Colossians: Christ Is Enough
Lift your eyes to the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ – the image of the invisible God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, Head of the church and the One in whom all God’s fullness dwells – and discover what it means to live from the reality that your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Welcome to Colossians
Colossians lifts our eyes.
Before Paul spends much time addressing behaviour, he gives us an extraordinary vision of Jesus.
The image of the invisible God.
The firstborn over all creation.
The One through whom all things were created.
The One for whom all things were created.
The One who is before all things.
The One in whom all things hold together.
The Head of the body, the church.
The beginning.
The firstborn from the dead.
The One in whom all the fullness was pleased to dwell.
The One through whom God reconciles.
Colossians is unapologetically centred on Christ.
That matters because something was threatening to draw the Colossian believers away from simple confidence in Him.
Paul warns about:
philosophy and empty deception.
human tradition.
elemental principles of the world.
religious regulations.
self-abasement.
worship of angels.
visions.
human commands.
harsh treatment of the body.
The precise nature of the teaching confronting the Colossians remains debated. It appears to have included some combination of Jewish practices, asceticism, spiritual experiences and ideas associated with the spiritual powers or “elemental principles” of the world.
Paul does not give us a neat label for the entire system.
But his answer is unmistakable.
Christ.
Again and again, Paul redirects attention towards Him.
“In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
And:
“in Him you have been made complete.”
The danger was not necessarily that the Colossians intended to abandon Jesus entirely.
Something more subtle can happen.
Jesus can remain present while something else becomes necessary to complete Him.
Christ plus a particular religious practice.
Christ plus spiritual experiences.
Christ plus special knowledge.
Christ plus severe self-discipline.
Christ plus another mediator.
Christ plus human rules.
Paul refuses the addition.
If all God’s fullness dwells in Christ, and believers are complete in Him, then no spiritual system can take Christ’s place or improve upon His sufficiency.
But Colossians does not use Christ’s sufficiency as an excuse for spiritual passivity.
Quite the opposite.
Because believers have received Christ:
“walk in Him.”
Because they have been raised with Christ:
“keep seeking the things that are above.”
Because the old self has been put off:
“put on the new self.”
Because they are God’s chosen, holy and beloved people:
put on compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Forgiveness.
Love.
Because Christ’s peace is to rule:
live as one body.
Because Christ’s word is to dwell richly:
teach.
Encourage.
Sing.
Give thanks.
And then Paul says something breathtakingly comprehensive:
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Everything.
Colossians refuses to divide life into:
spiritual things
and:
ordinary things.
Christ reaches the mind.
The body.
Sexuality.
Desires.
Anger.
Speech.
Forgiveness.
Relationships.
Marriage.
Family.
Work.
Prayer.
Conversation.
Time.
Everything.
The letter begins by showing us who Christ is.
Then it asks:
If this is really who Jesus is, what kind of life makes sense in response?
Before You Begin
Colossians is written by Paul, with Timothy named alongside him, to believers in Colossae.
Colossae was a city in Asia Minor, in the region of modern-day Türkiye.
Interestingly, Paul appears not to have personally founded this church.
He says the Colossians learned the gospel from Epaphras, whom he calls:
“our beloved fellow bond-servant.”
Epaphras had brought Paul news about their faith and love.
Paul therefore writes to a community he knows largely through others, yet his concern for them is deeply personal.
Several things should guide your reading.
First, Christ’s supremacy is the theological centre of the letter.
Do not hurry through Colossians 1:15-20.
Almost every line expands our understanding of Jesus.
Second, “firstborn of all creation” in Colossians 1:15 does not mean Paul is describing Jesus as the first creature God made.
The surrounding verses immediately say:
“by Him all things were created.”
In biblical usage, firstborn can describe supremacy, rank and inheritance rights as well as chronological birth. Paul’s point in context is Christ’s supremacy over creation, not His inclusion among created things.
Third, Paul uses strong language concerning “philosophy.”
He is not condemning careful thinking or every form of philosophical reasoning.
He warns specifically about:
“philosophy and empty deception, according to human tradition… rather than according to Christ.”
The standard is Christ.
Fourth, Paul refers several times to “elemental principles” or “elemental spirits” depending upon translation.
The Greek expression can be understood in more than one way, and interpreters continue to debate whether Paul primarily has elementary religious principles, cosmic spiritual powers, or an overlapping concept in view.
The central point remains clear.
Whatever these powers or principles represent, believers must not return to bondage under them because Christ has triumphed.
Fifth, Colossians 2 refers to circumcision, food, drink, festivals, new moons and Sabbaths.
These verses belong to Paul’s argument against allowing religious observances to become grounds for judgement or spiritual completeness.
He describes these things as:
“a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Sixth, Paul’s language about putting the old self to death must not be confused with hostility towards the physical body itself.
Paul rejects harsh treatment of the body as spiritually ineffective in Colossians 2:23.
The problem is not that bodies are evil.
The problem is sinful desires and practices.
Finally, Colossians 3 includes instructions for households, including enslaved people and masters.
These instructions speak into existing first-century social structures rather than declaring slavery God’s ideal.
Paul places both enslaved people and masters beneath the authority of the same Lord, commands masters to provide what is right and fair, and reminds them:
“you too have a Master in heaven.”
Keep watching throughout the letter for one repeated centre.
Not a technique.
Not a system.
Not a secret spiritual experience.
Christ.
The Story of Colossians
Paul begins with thanksgiving.
The Colossians have heard the gospel.
It is bearing fruit among them just as it is bearing fruit throughout the world.
Paul prays that they will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will so that they may:
“walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.”
Then his prayer flows into one of Scripture’s great declarations about Jesus.
Christ is supreme over creation.
Supreme over the church.
Supreme in resurrection.
Supreme in reconciliation.
Paul then speaks about his own ministry.
He proclaims Christ.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
His goal is:
“to present every person complete in Christ.”
Then comes the warning.
Do not be deceived.
Do not be taken captive.
Do not allow anyone to judge you through religious regulations.
Do not allow anyone to disqualify you through claims of superior spirituality.
Why?
Because:
Christ is enough.
You received Him.
Walk in Him.
You were buried with Him.
Raised with Him.
Made alive with Him.
Forgiven.
The record of debt has been cancelled.
Hostile powers have been disarmed.
Therefore:
do not return to shadows when you have Christ.
Then chapter 3 turns towards transformed living.
You have been raised with Christ.
Seek what is above.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Put to death what belongs to the old life.
Put off anger, malice, slander and lying.
Put on the new self.
And then dress yourself differently:
compassion.
kindness.
humility.
gentleness.
patience.
forgiveness.
Above all:
love.
Let Christ’s peace rule.
Let Christ’s word dwell richly.
Do everything in Christ’s name.
Then Paul brings the gospel into household relationships, prayer, work and conversation.
The letter ends not with abstract theology but with names.
Tychicus.
Onesimus.
Aristarchus.
Mark.
Justus.
Epaphras.
Luke.
Demas.
Nympha.
Archippus.
The supreme Christ is creating an actual community of ordinary people whose lives are being transformed around Him.
Movement One – The Gospel Is Bearing Fruit
Colossians 1:1-14
What Happens Here
Paul and Timothy greet the believers in Colossae.
Paul immediately gives thanks because he has heard about their:
faith in Christ Jesus
and:
love for all the saints.
Both arise from:
“the hope reserved for you in heaven.”
They heard this hope in:
“the word of truth, the gospel.”
Paul says the gospel is:
“bearing fruit and increasing”
throughout the world, just as it has among them.
They learned it from Epaphras.
Then Paul tells them how he prays.
He asks that they be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Why?
So they will:
“walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects.”
That worthy walk includes:
bearing fruit in good work.
growing in knowledge of God.
being strengthened according to His power.
developing endurance and patience.
giving thanks to the Father.
Then Paul reminds them what the Father has done.
He has:
qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
rescued them from the domain of darkness.
transferred them into the kingdom of His beloved Son.
And in Christ:
“we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
What to Notice About God
The Father does not merely tell people to escape darkness.
He rescues.
Transfers.
Qualifies.
The Christian story begins with God’s saving action.
A Thread to Follow
Paul prays for knowledge.
But knowledge has a purpose:
walking.
Truth should increasingly produce a life that reflects what has been understood.
Pause & Notice
- What evidence of God’s grace does Paul already see among the Colossians?
- What does Paul expect growing knowledge of God’s will to produce in their lives?
- Is there a biblical truth you know well intellectually that has not yet reached the way you regularly respond, speak or make decisions?
Movement Two – The Supremacy of Christ
Colossians 1:15-23
What Happens Here
Paul’s attention turns completely towards Christ.
Jesus is:
“the image of the invisible God.”
The God who cannot be seen has made Himself known in the Son.
Christ is:
“the firstborn of all creation.”
Then Paul explains His supremacy:
“for by Him all things were created.”
Heaven.
Earth.
Visible.
Invisible.
Thrones.
Dominions.
Rulers.
Authorities.
“All things have been created through Him and for Him.”
Christ is:
“before all things.”
And:
“in Him all things hold together.”
Then Paul moves from creation to the church.
Christ is:
“the head of the body, the church.”
He is the beginning and firstborn from the dead:
“so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
All God’s fullness was pleased to dwell in Him.
And through Christ God acts to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace:
“through the blood of His cross.”
Paul then brings the cosmic picture directly to the Colossians.
They were once alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds.
But now God has reconciled them through Christ’s physical body in death.
The purpose is that they be presented:
“holy and blameless and beyond reproach before Him.”
Paul calls them to continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast in the hope of the gospel.
What to Notice About God
Jesus is not merely one spiritual teacher among many.
Paul places Him at the centre of creation, revelation, the church, resurrection and reconciliation.
Everything was created:
through Him.
And:
for Him.
A Thread to Follow
Paul says:
“in Him all things hold together.”
Then he says Christ is Head of the church.
The One holding creation together is the same Christ holding first place among His people.
Christian transformation therefore begins not by making ourselves the centre of our spiritual journey, but by recognising that Christ already is the centre of everything.
Pause & Notice
- What claims does Paul make about Christ’s relationship to creation?
- What does the cross reveal about the way God brings reconciliation?
- What changes when you stop thinking of Jesus mainly as someone who helps with your life and begin seeing your entire life as something created ultimately for Him?
Movement Three – Christ in You, the Hope of Glory
Colossians 1:24-2:5
What Happens Here
Paul describes his ministry and suffering.
He rejoices in what he suffers for the sake of Christ’s body, the church.
His difficult statement about “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” does not mean Christ’s atoning suffering was insufficient.
Paul has just described reconciliation through Christ’s blood and physical death.
Rather, Paul understands his own apostolic suffering as part of the affliction involved in carrying Christ’s gospel to His people.
God has given Paul a stewardship to make His Word fully known.
The mystery once hidden has now been revealed.
And its glorious richness among the Gentiles is:
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul says:
“We proclaim Him.”
Admonishing.
Teaching.
With wisdom.
Why?
“So that we may present every person complete in Christ.”
Paul works hard towards this goal.
But again he identifies the source beneath his labour:
“His power, which works mightily within me.”
Paul wants believers to be encouraged and knit together in love.
He wants them to reach the full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery:
Christ Himself.
“In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
What to Notice About God
The mystery does not lead beyond Christ to some secret spiritual level.
The mystery leads directly to Christ.
All treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.
A Thread to Follow
Paul’s goal is maturity:
complete in Christ.
He does not merely want people converted and left spiritually immature.
Grace brings us to Christ.
Grace also grows us in Christ.
Pause & Notice
- What does Paul say is the revealed mystery among the Gentiles?
- What is the goal of Paul’s teaching and warning?
- Are you more drawn towards constantly finding something spiritually new, or towards knowing more deeply the Christ you have already received?
Movement Four – Complete in Christ
Colossians 2:6-15
What Happens Here
Paul now gives one of the letter’s central commands:
“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
Rooted.
Built up.
Established in faith.
Overflowing with gratitude.
Then comes the warning:
“See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception.”
Paul identifies the danger as teaching based on human tradition and the elemental principles of the world:
“rather than on Christ.”
Why is Christ sufficient?
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
And:
“in Him you have been made complete.”
Christ is Head over every ruler and authority.
Paul then uses the language of circumcision, burial and resurrection to describe what God has done in Christ.
Believers have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Him through faith in God’s powerful working.
They were dead in their sins.
But God:
“made you alive together with Him.”
He forgave:
“all our wrongdoings.”
He cancelled the certificate of debt standing against us.
He took it away:
“having nailed it to the cross.”
Then Paul describes Christ’s triumph over spiritual powers.
He:
“disarmed the rulers and authorities”
and triumphed over them through the cross.
What to Notice About God
The cross looks like defeat.
Paul describes it as victory.
Forgiveness.
Debt cancelled.
Hostile powers disarmed.
Life given to the dead.
A Thread to Follow
Paul’s answer to spiritual insecurity is not:
Try to become more complete.
It is:
“in Him you have been made complete.”
Growth remains necessary.
But growth is not the attempt to complete what Christ failed to provide.
It is learning to live increasingly from His sufficiency.
Pause & Notice
- What reasons does Paul give for confidence in Christ?
- What does the cross accomplish in verses 13-15?
- Where are you tempted to believe that Christ alone is somehow not enough – that you need another achievement, experience, person’s approval or spiritual practice before you can finally feel complete?
Movement Five – Do Not Return to the Shadows
Colossians 2:16-23
What Happens Here
Paul applies Christ’s sufficiency directly to the pressures confronting the church.
“Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon, or a Sabbath day.”
These are:
“a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Then he warns against allowing anyone to disqualify them through self-abasement, angel worship and preoccupation with visions.
Such a person is:
“not holding firmly to the head.”
Christ is the Head from whom the whole body grows with God’s growth.
Paul then asks:
If you died with Christ to the elemental principles of the world, why live as though still subject to regulations such as:
“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch”?
These rules have an appearance of wisdom.
They may look impressively spiritual.
But Paul says they are:
“of no value against fleshly indulgence.”
External severity cannot transform the heart.
What to Notice About God
God’s answer to sinful desire is not endless human regulation.
It is union with Christ and the new life that flows from Him.
A Thread to Follow
Something can look spiritual without actually producing transformation.
Strict rules.
Visible sacrifice.
Religious intensity.
Impressive experiences.
Paul asks a deeper question:
Does this keep you connected to Christ the Head?
Pause & Notice
- What kinds of religious pressures does Paul tell the Colossians not to submit to?
- Why does he say harsh regulations cannot solve the deeper problem of sinful desire?
- Are there rules, routines or spiritual practices you are tempted to trust more than Christ Himself – perhaps because doing something measurable feels safer than living dependently upon grace?
Movement Six – Your Life Is Hidden With Christ
Colossians 3:1-11
What Happens Here
Paul now turns decisively towards the new life.
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is.”
And:
“Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.”
This does not mean ignoring earthly responsibilities.
Paul will soon address family, work and ordinary conversation.
It means life is now oriented around the risen Christ.
Why?
“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
And when Christ appears:
“you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Because this is true, Paul says:
“Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
Then he names further patterns to put away:
anger.
wrath.
malice.
slander.
abusive speech.
lying.
Why?
Because believers have:
“put off the old self with its evil practices”
and:
“put on the new self.”
This new self is:
“being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it.”
Then Paul says old human distinctions cannot define status within this new humanity.
Greek and Jew.
Circumcised and uncircumcised.
Barbarian.
Scythian.
Slave.
Free.
“Christ is all, and in all.”
What to Notice About God
God does not merely forgive the old life.
He is renewing His people according to the image of their Creator.
Salvation restores what sin has distorted.
A Thread to Follow
Paul joins identity and behaviour again.
You died.
You were raised.
Your life is hidden with Christ.
Therefore:
put sinful patterns to death.
The commands flow from the new reality.
Pause & Notice
- What does Paul say is already true about believers before giving commands about behaviour?
- What does the phrase “being renewed” reveal about transformation as an ongoing process?
- Which old pattern are you most tempted to excuse as simply part of your personality when Paul might instead invite you to see it as something inconsistent with the new self?
Movement Seven – Put On Love
Colossians 3:12-17
What Happens Here
Paul has described what believers should put off.
Now he tells them what to put on.
But first he reminds them who they are:
“those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved.”
Then:
“put on a heart of compassion.”
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Bearing with one another.
Forgiving one another.
Paul gives the measure of forgiveness:
“just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”
Then:
“In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
Christ’s peace is to rule in their hearts.
They were called to this peace:
“in one body.”
And Paul repeatedly calls them to gratitude.
Then:
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.”
Teaching.
Admonishing.
Singing.
Psalms.
Hymns.
Spiritual songs.
Thankfulness.
Finally:
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
What to Notice About God
Again the order matters.
Paul does not say:
Become compassionate enough and God may choose to love you.
He says:
chosen.
holy.
beloved.
Then:
put on compassion.
Identity received becomes character expressed.
A Thread to Follow
The new self has a wardrobe.
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Forgiveness.
Love.
These are not merely private virtues.
They become visible precisely because other people are present.
Pause & Notice
- What identity does Paul give believers before describing how they should treat others?
- What place do Christ’s peace and Christ’s word have within the community?
- Which quality is hardest for you to “put on” when another person is difficult – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness or love?
Movement Eight – Christ in the Ordinary Relationships of Life
Colossians 3:18-4:1
What Happens Here
Paul now brings Christ’s lordship into the household.
He addresses wives.
Husbands.
Children.
Fathers.
Enslaved people.
Masters.
Wives are instructed concerning submission to husbands:
“as is fitting in the Lord.”
Husbands are commanded:
“Love your wives and do not become bitter against them.”
Children are told to obey their parents.
Fathers are warned:
“Do not antagonise your children, so that they will not become discouraged.”
Paul gives extended attention to enslaved people, telling them to work sincerely:
“fearing the Lord.”
Then:
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people.”
They ultimately serve:
“the Lord Christ.”
Paul also warns that wrongdoing will be answered:
“and there is no partiality.”
Then masters are told:
“Grant your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.”
The social hierarchy does not extend into heaven.
Every person stands beneath Christ.
What to Notice About God
Christ is Lord in ordinary relationships.
No human authority is ultimate.
Every person with power is themselves accountable to Jesus.
A Thread to Follow
Paul repeatedly brings power under responsibility.
Husbands:
do not become bitter.
Fathers:
do not discourage.
Masters:
act justly and fairly.
Christian authority cannot be separated from accountability to Christ.
Pause & Notice
- How does Paul place each member of the household beneath Christ’s lordship?
- What responsibilities does he give those possessing greater social or relational power?
- In the relationships where you have influence, how might remembering that you also answer to Christ change the way you use your words, expectations or authority?
Movement Nine – Devoted to Prayer, Wise Towards Outsiders
Colossians 4:2-6
What Happens Here
Paul says:
“Devote yourselves to prayer.”
They are to remain alert in prayer:
“with an attitude of thanksgiving.”
Paul asks them to pray for him too.
What does the imprisoned apostle want?
An open door:
“for the word.”
He wants to proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly.
Then Paul turns towards the church’s relationship with those outside.
“Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.”
Their speech should:
“always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt.”
Why?
So they know:
“how you should respond to each person.”
What to Notice About God
The gospel is not merely something Christians protect within their own community.
Paul wants doors opened so Christ can be made known.
A Thread to Follow
Paul joins truth and manner.
Speak.
But speak:
with grace.
Wisdom considers not only:
What is true?
but also:
How should I answer this particular person?
Pause & Notice
- What does Paul ask the Colossians to pray for concerning his ministry?
- How should believers conduct themselves towards people outside the church?
- When speaking truth, do you consider not only what you want to say but what might help the particular person in front of you genuinely hear it?
Movement Ten – Ordinary People in Christ’s Story
Colossians 4:7-18
What Happens Here
Colossians ends with people.
Tychicus will tell them about Paul’s circumstances.
Paul calls him:
“our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord.”
With him comes Onesimus:
“our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own.”
That description is striking when read alongside Paul’s letter to Philemon, where Onesimus appears as an enslaved man whose relationship with Philemon has been transformed by the gospel.
Paul sends greetings from Aristarchus, Mark and Justus.
Epaphras is:
“always striving for you in his prayers.”
Luke and Demas send greetings.
Paul greets Nympha and the church meeting in her house.
He tells them to exchange letters with the church in Laodicea.
Archippus receives a personal encouragement:
“See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may fulfil it.”
Then Paul takes the pen himself:
“Remember my imprisonment.”
And finally:
“Grace be with you.”
What to Notice About God
The gospel Paul has described so magnificently is lived among real people.
People carry letters.
Pray.
Host churches.
Travel.
Serve.
Encourage.
Suffer.
Fulfil ministries.
Christ’s cosmic supremacy does not make ordinary faithfulness insignificant.
It gives ordinary faithfulness meaning.
A Thread to Follow
Colossians begins with Christ holding all creation together.
It ends with names.
That is beautiful.
The Lord of creation works through actual people doing often unnoticed acts of faithfulness.
Pause & Notice
- What different forms of service appear among the people Paul names?
- What does Epaphras’ persistent prayer reveal about unseen ministry?
- Are you tempted to underestimate ordinary faithfulness because it does not look impressive, public or dramatic?
See Colossians as a Whole
Colossians begins with:
the gospel bearing fruit.
Then Paul’s eyes lift towards Christ.
Image of the invisible God.
Creator.
Sustainer.
Head.
Firstborn from the dead.
Reconciler.
Then:
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Then:
all treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ.
Then:
all the fullness of Deity dwelling bodily in Christ.
Then:
complete in Christ.
Then the cross.
Forgiven.
Debt cancelled.
Powers disarmed.
Then Paul says:
Do not go backwards.
Do not return to shadows.
Do not become captivated by human systems.
Do not mistake severity for transformation.
You have Christ.
Then:
You have been raised with Christ.
Therefore:
seek what is above.
Your life is hidden with Christ.
Therefore:
put the old life to death.
Put off anger.
Malice.
Slander.
Lying.
Then:
put on the new.
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Forgiveness.
Love.
Let Christ’s peace rule.
Let Christ’s word dwell richly.
Do everything in Christ’s name.
Then take that Christ-centred life into:
marriage.
family.
work.
prayer.
conversation.
mission.
community.
Colossians begins with Christ over all creation.
And it brings His lordship all the way down into the words you speak to another person.
That is the reach of the gospel.
Seven Great Threads to Carry With You
1. Christ Has First Place in Everything
Creation exists through Him and for Him.
The church belongs to Him.
Resurrection begins with Him.
Reconciliation comes through Him.
Christianity cannot remain Christ-centred if Jesus becomes merely one helpful part of a life still fundamentally centred upon ourselves.
2. Christ Makes the Invisible God Known
Jesus is:
“the image of the invisible God.”
If you want to know what God is like, look towards the Son through whom He has made Himself known.
3. The Cross Cancels Debt and Defeats Powers
Paul describes the cross as both forgiveness and victory.
The record against us is cancelled.
Hostile powers are disarmed.
What looked like Christ’s defeat becomes His triumph.
4. Believers Are Complete in Christ
Spiritual maturity does not require moving beyond Jesus.
It means growing more deeply in Him.
No secret knowledge, religious performance or spiritual experience can improve upon the fullness found in Christ.
5. Union With Christ Creates a New Way of Living
Died with Christ.
Buried with Christ.
Raised with Christ.
Made alive with Christ.
Hidden with Christ.
Appearing with Christ in glory.
Christian transformation flows from participation in His life.
6. The New Self Becomes Visible in Relationships
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Forgiveness.
Love.
The reality of new life becomes particularly visible in how we treat people.
7. Christ’s Lordship Reaches Everything
“Whatever you do in word or deed…”
There is no ordinary corner of life where Jesus becomes irrelevant.
Speech.
Work.
Relationships.
Prayer.
Time.
Everything can be lived in His name.
Where Colossians Leads
Colossians places Christ at the centre of the entire biblical story.
Creation itself exists:
through Him
and:
for Him.
The God revealed throughout Scripture is made known in the Son:
“the image of the invisible God.”
The temple theme reaches an extraordinary fulfilment when Paul says:
“in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
God’s fullness is not located in a spiritual technique or secret realm.
It dwells in Christ.
The great biblical story of reconciliation also reaches the cross.
Sin has alienated humanity from God.
Yet God makes peace:
“through the blood of His cross.”
And the scope of Christ’s work is cosmic.
Paul speaks of God’s purpose to reconcile:
“all things to Himself.”
This does not mean every individual is automatically saved regardless of response to Christ. Paul immediately calls the Colossians to continue firmly in faith.
Rather, Christ’s reconciling work belongs to God’s ultimate purpose for His creation.
Colossians also looks forward to resurrection glory.
Believers’ lives are presently:
“hidden with Christ in God.”
But:
“When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
Present identity may be hidden from the world’s assessment.
Future glory will not remain hidden forever.
And the new humanity Paul describes anticipates the reconciliation accomplished in Christ.
Old divisions cannot determine spiritual worth.
“Christ is all, and in all.”
Before You Leave Colossians
Colossians asks a deceptively simple question:
Is Christ enough?
Most Christians would answer:
Yes.
But the deeper question is:
Do I live as though He is?
Because the temptation to add something to Christ does not always look obviously religious.
Sometimes it looks like approval.
Christ plus everybody thinking well of me.
Sometimes security.
Christ plus knowing what is going to happen.
Sometimes control.
Christ plus people behaving the way I need them to behave.
Sometimes achievement.
Christ plus accomplishing enough to feel significant.
Sometimes religious performance.
Christ plus doing everything correctly enough to feel safe with God.
Sometimes spiritual experience.
Christ plus feeling God’s presence strongly enough to reassure myself that He is near.
Sometimes knowledge.
Christ plus understanding every difficult question before I can rest.
The addition changes.
The heart’s message remains:
Christ is good, but I need this too before I can be complete.
Paul says:
“in Him you have been made complete.”
That does not mean you possess everything you might legitimately desire.
Paul is not saying:
You do not need food.
Relationships.
Wisdom.
Community.
Work.
Rest.
Help.
Growth.
God uses many good gifts.
The question is whether those gifts become the foundation upon which identity and security finally depend.
There is a difference between:
I deeply desire this
and:
I cannot be whole unless I have this.
Colossians brings us back to Christ.
Then Paul says:
“as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
You began by dependence.
Continue by dependence.
You began with grace.
Continue with grace.
You began with Christ.
Do not graduate from Christ.
Grow roots deeper into Him.
Then Paul exposes another temptation.
Rules.
Rules can feel safer than relationship.
A rule can be measured.
Ticked.
Completed.
It can give us the comforting impression that spiritual maturity is under our control.
Paul is not against obedience.
Colossians contains many commands.
But he is deeply opposed to human regulations being treated as though they possess power to transform the heart.
“Do not handle.”
“Do not taste.”
“Do not touch.”
They can look impressive.
But Paul says harsh treatment of the body has no genuine power against sinful indulgence.
Why?
Because transformation must reach deeper than behaviour management.
That is why chapter 3 begins:
“If you have been raised with Christ…”
Paul takes us back to identity.
Then:
“set your minds…”
The mind matters.
What repeatedly holds your attention will influence how you experience life.
Paul does not say:
Pretend earthly problems do not exist.
He is about to discuss extremely earthly things.
He means:
Let the risen Christ become the reality around which you interpret everything else.
Then:
“your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Think about the security of that language.
Hidden.
With Christ.
In God.
Your life does not ultimately rest in the hands of other people’s opinions.
Your worth does not rise and fall with applause.
Your identity does not have to be renegotiated every time someone misunderstands you.
Your deepest life is located somewhere far more secure.
With Christ in God.
Then Paul tells you to put things to death.
Grace does not make sin insignificant.
Precisely because you belong to Christ, the old patterns no longer fit.
Sexual immorality.
Impurity.
Evil desire.
Greed.
Anger.
Malice.
Slander.
Abusive speech.
Lying.
Paul does not say:
That is simply who you are.
He says:
That belongs to the old self.
Then:
“put on the new self.”
This is where Colossians becomes deeply practical.
Suppose someone irritates you.
The old self reaches quickly for:
anger.
harshness.
defensiveness.
judgement.
retaliation.
Perhaps silence designed to punish.
Perhaps words designed to wound.
Paul says:
That clothing does not belong to the new self.
What do you put on instead?
Compassion.
Can I see this person as a human being rather than merely as a problem?
Kindness.
What response seeks genuine good?
Humility.
Am I assuming my perspective is the only possible one?
Gentleness.
Can truth be spoken without unnecessary force?
Patience.
Can I allow another person room to grow?
Forgiveness.
Am I demanding repayment emotionally for something Christ calls me to release?
Then:
“Above all these things put on love.”
This does not mean tolerating abuse.
It does not mean pretending wrongdoing is right.
It does not mean abandoning wisdom or boundaries.
Love is not the absence of truth.
But truth can be carried without hatred.
Boundaries can exist without revenge.
Disagreement can happen without contempt.
Correction can be offered without humiliation.
Then Paul says:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
The word translated rule carries the sense of acting as an arbiter.
When competing reactions rise within you, what gets the deciding voice?
Fear?
Anger?
Pride?
The need to win?
The need to be understood?
Or Christ’s peace?
Then:
“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.”
Not visit occasionally.
Dwell.
Live there.
Fill the house.
Shape the atmosphere.
The goal is not merely to read Scripture and move on unchanged.
Let Christ’s word take up residence deeply enough that it begins showing up in your reactions.
Then Paul gives perhaps one of the most comprehensive descriptions of Christian living anywhere in Scripture:
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Imagine carrying that sentence through an ordinary day.
The conversation at breakfast.
In Jesus’ name.
The email.
In Jesus’ name.
The work nobody notices.
In Jesus’ name.
The difficult conversation.
In Jesus’ name.
The response when someone disappoints you.
In Jesus’ name.
The way you speak about someone who is not present.
In Jesus’ name.
The decision about money.
In Jesus’ name.
The moment you are tired and patience feels thin.
In Jesus’ name.
That is not pressure to become religious about every tiny action.
It is freedom from dividing life into compartments where Jesus matters and compartments where He does not.
Christ is Lord over all.
Therefore every ordinary part of life can become a place where His character is increasingly expressed.
And perhaps that brings us back to where Colossians began.
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
You do not hold all things together.
Christ does.
That truth can reach places of control very deeply.
Sometimes we live as though everything depends upon us.
If I do not manage this perfectly…
If I do not anticipate every possibility…
If I do not keep everybody happy…
If I do not fix this…
If I do not know what happens next…
everything might fall apart.
Colossians lifts your eyes.
Christ is before all things.
In Him all things hold together.
That does not make your responsibilities disappear.
Paul spends half the letter giving responsibilities.
But responsibility is different from sovereignty.
You can obey without pretending to be God.
You can serve without believing everything rests upon you.
You can plan without demanding certainty.
You can love without controlling another person’s response.
You can speak truth without controlling whether someone receives it.
You can work faithfully without building identity from results.
You can pray without believing you must understand exactly how God will answer.
Because you are not the one holding creation together.
Christ is.
And the One holding all things together is the same One in whom your life is hidden.
Perhaps that is where Colossians invites the heart to rest.
Not in having every answer.
Not in controlling every outcome.
Not in becoming impressive enough.
Not in adding something to Jesus.
But:
Christ.
The image of the invisible God.
Creator.
Sustainer.
Head.
Reconciler.
Victor.
Your life.
Your hope of glory.
And:
Christ is enough.
Pause Before You Continue
- Looking across Colossians 1-2, what does Paul reveal about who Christ is and why He is sufficient for God’s people?
- How does being raised with Christ become the foundation for Paul’s commands in chapters 3-4?
- What are you most tempted to add to Christ as a requirement for feeling secure, complete or significant – approval, certainty, control, achievement, religious performance, spiritual experience or something else?
- Which old pattern most needs to be put off, and which quality of the new self might God be calling you to practise in its place?
- If you genuinely lived from the truth that Christ holds all things together and your life is hidden with Him in God, what responsibility could you carry faithfully without also trying to control its outcome?
Now Open His Word
Now return to Colossians.
Begin with Paul’s thanksgiving.
Notice what the gospel has already produced.
Faith.
Love.
Hope.
Then notice something else.
The gospel is:
“bearing fruit and increasing.”
The gospel is not static information.
Where it is genuinely received, it begins producing fruit.
Then read Paul’s prayer.
He asks for knowledge.
But watch what happens next.
“So that you will walk…”
Knowledge has direction.
Paul does not want information that simply makes people feel spiritually informed.
He wants truth that reshapes life.
Then notice what a worthy walk includes.
Good works.
Growing knowledge.
Strength.
Endurance.
Patience.
Thanksgiving.
Perhaps notice that Paul includes:
endurance and patience
within spiritual strength.
We often imagine strength as the ability to make something happen.
Paul includes the ability to remain faithful when something takes time.
Then reach verse 12.
Who qualifies you?
The Father.
Notice that.
Paul does not say:
Make yourself worthy enough to qualify for the inheritance.
The Father has qualified His people.
Then:
rescued.
transferred.
Kingdom language.
You have not merely received a private spiritual improvement.
God has brought you under the reign of His beloved Son.
Then slow down dramatically at verse 15.
Do not rush through the Christ hymn.
Take every phrase separately.
“The image of the invisible God.”
What does that tell you about knowing God through Jesus?
Then:
“the firstborn of all creation.”
Do not isolate it.
Immediately read:
“for by Him all things were created.”
Paul’s meaning is supremacy.
Christ is not one part of creation.
Creation comes through Him.
Then notice the repetitions.
All things.
All things.
All things.
Created:
by Him.
Created:
through Him.
Created:
for Him.
Then:
“He is before all things.”
And:
“in Him all things hold together.”
Pause there.
Ask:
What am I currently trying to hold together as though everything ultimately depends upon me?
Then do not use the verse as an excuse for irresponsibility.
Paul will not allow that.
Instead distinguish:
faithful responsibility
from:
attempted sovereignty.
You are responsible to obey.
You are not responsible to be God.
Then:
“He is also the head of the body, the church.”
The church belongs to Christ.
Not to personalities.
Not to leaders.
Not to movements.
Christ is Head.
Then:
“so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
Ask whether Christ merely has a place in your life or increasingly has first place.
Then reach the cross.
Peace through His blood.
Reconciliation does not come cheaply.
Then Paul turns from the cosmos to:
you.
Once alienated.
Now reconciled.
The Christ who holds galaxies together has acted to reconcile sinners.
Do not lose either scale.
Then enter Paul’s ministry.
Notice his central sentence:
“We proclaim Him.”
Not:
we proclaim ourselves.
Not:
we proclaim spiritual secrets.
Him.
Then:
“Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
And Paul’s goal:
complete in Christ.
Then chapter 2.
Paul wants hearts encouraged.
People knit together in love.
Assurance.
Knowledge.
And then:
Christ Himself.
Where are the treasures?
In Him.
Then hear:
“As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”
How did you receive Christ?
By faith.
Dependence.
Grace.
Then continue that way.
Rooted.
Roots are hidden.
Much of genuine spiritual growth may happen before anybody else sees the fruit.
Do not despise hidden formation.
Then:
built up.
established.
overflowing with gratitude.
Notice gratitude again.
Paul returns to thanksgiving throughout Colossians.
Then comes the warning.
“See to it that no one takes you captive.”
Ask what standard Paul uses.
Not:
Is this idea sophisticated?
Not:
Is it popular?
Not:
Does it sound spiritual?
But:
Is it according to Christ?
Then:
“In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
Do not hurry.
All fullness.
Deity.
Bodily.
Christ’s physical humanity does not diminish His deity.
Then:
“in Him you have been made complete.”
Let that confront the endless human instinct towards:
If only I had…
If only I achieved…
If only they approved…
If only I understood…
If only I experienced…
Then I would finally be enough.
Paul directs you back:
in Him.
Then follow the cross.
Dead.
Made alive.
Forgiven.
Debt cancelled.
Nailed to the cross.
Powers disarmed.
Triumph.
Do not imagine the cross as Christ barely surviving a battle.
Paul describes victory.
Then reach verse 16.
“Therefore…”
Because of Christ’s sufficiency:
do not let someone judge your standing through food, drink or religious calendar observances.
Shadow.
Substance.
And the substance:
belongs to Christ.
Then notice the warning about impressive spirituality.
Humility can even become performative.
Visions can become grounds for superiority.
Paul’s diagnosis is devastatingly simple:
“not holding firmly to the head.”
Spiritual experience is dangerous when it makes Christ less central.
Then notice:
“the entire body… grows with a growth which is from God.”
Real growth comes from God as the body remains connected to Christ.
Then Paul challenges the regulations.
Do not misunderstand him as saying obedience does not matter.
Chapter 3 will contain demanding obedience.
His point is that human regulations cannot change sinful desire from the outside in.
Transformation must go deeper.
Then chapter 3 begins:
“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ…”
Everything changes because of union with Jesus.
Then:
“set your minds…”
Pay attention to your attention.
Where does your mind repeatedly settle?
Fear?
Comparison?
Resentment?
Imagined conversations?
What other people think?
What might happen tomorrow?
Paul says:
set your mind where Christ is.
That is not denial.
It is orientation.
Then:
“your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Stay there.
What could another person’s rejection take away from that?
What could failure take away from that?
What could success add to that?
Your deepest life:
hidden with Christ in God.
Then Paul becomes uncompromising about sin.
Put it to death.
Grace does not mean:
It does not matter how I live.
Grace means the old life no longer defines you, so stop feeding what belongs to it.
Notice greed.
Paul calls it:
idolatry.
Why?
Because desire can become worship.
Something created becomes something the heart believes it must possess.
Then:
anger.
wrath.
malice.
slander.
abusive speech.
lying.
These are relational sins.
Spiritual maturity shows up in conversation.
Then:
“put on the new self.”
And notice:
“being renewed.”
Ongoing.
Do not become discouraged because transformation is not instantaneous.
Renewal is happening.
Then notice the new humanity.
Old social divisions no longer determine standing.
Christ is all, and in all.
Then verse 12.
Before the commands:
chosen.
holy.
beloved.
Again:
identity first.
Then dress accordingly.
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
When you are tempted towards harshness, ask:
What am I wearing right now?
Then:
“bearing with one another.”
Christian community apparently requires bearing with people.
That should not surprise us.
Grace brings imperfect people together.
Then:
forgive.
And Paul’s measure is Christ:
“just as the Lord forgave you.”
Then:
love.
Then:
peace.
Then:
gratitude.
Then:
the word of Christ.
Notice how full this new life is.
It is not simply:
stop sinning.
It is being filled with something better.
Then verse 17.
Perhaps carry it through one entire day:
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Before speaking:
Can I say this in His name?
Before reacting:
Can I respond this way in His name?
Before posting:
Can I write this in His name?
Before deciding:
Can I choose this in His name?
Then enter the household.
Read carefully and within historical context.
Do not use these verses to justify domination or abuse.
Watch the repeated reference to:
the Lord.
Every relationship exists under a greater authority.
Then hear:
“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord.”
This gives dignity even to work human beings overlook.
The person you ultimately serve is Christ.
Then chapter 4.
“Devote yourselves to prayer.”
Not occasional prayer only when control fails.
Devotion.
Alertness.
Thanksgiving.
Then listen to Paul’s request.
He is imprisoned.
He asks for:
an open door for the word.
Again, Paul sees beyond himself.
Then:
“conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders.”
And:
“Let your speech always be with grace.”
Always.
That reaches:
disagreement.
Correction.
Online conversation.
Family conflict.
Questions from unbelievers.
The person who frustrates you.
Grace should affect not only what Christians believe but the way truth sounds when it comes from their mouths.
Then read the names at the end.
Do not skip them simply because they seem less theological.
Tychicus.
Onesimus.
Aristarchus.
Mark.
Justus.
Epaphras.
Luke.
Demas.
Nympha.
Archippus.
This is what the gospel looks like in history.
People.
Relationships.
Churches in homes.
Prayer.
Travel.
Letters.
Service.
Faithfulness.
Then Paul’s handwritten reminder:
“Remember my imprisonment.”
And:
“Grace be with you.”
Colossians began with the Christ through whom galaxies exist.
It ends with an imprisoned apostle and ordinary Christians carrying letters.
And somehow these belong together.
Because if:
all things were created through Christ and for Christ,
then no faithful act done in His name is meaningless.
No ordinary obedience is outside His lordship.
No unseen service is outside His notice.
No limitation removes you from His purposes.
No human opinion defines your deepest identity.
And no addition can improve upon the One in whom:
“all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
So open His Word.
See Christ clearly.
Hold firmly to Him.
Set your mind upon Him.
Put off what no longer belongs.
Put on what reflects His character.
Let His peace rule.
Let His Word dwell richly.
And whatever you do:
do it in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Because Colossians leaves you not with a spiritual technique.
But with a Person.
Christ is all.
And:
Christ is enough.
Continue Your Journey Through Colossians
The Overview has helped you see Colossians as a whole – the supremacy of Christ over creation, His sufficiency for salvation and spiritual life, the victory of His cross, the believer’s new identity in Him and the transformed life that flows from being raised with Christ.
Now come closer.
Walk through Colossians chapter by chapter.
Take time over every description of Jesus.
Notice every warning against adding something to His sufficiency.
Watch Paul’s pattern of putting off the old and putting on the new.
Let the Word of Christ dwell richly rather than merely passing through your thoughts.
And carry one great truth with you through every chapter:
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
You do not have to hold everything together.
Hold firmly to Christ.
→ Explore Colossians Chapter by Chapter
Or, when you are ready to continue along the shelves:
→ Continue to 1 Thessalonians