Dead to the World’s Elements (Part 4) | Resources
Sermon Text: Colossians 2:16–19
“If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.” (CSB)
Devotional
A self-sufficient Christian, biblically, cannot exist. Spiritually, it’s a dangerous posture for us to entertain. We would be fools to believe that our actions gain us righteousness or make us closer to God. We must be fully reliant on Christ.
The human doctrines mentioned by Paul have “a reputation for wisdom” but are foolish because they can never provide us with life. Rigorous self-denial can only change your outward appearance, not your heart. It can’t curb our sinful appetites. These man-made methods of “godliness” can’t forgive us of our sins nor even take away our desire to sin.
How, then, can we combat the belief that we can gain righteousness through our actions? The cross is the best place to dismantle any belief that self-reliance is possible. Jesus Christ came to the world because our sin has run rampant ever since the Garden in Genesis 3. There’s no way for us to conjure up righteousness because there’s no righteousness within us. Even the blood of bulls and lambs couldn’t take away our sins. We are in complete need of a Savior. That’s exactly why Christ had to come. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, lived a fully righteous life that obeyed the Law to perfection. Despite His perfection, we beat, mocked, and humiliated Him before nailing His hands and feet to the cross. The spotless Lamb of God took the punishment we deserve and died for our sins. However, the story doesn’t end there! Christ rose back to life, conquering death, so that we could have eternal life by repenting and believing in the gospel.
No man-made method can bring true life. No amount of self-denial will make you free from your sin. It’s through Christ alone that we are freed from the bondage of sin and death and made alive to God.
Discussion/Reflection Questions
1. Is verse 20 convicting? In what ways are you still living as if you belong to this world?
2. Why can’t what we do or what we don’t do justify us before God?
3. How does being raised with Christ redefine your life’s purpose? Has it? How is that going?
4. What does this text teach us about the gospel?
5. In light of this text, what does it look like to obey the prompting of the Spirit this week?
Memory Verses
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him.” Romans 6:8–9