Colossians 2:8-15

Colossians 2:8-15 … We’ve been talking about making Christ central to everything and watching in our own churches to see that Christ is central in our ministries. With that background, Colossians 2:8 sounds a warning to the Colossians and to us, because the message transcends every age. Here’s the very important warning: don’t be taken captive by deceptive philosophies, traditions and worldly principles. In the vernacular, we might say “don’t be sucked in by society” … be wary of social acceptability, trendy philosophies, and concepts that may be appealing but that detract from and dilute the Gospel, the Gospel that saves and reconciles the lost with God who loves them. God’s message is in His Word and that must be the focus of ministry. That’s the warning. And the accompanying verses (9-15) amplify this importantly. Colossians 2:9 is a great memory verse … in Christ, all the fullness of God resides in human form! We’re complete only in Him (v.10) and in Him we have the true circumcision … the cutting away of sinfulness (which is its representation in Scripture). Colossians 2:12 is the meaning and purpose of baptism, symbolizing our death to  sin and being raised in newness of life, noting the words carefully … “through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” This portion of Colossians is wonderful Gospel truth. Verses 13-15 are worth memorizing, putting on the refrigerator or in the center of the dinner table … “you were dead … God made you alive … He forgave us all our sins … nailing [them] to the cross.” When you hear about the “precious promises” of the Scriptures, this is certainly a capsule of truth worth having written on the table of your heart.