The All-Sufficient Christ

Paul’s purpose in writing the Colossian epistle

was to refute the Colossian heresy that had
developed, which was a combination of an
extreme form of Judaism in which
ceremonialism with its strict rules regarding food
and drink, religious festivals and circumcision
were promoted, and an early form of Gnosticism.
 The All-Sufficient Christ

This early form of Gnosticism had taken on

aspects of asceticism, angel worship, secret
knowledge, the reliance upon human wisdom
and tradition, which all led to the depreciation of
Christ. Paul, therefore, in this wonderfully
written and inspiring letter accomplishes the
following:
 The All-Sufficient Christ

He exalts Christ as the very image of God (1:15);

He exalts Christ as the Creator (1:16);

He exalts Christ as the pre-existent Sustainer of

all things (1:17);
He exalts Christ as being the Head of the church
(1:18);
 The All-Sufficient Christ

He exalts Christ as being the first to be

resurrected (1:18);

He exalts Christ as being the fullness of deity in

bodily form (1:19; 2:9); and

He exalts Christ as being the reconciler of

mankind (1:20-22).
 The All-Sufficient Christ

Thus, Christ is shown to be completely adequate.

We, therefore, are complete when we are “in
Christ” (2:10).

On the other hand, the Colossian heresy was

altogether inadequate. It was a hollow and
deceptive philosophy (2:8), lacking any ability to
restrain the old sinful nature (2:23).
 The All-Sufficient Christ

Jesus did not come to give a lot of things apart

from Himself.
For instance, Jesus did not come to earth to show
us a way, He said He is the Way.

He did not come to bring us a life, He is the Life.

He did not come to feed us some bread, He is the

Bread.
 The All-Sufficient Christ

So the principle of successful Christian living is

this: Get Christ, and you get everything else you
have need of thrown in with Him as well.

But if you set your spiritual eyes on things apart

from Christ, you not only lose the pleasure of
having the sought-after thing (assuming you
apprehend it), but you lose out with Christ as well.
 The All-Sufficient Christ

He guards us jealously. He wants all of your

heart, and He will not share it with idols.

Jesus cut right to the chase when He placed this

principle of seeking Him first squarely against the
most basic needs of our human existence.

He said in Matthew 6:24-34,

 The All-Sufficient Christ
24. No man can serve two masters; for either he
will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to one, and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon.

25. Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for

your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
on. Is not the life more than the food, and the
body more than the raiment?
 The All-Sufficient Christ

26. Behold the birds of the heaven, that they

sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you of much more value then they?

27. And which of you by being anxious can add

one cubit unto the measure of his life?
 The All-Sufficient Christ
28. And why are ye anxious concerning
raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how
they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29. yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all
his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30. But if God does so clothe the grass of the
field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into
the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O
ye of little faith?
 The All-Sufficient Christ

31. Be not therefore anxious, saying, “What

shall we eat?” or, “What shall we drink?” or,
“Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”

32. For after all these things do the Gentiles

seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you
have need of all these things.
 The All-Sufficient Christ

33. But seek you first His kingdom, and His

righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you.

34. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow:

for the morrow will be anxious for itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
 All Things Were Created in Christ

In Paul's letter to the Colossians, certain things

are said about the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
These statements tie in well with John's first
chapter of his gospel.

Paul wrote in Colossians 1:16-17,

 All Things Were Created in Christ

16. for in Him were all things created, in the

heavens and upon the earth, things visible and
things invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers; all things have
been created through Him, and unto Him;

17. and He is before all things, and in Him

all things consist.
 All Things Were Created in Christ

Now compare what we just read to what John

wrote about Jesus in John 1:1-3:

1. In the beginning was the Word, and the

Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2. The same was in the beginning with God.

 All Things Were Created in Christ

3. All things were made through Him; and

without Him was not anything made that has
been made.

From these passages of Scripture we can see

that all things were created by Jesus and for
Jesus.
 All Things Were Created in Christ

He is before all things and in Him all things

consist.

Some think erroneously of Christ as the

greatest created being. But He is greater by far
than that.
 All the Fullness of the Godhead
Dwells in Him

Paul wrote in Colossians 1:19,

“For it was the good pleasure of the Father

that in Him should all the fullness dwell;”
 All the Fullness of the Godhead
Dwells in Him

Christ is the image of the invisible God

(Colossians 1:15).

He is this not by halves, not in parts, but in “all

the fullness”.
 All the Fullness of the Godhead
Dwells in Him

Some think of Christ as a hybrid being, half

man, half God. But He was “the fullness of
God in bodily form”.

Jesus was as human as any man, yet He lived

without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He was as divine
as God His Father.
 Every Human Being Can Be Made
Complete in Christ

Paul wrote in Colossians 1:27-29,

27. to whom God was pleased to make known

what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory:
 Every Human Being Can Be Made
Complete in Christ

28. Whom we proclaim, admonishing every

man and teaching every man in all wisdom,
that we may present every man perfect in
Christ;
29. whereunto I labor also, striving according
to His working, which works in me mightily.
 Every Human Being Can Be Made
Complete in Christ

Paul proclaimed Christ to “every man”, and his

goal was to present every man complete in
Christ.

The work of Christ is applicable to every man.

No one will be refused who comes to the Lord
for salvation.
 Every Human Being Can Be Made
Complete in Christ

The work of Christ is not limited and His

gospel, “the hope of glory”, is for every
person.
That is why the gospel was preached “in all the
world...to every creature under heaven”
(Colossians 1:6, 23).
All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge
are Hidden in Christ

Paul wrote of Christ in Colossians 2:3, saying,

“...in Whom are all the treasures of wisdom

and knowledge hidden.”

Is there something that we are missing?

Is our knowledge incomplete and are we in

need of new revelation?
All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge
are Hidden in Christ
“All wisdom and understanding” (Colossians
1:9) and “full assurance of understanding in
true knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3) are
available in the gospel of Christ.

Christ's word lacks nothing.

With Christ, we have everything.

All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge
are Hidden in Christ

To further substantiate this, Peter wrote in 2

Peter 1:3-4,
3. “...seeing that His divine power has
granted unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of
Him that called us by His own glory and
virtue;
All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge
are Hidden in Christ

4. whereby He has granted unto us His

precious and exceeding great promises; that
through these you may become partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped from the
corruption that is in that world by lust.

We have been given everything we need to

know in order to obtain salvation. We do not
need any further revelation.
All Things are Under the Authority of Christ

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:10,

“... and in Him you are made full, Who is the

head of all principality and power:”

Jesus Christ...
All Things are Under the Authority of Christ

…is the head of all power and authority, as we

just read in Colossians 2:10.

…is the first born over all creation (Colossians

1:15, 18; 1 Corinthians 15:20).

...has the highest place (pre-eminence) in all

things (Colossians 1:18).
All Things are Under the Authority of Christ

...is seated at the right hand of God

(Colossians 3:1).

Christ's resurrection and ascension demonstrated

His authority over all things.

As He Himself said in Matthew 28:18,

All Things are Under the Authority of Christ

“All authority has been given unto Me in

heaven and on earth.”
It is through the victory of Jesus over death that
we, too, may achieve victory. Paul wrote in 1
Corinthians 15:56-58,

56. The sting of death is sin; and the power of

sin is the law:
All Things are Under the Authority of Christ

57. but thanks be to God, Who gives us the

victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be

steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the
work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that
your labor is not vain in the Lord.
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:13,

“And you, being dead through your trespasses

and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I
say, did He make alive together with Him,
having forgiven us all our trespasses;”

Paul makes the following points...

 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ

In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).

Our sins alienated us from God (Colossians

1:20-23).
He has made you alive together with Christ,
having forgiven you all your trespasses
(Colossians 2:13).
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ
We have our sins forgiven when we are buried
with Christ in baptism (Colossians 2:12-13).
12. having been buried with Him in baptism,
wherein you were also raised with Him
through faith in the working of God, who
raised Him from the dead.
13. And you, being dead through your
trespasses and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, you, I say, did He make alive together
with Him, having forgiven us all our
trespasses;
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ
Our baptism is the re-enactment of the gospel,
the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 6:3-7).
1. Now I make known unto you brethren, the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also
you received, wherein also you stand,
2. by which also you are saved, if you hold fast
the word which I preached unto you, except
you believed in vain.
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ

3. For I delivered unto you first of all that

which also I received: that Christ died for our
sins according to the scriptures;

4. and that He was buried; and that He has

been raised on the third day according to the
scriptures;
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ
Romans 6:3-7,

3. Or are you ignorant that all we who were

baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
His death?
4. We were buried therefore with Him
through baptism unto death: that like as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of
the Father, so we also might walk in newness
of life.
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ

5. For if we have become united with Him in

the likeness of His death, we shall be also in
the likeness of His resurrection;

6. knowing this, that our old man was

crucified with Him, that the body of sin might
be done away, that so we should no longer be
in bondage to sin;
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ
7. for he that has died is justified from sin.

We have our sins forgiven as long as we

continue in the faith and be not moved away
(Colossians 1:23; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 2:10).
“...if so be that you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast, and not moved away
from the hope of the gospel which you heard,
which was preached in all creation under
heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.”
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and

righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.”

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the

crown of life.”
 All of Our Sins Are Forgiven in Christ
Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus in chapter 1
verses 13-14 regarding Jesus, saying,
13. in Whom you also, having heard the word
of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, -- in
Whom, having also believed, you were sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14. Which is an earnest of our inheritance,
unto the redemption of God's own possession,
unto the praise of His glory.
 Spiritual Gifts Are Only Found in Christ

Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:3, saying,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in
Christ:”

Because of this blessing, those in Christ may:

Spiritual Gifts Are Only Found in Christ

Call God “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

Be adopted as children of God (Galatians 4:5).

Boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews

4:16).
Have both the Spirit and Jesus Christ intercede
on our behalf (Romans 8:26; Hebrews 7:25).
 Christ Is Everything
Paul gives us assurance that every promise that
God has made is “Yes” and “Amen” for those
in Christ in 2 Corinthians 1:20.
And Peter tells us that His divine power has
given us everything we need for life and
godliness in 2 Peter 1:3.
Doesn’t that cover everything? I think you get
the point.
 Christ Is Everything
Whatever you set your heart on getting or
doing, if you are petitioning God, Christ should
be situated at the epicenter of your asking.
Consider what the word of God says concerning
the all-sufficiency of Christ:

John 14:6 -- Christ is our way, our truth and our

life.
 Christ Is Everything
John 11:25 -- Christ is our resurrection.

John 6:35 -- Christ is our daily nourishment.

John 8:12 -- Christ is our light of life in this

world.

John 1:29 -- Christ is the Lamb that takes away

our sin.
 Christ Is Everything
1 Corinthians 1:30 -- Christ is our wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification and redemption.

1 Timothy 1:1 -- Christ Jesus is our hope.

John 15:5 -- Apart from Christ we can do

nothing.

John 15:7 -- If we abide in Christ, we can ask

whatever we wish and it will be given us.
 Christ Is Everything

Let the great I AM be your focus.

If you need a tangible sign of the truth of God’s

word, go throw some birdseed in your yard.

As you witness God guiding those tiny creatures

to that hidden food, meditate on the fact that He
cares for you immeasurably more than them.
 Christ Is All and in All

Paul wrote in Colossians 3:11,

“...where there cannot be Greek and Jew,

circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian,
Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all,
and in all.”

Paul states that Jesus is “all, and in all.”

 Christ Is All and in All

Christians often call this “the all-sufficiency of

Christ”.

We sing a song about Jesus that says, “He is my

everything, He is my all”.

Many doctrines diminish Christ's glory and His

sacrifice on the cross. We must be careful never
to do that.
The All-Sufficient Christ