Article

 Sam Ferrell - September, 2024

Col 2:6-15 ESV - Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 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. 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. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 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. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

How do we become rooted and built up in our world today?

We live in a time of heightened indecisiveness: people often choose to not make a choice or they put off the truth for a season to fit their lifestyle. They put themselves before the truth; their emotions, their plans, and their relationships take preeminence. The Word of God and the truth of it does not affect them.

We are living in a society focused on emotions and facts, but not the truth.

Satan has formulated this world’s systems through vain philosophy and deceit. The tradition of man throughout the history of science now has more authority to them than the one who was there at the creation of the world: Jesus Christ.

What is the answer to this world’s problem? What will move them in the right direction?

Submission to Jesus Christ! He is the only way of salvation, and only through rooting and building up ourselves in Him will we ever be able to withstand the evil of the world.

This isn’t just focused upon the world’s problem, but that the world’s influence can easily creep in and destroy the house of God. Only by shooting our roots deep, building upon the firm foundation, can we deflect the vain philosophy and deceit that the world uses to lead us astray. We must have the right foundation.

Mat 7:24-27 KJV — Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Who is our foundation? Christ, the Living Word. Not only is the person of Christ the ground upon which we spiritually build ourselves, but His words and His doctrine are the blocks that make up our foundation.

You cannot separate Christ from His words! We don’t simply believe in the Bible and the doctrines within it: we believe in Christ who is the embodiment of sound doctrine. Our belief in the Bible does not constitute whether we have sound doctrine or not; but our belief in Christ as the living word, the spotless lamb, and the glorious son of God determines the strength of our foundation! That’s why justification by faith lies at the beginning of our spiritual walk: we are shifting our faith from the rudiments of the world to the doctrine, person, and Gospel of Jesus Christ!

What doctrine then lies at our foundation, and which of the core principles of Jesus Christ uphold the foundation?

1. Christ’s first miracle: The Creation (v.8)

Col 2:8 ESV - See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Charles Darwin was a student of the Bible. He attended Bible College, he had faith in Christ since he was a little boy, and he even set out to be a clergyman. After graduating from the Bible College of Cambridge University in 1828, he turned toward the studies of naturalism from 1828-1831. He would go on long distance voyages and study different ecosystems and environments from 1831-1836. While traveling, Darwin would read The Principles of Geology by Charles Lyell. After reading all three volumes by 1843, his faith came into question. He refined the theory of evolution, he chose man’s word over God’s, and he officially renounced his faith after the tragic death of his daughter in 1851.

Do you see what the problem was? His evolutionary approach to the world created the excuse to leave God out of the equation. He was going to be a minister of the Gospel, yet he abandoned the faith because he chose man’s word over God’s word!

Let me ask you:

Since when did the Elementary school, the High School, and the University campus become the pillar and ground of science that we teach our children? Since when did we trust the Atheist Professor to know more than the God who made the universe?

Listen: If our approach to science is not Christ-centered, then our approach will be worldly.

Now, why should our approach be Christ-centered and Bible-first? Why can’t Evolution and Scripture co-exist?

• Evolution eliminates original sin and leaves no need for a savior

Evolution says: death has been a constant since the beginning of the world and is the reason why we can evolve; death is the hero, and is the savior of mankind.

But the Bible says:

Rom 5:12, 17 KJV - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: . . . For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

If sin is the source of death, and sin is the issue, then Christ came to destroy both and bring everlasting life to us. Not just one or the other, but both.

Another reason why evolution and scripture cannot co-exist is:

• The Biblical Account and the Evolution Theory contrast in every way

Evolution says: the universe was created billions of years ago with no creator, then everything was formed together by natural processes that formed the earth, started life, and grew into where we are today.

But the Bible says:

Exo 20:11 KJV - For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

In six days, God spoke and created everything. He even set parameters of time and separated the animals by their kind.

But most importantly, it was all created by the Word of God, Jesus Christ.

Heb 11:3 KJV - Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

John 1:1-3 KJV - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

Evolution is a godless operation that takes away from the power of Christ! To leave Christ out of creation is to remove critical pillars within your foundation. To separate Him from creation is to question who he is. 

Which leads to the next principle of our foundation:

2. Christ’s Deity (v.9-10)

Col 2:9-10 ESV - 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.

Mat 16:15 KJV - He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

John 8:58 KJV - Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

If Christ is not God: What is the purpose of His sacrifice? How was He the spotless lamb? Where is His authority?

Think about it: How could He atone for the sins of the whole world and pay the price for the sin of the whole world if He was not God?! If he was just a glorified prophet, then what difference does it make? That just means He’s like any of the rest of them.

If He isn’t God, he couldn’t have been the spotless lamb during the time of the law, because the law was weak through the flesh!

Romans 8:3-4 KJV — For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

If He isn’t God, then why will every knee bow and every tongue confess His Lordship?

If Jesus Christ is not who He says He is, then all of this is “meaningless, meaningless.”

But:

If Christ really is God: He has all of the authority and power; His sacrifice was enough to take away the sin of the world; and, there is greater meaning to Him dwelling within us

If God really came in the flesh as a sacrifice, then of course He would be spotless. If God really dwelt with us in human form, then of course His bloodshed would be able to cover the sins of the whole world. If the offering He provided opened the door for His spirit to live within us, then of course the power of God will be manifested within our lives! 

Col 1:26-27 KJV - Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

His abode in us is our hope of glory; because the Unique Son of God became man and partook of the fleshly nature, so that we can be manifested into new life and partake in the divine nature with our new title: the sons of God!

Because Christ is God, His effects radically change lives. He couldn’t do so if He wasn’t.

This is the final principle that I want to conclude with in this article. We must root ourselves in:

3. Christ’s ministry in our lives (v.10-15)

Firstly,

• He provided Salvation and new life (v.13-14)

Col 2:13-14 ESV - And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 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.

Because of Christ’s divine nature, we can be justified by His blood through our faith in Him. We were once dead and hopeless, holding high our record of sin: but Jesus changed us, quickened us in Him, and nailed those records to the Cross! The language that Paul uses reminds me of how he spoke of the Old Testament Law: we were weak through the legal demands that our sin took advantage of, so he provided the blood to nail it to the cross; the Law was weak through the depravity of the flesh, so He nailed it to the cross. 

Christ’s work on the cross fulfilled the law, and nullified our debts so we can live in the newness of spirit, and not the oldness of letter.

Not only did He pay our debts and fulfill the law, but

• He provided deliverance from our Adamic Sin Nature through sanctification (v.11-12)

Col 2:11-12 ESV - 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.

In Christ, we have new life; but a deeper walk of faith with Him provides deliverance from the sin nature that wrestles with our spirit. This isn’t a message that many Christians understand today, but the instantaneous power of God is real and still working! Through the power of sanctification that was provided at the cross, there is complete deliverance from the old temptations: the new life in Christ grows in clarity. 

This makes another point: sin is inexcusable because of what Christ did on the cross. This is not a gospel of I can’t help it, this is the Gospel of complete reconciliation to God. Sin separates us from God, but the ministry of Christ within us separates us from sin!

Sin is likened to leaven, and a little leaven goes a long way. When sin takes root, its effects change your appearance, your behavior, and your character. Like a seed, sin can sprout into a tree if you allow it to take root; but, so does the Kingdom of God within us.

Your choice is to either reject the Spirit of God, or crucify the old man: the sin nature. The choice is yours, but the power for deliverance is in Christ.

Not only was deliverance provided, but 

• He provided spiritual authority and power (v. 10, 15)

Col 2:10, 15 ESV - you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.  . . . He disarmed the [demonic] rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

The word used in this passage for authority and authorities is exousia, which means the power of rulership over something. Christ’s authority is greater than the demonic authorities and the spirit of the age. His power exceeds their power! Not only that, but He has given us this authority over the demonic spirits through the power of His name.

Luke 10:19 ESV - Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

The term serpents and scorpions, as noted by the next verse, refers to the spirits that side with the enemy in rebellion against God; and in verse 17 of this passage, Christ’s disciples returned from their missionary journey proclaiming that the demons were subject to them because of His name. Since Christ has the authority, and He lives in us, we are no longer in the domain of the enemy but in the domain of the Kingdom of God.

With the sanctified life, there's a deeper step to take. If we’re in Christ, the spirit of the age no longer has dominion over us; but if we’ve been baptized in His Holy Ghost, we’re given the power to fight back! The message of Satan is filled with despair and hopelessness, but the Baptism of the Holy Ghost empowers us to share the gospel of joy and deliverance. 

Acts 1:8 KJV - But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The word used here for power is dynamis: being separate from having authority and rulership, indicating explosive and miraculous power. This explosive power, through the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, is for everyone who comes to Christ and sets themselves apart from the world for the Master’s use. This power is for those who are willing to say: “Lord, what would you have me to do?”

The work of Christ in our lives — from Salvation, to Sanctification, to the Baptism of the Holy — must be within the foundation of our faith.

In conclusion, I want to remind us again of one important note: we don’t believe in a Bible that is separate from Jesus Christ, and we certainly don’t believe in a Jesus Christ that is separate from the Bible. His Word paints the picture of who he is, and He is the very one who gives scripture the authority.

This symbiotic relationship points us to our foundation: Christ and the doctrine that He embodies. His miracle of creation, His deity, and His ministry lie at the root of all of His doctrine. Although many may be confused with His doctrine, this is the solid rock upon which I will stand! There is no other foundation laid!

1Co 3:11-13 KJV - For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If your foundation is rooted and built upon Christ and His doctrine, then the work that follows will be made into a mighty house; if not, your work will fail when it’s tested by fire and your house will fall when tested by the storm.

You cannot simply believe in Christ while not believing in His words: all you do is make another deity with different terms in their Covenant. All you do is build four walls on an unstable foundation.

Build your house on the rock, and you can withstand the storms that follow.

Mat 7:24-25 KJV - Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.