40 Days With God | In The Book of Colossians
Session 3: Freedom In Christ
by Pastor Pauline
In this session, we are going to deal with some doctrinal issues. It is crucial who we think Jesus Christ is. WHAT IS HIS IDENTITY?
Martin Luther wrote this:
If anyone stand firm and right on this point, that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, who died and rose again for us, all the other articles of the Christian faith will fall in place for him and firmly sustain him.
FREEDOM IN CHRIST
Colossians 2:8-15
WHAT IS FREEDOM IN CHRIST?
Let us read from Colossians 2:13-15
“When 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, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
3 threats that are diverting the believers to other things instead of enjoying the fullness of having this freedom in Christ.
1. LEGALISM (Col 2:16-17)
It is about enslaved by the Old Testament Law.
In Colossians 2:16-17 says, Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ
Even till today, though we have all the letters from Paul calling us to freedom in Christ, the threat to be slaved by the law in the name of religion is still significant.
2. GNOTICISM (Col 2:18-19)
In Col 2:18-19, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.”
What can be the problem with these experiences then?
“They have lost connection with the head.”
God speaks to His children because He loves us. Christ has freed us and makes it possible for us — to submit fully to the will of God, to the words of God, and to the work that God calls us to do.
We shall not lose connection with Christ!
3. ASCETISM (Colossians 2:20-23)
“Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
Every part of our worship to God must be in spirit and in truth. Our prayer, our worship, our fasting, our giving and our works or ministry, and how we live our lives shall be based on the conviction of the Word of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
In Conclusion:
We are all called to be this “New Humanity”. When Christ has made us new, we are new indeed.
We are free from the bondage of sin. Also, the bondage of –
LEGALISM
The pride of being legalistic and lost the important ingredient of God’s grace towards people.
GNOTICISM
The deception of man-made prophecies and visions that sways us away from the truth of God
ASCETICISM
The bondage of man-made tradition that keeps us from having the personal experience with God