Colossians 2:20-23.

All that we need is all that He is!

Let’s be wary of living our lives by any form of teaching that is not Biblical. Man-made rules will not change us. At times they can be appealing, but they just don’t work. They might seem to for a time, but they are not radical enough (23). They don’t go sufficiently deep.

Some professing Christians have rules for themselves and they are zealous about trying to impose these on their fellow believers. God made you and they have a wonderful plan for your life! Their mission is to make you in their own image.

But true religion is not about rule-keeping; it’s about Jesus. It’s about keeping company with Him; ‘abiding’ in Him; drawing from Him all that is in Him. All that we need is all that He is. That’s the message of Colossians, as we’ve been seeing. We will not grow by keeping human rules but through vital ‘’connection’’ with Christ our Head (19). Only the Lord Himself can deal with our flesh life; our own going struggles with ‘’sensual indulgence’’ (23). Strict rules will never cure the real sickness of our souls.

‘’If the Colossians were to fall victims to the false teaching and voluntarily place themselves under rules and regulations…which were imposed by the principalities and powers, then this would be to go back into slavery again, a bondage to the very powers of the universe from which they had been freed when they died with Christ in his death. Not all Christians are free from superstition, which can exert more influence than their faith…The taboos left untouched the problems of sensual indulgence.’’ Peter T. O’Brien: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.1271.

‘’Pleasure in God is the power for purity. The vice-grip the pleasure of sin exerts on the human soul will be broken only by trusting God’s promise of superior pleasure in knowing Jesus. The only way to conquer one pleasure is with another, greater and more pleasing pleasure.’’ Sam Storms: ‘One thing’, p.128.

The Christian life is not about following rules, but abiding in Christ.

All that we need is all that Jesus is.

Prayer: Let there be no going back, for me, to that futile realm of religious rules and works. Jesus you have set me free. Thank you.