Taken Captive

Aug. 15

Read: Colossians 2:6-23

Taken Captive

There are a great number of things that seek to enslave us as “take us captive” in our relationship with Christ. The truly ironic thing is that many of those things are created by US… they are a byproduct of our own doing. We WILLINGLY enslave ourselves thinking that it is from Christ when in reality… it is NOT. “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.” (v.23) In short, the scriptures say these things may “look good” and “spiritual” but in the end they are empty and powerless.

Most of us are familiar with he truth that we are not “saved by our good works”. Receiving Christ has never been about our “completion of the Law” or about our ability to earn it through our actions. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9) This truth carries over into our relationship and life in Christ. The scriptures say as much here:

“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.” (v.6,7)

We “walk in Christ” the same way that we “received him”. We are being “rooted and built up in” Christ… Christ is the foundation of what we do and not the “law” or “rules” that we seek to add to the equation. This makes more sense when we begin to look at those things that the word of God tells us to avoid… to watch out for:

“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.” (v.8)

I have said it before and I will say it again. there is a great deal of “Christian Folklore” that circulates around and is taught as truth. In the end… it is not from Christ. The demons of this world (“elemental spirits”) are trying to entrance us as God’s people. There are plenty of smooth talkers who want to “captivate” their audience with ideas that do not come from the head of the body (Jesus) but from the world our their own head. In the end - we need to remember that we did not come to Christ through our own ideas or thinking… we are never “reasoned” into faith… the final step is always that - FAITH. It is Christ reaching out to us… embracing us… MAKING US ALIVE. There are not ideas or philosophies that will bring the dead to life… dead people simply do not think themselves into being alive!

This is what the Lord declares: “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…” This is the “manner in which you received Christ” so this is how we walk in him. We are being filled with the deity of the Lord - “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.” (v.9,10) This is how the Lord is leading us! Not through “empty deceit, human tradition, and the elemental spirits of the world” but through his very indwelling presence and through the “filling up” we receive form Christ. In the Old Testament / Old Covenant there was an outward symbol of your identity as belonging to the people of God for the men. It was circumcision. This was something that was carried out bodily by another person. It was something that could be done by human hands… and even a decision that could be made by the person themselves. This New Covenant in Christ does not function this way. It is not something we can choose for ourselves. It is not something carried out by human hands. It is not an “outside” element pointing to what is within us… it is the opposite! “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…” (v.11)

All of this points to the fact that you have been set FREE in Christ Jesus and brought to life. Living things DO THINK. Living things definitely DO ACT. But LIFE does not come from the philosophy or the actions… it comes from the LORD. Our trespasses and sins with there legal demands have been canceled… removed… done away with! (v.14) We are no longer under that paradigm or that yoke. We are no longer under that law, but now we are a part of the body of Christ… under the head of the body - JESUS - the one “filling us up”. He is the one we now look to for direction and guidance, not the philosophies of man, the spirits of this world, or the old law / old covenant / old manner of “setting aside and marking” that is a human circumcision.

“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.” (v.16)

Jesus is the actual “substance” and those other things were his shadow! The old way of living with its traditions, regulations, and laws were simply the shadow that Jesus cast. They showed us his outlined, and moved when he moved, but HAVE NO LIFE. They actually have no SUBSTANCE. Remember that a shadow is not actually anything of substance… it is actually the ABSENCE of something… light being blocked by the TRUE thing of SUBSTANCE. Jesus is the REAL SUBSTANCE… he is the one being outlined by the light… those things indicated to us his existence, his shape, his presence… but they had no substance! Every moment we spend looking at the shadow is a moment we spend ignoring the shadow maker… JESUS. Why would we try to have a relationship with a shadow when the person it is an outline of is here with us!?! Living this way will actually “disqualify us”. Don’t believe me? “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…” Plenty of people are going to push these things on you… these laws from the old… these “shadows”. Resist! So you might then ask me, “so how am I going to grow and be strengthened”? Well it is not going to be by living like a monk or putting yourself under the yoke of these slick talkers, or by observing some set of “rules” that have been cooked up… here is how you will be nourished and grown up:

“by holding fast to the Head (Jesus Christ) , from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.” (v.19)

Your body cannot grow or be nourished by eating shadows! We feast on the real thing… we are nourished by GOD. God leads us into action… into observance… into whatever “festivals” or “practices” he wants for us. The scriptures put it this way:

“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?” (v.23)

Jesus is setting us free form being slaves to the indulgence of the flesh but that freedom is not found in the law… in the Old Testament / Old Covenant law that was a great shadow but a poor thing of substance! Trying to put yourself back under the law while in Christ definitely looks good - “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body…” - But in the end it simply does not work.. “But they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (v.23) Jesus on the other hand, as the head of the body, is quite effective at nourishing us and growing us up in HIM. We need to shift our focus to Christ. Asking him what it is that he longs for in us. We need to look to Jesus as our coach… not the old contract that was signed with humanity. We have FREEDOM in Christ. Do not be taken captive! Do not look for life and substance to come from the shadows! Be anchored in the HEAD of the body. Love you guys. - JDP