Bulletin Articles
The Sufficiency of Christ
One of Paul’s primary arguments in the letter to the Colossians is that Christ is the only One who is sufficient to provide forgiveness and salvation. There is no understanding of the “grace of God in truth” (1:6) unless it is firmly grounded in the truth of Jesus Christ. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (1:13-14). “By Him all things were created…” and “in Him all things hold together.” He is preeminent over all, and is the head of the church, His body. Only through Him will we be reconciled to God, as He has “made peace through the blood of His cross” (1:15-20). Further, “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are found in Him, and because of who He is, in whom the fullness of the godhood dwells, we need to make sure that we aren’t being led astray. Christ has all authority over all things, visible or invisible and only in Him will we be made complete. He is sufficient to give us all that we need to be pleasing to Him. This is a reaffirmation of what the apostles said when challenged: “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Paul was very concerned about the problems that these Colossian brethren faced. They were in danger of being led astray through persuasive argumentation and worldly philosophies. Paul wrote, “I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument” (2:4). Then, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (2:8). Paul bases his arguments on both the nature of Christ Himself and the nature of our relationship to Christ: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete…” (2:9-10). Worldly philosophies cannot hold a candle to the depth and glory of what Christ offers. Jesus Christ is incomparable. As Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).
The term “philosophy” is one of those compound words that indicates the love (phileo) of wisdom (sophos). There is nothing wrong in itself with loving wisdom—in fact God wants us to love wisdom in the truest sense. “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; love her, and she will watch over you” (Prov. 4:5-6). Paul isn’t saying that there is something inherently evil with philosophy, but rather that any philosophy that takes one away from Christ is dangerous and to be avoided. There is good philosophy and bad philosophy. One draws us closer to God; the other deludes into thinking that we are sufficient of ourselves. Any philosophy that is separated from the Head (I.e., “not holding fast to the head,” 2:19) is dangerous and may well defraud you “of your prize.”
For many in the ancient world, the concept of philosophy carried with it the notion that one should only use reason without any appeal to a divine standard. Reason alone was sufficient. Consequently, there were all kinds of strange ideas floating around (about as many as there were people trying to practice such philosophy). But what Paul is specifically addressing seems to be philosophy that is rooted in both mysticism and Jewish ascetics (i.e., a life focused on extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons, as if keeping hands off of something is what makes a person holy, 2:16-19). Rather than allowing themselves to be led astray by philosophies that ultimately are spawned by being disconnected from God, Paul urges that they stay focused on the truth that they learned about Christ. “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” (2:6-7). “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (3:1-4).
Today, we face many challenges to our faith in Christ. Just remember that no worldly philosophy can be sufficient to make us complete. Only Christ, God manifested in the flesh, is capable of giving us what we really need. Let’s be thankful for this.
Doy Moyer
