Captivity and Victory – Colossians 2:8-15
Many of us experience a soul-level weariness that feels like war, and the voice we choose to believe will either lead us into captivity or into victory.
3 Point Summary of Colossians
This letter is written to a young church: The Apostle Paul writes this letter from prison to a young church in the city of Colossae that they may grow in “maturity to Christ” (1:28), despite the cultural pressures that they were experiencing.
Christ began a new Kingdom: The foundation for resisting cultural pressure is recognizing we have been saved from ourselves and are now citizens of a new Kingdom– established in Christ. (1:13;1:15-20;3:1)
Spiritual maturity is learning to live in that new Kingdom: Paul believes that learning to live in the Kingdom of Jesus transforms every aspect of our lives.
An Information War
As 21st-century people, much of our understanding of warfare comes from World War 2. However, most conflict in the 21st century has not been with bullets but with ideas.
Paul uses service in the military as a metaphor for our experience with the faith.
“...fight the good fight of faith” – 1 Timothy 6
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”– 2 Timothy 2:3.
“...cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light”–Romans 13:12.
“we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”– Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
On our true enemy
John 8:44-45: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.”
Jesus believes there is a hostile spiritual intelligence, known as “the devil.”
The devil’s end goal is anti-creation; or death.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10
“The terms “powers and authorities” (Col 1:16; 2:15)... undeniably describe spiritual and cosmic forces at work in this world … Yet, some of this language is routinely used for, say, Roman structures and institutions. In other words, the powers refer to dark cosmic forces that are at work in the structures of God’s world.” – Scott McKnight
3. The Enemies’ primary means of destruction is deception.
“Ideas…are the primary stronghold of evil of the human self and in society. “ – Dallas Willard
The Colossian Captivity
The temptation to believe the lie of the enemy is what Paul is addressing in the Colossian Church:
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” (Col. 8:8)
The way to counteract these types of lies is to confront them with the truth; therefore Paul launches into who Christ is and what he is done.
The Fullness of Deity
“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.”– Colossians 2:9-10:
As NT Wright suggests, these verses give the Colossians the reason why they must not be ensnared by lies– there is nothing these philosophies have to offer that is not better in Christ.
We lose in the realm of spiritual warfare– thus spiritual maturity– anytime we believe the original lie that Christ is not enough.
Three ways to confront this lie and to know that Christ is enough:
A community of truth
Our sins do not dictate our future
And Christ has defeated the powers of darkness.
The Community of Truth.
“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.” – Colossians 2:11-12
Both circumcision and baptism were signs that you belong to a particular community– God’s community.
Our sins do not dictate our future
“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.” – Colossians 2:13-14
In our apprenticeship to Christ, one progressively learns what it is to choose to believe truth over lies.
The powers that be have been defeated by Christ.
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” –Colossians 2:15
When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.” – Colossians 2:13–15 (The Message Paraphrase)
The cross has become a source of hope for all who have been held captive by their lies.
Spiritual Practice – Spiritual warfare is putting yourself in proximity to truth.
But as Jesus and Paul teach us, spiritual warfare most often comes in the form of a lie and the way to confront these lies is with the truth.
Spiritual maturity is learning to put yourself in a position to hear the voice of truth, over the lies of the enemy
