Jesus in Every Sphere of Life

In Colossians, Paul administers an antidote to the Colossian Christians who have been poisoned by a false teaching that diminishes Christ’s role in salvation and sanctification. What is this antidote? Just the most breathtaking picture of Jesus the Supreme Son of God we have in all of Scripture (Colossians 1:15–20). The cure for a false gospel and our propensity to legalism and/or licentiousness is seeing more clearly who Jesus is in all his incandescent glory as the Supreme Son of God who reconciles all things through the blood of his cross—and being completely captivated by him, treasuring him, loving him above all else. Only when we treasure Jesus will we actually walk in Jesus (Colossians 2:6). Where should we walk in Jesus you ask? We should walk in him in every sphere of life.

The overarching command Paul gives to the Colossians after displaying Jesus in all his radiant splendor is “walk in him” (Colossians 2:6). Paul then begins to apply this command through a series of instructions that apply to different spheres of life. The structure of Paul’s letter reveals these different spheres. In short, our walk in Jesus begins with our personal union with him, which is intrinsically and intimately linked to our corporate union with him, and expands outward in a series of overlapping spheres. As a whole, we see the following progression: Our walk in Jesus applies to (1) our personal life, (1a) our corporate life in the church, (2) our home life, (3) our formal relationships, and (4) our life in an unbelieving world.

 

Walk in Jesus Personally and Corporately

First, in Colossians 2:7–3:17, Paul applies the command to walk in Jesus to one’s personal unity with Jesus and personal purity (holiness), both of which encompass right belief (gospel fidelity) and action. And, likewise, Paul applies the command to walk in Jesus to the local church’s corporate unity in Jesus and corporate purity, both of which again encompass belief and action. Both spheres, personal and corporate, connect intimately. God renews us as individuals into the image of his Son through our personal union with Jesus. And God renews the church, his body, which is made up of individual members united together because of their common union in Jesus. Therefore, God binds our personal renewal and holiness as individuals with our corporate renewal and holiness as the church (Colossians 3:9–11). We must recognize that the natural and normative context of our personal sanctification is the local church. So, if we find ourselves not walking in Jesus in our personal lives, our intimacy and walk in Jesus as it relates to our life in the local church will suffer. And, if we find ourselves disconnected from a local body, our personal walk in Jesus will suffer. And if either of these is the case, there will be a trickledown effect to every other sphere of our life. Therefore, our walk in Jesus will first apply to our personal pursuit of unity and holiness as individuals and as members of Christ’s body, the church.

 

Walk in Jesus at Home

Second, in Colossians 3:18–20, Paul applies the command to walk in Jesus to the home. It’s easy to see how these spheres continue to overlap. Our union with and holiness in Jesus should directly impact our family life. Here, Paul offers particular ways in which walking in Jesus in the sphere of our home should manifest. But the big takeaway is that our walk in Jesus isn’t only personal and it doesn’t stop at the church doors. Our walk in Jesus should carry over and touch our homes and families.

 

Walk in Jesus in Formal Relationships

Third, in Colossians 3:22–4:1 Paul begins to apply the command to walk in Jesus to our formal relationships. Much could be said about the inherent injustice and sinfulness bound up in any system of human slavery. Suffice it to say, while we must be careful to not import our modern ideas of slavery from our different personal contexts into the text, we still must recognize that though first century Greco-Roman practices of slavery were complex and not monolithic, they nonetheless were a horrid manifestation of the sinfulness and fallenness of man. Furthermore, Paul does not endorse it, and he even encourages availing oneself of freedom (1 Corinthians 7:17–24; esp vv. 21 and 24). But here, Paul aims at something else. He applies one’s walk in Jesus to one’s formal, hierarchical relationships (whether they are one under authority or one in authority)—even those that are unjust. For the purpose of this post, the important truth we glean is that our walk in Jesus must carry over into relationships with analogous dynamics where we are either in authority or under authority so that “Whatever [we] do,” in both just and unjust contexts, we do for the Lord and in knowledge that (1) he will bring justice and (2) he is the ultimate authority (Colossians 3:23; 4:1).

 

Walk in Jesus in an Unbelieving World

Fourth, in Colossians 4:5–6, Paul applies the command to walk in Jesus to our existence in and interaction with an unbelieving world. Paul says, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5–6). Thus, our walk in Jesus must expand out beyond ourselves, beyond our homes, beyond our relationships, and radiate into the lives of those who do not walk in him.

 

So Where Should We Walk in Jesus?

Where should you start walking in Jesus, Christian? Paul tells us in Colossians.

Ask yourself: “Am I walking in Jesus in my personal holiness? Am I seeking to put sin to death?” Or, “Are there still particular besetting sins that I keep hidden in the dark? Are there sins that I continue to embrace?” Start here: Walk in Jesus by pursuing personal holiness and embracing your unity, your identity with him.

And, ask yourself, “Am I walking in Jesus in the local church? Am I a committed member of a local body?” Or, “Am I hopping from church to church? Am I more of a consumer in the church rather than a serving member?” Walk in Jesus by walking in unity and holiness with a local body.

And, ask yourself, “Am I walking in Jesus in my household? Am I honoring my spouse? Am I disciplining my children in love and exemplifying Jesus to them?” Or, “Am I foregoing my privilege of being a gospel witness within my home?” Walk in Jesus by bringing Jesus and the gospel to bear in your home.

And, ask yourself, “Am I walking in Jesus in my formal relationships, even in unjust situations? Am I working unto the Lord first and foremost? Do I respect and honor those in authority?” Or, “Do I work for the eyes of man and undermine authority or disrespect others? Do I lord my own authority over others and treat them unjustly?” Walk in Jesus by bringing your faith to bear in your formal relationships.

And, ask yourself, “Do I walk in Jesus toward outsiders? Do I measure my words and seek to make them thirsty for the truth of the gospel by what I say?” Or, “Do I sway with the prevailing winds of culture or of whatever context I find myself in?” Walk in Jesus by being a gospel witness to those outside of him.

Remember, before you can walk in Jesus, you must treasure him. Then you will know where to walk in him. You will walk in Jesus in every sphere of your life.

Be Taken Captive

Have you ever been taken captive? Chances are most of us have not, at least not in the way we may be thinking (i.e. being abducted and held against our will). But, chances also are that most of us have some shared universal past experiences that felt like or revealed to us what it is like to taken captive. Consider a couple of lighthearted examples.

Many of us at one time or another probably felt like a captive during the school day. (Perhaps some who are still in school feel this even now. Enjoy your summer freedom. Captivity is coming soon in late August, early September). I can certainly remember the feeling. At times, all I wanted was to be free from having to go to class, be free from the next assignment, be free from the next test. But there I was, along with my friends, held seemingly against my will, conditioned like Pavlov’s dog to shuffle off to my next class and my next assignment at the sound of a bell. Now, don’t take this to heart. I actually enjoyed school and learning for my part most of the time, and you probably did too. But, for the sake of example remember those moments when you truly did feel captive. Perhaps it wasn’t school, but a day at work or some social function you were obligated to attend. Many of us at some point have been a captive to something in a negative way. But is it possible to be taken captive in a positive way?

Perhaps some of us can relate to this with regard to our relationship with our spouse. Many of us often do things for our spouses that we would never do for anyone else. This is especially true in those early days of love. For my part, when Amy came into my life, I suddenly found myself staying up to the wee hours on a work night just to have a phone or Zoom conversation with her while we were separated by two time zones. I went to great lengths to craft hand-written letters complete with some shoddy calligraphy. The sappy list could go on, but the point is I did things I hadn’t done and wouldn’t for anyone else. Why did I do these things? Because I had been taken captive by her in the most positive sense.

So what’s the point of all of this being taken captive talk? Well, often times in our Christian walk, when we find ourselves drifting from God it is due to the fact that something else is beginning to take us captive: an idol, a sin, a false teaching, the wisdom or values of the world. The double danger here, though, is that we don’t realize we have been or are being taken captive. And, the reason we those things take us captive is because we are not taken captive by who God has revealed himself to be for us in Jesus.

Paul gets at this idea with the Colossians in Colossians 2:8 where he warns the Colossians about being taken captive by false teachings:

 

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 (Colossians 2:8).

 

Paul makes clear to us that the threat of someone taking us captive by false teaching is real and to be expected (And for the Colossians it was very much a present reality, as the epistle makes clear). What makes false teaching so tricky is that, as in the Colossians’ case, it may not deny Jesus but simply seek to add to him and his gospel work as if what we really need is Jesus plus something else to know and experience the fullness of God. But Paul makes clear that only through Jesus are we filled with the fullness of God (Colossians 2:9). According to Paul, any teaching that would try to supplement Jesus and his gospel in our pursuit of growing in the knowledge of God is hollow, deceitful philosophy. Such philosophy comes from two places: sinful man and his traditions and demonic spiritual influences in the material world. This is what Paul gets at when he says this empty, deceitful philosophy is according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world. A Jesus-plus teaching produced by sin, worldly wisdom, and demonic powers would seek to take us captive. It is not a philosophy, Paul says, according to Christ. And here we can infer the positive, flipside of the coin for Paul.

If we should keep a watchful eye out so as to prevent ourselves from being taken captive by false teaching, then at the same time we should allow ourselves to be taken captive by philosophy that is not according to human tradition but heavenly tradition. We should allow ourselves to be taken captive by philosophy that is not according to elemental spirits of the world but according to the fullness of God dwelling bodily in Jesus Christ. We should allow ourselves to be taken captive by Christ and his gospel.

It’s no wonder that Paul goes on from this point to herald the gospel to the Colossians yet again (Colossians 2:11–15). He does it so that they might be taken captive by Jesus Christ. And Paul’s aim is not only preventative. It is also meant to induce action.

The first and overarching command that Paul gives to the Colossians is this:

 

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, (Colossians 2:6).

 

Paul’s undergirds his call to holy, Christlike living with the call to be held captive by Jesus. This is because when we are held captive by Jesus, who he is—“in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:9–10)—and what he has done for us—“God made (you) alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us…This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13–14)—then we suddenly find ourselves doing things we never thought possible. We find ourselves empowered to live holy lives before God. We find ourselves forsaking false teaching. We find ourselves eschewing sin. We find ourselves laying aside legalism. We find ourselves running in righteousness. We find ourselves standing firm in the faith even in the midst of trial and failure and suffering. We find ourselves walking in Jesus all because we are held captive by him, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Lord.

So I ask again, have you ever been taken captive? If not, you need to be. Be taken captive by Jesus.