“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross. So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ Himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For He holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. *These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.”
Colossians 2:6-23 NLT
*Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and the likes. Whenever the emphasis is on what we need to do to acquire right standing with God, it’s to be rejected. Even in “Christian” circles. Salvation is obtained by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Shout hallelujah somebody! I said shout hallelujah! Doesn’t it feel good to be free? This scripture makes me shout my appreciation to Jesus Christ for His saving grace. Where would you or I be today without Him? Shout thank you Jesus! What a mighty God we serve. We have been delivered from the shackles of sin and religion. Wait a minute. I can talk for me, but may I talk for thee? Are you born again free? Are you living free? Or are you barely getting by, holding on to religious jargons making godless confessions? Ask a Christian how they’re doing you may just hear “ girl I’m just hanging in there.” There where? Where exactly are they hanging in? God don’t hang, God is always on the move. So if you’re hanging you’re by yourself.
The instructions of the apostle Paul are clear. Read verse six and seven again. “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
There’s no way to just be hanging if indeed we are following, growing and being built on Him. These determined actions produce strong faith and conviction which leads us to overflow with thankfulness. When we really understand what Jesus has delivered us from we have no other response but deep gratitude. Unless we have forgotten who we once were, we will fall back into old patterns and mindsets. We will be easily duped as some of the Jews were, to go back to the prison of the flesh. Don’t fall for the next new thing. We have been made complete in Christ, through what He suffered. We don’t need add ons. It’s a done deal! Our freedom is settled.
“And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.”
Romans 8:2-4 NLT
Do you understand what you just read? If you did you’d be doing a holy dance right now! You’d be shouting thanksgiving to God for the finished work of Jesus Christ. HALLELUJAH!! I’m born again free! Verse 8 of Colossians 2 gives us a warning. Go read it again. Don’t let anyone, no matter their position or well intentioned, rob or cheat you out of your freedom in Christ. If you’re going to look back, then look to see where He’s brought you from. Look back to see how He’s blessed you! Look back to see how much it cost Him to deliver you, then turn around and give Him the loudest shout of praise you can muster up. But never look back to go back.
Don’t let anyone judge your freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus. The rules and regulations of religion have no hold on you. He who the Son sets free is free indeed! Hallelujah! We don’t use our freedom as an occasion to sin. This liberty is for serving Jesus and others not ourselves. This freedom is to tell and show the world who He is. What He’s done. We don’t frustrate the grace of God, by following man made rules and regulations that are contrary to the Word of God.Galatians 2:21. That’s why we study to show ourselves approved unto God. 2 Timothy 2:15. You won’t be tripped up if you’re Worded up. Know what the Bible teaches so you can recognize errors. I wish I could say that this wasn’t prevalent in some churches, but unfortunately most of the errors Paul was warning us about are coming from the pulpit.
Mature Christians who continue to grow in their relationship with Jesus will live born again free, those who refuse to grow and depend solely on others for their spiritual enrichment, will be held captive to the philosophy of men. Ever learning but never coming to the Truth. 2 Timothy 3:7. How sad. We have a feast, yet we settle for crumbs. My prayer for you who have made a decision to live born again free is the prayer Paul prayed for the church at Colossae.
“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” Colossians 1:9-14 NLT
To God be the glory! Live born again free in Jesus Name.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
October 11, 2021
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