We’re continuing our walk through Colossians. In my last post we saw that Jesus Christ is God. The fullness of deity is in Him. But that’s not the end of the story.
Paul continues the statement we looked at in that post.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:9-10 NIV
That second half is the most amazing part. We’ve been given fullness in Christ. He wants us to take part in His power and authority. The Lord allows us to walk in this as we serve Him.
Jesus Christ is now in the highest place of authority. His name is above all others.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11 NIV
As I’ve said, Jesus Christ has the highest level of authority in the universe. But, He doesn’t just sit on His throne and watch the world go by. He’s an active participant.
In order to see His will accomplished, Jesus uses normal people like you and me. Anyone who will submit to His lordship comes under that authority. At that point, it’s passed on to those in submission to Him.
The Lord fully expects us to walk in and use His name in all of our activities. That means I need to strive to live the way He lived. That’s the only way I can adequately represent Christ to the world. It also means that I have a responsibility to seek the Lord’s way of ministry.
When we look at the world around us, we see people in spiritual darkness and captivity. They’re trapped in a world system that’s under the control of the kingdom of Satan.
It’s up to us, God’s people, to set them free and bring them to the cross. That’s where they can find true salvation for their souls.
In order for that to happen, there are some things that we need to understand. We can’t go into this battle with only half the information.
The first thing that we have to realize is that Christ has already won the war.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:15 NIV
Jesus Christ has once and for all won the victory over all the power of the enemy kingdom. However, that doesn’t mean that the fighting has stopped.
Just like in WWII, when the Axis powers collapsed, the Allied forces had to mop up the remaining troops. They had to enter the concentration camps and free the surviving prisoners. That’s where we are in the spiritual war today.
The trouble is that even in defeat, the enemy is dangerous. He wants as few people as possible to be set free by the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The same power over the enemy that the Lord walked in has been conferred upon us. We have authority over the enemy’s kingdom.
As we spend quality time in God’s presence, we find the resources we need for the victory. Only then will we see lives transformed by the power of the cross.
Question: How have you walked in the power and authority of Christ?
© 2023 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 