Walk in Christ, Not in Anything Less

Walking in fear. Walking in pride and self-indulgence. Walking in meaningless pursuits. God has something better for us.

Living with burdens that seem too heavy to bear. Living with broken hearts or haunting regrets. Not knowing how to be free of them. Feeling helpless to set things right.

We need a new way of life. A new way of thinking, feeling, and acting. We need the life that God makes possible for those who believe in Jesus.

In Colossians, God wants us to know the realities (the facts of life) that we have in Christ, so they can affect the way we live. Daily life is pictured as a “walk,” and walking in Christ (Colossians 2:6) is the high goal.

Read Chapter 2 of Colossians and then the application below.

Colossians Chapter 2:  Don’t be deceived or cheated—walk in Christ, not in anything less.

v.1-7  Don’t let deceptive words keep you from walking in Christ, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.

v.8-15  Don’t let philosophy and empty deceit cheat you of the victory over sin that you can have in Christ.

v.16-17  Don’t let anyone judge you for not observing shadows of Christ, when you have “the real thing.”

v.18-19  Don’t let anyone deceive you with false humility and reverence, and don’t let anyone cheat you of the reward that comes from holding fast to Christ.

v.20-23  Don’t be talked into walking in the commandments and doctrines of men, because they have no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Other Application for Ch. 2: WHY should we walk in Christ, and not in anything less? (Some words are from Scripture.)

• v.1-7  In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• v.8-15  In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him.
• v.16-19  By holding fast to Christ, the Head, all the body is nourished and knit together and grows with the increase that is from God.
• v.20-23  Since you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, you do not need to subject yourselves again to regulations from the commandments and doctrines of men, which are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

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Commentary Notes:

• v.7  Rooted and built up in Him (NKJV^*). As a tree strikes its roots deep in the earth, so our faith should strike deep into the doctrine respecting the Savior.¹
• v.10  And you are complete in Him. Having no need, for the purposes of salvation, of any aid to be derived from the philosophy of the Greeks, or the traditions of the Jews. All that is necessary to secure your salvation is to be found in the Lord Jesus. There is a completion, or a filling up, in him, so as to leave nothing wanting.²
• v.17  Which are a shadow of things to come. The word skia, shadow, is often used to express anything imperfect or unsubstantial; while the term swma, body, was used in the opposite sense, and expressed anything substantial, solid, and firm. The law was but the shadow or representation of good things to come. None should rest in it. All that it pointed out is to be sought and obtained in Christ.³

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*All Scripture verses are taken from the NKJV.

1. Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ New Testament Commentary, quoted in Phil Lindner, Power Bible CD, CD-ROM (Bronson, Mich.: Online Publishing, Inc., 2007), Col 2:7.
2. Ibid., Col 2:10.
3. Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary, quoted in Phil Lindner, Power Bible CD. CD-ROM (Bronson, Mich.: Online Publishing, Inc., 2007), Col 2:17.

**This adapted excerpt comes from Beebe Kauffman, A Whole Lot of Wonderful—Application of the New Testament for Today (Buford, Georgia: Lighthouse Bible Studies, 2018), 468 and 476-477.