Fullness in Christ: Colossians 2:6-15

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.

So then. The transition from theology to practice. Just as you received. There was a beginning—a moment of reception. Christ Jesus as Lord. Not just Savior, not just teacher—Lord. Kyrios. Master. Sovereign.

Continue to live your lives in him. The Christian life is continuation. Walking. The same Christ who was received must be lived in. The beginning determines the pattern.

Rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Rooted. Agricultural image. Roots down into Christ, drawing life and stability. Built up. Architectural image. Structure rising on the foundation.

Strengthened in the faith as you were taught. The teaching mattered. What they learned from Epaphras—that was the foundation. Strengthen that. Build on that.

Overflowing with thankfulness. The mark of genuine Christianity. Not grudging obedience but overflowing gratitude.

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

See to it. Watch out. Be alert. The warning intensifies.

Takes you captive. Sulagogeo—to carry off as plunder, as spoil. Philosophical kidnapping. Spiritual robbery.

Hollow and deceptive philosophy. Not all philosophy—but the hollow kind. The empty kind. Sounding impressive but lacking substance.

Which depends on human tradition. The source was human, not divine. And the elemental spiritual forces—stoicheia, perhaps demonic powers, perhaps basic principles that enslaved rather than freed.

Rather than on Christ. The contrast. Philosophy built on human tradition versus life built on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.

Here is why Christ is sufficient. All the fullness. Pleroma. Totality. Of the Deity. Theotetos—the whole divine essence. Lives in bodily form. Present tense. Still true. The incarnation continues.

All of God in a human body. Nothing lacking. Nothing supplemented. Fullness.

And in Christ you have been brought to fullness.

The transfer. He has fullness; you have fullness in him. Brought to fullness—pepleroumenoi—filled full. Complete. Lacking nothing.

If Christ is full and you are in Christ, you are full.

He is the head over every power and authority.

Head. Not just first among equals—head. Over every power and authority. Whatever spiritual forces the false teachers invoked, Christ ruled them all.

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands.

Circumcision. The sign of the old covenant. The Colossians had it—but not the physical kind. Not performed by human hands. Divine surgery.

Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ.

Put off. Apekdusis—stripping away. The whole self ruled by the flesh—the old nature, the sinful condition. Stripped away. Circumcised by Christ. He did the cutting.

Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Buried with him in baptism. The water signified death. Going under—burial. In which you were also raised. Coming up—resurrection.

Through your faith in the powerful working of God. Faith wasn't self-generated. It was faith in God's power—the same power that raised Christ from the dead.

The pattern: death, burial, resurrection. Christ's pattern. Now yours.

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.

When you were dead. Past tense. The condition was real. Dead in sins. Dead in uncircumcision—the Gentile status, outside the covenant.

God made you alive. Divine initiative. Not you making yourself alive. God acting. With Christ. United to his resurrection.

He forgave us all our sins.

All. Not some. Not most. All. Forgave—charisamenos—graced us, gifted us with pardon. All our sins. Every one.

Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Canceled. Exaleipho—wiped out, erased. The charge of our legal indebtedness. The record of debt. The list of violations. The indictment.

Which stood against us and condemned us. The accusation was valid. We were guilty. The condemnation was deserved.

He has taken it away. Removed. Gone. Nailing it to the cross. The notice of charges—nailed where criminals' accusations were posted. But nailed to Christ's cross. He took our indictment.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Disarmed. Apekduomai—stripped, divested. The powers and authorities. Whatever dark forces held humanity captive. Stripped of their weapons.

Made a public spectacle. The Roman triumph—the conquered enemies paraded in shame. Triumphing over them. The victory parade.

By the cross. The instrument of shame became the instrument of triumph. What looked like defeat was conquest.

This is what happened at the cross.

Debt canceled.

Powers disarmed.

Triumph achieved.

This is what you have in Christ.

Fullness.

Circumcision without hands.

Burial and resurrection.

Forgiveness of all sins.

Freedom from condemnation.

Why would you want anything else?

Why would you look anywhere else?

In Christ—fullness.

Everywhere else—emptiness.