Freed to Obey Christ

Text: Colossians 2:8–23

Today we're going to talk about what happens if you get distracted from following Christ. Instead of walking in Christ, you begin to follow the demands of the world—all of these ideas that other people have about what it means to grow and mature and pursue holiness and righteousness. We are going to see what happens if you decide to follow the demands of the world. What Paul wants us to hear is that when Christ died and rose again, he defeated the enemy, and therefore freed us to obey him alone.

Returning to Old Ways

Let's look at verse 8: 

“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.” (Colossians 2:8 ESV)

Apparently, people are coming to the Colossians and trying to convince them to return back to their former way of life. In a sense, the enemy has sent in salesmen who are trying to persuade the Colossians that they have the perfect plan for righteousness. Think of it like the flashy diets of the day, only instead of promising weight loss, they are promising holiness that will please the Lord. But these salesmen are really trying to get the Colossians to return to their former worldly traditions and turn away from walking in Christ. Picture a drug addict who decides he is done with that life. But he still has the friends who keep pestering him, “Come on man. Just take one hit. It's your birthday. It's okay.” They are these slimy deceivers who are trying to take them captive by their philosophies.

Paul wants the Colossians to see how foolish returning to this way of life would really be. And he wants us to resist them. So in order to show them that, he is going to give them a rich summary of what Christ did when he died and rose again. But before he talks about the work of Christ. He wants to get us into the ring. He decides he is going to explain Christ's work by way of comparison. So he brings us into this contest of champions, if you will.

On one side are the elemental spirits of the world:

“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.” (Colossians 2:8 ESV)

These elemental spirits of the world are manifest according to human tradition, and that tradition is manifest as empty deceit and philosophy.  Below the philosophy, below the demands of the world, are these elemental spirits who think they're in control.

Here are a few more descriptions so we can really fill out this scene:

“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Colossians 2:17 ESV)

Verse 17 calls them shadows.

In 1 Corinthians 8:4 Paul says: 

“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” (1 Corinthians 8:4 ESV)

They are so weak Paul says they hardly even exist when compared to God.

Here's what Paul says a little bit later in 1 Corinthians 10:19–20: 

“What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.” (1 Corinthians 10:19–20 ESV)

A Worthy Contestant?

Okay, that's the first contestant. And you have to ask yourself, “why would anyone ever think these spirits were a worthy contestant? What ever gave these elemental spirits of the world the idea that they were ever in control?” Well, very simply, they always had one “trump card.” No matter how well behaved someone was in this life, these elemental spirits of the world always had this one card they could slam down. The card was a finger pointing at us with the caption, “Condemned.” They knew that all our right living fell short. They knew we couldn't live up to the standard...and they were right.

In fact, the list and the rules for righteousness was given by God himself, and the standard was measured by God himself. This enemy was always correct to say we fell short.

But now that Christ came, everything changed. When he came, these elemental spirits who thought they were in control, were dealt death blow after death blow. In fact, to bring out the difference Paul says these elemental spirits are empty, mere nothingness, while Christ is the fullness of God.

“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 ESV)

When Christ came, the first death blow that he dealt to the elemental spirits of the world was in the very person of who he was. He himself in the flesh was also fully God and so these elemental spirits of the world, who've always submitted to God who is above all things, now looked face to face into the fullness of God in a person. That fullness of God that dwelt in Christ was far greater than any spirit, far greater than a whole army of spirits. And that same fullness that dwelt in Christ, now dwells in us. 

Removing the Record of Debt

That was the first death blow. The second death blow went right to the heart of the weapon that these enemies had. It stripped them of that trump card that said everyone stood condemned.

“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.” (Colossians 2:11–15 ESV)

This death blow came when Christ, nailed to the cross, took all those rules, all those regulations, everything that rightly stood to condemn us, and said, “It is finished. Erased; gone. The record of debt canceled.” The trump card is gone. His blood secured this promise for all those who are in Christ.

Here's how Revelation 12:10 puts it: 

“And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Revelation 12:10 ESV)

You were uncircumcised, you were dead, but his death and resurrection mean that if you are in him, you are now circumcised, not with some kind of brutal removing of the flesh, but with Christ giving you a new heart, a circumcised heart.

Now these elemental spirits, they've lost their weapon, that trump card, and they have seen face to face, the one and the only full God in the flesh who died and rose again to cancel the record of debt that stood against us.

That's the contest. Pretty simple who wins. 

A Defeated Enemy 

But now there's a defeated enemy who's roaming around, and he's trying to take members of this army of God who have won the battle away from the winning side. The war is over. The declared victory is coming. It's just a matter of time. But what the enemy is trying to do is take as many down with him as he can.

He's not trying to fight with sheer power in this passage. He's trying to deceive Christians to go back to their old ways, to ignore the victory they have in Christ. He wants them to willingly submit to those inferior ways of before, to obey the wisdom of the world. To place themselves willingly under his condemnation. But Paul wants them to know that when Christ died and rose again, he defeated the enemy, and therefore freed us to obey him alone. 

So now we come to this ever important “therefore” in verse 16:  

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16 ESV)

The reason that “therefore” is so important is that Paul knows how much is at stake if the Colossians fall sway to this persuasion. What's at stake if we were to follow all the rules and demands of this world? What's at stake is that we undermine all those realities of Christ being the victory.

If we would submit ourselves again to be condemned under all of these other judgments, what have we just done? We just looked at Christ, who said the record of your debt is canceled, and we said, “Oh, I'm trading that debt-free promise to now feel guilty again under all these rules.”

Getting Specific

Paul wants to get really specific lest the Colossians miss this. He is talking about what happens when we don't walk in Christ but rather follow all the demands of other people who are trying to say this is the plan of righteousness. The problem is these promises of righteousness, these alternative plans, are actually deadly because they dethrone Christ and stunt our growth as believers.

Let's read Paul's examples.

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:15–23 ESV)

Paul goes through this long list of examples to flood the Colossians with specifics and with warning of what will happen if they follow these ways of the world. His list ranges from people telling them they should not eat certain foods, to people telling them they need to celebrate a Sabbath, to others saying they need to worship angels or seek other visions. But every one of these demands reverses the work of Christ on the cross. 

Take, for example, the Sabbath. Some might have been pressuring them saying that you can't go work on Sunday. And then there's another group that says, “No, no. It's Saturday. It's always been Saturday. We need to keep Saturday holy.” Then there's the group that says, “No, no. It's not any of that. It's Christmas. Christ came. We now celebrate Christmas.” But the problem in each of these scenarios is that they have actually exchanged the substance for an empty shadow. We don't worship Christmas. We worship the one who came on Christmas two thousand years ago. We don't find rest in a day of the week. We find rest in a person. All of these rules and regulations that people come up with belittle Christ because if it's about a day, it's not about a person. If it's about a holiday, we've missed the reason for that holiday.

Or take for another example, Paul telling them that they don’t need to worry about the food or drink that they consume. In verses 21 and 22, he says he is talking about things that all perish: “Don't handle, don't taste, don't touch.” 

Paul says, why would you submit to these rules? If you're worried that behind them are elemental spirits of the world and that's why you're afraid, Christ has dealt the death blow. You owe nothing to them. They have no authority, no power. All power, all authority belongs to Christ. He's the head of all things. He's over all things. He is supreme, which means you can eat anything you want. You can drink anything you want. None of them have power over us. 

Here’s some more clear declarations from Paul on the matter: 

“So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:16–17 ESV)

“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” (1 Corinthians 8:8 ESV)

You can eat whatever you want. You can celebrate Christmas or not celebrate Christmas. You can read this or read that. They all have lost their authority in Christ. Why? Because none of them can compete. None of them have power. The fullness of God has come. None of them can condemn you because you are covered in Christ. He has fulfilled the law so you no longer have to feel like you need to do this checklist of things to follow Christ. 

In fact, Paul says that chasing these rules as a way to get righteousness will not work. Here’s what he says at the end of his list of examples: 

“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:23 ESV)

Disputable Matters

Now we may be tempted to think this is sort of an out-of-date issue. But it’s not. The enemy still tries to trap us into following the rules of the world, but the examples just change from generation to generation. Maybe we don’t struggle with whether or not we should eat meat sacrificed to idols. But the same disputable matters exist today. 

But before we get into some specific examples, we need to clarify that Paul here is talking about disputable matters. He is aware that there are two categories believers need to understand. The first is disputable matters; the second is clear right and wrong. We can’t dispute the right and wrong issues. Sins like, sexual immorality. You can’t be committing adultery and claim to be a believer. Or murder, or lying, or stealing. Those are clear matters of right and wrong. Paul isn’t talking about that. Instead he is talking about disputable matters. 

Every era has their alternative plans for obtaining righteousness. The devil sends salesmen to promote a new regime that will “guarantee results.” Think of them like fashionable diets, but instead of promising weight loss, they are promising a right standing with God. These disputable matters always have the similar sales pitches: 

• “You call yourself a Christian and you drink ____”

• “Oh, you haven’t heard? Christians must celebrate _____”

• “How can you possibly say you have submitted to Christ when you go there?”

• “What? You watch _____ and you read ______. Do you not know that we can’t touch that?”

Harry Potter

Let me give you an example close to home. 

The late 90’s was the height of the Harry Potter craze.

Right away. You get people who are divided. On one side, you have those who said, “Oh, if you're a Christian, you cannot read that: witchcraft, spells, demons, evil spirits. Christians have nothing to do with that. You cannot read that. Why would you ever read that and invite that into you.”

On the other side, you have people who said, “We have freedom in Christ. You can read those if you want. You don't have to if that's not your kind of book. You don't need to. If you feel this conscience thing, it's fine. Don't read it.”

I think it should be clear that I take the side of Christians having freedom to read Harry Potter if they would like. I think that is Paul's point—not only that we side with freedom but that we insist that that's where we must stand as believers.

The reason is, if we start demanding that you cannot read Harry Potter and be a Christian, what have you done? You've reversed the work of the cross. You've reversed the coming of Christ. What we’ve done is said that Christ is lesser than these spirits of the world. In fact, we are saying that Christ is less powerful than J.K. Rowling’s made up world of evil spirits. Paul says, “No way, bad exchange. That is not reality. Christ is far greater.”

Now we have to pause and acknowledge that the enemy is good at this game. His wisdom will have the appearance of wisdom at some level, but when you stop and think about all that Christ has done, it will be undone. 

Just stop to think for one minute about the Harry Potter example. Does it make you pause for a minute and say, “Well, yeah, I mean if there is witchcraft in there and there's evil spirits talked about that doesn't sound like something that as Christians that we want to be dabbling in.” 

That sounds wise. There's a sense of wisdom there until you stop and you look at the cross and you see, “Oh, Christ is the ruler and authority over all things. He is above all things.” 

Modern Examples

I can’t fill out every example that will come across our plates as believers. There will always be disputable matters, but they almost always have the same kind of sales pitch to them. It goes something like you're a Christian and _____ [fill in the blank]. On a real practical level we have issues like—

• Drinking alcohol. 

• Watching horror movies. 

• Types of clothing we should wear. 

The list could go on and on. 

Now let me be really clear with what I’m saying. I’m not saying that Christians can do whatever we want. That we don’t have any plan of growing in righteousness. What I’m saying is our plan doesn’t come from the rules of this world; it comes from Christ. Here it is again: when Christ died and rose again, he defeated the enemy, and therefore freed us to obey him alone. 

So let that list give you an example of how this can work it’s way out in the life of a new believer. 

Imagine someone just accepted Jesus as their Lord. Now you ask them what they plan to do next. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think they would say something like:, “Well, I guess I should maybe get rid of my country music CDs and buy worship albums. Maybe I need to get rid of some of my movies. Oh, I guess I go to a bar each week with my friends. I should probably stop doing that.” 

According to Paul, the correct response to that list is “no way”. That is not what is next. You can respond by saying, “Keep your country music CDs and buy Christian albums if you want. As for your DVDs, there are certainly some that you may need to get rid of if they are explicit, but keep your Jason Bourne set and your Godfather collection. Don’t stop going to the bar with your buddies. Continue to go but now go with a different purpose. Go to show them God. Your pursuit of righteousness should begin by begging God to transform you more into the likeness of his Son.” 

Again listen to Paul: 

“So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:16–17 ESV)

We talked about how when Christ died, he defeated the enemy, and therefore freed us to obey him alone in order to grow in righteousness. Satan had always had one trump card before God. He could rightly stand and point at us as he declared, “Condemned.” We didn’t measure up, and he could accuse us all day long. But at the cross, Christ dealt a death blow to Satan. For those in Christ, there is no longer any condemnation, and with that, he defeated the enemy. No longer do we have a record of debt against us, so we no longer need to obtain right standing with God by following a set of rules. Instead all we need to do is live in Christ. When Christ died and rose again, he defeated the enemy, and therefore freed us to obey him alone.