Much to my dismay, someone whom I love dearly and who was very influential to me and my faith has unfortunately turned away from the faith. This person stated that he was searching for the truth. I thought to myself, You already have the truth! After being deceived into thinking that Christ was not enough, my friend started searching for even more false teaching.

Paul warns us of these false teachings in verse 8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” What a contrast these “hollow and deceptive” teachings are to his description of what we have in Christ, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 3).

Friend, as believers in Christ Jesus, we no longer have to search for truth. Christ is the fullness of truth and all we need for wisdom and knowledge! That is why Paul writes, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority” (vv. 9–10). Not only does this fullness refer to Christ, but also to us. We are no longer lacking, because we are in Him. We are made complete in Jesus!

The proof of us being complete in Him is that our sinful nature was put off or put to death by Christ (v. 11). Paul says, “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ.” As a result, we were raised with Him spiritually by the working of God who raised Christ from the dead (v. 12).

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