Welcome to Grace Bible Church of Phoenix on this first Sunday of May. As we gather today, we open with a powerful truth from Colossians chapter 2 — a passage where Paul writes to the believers in Colosse like a parent writing to their children.
Paul’s desire for the Colossian believers was twofold: that they would grow in maturity and stability in Christ, and that they would heed the warnings he gives about false teachings threatening their foundation. Today, we’re going to look at both the warnings and the truths that anchor us.
Christ: The All-Sufficient One
Paul begins by affirming the supremacy of Christ. In Colossians 1:15-20, he repeatedly emphasizes that all things were created by Him, for Him, and in Him. Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. And crucially, Paul tells us that in Christ “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden (Colossians 2:3).
“And I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.”
— Colossians 2:4
The deity of Christ is essential. If Christ is God in the flesh — fully divine, fully human — then His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to accomplish our salvation. Nothing else needs to be added. No religious rituals, no good deeds to supplement the grace of God. Christ’s death and resurrection is 100% sufficient.
“For in him all the 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
Christ’s sufficiency means we don’t need to look toward anyone or anything else as the basis of our hope. He alone is able to present us perfect and righteous before the Father (Jude 24). He alone is able to keep us from stumbling and sanctify us completely (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
The First Lie: Adding Works to Salvation
As Paul warns the Colossians — and us — there are lies that can threaten our foundation. The first lie is that we need to add works to our faith in order to be saved, or to stay saved.
This plausible argument sounds reasonable: “Of course you need to follow the customs of Moses. You can’t be saved by grace alone.” But Paul directly confronts this. The message of Scripture is clear:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
— Ephesians 2:8-9
Every other religion in the world operates on this principle of adding something to God’s grace. But the Gospel is different: we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
The Second Lie: Works Don’t Matter
The second lie is almost the opposite — that works don’t matter at all. “Since I’m saved by grace, I don’t need to do anything. I can just rest.” But this too distorts the truth.
Paul writes to the Ephesians:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10
We’re not saved by our good works — but we are saved for good works. James puts it plainly:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
— James 1:22
The Truth That Sets Us Free
The full assurance of our faith comes from understanding who Jesus is and what He has accomplished. When we know and live by this truth, we give Jesus Christ all the glory — not sharing it with our own efforts or accomplishments.
The plausible arguments we face — whether legalism or antinomianism — are attempts to rob Jesus of His glory and claim some of it for ourselves. But the truth is this: Christ is supreme, Christ is sufficient, and we rest in Him alone.
Scripture References
- Colossians 1:15-20 — The supremacy of Christ
- Colossians 2:3 — Treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Christ
- Colossians 2:4 — Warning against fine-sounding arguments
- Colossians 2:9-10 — The fullness of deity in Christ
- Ephesians 2:8-9 — Saved by grace through faith
- Ephesians 2:10 — Created for good works
- Jude 24 — Christ able to present us blameless
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 — May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless
- James 1:22 — Be doers of the word