially united you to Christ Jesus. All Christians have received Christ Jesus as Lord of your life, and Saviour from sin and wrath. Salvation always comes first. 

2. Built up. Here the Greek tense emphasizes a continual process of growth. As you have received Christ Jesus, or consented to be His, so you must walk with Him daily and keep up your relationship with Him.

3. Strengthened. The present tense of this Greek word shows a continual process of deepening faith, described in Colossians 1:9-11: For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyousl There is no need to seek secret or “higher” knowledge. You are strengthened by the truth that is already revealed in Christ Jesus. 

4. Overflowing with thankfulness. This comes when you recognize that you are made complete in Christ, that you have every opportunity to grow spiritually in Him. On the other hand a discontented, grumbling, whiny believer, however, will be easy pray for false teachers who are more than willing to offer a “just what you've been missing” type of religion. 

Where are you in your walk with Christ Jesus today? What will it take to get you where you need to be? 

Paul uses philosophical language in his letters; including this letter to the Colossians. The difference between Paul and the false teachers is that his source of knowledge is God's revelation to man in Christ Jesus. The knowledge that the false teachers look to impart may have at best a sprinkling of God's truth and at worst be completely man-made. Paul gives us a fair warning of the danger we face.

3. Fair Warning (vs. 8)

Fair warning was given to the Christians in Colosse and to you of the danger faced. Hollow and deceptive philosophy depends on human tradition. The whole system presented by the false teachers in Colosse was mere "basic principles of this world" not the advanced truth they claimed.

There is a philosophy that is a great exercise of your reasoning, and highly usable to Christianity, such as a study of the works of God that leads you to a saving knowledge of God and confirms your faith in Him. But there is a philosophy which is vain and deceitful, which is prejudicial to Christianity and sets up the wisdom of man in competition with the wisdom of God. While this kind of philosophy pleases mankind, it can ruin their faith. It is understandable for us to make curious speculations about the things above us. However without God at their center, they are just empty and pointless.

The words and the artistry of the way in which they are presented sounds good, but upon closer examination they are only an empty and often a cheating appearance of knowledge. They are founded on the tradition of men, after the knowledge of this world, a fallen world. Those who pin their faith on other men's sleeves, and walk in the way of the world, have turned away from following after Christ Jesus.

When you except Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour you now have something more substantial. The Bible constantly gives us insight into our future, and treats us as if we were part of that future already. Our destiny is to be in the presence of God forever. In His presence we will be complete, whole, sinless, untemptable, incorruptible, all knowing, victorious, humble, wise, and completely loving in all circumstances. We don’t see all those things completely fulfilled in our lives at this time, but as long as we are in Christ Jesus, we see the fulfillment and present manifestation of all of these future certainties. We experience the presence of the future which is so much more.

4. All and More (vs. 9-10)

Under the law, the presence of God dwelt between the cherubim, in a cloud which covered the mercy-seat; but now it dwells in the person of our Redeemer, Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus who took on our nature, bone like our bone and flesh of our flesh, and in doing so more clearly showed the Father to us. The fullness of God dwells in Christ Jesus bodily. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ Jesus really, and not figuratively; for He is both God and man. 

Earlier Paul in this letter to the Colossians, spoke of Christ Jesus possessing the fullness or pleroma (play'-ro-mah) of God. In this chapter, Paul means simply that all God can be and is for you; is summed up in Christ Jesus. You don't need a "better way" because your relationship with Christ Jesus provides you with all of God. It is futile to look for spiritual fulfillment or maturity in any other place than Christ Jesus. In Him is all wisdom and knowledge and the fullness of deity.

Conclusion: Philosophy like most things is not bad in and of itself. It is the kind of philosophy and what you do with it that matters. Paul warned the Colossians and us not to let our ears be tickled by false teachers and philosophies. Once more we are reminded that Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alone hold all that we need. He is truth, and knowledge, Christ Jesus is the One who is head and authority over all.

So a couple of question to ask yourself right now: Do I want rely on the traditions of men or on the One who created men? Do I want to place my faith on an empty philosophy or in the fullness of God found only in Christ Jesus?