What does it mean to be "Alive in Christ?" Unfortunately, in today's Christian circles, this term does not carry the weight it should. In fact, we have a church full of people who will spend an eternity in hell simply because this term has been diluted and watered down. The New Testament is full of examples that give us the true application of this term, unless we fully understand the message, we will never apply it properly to our lives. Today, we will look at one example from the Apostle Paul. I have highlighted the words we will be looking at today.
"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. 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. 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."
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Col 2:6–10.
Breaking Down the Words: (G0000) Refers to the Greek reference number.
- Walk in Him (G4043) - To live in conformity to the teachings of Christ.
- Rooted (G4492) - Firmly Grounded.
- Built up (G2026) - Constantly increasing in knowledge of the faith.
- Established (G950) - To be proven or confirmed as a true believer.
- Faith (G4102) - Fidelity or faithfulness to Christ. (To be understood in the context of a marriage)
- Captive (G2071) - To take hold of. The implication is to be under a spell of the mind.
- Philosophy (G5385) - Anything not relative to the Gospel message or a life lived in obedience to the gospel message.
- Empty Deceit (G2756) - Void of Godly truth.
- Human (G444) - Of man and inferior to the truth of God. Holding no authority, value, or power in the life of a believer.
- Traditions (G3862) - Concepts and doctrines introduced by man that are opposed to the divine teachings of scripture.
- Elemental Spirits (G4747) - Ordinances and traditions introduced by man, based on the things of this world.
- World (G2889) - ungodly men alienated from God and hostile towards the cause of Christ.
- Fullness of Deity (G2320) - Literally to be God
- Filled (G4137) - Made complete
- Head of all rule and authority (G2776) - Supreme ruler having none over Him and having everything under the sun in subjection to His authority.
Okay, that's a lot of information to take in, so now I want to rewrite the original verse using the Greek translations to give us a clearer picture of the intended message from the Apostle Paul.
"Therefore, as you have accepted the message of the gospel of our Lord Jesus, so now live a life conformed to His example and teachings, being firmly grounded and consistently increasing your knowledge in the faith, prove yourselves to be disciples and remain faithful to the Lord just as you have been taught, overflowing with thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes hold of your mind with things that do not pertain to the gospel message and interfere with a life dedicated to the gospel, using tactics and teachings that are void of Godly truth. These are things created by man, taught as doctrine, celebrated as traditions yet are inferior to the knowledge of Christ, having no authority or Godly purpose in your life. They are sent to make you a slave to the men of this world who are alienated from God and hostile toward the cause of Christ. Have nothing to do with them! For in Christ, God dwells in fleshly form, and you have been made complete in Him, who is the supreme ruler over all things, and all things under the sun are in subjection to His authority."
It seems the Apostle Paul may have been trying to say a little more than we might have ever considered. Imagine how different the life of a believer might look if we truly understood the context of the intended message like this. I want to close with this so that we might be able to understand the application of this message. The idea is not to get lost in the words, but more so to bring them all together that we might see how powerful and alive the word truly is. This is how lives are changed and conformed to the image of Christ.
The Intended Message:
Paul is reminding us that we who are truly saved are to be conformed to the image of Christ. He truly is our model for living. We are to be cautious against the spirits of this world who work to take hold of our minds by way of TV, movies, music, politics, media and many other things. We cannot allow our minds to be taken captive by these things because they will actually take root in our minds and consume us. We are called to the "Gospel Mission" and nothing else. We are reminded by Paul that things of this world are hostile towards God and have no authority over us as believers. Christ is our supreme authority and we are subject to him and nothing else. This is true freedom! When we finally realize that Christ is our Groom who rules us, we do not have to fret or worry about the things of this world, we can truly be set free. But Paul reminds us in these verses, to fraternize with the world and allow our minds to be taken captive is to commit adultery on Christ. We are to remain faithful to our groom forsaking all others. Our relationship to Christ is that of one between husband and wife. When we take a spouse, we forsake ALL others! When we come to Christ, we MUST forsake the world and all that is in it, as we have been told throughout scripture.
God Bless!
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