Colossians 2: 8-14
(8) 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.
We are responsible to see to it that we don't listen to these other teachers. They want to convince us to follow worldly ideas, and deceptive theories, and to complicate the simple gospel.
(9) For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
It is in Christ that we find the Source of everything we need, not the world.
(10) and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
Because He is the Head of the body, He is the brain that directs us, through the nervous system of His Holy Spirit that dwells in each of us. He is our connection. And each of us is finished, we are made complete in Him.
(11) and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;
Circumcision is a cutting away. This cutting away that is not by physical hands is God's having cut our flesh away from our spiritual life, separating us from the power that sin had over us. Now we don't have to automatically give in to temptation, we have a way out of it.
(12) having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Now Paul brings in baptism. Water baptism that we act out is a physical picture of the spiritual reality of God's baptizing, or immersing us into the body of Christ. And just as Jesus rose from the dead with a new life, so we demonstrate that we will live our lives differently from before, not giving in to those persistent temptations. And we will also be resurrected as He was.
(13) When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
We were spiritually dead, connected only to our physical flesh, which was under bondage to sin. Now that God has forgiven us, He has cut the flesh away from our spirit, severing that connection, and He has placed His Holy Spirit into our spirit, so that we are now alive with real life, spiritual life.
(14) having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
All the laws, rules, and precepts that we disobeyed incurred on our account a great debt, which Jesus paid off with His death and shedding His blood, as He was nailed to the cross.
Jesus fulfilled the Law, as He said He came to do in Matthew 5: 17. The first law that God wanted His Levites to teach His people was the personal sacrifice, which we find in the very first chapter of Leviticus, the technical book showing the teachers how to do these things.
We find there that the individual was to bring his own animal to the priest, lay his hand on the head of the animal, identifying with it, then the priest would sacrifice the animal, dying in place of the person, substitutionally. Then the blood of the animal was splashed on the sides of the altar, to cover the sins of the person, and he would then be forgiven by God.
Jesus is the Lamb of God, who is our personal sacrifice, whose blood splashed the sides of His altar, the cross. He died for us individually, as our substitute. The blood of animals could only cover sins, Jesus shed God's own blood, that has the unlimited value to wash away our sins completely.
Now God can not only forgive us, but also put His own Spirit into our spirit, making us alive. With all of our sinfulness completely washed away, we are pure so that the presence of God Himself in us will not destroy us. This is incredible!
That God would see me as perfect, clean through and through, even though I am still in my flesh, and living in this world, is totally unreal! I just can't seem to be able to get my head around this. This is a miracle, that God would put His Spirit in me and cause me to be born spiritually is totally impossible except by God Himself!
God chose for me to be born physically to my parents, and God chose for me to be born spiritually into His own family. I did not choose either of these, He is God, I am not.
And if God is calling you into this relationship with Him, then please do not refuse Him. He wants you in His family, also, but He has given you a will to choose. Don't let your flesh or the world or the devil convince you that you don't want or need God. He is our Source, and without Him there is nothing but darkness and pain and agony.
He has chosen to create a human race to be His children. But He will not force Himself on anyone. We must decide with our will that we want Him and will submit to Him, and our feelings will catch up with our will. You must decide.
You must see to it that you choose to listen to God, not any worldly philosophies, and to follow His ways. We will submit, whether to God or to a lie, it's our choice and our personal responsibility.
O my Father, please strengthen Your children to listen only to Your Truth. Show us what is not in accordance with Your ways, and lead us straight in the path You have placed our feet.
We place our hand in Yours, Father. You will never let us go, but will keep us on that narrow path, not turning to the right or to the left, not wandering off or falling into a ditch, not running ahead of You or lagging behind, but taking each step in Your footsteps. And Your Word is the footlight showing us each next step.
Send us out to share Your good news with the world. Lead us to each of Your unborn children to let them know Your ways, how Your Son has died for them, and will give them real life. Call all of Your family together, Father. Grow us all up as the body of Christ, to the full stature of the Son of God.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come rapidly, Lord Jesus!
