CortlandChurch of Christ
Menu
(330) 442-5805

Blog

Complete in Christ

Text: Colossians 2:1–15 (NKJV) Big idea: Our completeness in Christ gives us a reason to trust Him and a life in which to keep growing.Key verse: Colossians 2:9–10, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

INTRODUCTION: What makes us feel “enough”?

  • Open: Read Colossians 2:1–15 aloud. The title comes from verse 10.
  • Illustration: Picture a spiritual to-do list where every item is checked and you still wonder whether God accepts you.
  • The pressure: One more achievement, or one more person’s approval.
  • Paul’s answer: Christ gives the fullness we seek before God.
  • Pause: Ask listeners to silently name the achievement, approval or experience they have treated as the missing piece.
  • Anchor verse (2:9–10):
    1. Verse 9 says who Christ is.
    2. Verse 10 says what we receive in Him.
    3. Assurance grows from Christ’s sufficiency, not from our feelings.
    4. Being “complete” does not mean sinless maturity.
  • Preview: Four truths that follow the flow of the passage.
    1. Knowing Christ (2:1–5)
    2. Walking in Christ (2:6–8)
    3. Sharing His fullness (2:9–12)
    4. Living in His freedom (2:13–15)

POINT 1: Knowing Christ (2:1–5)

Main idea: Christ is the center of our understanding and assurance.

  • A. Paul’s pastoral concern
    • He struggles for believers he has never met.
    • He wants them encouraged and understanding.
    • He rejoices in their orderly life and steadfast faith (v. 5).
  • B. Hearts knit together in love (v. 2)
    • We know Christ in the company of the church, not through a private search for special insights.
    • An encouraging church listens patiently, prays faithfully and speaks truth with care.
    • Example: A discouraged member and another believer who stays with them through the week.
    • Application: Choose someone to encourage with Scripture and a genuine conversation.
  • C. Christ holds the treasures of wisdom (v. 3)
    • Illustration: A compass gives a traveler dependable direction. Christ gives our search for wisdom its center.
    • Support: James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.”
    • This promises neither secret information nor effortless decisions. It invites humble prayer and attention to Scripture.
  • D. Persuasive words need discernment (vv. 4–5)
    • “Lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.”
    • Two tests:
      1. Where does this teaching lead my trust?
      2. Does this claim agree with Scripture?
    • Confidence in a speaker cannot replace confidence in Christ.
    • The danger is a message’s content, not a speaker’s style. Don’t dismiss careful thinking or good scholarship.

POINT 2: Walking in Christ (2:6–8)

Main idea: The Lord we received directs the life we live.

  • A. Receive, then walk (v. 6)
    • Christian growth follows the relationship already given in Christ.
    • Everyday example: Answering a hard message at work, or handling irritation at home. How does trust in Christ shape the response?
  • B. Rooted and built up (v. 7)
    • Rooted: our life draws its strength from Christ.
    • Built up: faith grows as we receive and obey His truth.
    • Deep roots need repeated attention, not occasional bursts of enthusiasm.
    • This week: Read, pray and respond to one verse from this passage, and share a question with another believer.
  • C. Abounding in thanksgiving (v. 7)
    • Gratitude helps us remember what we already have in Christ, so we stop hunting for a missing ingredient.
    • Support: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
    • Practice: Name one reason for gratitude each day, and bring your grief honestly to God as well. Gratitude does not deny pain.
  • D. Christ is the measure of teaching (v. 8)
    • According to Christ: His person and work guide our trust, and His truth shapes our obedience.
    • Empty deceit: human claims that draw our confidence away from Christ.
    • The test is what a message teaches and where it directs our faith.
    • Don’t reject philosophy, culture or learning wholesale. A teaching that makes Christ insufficient fails the test.
    • Compare claims with the passage, and talk through troubling teaching with mature church leaders.

POINT 3: Sharing His Fullness (2:9–12)

Main idea: We receive saving fullness through union with Christ.

  • A. Christ’s unique fullness (vv. 9–10)
    • The fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ, and He is head over every principality and power.
    • We share in His saving work. We never become divine or equal to Him.
  • B. Complete in Him (v. 10)
    • A given assurance: Christ supplies what we need to belong to God.
    • A continuing life: we still grow in faith and turn from sin.
    • Illustration: A guest welcomed to a prepared table receives what the host provides and doesn’t bring the missing meal. (Note the limits: a meal can’t express all that salvation means.)
    • Application: Stop using spiritual performance to fill a supposed gap in Christ’s work.
  • C. Christ changes the heart (v. 11)
    • “The circumcision made without hands.”
    • God’s inward work: our confidence rests in what Christ does within us, not in an outward credential.
    • Our honest response: bring the attitude beneath the appearance to Him.
    • This does not remove the need for obedience, church life or Christ’s commands.
    • Application: Name one attitude or habit that needs repentance and bring it to the Lord.
  • D. Buried and raised with Him (v. 12)
    • “Raised with Him through faith in the working of God.”
    • Support: Romans 6:4, “Even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
    • Union with Christ calls us into a new way of living.
    • Baptism is connected with burial and resurrection here. Traditions explain baptism differently, so stay with the wording of the text.

POINT 4: Living in His Freedom (2:13–15)

Main idea: Christ gives life, forgives sin and triumphs over every power.

  • A. From death to life (v. 13)
    • God makes us alive together with Christ.
    • Forgiveness is at the heart of this new life.
  • B. The debt against us has gone (vv. 13–14)
    • “Having forgiven you all trespasses.”
    • Illustration: A cancelled ledger is a record that no longer stands against us.
    • Jesus does not merely overlook wrongdoing. The cross is the basis for forgiveness.
    • Application: Trust His work instead of trying to pay the debt through self-punishment. Confess honestly and don’t hide failure.
  • C. Christ has triumphed (v. 15)
    • “Having disarmed principalities and powers.”
    • Support: Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”
    • This doesn’t promise freedom from temptation, suffering or opposition. We face them with confidence in His authority.
  • D. Forgiven people learn to forgive
    • Support: Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
    • Take one wise step toward forgiveness, such as praying for the person or speaking truth without bitterness.
    • Appropriate boundaries can remain. For serious harm, seek pastoral and qualified professional help.

CONCLUSION: Christ Is Sufficient

  • Recap:
    1. Knowing Christ: He holds the wisdom we need.
    2. Walking in Christ: He directs our continuing growth.
    3. Sharing His fullness: We belong to God through Him.
    4. Living in His freedom: His forgiveness gives us assurance.
  • Return to verse 10: Repeat “complete in Him.” His sufficiency supports growth and doesn’t make it unnecessary.
  • Silence: Allow a brief pause for listeners to connect the message to their own lives.

PERSONAL REFLECTION (quiet moment)

  1. Where am I looking for wisdom?
  2. What would a deeper walk with Christ change?
  3. Am I resting in His sufficiency?
  4. What guilt or resentment must I bring to Him?

All posts on the blog