[Read Colossians 2:6-15]
A while back I came across a really great quote from a puritan named Thomas Watson. He said, “When the devil cannot destroy the church by violence, he endeavors to poison it.” (Watson, The Art of Divine Contentment). That’s such a powerful insight because I think many of us are ready for the frontal assault—to some degree. If someone comes up to you and says, “Deny Jesus Christ!” most of us are ready to say, “Absolutely not!”. So, we’re often ready for the frontal attack—or even prepared to suffer at various levels for the name of Jesus Christ.
Satan knows that we’re more prepared for those attacks, so he takes a much more subtle approach. He poisons the church. He sends false teachers into the church with a tainted, poisoned message. These false teachers don’t outright lie or teach false doctrine, but they taint it and twist it enough, that it’s poison. And that poison begins to spread throughout the church.
Last week we looked at the way plausible arguments continue to undermine and weaken our foundations, putting us in a position where we’re tossed around by every wind of doctrine. However, this week the Apostle Paul gives us much stronger language. He says, “See to it that no one takes you captive…“ (Colossians 2:8, ESV). This is very strong language. FF Bruce says that it could be translated along the lines of “Don’t let anyone kidnap you” or “Don’t let anyone carry you off as plunder.” It’s the image of a foreign army coming in, conquering a village, then hauling the people away as slaves and captives. The picture is one where there are people actively coming after you—seeking to enslave you and capture you and lead you away from Jesus Christ. And he says, “Don’t let it happen.”
He helps us see some of the ways people will try to take us captive and lead us away from Jesus Christ. He says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit…” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). These are not two separate things, but empty deceit is clarifying what he means by the word philosophy. He’s not saying that you shouldn’t read or study philosophy—as we would talk about it today. I know many great, solid pastors who have Masters degrees in philosophy. He’s warning the church that there are many philosophies out there that are nothing but empty deceit. He’s talking about these ideas that have been created by humanity and promise to answer all of our deepest questions and longings, but are actually completely empty and full of deceit. The world is full of these philosophies and they’re not neutral. People are actively using them to take you captive and lead you away from Jesus Christ. Paul says, “Don’t let it happen.”
Then he shows us another tool being used for these same purposes: “See to it that no one takes you captive…according to human tradition…” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). It’s not just philosophies that are actively seeking to take us captive but also human tradition. There are two sides to this coin. On the one hand, this is talking about one of Jesus’ primary issues with the Pharisees. He told them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!” (Mark 7:9, ESV). In some ways, this is connected to the empty and vain philosophies, but it’s dressed in Christian clothes. They come up with all of these traditions and rituals that morph and develop to the point that they contradict God’s Word and end up taking people captive and leading them away from Christ himself. That leads to the other side of the coin that can simply be explained by the well-known phrase, “This is how we’ve always done it…” Both of these things are human traditions that can take us captive and lead us away from Christ. Don’t let it happen.
Here’s the final one: “See to it that no one takes you captive…according to the elemental spirits of the world…” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). What in the world does that mean? There are two options that are possible—or a combination of both. Many commentators believe Paul is simply talking about elementary principles—or basic principles—things we would describe as the ABCs. The idea would be that Christians become held captive by these basic principles to the point that they never mature, they never grow up, and remain like children for the rest of their lives—which eventually results in them being led away from Christ. The other option is that these elemental spirits are hostile spiritual forces in the world who are actively at work desiring to take you captive and lead you away from Jesus Christ. The Greek word could mean either of those things.
I think the best option is to recognize it’s both. I believe this passage is talking about hostile spiritual forces who are at work seeking to lead Christians away from Christ by actively working to keep them immature and focused on aspects of their faith that will hold them in their immaturity which will make it much easier for them to be led astray and taken captive.
Let me give an example that I heard this week in another poll. Last week I shared a poll that showed 50-66% of all self-professing Christians have rejected the idea of absolute truth. Here’s the poll I heard this week, “27 percent [of Christians] consult astrology such as horoscopes at least once or twice a year, Pew Research found, with 9 percent turning to tarot cards and 6 percent to fortune tellers just as frequently. And while many respondents said such activities are mostly a fun pastime, 25 percent of Christians believe the astrological positions of the planets and stars impact their lives.” (https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/pew-a-fourth-of-christians-eye-astrology-tarot-cards-fortune-tellers-most-for-fun/). Of course there’s a lot I could talk about in that, but I’m pointing to this because I think it’s a perfect example of what Paul is warning us about in this passage—people looking to “spiritual” things, thinking they are diving deeper into “spiritual” things, but instead they are diving into things that will keep them immature and things that will eventually lead them away from Christ. Paul says not to let this happen.
We are to make sure that we’re not to be taken captive by anything that is not of Christ. That’s what we’re told in this passage: “See to it that no one takes you captive…and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8, ESV). Do not be taken captive by philosophies that are not according to Christ. Do not be taken captive by human traditions that are not according to Christ—or elemental spirits/principles that are not according to Christ. The only one who you are to be taken captive by is Christ himself. Anything that isn’t rooted in him, or derived from him, or centered on Him is a threat to your spiritual security and freedom.
Here’s why that’s the case. We read, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.” (Colossians 2:9–10, ESV). This is very close to what we’ve been talking about the last few weeks, so I won’t spend much time here. We are to look to Christ for everything because he is fully God and because he has all power and authority over all creation. He is also in you, which means that you have everything you need in him. Calvin says that if you do not believe that Christ is enough for you, and if you start looking anywhere else apart from him, you are desiring something better than God himself. Not only is that blasphemous, but it’s also impossible because there is nothing better than God himself. So, why look for anything outside of and apart from him?
He also reminds us what he’s done for us. He begins by reminding us where we were apart from Christ. He says, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh…” (Colossians 2:13, ESV). You were dead in your sin and your sinful nature. He also mentions that we had this “record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.” (Colossians 2:14, ESV). So, not only are you dead but you are completely overwhelmed by a debt that hangs over your head. You were born in debt because of your sin, and every single sin you’ve committed throughout your life has increased that debt more and more. It’s a hopeless picture—dead, overwhelmed by debt, and completely unable to do anything about either issue.
In that state, God does two things. First, we’re told, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” (Colossians 2:13, ESV). Notice, that you didn’t bring yourself to life. God did this. God looked at you and said, “Get up” and brought you back to life from the dead. And then we’re told, “God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13–14, ESV). It’s not like he brought you back to life and then made you responsible for paying off your debt—now that you are alive. No. He brought you back to life and then marked the balance sheet “paid in full,” then tore it up completely so that you don’t have to be reminded of it. That’s the picture we’re given in this passage. That balance sheet was nailed to the cross right alongside Jesus Christ and it died with him. Gone.
That’s not the end. After all of that, he works in you to transform you into his image. It’s not stated that way in this passage, but it’s saying the same thing in a different way. We read, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:11–12, ESV). There’s a lot here, and I don’t have time to work out all of the details. So, I’m just planning on hitting some of the highlights.
Paul is connecting a bunch of themes and concepts in this passage. Notice the overarching themes of this passage. It talks about circumcision—a spiritual circumcision—and it talks about baptism. It talks about the dying away of the old self and the rising to life of the new. It also talks about faith—which is central to it all. Let me connect some of these dots.
We know that the physical circumcision of the Old Testament wasn’t the end goal. Repeatedly God told the Israelites things like, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:6, ESV). The physical circumcision was a sign and seal of a spiritual reality. In many ways you could say that it was there to signify the dying away of the old self and rising to life of the new so that they would love God and follow him and serve him. That’s basically what this passage says.
Paul is saying that has happened to each one of us when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We were circumcised in that way. Our old self was cut away and we were raised to new life in Christ so that we could love and serve him all the days of our life. So, as we’ve been reminded over and over again throughout this series, not only are we forgiven and receive eternal life, but we’re also being transformed to follow him.
I also think it’s important to point out that Paul also shows us that baptism has replaced circumcision. When you cut out a bunch of the other stuff we read, “In him also you were circumcised…having been buried with him in baptism…” (Colossians 2:11–12, ESV). You could ask the question: When were you circumcised? And the answer would be, when you were baptized. I don’t plan on getting into all of the nitty gritty with this, but this is one of the reasons our church continues to baptize infants. It references this verse in the Heidelberg Catechism when it says, “Therefore, by baptism, the sign of the covenant, [infants] too should be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Testament by circumcision, which was replaced in the New Testament by baptism.” (HC 74).
After all of this, Paul reminds us of one more thing Christ has done for us: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15, ESV). Like I mentioned last week—or a couple weeks ago—these rulers and authorities are spiritual forces. We’re talking about Satan and demons here. Notice that Christ didn’t just defeat them in his death on the cross. He humiliated them—he put them to open shame. He disarmed them and took away all of their power. The language also points to the idea that he stripped them naked and paraded them through the streets. This is total humiliation for Satan and demons. It’s a reminder to God’s people that they no longer have any power over us. They’ve been defeated and humiliated by Christ.
I also want to point out that they’ve been disarmed—which means their weapons have been taken away because of what Christ has done on the cross. One of their primary weapons is accusation and guilt and shame. That’s one of the ways Satan and demons try to take us captive. We make a mistake and they hold it over our head, remind us, rub it in, make us feel guilty and shame for it. Yet, that weapon has actually been removed from them. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Who is going to condemn you? Nobody. So, tell them to be quiet. The proper response to falling into sin is not to beat yourself up and wallow in guilt and self pity. That’s some weird attempt to atone for your own sins that’s only going to lead to you being enslaved. Rather, the proper response is to repent, seek forgiveness, and follow Christ.
That’s why Paul begins this passage this way, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Colossians 2:6, ESV). The word walk is in a particular tense that really has the connotation of “keep on walking”. It’s not a one-time deal. It’s not based on a single decision where you receive Christ and then nothing more happens. After you receive Christ, then you need to keep on walking in him.
And the idea is that you can keep on walking in him because of all the things I’ve already talked about in this sermon. You can keep walking in Christ because he has brought you from death to life, he’s forgiven you, he’s transformed you. And, to add to all of that, you can keep on walking in him because He has defeated, shamed, and disarmed the hostile forces who are attacking you. Because of all those things, keep on walking in him.
What’s interesting is how he describes keeping on walking. Really, it seems like he’s actually describing what it takes to keep on walking. Or to say it another way, he’s describing what it takes to make sure you’re not kidnapped and hauled off away from Christ. This is deeply connected to last week’s passage, so I won’t spend too much time here. But basically he says the same thing this week as last week. If you want to make sure you can keep on walking in Christ, and not be kidnapped and hauled away from him, you need to make sure you’re “rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught…” (Colossians 2:7, ESV). Another way of saying that was in last week’s message. If you want to stand firm and to keep on walking you need to mature in Christ—that’s what roots you and establishes you in the faith.
I do want to take a moment to point out something additional that comes in this passage—another tool that helps protect us from being taken captive. Paul uses one specific phrase that means more than you get at first glance. He says, “…as you received…as you were taught…” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV). The phrase “as you received” is a very particular phrase that is typically used to describe something that was passed down by tradition—or what we could call creeds and confessions. It shows us that even in the very early church they had certain teachings and traditions that they considered essential to be passed down through the ages. I don’t want to spend too long on this but these creeds and confessions are some of the tools God has given us to prevent us from being taken captive and led astray. They root us and ground us in the historic church. Every generation is tempted to run off into some new teaching, but the creeds and confessions ground us in the teachings that have been passed down for centuries and millennia.
Finally, Paul gives us another important aspect of the Christian life that helps us be rooted and established so that we’re not taken captive and led astray. It’s something that many people will overlook. He says, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV). This isn’t just a throw away phrase and it’s not disconnected from everything else we’re talking about. As we continue walking in Christ, we are called to be continually abounding in thanksgiving to him for every blessing and gift that comes from him.
I think we know that’s true, however, we don’t often connect that to everything we’ve been talking about in this passage. Being someone who is abounding in thanksgiving actually roots you and establishes you so that you’re not taken captive and led astray. Let me say the opposite to make sure you understand what I’m talking about. Someone who lives their life ungrateful and unthankful will be much more easily manipulated and much more easily taken captive by a variety of philosophies, traditions, and hostile spirits. Ingratitude is a breeding ground for being led astray in a variety of ways. So, another aspect of living a life that is rooted and established, and not easily led astray, is to be continually abounding in thanksgiving.
There’s nothing more powerful in the battle against Satan and all the empty philosophies of this world than to be thankful. They will work so hard to steal your thanksgiving. But they’ve been disarmed. How can you not be thankful? Christ has died for you and saved you and brought you back to life and transformed you! So, let them throw accusations at you and try to lead you astray. You will keep your eyes on Jesus—who he is and what he has done—and you will joyfully abound in thanksgiving as you seek to grow up in him. That’s how you will continue to walk in him and stand firm.