Triumph Through The Cross | Colossians 2:8-15

INTRODUCTION

Paul, during one of his imprisonments, wrote the Letter to the Colossians to a church community he hadn’t started and hadn’t met. The church in Colossae was established by his co-worker Epaphras, who updated Paul on the challenges the Colossian believers faced, urging them to triumph through the cross or stay devoted to Jesus amidst cultural and pagan pressures.

Colossians 2:8-15

⁸See 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.

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹²having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Triumph Through The Cross

Colossians 2:8-15

Paul starts this passage with a warning to the church: See to it! Take care! Beware!

Colossians 2:8

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.

See to it that no one takes you captive: Means to enslave or kidnap.

What is the problem here?

According to Colossians 1:13-14, Christians have already been:

• Rescued from the kingdom of darkness.
• Received redemption and forgiveness of sins.

Now, some are returning to that bondage through hollow philosophy and paganism.

What is this hollow and deceptive philosophy which might have an effect on the Colossians?

• Paul addressed the false teaching in the church where new preachers urged them to adhere to Christ while conforming to pagan and Jewish beliefs and practices, which he denounced as human tradition rather than aligning with Christ.

Pagan Practice in Paul’s time: The Babylonian, Persian, and Greek cultures worshipped the four physical elements of earth, air, fire, and water, along with the sun, moon, planets, and stars as deities. These beliefs remain prevalent in our world today.

Jewish Practices: Jews followed circumcision, sabbath, Kosher laws (food laws), and festivals.

The Problem: New believers in this church were instructed by Jewish believers to adhere to Jewish cultural practices such as circumcision, observing the Sabbath, and dietary laws. Meanwhile, other preachers, formerly adherents of pagan culture, urged them to adopt worldly philosophy.

Demeter – Olympian goddess of harvest and culture.

Asclepius – god of healing.

Astraeus – The god of stars and planets, astrological deity.

This passage warns against Christians engaging in religious syncretism by following pagan deities and festivals, as well as Jewish practices and festivals, while being in Christ.

This was a major problem for Israel

• From Moses to the exile in Babylon, there was a cultural tendency to worship Yahweh in pagan forms such as the golden calf, Baal, nature gods, and the astral gods of Babylon.
• Prophets like Elijah, Isaiah, Amos, and Jeremiah declared God’s judgments on syncretistic practices, labeling them as spiritual adultery.

The Colossian Problem:

• Formerly Pagan Christians pushed for angel worship, magic, and charms within the church.
• Jewish Christians were tempted to blend Jewish laws with their faith in Christ.
• Result: As a result, Jesus was viewed as just one among many gods, leading to confusion among the believers.

The problem with such a living is:

Colossians 2:8-15

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.

• It takes you captive.
• It is deceptive.
• This depends on human tradition.
• There is a demonic realm (the elemental spiritual forces) behind it.

So Paul warns to watch out that no one takes you captive with mere human ideas. False teachers rely on deceptive philosophy rooted in human tradition and elemental spiritual forces that do not align with Christ. We must avoid any teaching that does not align with Christ.

We need to discern:

• Which aspects of the culture and tradition are to be rejected.
• How the valued aspects of the culture and tradition are to be redeemed and transformed into obedience to Christ.

OUR LIFE BEFORE CHRIST & IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:13-15

¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Our Life Before Christ; 2:13ab

• We were dead in our sins.
• We were cut off from the life of God, alienated as sinners.
• We were enslaved by the dominion of darkness.
• We needed forgiveness of sin.

Our Life In Christ; 1:13c-15

Colossians 2:13c-15

….God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

When we believed Jesus:

• God made us alive with Christ.
• God united us with Christ in his death and resurrection.
• Those who are raised with Christ participate in his resurrection life and power.
• He forgave us all our sins. By his grace our sins are pardoned and guilt is taken off.

THE WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS

He Cancelled The Written Code; 2:14a

Mostly, it refers to the Mosaic Law. The written code records one’s debt, akin to a loan agreement that we are obligated to repay. No one could fully keep the law, as it highlights our mistakes.

Romans 3:20 

Through the law we become conscious of our sin

Romans 4:15 

..there is no law there is no transgression.

The law pointed out to the Jew their sin. Breaking the Law meant being cursed by God (Deut. 27:14-26) and even facing the sentence of death (Deut. 28:15-20).

Law of the Gentiles: The Gentiles, who did not receive the written Law given by Moses, will face judgment by the law written in their hearts, which accuses their conscience.(Romans 2:14-16).

The Law, including both the Mosaic Law and the law written in our hearts (conscience), demonstrates our guilt. Christ has now cancelled the power of the law over us.

At The Cross, The Debt Has Been Cancelled

King David, anguished over his sin, calls on the mercy of God to blot out his transgression, cleanse him from his sin, and create in him a new heart in Ps. 51. This is what Paul means by cancelling the charge.

ILLUSTRATION

You imagine a piece of paper with handwriting, listing what you should and shouldn’t do. As you read it, you discover you haven’t done what you should and have done what you shouldn’t. Then, imagine God coming with a great sponge and erasing the entire writing, leaving the sheet blank, the slate clean, and you as a new person ready to begin a new life.

Jesus Has Taken The Debt Of Sin Away Nailing It To The Cross

Forgiveness of sin is God’s work alone. The Cross Is The Only Ground For The Forgiveness Of Sins. He could cancel the enormous debt of human sin on the basis of Christ’s atoning death on the cross.

THE VICTORY OF CHRIST

1. Disarmed The Powers And Authorities

2. Exposing The Powers – Made A Public Spectacle Of Them

It was akin to Joseph planning to expose Mary’s pregnancy in Mt. 1:19. The concept is public exposure. Jesus exposed the evil powers and made a spectacle of them.

1 Corinthians 2:6-8

⁶We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Paul states that the rulers of this age blundered when they crucified the Lord of glory. They thought they were getting rid of Jesus by crucifying him. However, in the act of being crucified, Jesus turned the tables on them, exposing the powers and authorities of this world for the crime of keeping humanity under their control.

APPLICATION

Christ exposing the powers and authorities must encourage us to stand firm in our faith in Christ and enable us to resist fear and power of the demonic forces.

3. Leading The Powers In A Triumphal Procession

Colossians 2:15

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

In other words, Jesus did what a Roman general would do at the end of a triumphal procession.

ILLUSTRATION

When a Roman general won a great victory, he had to declare it to his nation. In the days before electronic media or newspapers, how would people back home know about the victory?

The answer was that the general would first disarm the opponent king and soldiers, parade hundreds or thousands of captives and cartloads of booty. He would display what they obtained from their great palaces, what they won when they robbed their temple. Here come their nobles, all now looking ashamed, and at the back comes their king bound, as we celebrate our triumph over him. At the end of the procession, everyone else takes off into slavery, but the king himself will be killed.

That happened in Titus’ triumph after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD70. On the arch of Titus, located at the top end of the Roman forum, you can still see carved stone pictures of that triumph.

The Paradox of the Cross

This is the image which Paul is using here: that the principalities and powers, the rulers and authorities, had gone bad. They were made in and through and for Christ, but they rebelled and were doing the devil’s work. They were causing chaos and destruction. Jesus won the victory throughout his public ministry, starting with his victory over temptation in the desert.

Of course, it is paradoxical. Anyone looking at Jesus on the cross would not say, “Well, there he is, leading the Romans and all the other authorities in a triumph.” However, Paul says you have to learn to look at the cross with the eyes of faith and see that what they thought they were doing to Jesus (defeating Jesus) was what God was, in fact, doing to them.

• God has stripped the hostile powers of their dignity and respect.
• God celebrated victory over every power and authorities by Christ on the cross.
• God has defeated the enemies of His purposes in this world..
• Sinners secure forgiveness.
• The cross is the public symbol of Christ’s triumph.
• Those who are believers need not fear the demonic realm or serve them.

Therefore Paul Says: Christ Is Enough; V9-10

Colossians 2:9-10

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

The Fullness Of God Is In Christ; V9

The fullness of God is in Christ, but not exclusively in Christ, for God’s deity is relational, involving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Christ dwells in the very essence of God, where He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. God dwells in bodily form in Christ. The fullness of deity is incarnate in Jesus, representing the presence of God in the OT, his glory, and power, where he chose to dwell in the temple. The present tense (lives) indicates that Christ’s bodily form continues in his post-resurrection glorified body.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Believers have incorporated themselves into Christ; V10

Colossians 2:9-10

⁹For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Believers Too Share In The Divine Fullness As They Dwell In Christ

Our corporate solidarity as a church, the body of Christ, means that all of us partake in the divine nature of the Godhead – that is, God’s attributes of holiness and love.

Genesis 1:27 

All humanity bears the image of the creator.The fall distorted this.

Col. 2:10 

By believing in Jesus, believers bear the image of Christ or the Godhead.

CONCLUSION

The Colossians were attempting to interpret the power of Christ within the framework of the power of the spirit world. They were trying to blend Christ with their religious and cultural practices.

Paul writes:

• Christ is the ruler of all creation; 1:16-17
• Christ is the head of every ruler and authority; 2:10b
• In Ephesians: Described as the head of the church, Christ leads his body; Eph. 1:18
• In Ephesians: Christ is the head of the cosmic world of the spirits and angels; Eph. 2:10,15
• The fullness of Godhead dwells in Christ; Col. 2:10a
• Believers too share in the divine fullness as they dwell in Christ; Col. 2:10b

It is humbling for us to know that Christ invites us to share in his reign now in this world and when he returns as King and Judge of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). This is a humbling experience.

God brings about this change through His action. Therefore, based on what Christ has done, Paul warns his readers not to allow anyone to bind them unnecessarily.

In Colossians 2, Paul passionately warns against the captivity of deceptive philosophies and urges believers to stand firm in the fullness of Christ. Through Christ triumphing over powers and authorities on the cross, we empower ourselves to reject syncretism and embrace our new identity.

Life Application Points:

Guard Against Deceptive Influences

Be vigilant against worldly philosophies that undermine the supremacy of Christ.

Be vigilant against religious and cultural influences that undermine the supremacy of Christ.

Focus on the truth of the Gospel and discern deceptive teachings that seek to compromise your faith.

Reject Syncretism

Avoid blending your faith with cultural practices or false teachings. Choose to root yourself solely in Christ’s authority and teachings, and reject any influences that dilute the purity of your faith.

Embrace The Fullness Of Christ

Celebrate The Victory Of Christ

Remember that the cross symbolizes Christ’s triumph over powers and authorities. Live confidently, knowing that Christ’s victory empowers you to overcome any spiritual opposition or fear.

Live in Your New Identity:

Understand that in Christ, you have a new identity. Just as circumcision of the heart symbolizes putting off the old self, embrace the transformative power of baptism, signifying your identification with Christ’s death and resurrection.

Let us guard our faith, embrace Christ’s victory, and live as transformed individuals rooted in the unshakable truth of the Gospel. As we navigate a rapidly changing world, may we hold fast to Christ alone, allowing His life-transforming power to shape our decisions, relationships, and understanding of true freedom.