Enough is enough
Sunday 5th March
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
‘Enough is Enough’
When we have enough, what we have already is sufficient. We do not need any more. Paul is writing to encourage the Christians in Colosse to have confidence that Christ is enough for them, that he really will meet all their needs, and they do not need any more than him.
There is always the temptation to think that we need something more than knowing Jesus, whether that is some kind of special teaching to grasp (which Paul describes as “hollow and deceptive philosophy,” 2:8), or special religious practices to perform (which can only ever be “a shadow of the things that were to come,” 2:17), or special rules to follow, including “harsh treatment of the body” (which “lack any value for restraining sensual indulgence,” 2:23).
These will be perennial temptations. And CS Lewis wisely warned us that, if Satan cannot prevent us from coming to Christ altogether, then he will try and persuade us to move on from Christ by adopting some version of ‘Christian And…,’ where Christ is not enough. He helpfully points out that the ‘And’ will gradually end up replacing the ‘Christianity.’
It is absolutely right to want to grow to maturity as Christians, and Paul himself labours to “present everyone fully mature in Christ” (1:29). But he knows that we will only find such maturity in our relationship with Christ and not somewhere else. And so he goes out of his way to show them what treasures they already have in Christ: “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Christ]” (1:19), and “In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (2:4).
What more could we possibly want of God than is to be found in Christ? Yes, there is certainly more of God for us to know and experience. How could there not be? And there is plenty more spiritual wisdom to be found. Of course there is! But these precious things will be found in Christ and not somewhere else. When it comes to knowing God, Christ really is enough.
And so we are gently but earnestly encouraged with these words: “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him”. It really is all about ‘knowing Jesus and making Jesus known.’
Father God, we overflow with thankfulness for teaching us to trust in Christ Jesus as our Lord; strengthen us in that faith so that we may continue to live our lives in him. Amen.
Yours warmly, in Christ,
Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister)