Paul starts this section by establishing his authority as given to him by Jesus Christ. He states his purpose is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to admonish and teach everyone that they may be complete in Christ.
Now, Paul establishes the necessity of Christ Jesus. His death on the cross is the only redemption available to man. We were born into sin - dying - and there was no way out of our situation, but Christ's resurrection changed all that. It's all about Jesus, there is no other way, no other hope for our future.
So, let no one make it about anything else. It's not about obeying a bunch of rules, it's not about what you eat, it's not about the holidays or festivals you celebrate, it's not about how good you are. It's not about the spiritual realm, angels, or even the goodness of man. It's all about Jesus. The Colossian church had been lead astray from this truth. They began to believe that it wasn't about Jesus, he was just a part of a bigger picture. This lead them to start worshiping the supernatural and themselves. It also lead to legalism - how good can you be? Well, I know I can never be good enough. I fail time & time again. I make mistakes, I lose my temper, sometimes I even choose sin over what I know is right. If I lived by a balancing scale, sometimes I would be up and sometimes I would be down. What an awful way to live - constantly worrying about whether I was good enough.
Instead, Paul reminds us, it's all about Jesus. He took our place. He was perfect when we couldn't be, died for you and me, and then conquered that death to rise again. Through Him we find ourselves forgiven & in the presence of God, clothed in white robes and accepted. Why would we ever turn to anything else?
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