Complete in Christ
Complete in Christ
Rev. Terry Smith
Text: Col. 2:8-15 (NASB)
I. Our Complete Savior (2:8-10)
A. His complete doctrine (v. 8)
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
B. His complete deity (v. 9)
Paul proclaimed that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ.
John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father;”
C. His complete dominion (v. 10)
Because we are in Christ, we may draw upon Him as an inexhaustible source for whatever we need.
2 Peter 1:3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
II. Our Complete Salvation (2:11-15)
A. Complete acceptance (v. 11)
Only a cleansing of the heart makes sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles, acceptable to God.
Galatians 6:15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
B. Complete identification (vv. 12, 13a)
Identification with Christ’s burial and resurrection frees believers from slavery to sin and gives them a new life in Christ.
2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
C. Complete forgiveness (vv. 13b, 14)
God pardoned our sins on the basis of His grace, not on the basis of our merit.
God has wiped away all of a believer’s trespasses because Jesus paid the debt with His blood.
D. Complete victory (v. 15)
Jesus defeated and disarmed the Devil at
Calvary and now leads His followers in triumphant victory.