Paul begins this morning’s epistle reading by writing,
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him (Col 2:6).
These words remind me that the Christian life is a journey. It’s a path that we walk through this life. Receiving Jesus the Messiah as Lord is not the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a journey. And if our Christian life is a journey, then it matters which way we walk.
Beginning Our Journey
In the tradition in which I was raised, the Christian journey began with a prayer. It was expected—even of those of us raised in Christian homes—that we would come to a moment when we prayed “the sinner’s prayer.” That moment was our spiritual birth certificate. It was how we knew we were in, and we were expected to be able to tell that story to anyone who asked.
But in our tradition, the starting point of our walk with Christ is not something we do; it’s something the church does to us and for us. In the Anglican church, not to mention in most of the Church for two millennia, the Christian life begins with the sacrament of baptism. For Anglicans, baptism is not merely a ritual or a symbol. It’s not a hoop to jump through nor a box to check. It’s not even primarily about our obedience. For us, baptism is the moment when we are joined to Christ forever by an act of God’s grace. In the waters of baptism, we are buried with Christ, raised with Christ, and made alive with Christ, not as mere metaphors but as spiritual truths that should define and dictate our whole lives.
And that’s not me saying that; it’s Paul, who wrote that we have:
been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead (Col 2:12).
How then do we begin the Christian journey? We begin by being buried. We begin by being raised. And we begin by being filled, not with our own goodness or self-righteousness, but with the fullness of Christ himself.
Filled in Him
Paul says in verse 9 that in Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Col 2:9),
This sentence alone is breathtaking and world-changing. But then Paul adds in verse 10:
and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority (Col 2:10).
Paul says that the fullness of God—his power, his grace, his authority, his life—has taken up residence in you because you are in Christ, in whom all the fullness of God dwells bodily. Your life, who you truly are, is defined not by you, but by him—by Jesus.
Defined by Christ
It’s easy for us to forget this truth. It’s easy to get taken captive by ideas that make us forget to whom we truly belong and who it is that truly defines our lives. That’s why Paul warns us in verse 8:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Col. 2:8).
We live in a world that wants to define us by everything other than the Messiah. Whether it’s tribal identity, politics, consumerism, power, performance, or pride, we are surrounded by voices trying to define us and tell us who we are. The world loves to put people in categories: circumcised or uncircumcised, Jew or Gentile, insider or outsider, citizen or immigrant, legal or illegal, worthy or unworthy, successful or freeloader.
But Paul is saying this morning that these categories and all the chains that come with them are not who you are. Who you are is who you are in Christ, and in him, you have already been set free, and you already have everything that you need. In Christ, you are complete. In Christ, you are free. In Christ, you lack nothing.
In Christ, you are complete. In Christ, you are free. In Christ, you lack nothing.
You don’t need to take on some other mark of identity. You don’t need to prove yourself to the worldly powers and secular cults. You don’t need to justify your existence by conforming to the world’s standards and definitions. Those things have to do with the flesh, and in Christ, you have circumcised your flesh.
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead (Col 2:11–12).
Circumcision was the mark of the old covenant family; baptism is the mark of the new. Baptism is efficacious not because water is magical, but because the cross of Jesus Christ is powerful. At your baptism, what was true of Christ became true of you. In those waters, you didn’t just give up a part of your flesh—you gave up your whole life. You died with him. You were buried with him. But the good news is that in those waters, you were also raised with him by the resurrecting power of our creator God.
The Paradox of the Cross
This is why I cannot believe that baptism is merely symbolic. It is a symbol, yes, but it is more than that. It is a sacrament.
Our baptism is the moment when God unites us to the death and resurrection of his Son forever. Paul writes:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Col 2:13–14).
This is the Gospel, and at the heart of the Gospel is a paradox. Here at the cross, we find the incredible absurdity at the heart of the Christian faith: life and victory come through defeat and death.
Life and victory come through defeat and death.
Look at what Paul says next. He writes:
[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [the Messiah] (Col 2:15).
The day when Jesus was stripped naked, mocked, beaten, tortured, and crucified by the rulers and authorities of this world was actually the day of God’s great triumph. It would have looked to anyone standing there as though Rome’s brutal power had won the day. It would have looked to anyone standing there as though the schemes of the Jewish leaders had been successful. There he was, the self-professed Messiah, the so-called King of the Jews, cursed and nailed to a tree.
But Paul says that the cross of Jesus Christ was the moment of God’s great triumph over the world. It was the moment when those rulers who try to define you and enslave you were disarmed. It was the moment when those who would Lord over you and beg you to swear allegiance to them instead of Christ were put to open shame. The cross, with all its defeat, agony, and death, was the moment of God’s great victory in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is a paradox. Some call it absurd. It defies everything the world says about power and success. But it is true because the one who died on that cross is the Truth.
And what Paul says this morning is that this paradox is not just about Jesus. It’s about you.
Having been buried with him in baptism… you were also raised with him through faith.”
You, who were dead… God made alive.
He canceled the record of debt that stood against you.
He disarmed the powers who would enslave you.
He triumphed over the would-be lords who seek to rule over you.
And shockingly, all of this is in the past. The victory has already been won. If you have been baptized, then you have been joined to Christ, and what is true of him is now true of you. His victory is your victory. His triumph is your triumph.
Walk in Him
So walk in him. Not in guilt. Not in fear. Not in defeat. Not in misery or shame. Walk in him by being rooted in him, by being built up in him, and by being established in the faith.
The cross was not the end of Jesus’ story; it is not the end of yours either. In baptism, you are united to his death, but you are also united to his life. Baptism marks the start of your journey, and your walk in Christ isn’t about becoming someone that you’re not. It’s about becoming who you already are in Christ.
Yes, sanctification can be a long, difficult process, but the Christian life isn’t about you. It isn’t about what you can accomplish through your willpower and strength. From Christ’s eternal point of view, you will never be more or less than who he made you at your baptism. You already have everything you need, unless, of course, you think you need more than the fullness of Christ.
In those waters, Christ claimed you as his own. There you died and rose in him. There, the powers of this world lost their hold on you. There, your debt was nailed to the cross. There, God said to all who could claim you, imprison you, and enslave you, “This one is mine.”
So, remember who you are. Remember to whom you belong. Remember who it is that defines you, and walk in him.
Do not listen to and do not follow those voices in this world that call you to stray from that path. They have no power over you. They have already been defeated. All that’s left for you to do is walk. All that’s left for you to do is to take up your cross and follow him.
Amen.
Life Group Guide
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we gather to discuss the profound truths of our identity in Christ, we ask that You would open our hearts and minds to understand the fullness we have in Him. Help us to recognize the freedom we have through our baptism and union with Christ. Guide our conversation today, that we might encourage one another to walk firmly in the path You have set before us, remembering that we belong to You alone. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Ice Breaker
Can you share about a journey or path you've taken that ended up being different from what you expected when you started?
Key Verses
Colossians 2:6-15
Questions
The sermon begins with ‘Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.’ What does it mean to you personally to ‘walk in Christ’?
How does understanding baptism as more than just a symbol but as a sacrament that unites us with Christ's death and resurrection change how you view your Christian identity?
The pastor states, ‘In Christ you are complete. In Christ, you are free. In Christ, you lack nothing.’ Do you find it challenging to live in this truth? Why or why not?
What are some of the ‘worldly categories’ or definitions that have tried to define your identity apart from Christ?
The sermon describes the paradox that ‘life and victory come through defeat and death.’ How have you experienced this paradox in your spiritual journey?
How does the truth that ‘the victory has already been won'‘ affect how you face current struggles or challenges?
The pastor says, ‘Your walk in Christ isn't about becoming someone that you're not. It's about becoming who you already are in Him.’ What's the difference between these two approaches to Christian growth?
What practical steps can we take to remember ‘who we are’ and ‘to whom we belong’ in our daily lives?
Life Application
This week, take time each morning to remember your identity in Christ before facing the day. Write down the phrase “In Christ, I am complete. In Christ, I am free. In Christ, I lack nothing.” Then place it somewhere you'll see it regularly. When you encounter voices or situations that try to define you by worldly standards or make you feel inadequate, consciously reject those definitions and affirm your true identity in Christ. At the end of each day, reflect on moments when you successfully walked in this truth and moments when you struggled.
Key Takeaways
Baptism is the beginning of our Christian journey, uniting us with Christ in His death and resurrection.
In Christ, we have been filled with the fullness of God and lack nothing essential for our spiritual lives.
The world tries to define us by many categories, but our true identity is found only in Christ.
The paradox of the Gospel is that life and victory come through defeat and death, as demonstrated at the cross.
The Christian life isn't about becoming someone new through our own efforts, but about living out who we already are in Christ.
Ending Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you for claiming us as your own through baptism and uniting us with your death and resurrection. Thank you that in you, we have everything we need. Help us to walk confidently in the identity you have given us, rejecting the world’s attempts to define us by other standards. Give us the courage to embrace the paradox of your cross—that true life comes through death to self. May we live this week as people who know to whom they belong, walking firmly in the path You have set before us. In your powerful name we pray, Amen.