The Basis for Triumphant Living
Last week I wrote about living triumphantly. Knowing that we have already experienced the One who is the Cause for victory in our lives should give us great confidence even as the world around us seems to dissolve. What is the basis for this triumphant living, however? What is the foundation by which we can we expect victories in our lives? Faith. Faith in the triumphant work of Christ gives us the potential for victory in our lives. Accordingly, I will call this Triumphant Faith. But let's be sure of one thing. The faith itself holds no power. The power of our triumphant faith rests solely in the Object of our Faith - Jesus the Messiah. Let's examine the Colossians 2:8-12 passage by passage in order to see just how we build a Triumphant Faith.
Build a Triumphant Faith
by grasping these 5 realities.
Grasp Captivity
to Christ
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.
Paul makes it clear what is the foundation to our faith - Christ. In the previous blog I noted that Paul made a clear distinction beginning in Colossians 2:6-7 between the traditions of Christ versus the traditions of men. The phrase as you receive the Christ Jesus the Lord (2:6) refers to a specific understanding of the origins of truth as they are found in Christ Jesus. Here Paul contrasts that with the refusal to be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition. What does this mean? Does this mean that a follower of Jesus rejects philosophy and learning? By no means. What it means is to guard ourselves from any teaching that captures our attention and desires from the truth of who Christ is and what Christ wants for our lives. Paul is warning us to be captivated with Christ and not anything of this world. I can sit on the edge of my seat as my baseball team is challenging for a chance to go to the World Series. I should be captivated in the same way to see how the Lord is working in my life.
Grasp Divinity
of Christ
9 For
in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
As one devotes himself or herself to the traditions of Christ, the next step is to recognize just who this Messiah was. The above passage is but one that indicates that Jesus was something more than just a man. He was Divine. Colossians 2:9 explains that Christ was the full expression of the Divine present in human form. People have a hard time comprehending this because it is so foreign to us. But it is the foundation for the work that Christ did on the cross. It is the foundation of His promise to send the Holy Spirit. It is the foundation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And it is the foundation of a triumphant faith that leads to a triumphant living.
Grasp Authority
of Christ
10b and you have been
filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
The recognition of Jesus' divinity helps us to understand what sort of authority he possesses. The above verse makes clear that Jesus is the head of all rule and authority. His authority extends from the events in history to the machinations of the cosmos. Though He has permitted free will and the inevitable consequences that result, He is still ultimately in control. This should not only provide us hope in the difficult times, but also confidence that things will turn out well for His kingdom sake. Nothing, I repeat, nothing catches Him by surprise. The cross was not "Plan B." This was part of the eternal design to demonstrate the need for a person to die to self in order to gain the kingdom of God.
Grasp Unity
with Christ
10a and
you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 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,
In the previous section we noted the ultimate authority of Jesus. Now comes an exciting, if not startling, realization. Paul states that we have been filled with Christ. We have been unified with Him. His authority becomes a shared authority by extension. We have the ability to overcome the trials and tribulations of this world because He overcame the trials and temptations of this world. This does not mean that we will avoid difficulties. Neither the Bible nor church history indicates that to be true. Anyone who teaches that being a follower of Jesus means only good things are headed your way are not teaching the Bible faithfully. But what it does mean is that we possess the same authority that Christ did. How is this possible? Through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is a triumphant faith precisely because we know that we live in the triumphant power of Christ.
Grasp Vitality
from Christ
12 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.
Unity in Christ means that we are living in Christ. The Apostle Paul pointed out that we are made alive in Him as we believe in Him. As He was raised from the dead, so too are we. We trust in an eventual and eternal resurrection from our mortal death. Yet even now we are offer a resurrection of a different sort. 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that when Christ died on the cross he defeated two things - death and sin. As we believe in him and are united in Him, we also have these two areas defeated in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteous. My question is "So, why do we so often continue to live as if sin ruled our lives not victory?" Living in Christ means that you have been set free. Live triumphantly by possessing a triumphant faith that you are victorious.
Build a Triumphant Faith by grasping...
Captivity
to Christ
Divinity
of Christ
Authority
of Christ
Unity with
Christ
Vitality
from Christ
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