FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009
COMPLETE IN CHRIST by Tom L. Ballinger
“Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth” (Colossians 1:4-6).
Those among us who understand God’s grace, in all of its truth, can truly rejoice in Christ Jesus and place no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3).
One of the most unique features of present truth is the fact that by simply believing the revelation of the Mystery, in all of its purity, there is nothing, whatsoever, to be done to enhance our standing in Christ Jesus. Everything has been accomplished for us. It was done by Christ on the cross. Just over two-thousand years ago, on the day our Lord and Savior was crucified, the sun was darkened, the veil in the Temple was rent from top-to- bottom, and many saints arose from the dead and walked into Jerusalem. More was accomplished than Christ Jesus just dying for our sins. All was not revealed until about forty years later – when Paul became a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Many glorious things were carried out for the Ecclesia [Church] of His fullness (Eph.1:23).
Paul learned, after the Acts Period ended, that Christ was now selecting a company and calling who were made meet (or qualified) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light (Col. 1:12). The inheritance is ours if we don’t squander, or sell it for “one morsel of meat,” as did Esau (Heb. 12:16). By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, He secured, for us, this inheritance. Our inheritance will be a place of high authority in the Pre-Millennial Government of God. It was unknown until it was revealed to Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles.
Christ Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15), and by so doing, He has delivered us from the power of Darkness and has translated us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son (Col. 1:13). This truth was unknown until Paul, the prisoner, had it revealed to him after Acts 28.
We, who had been alienated from the life of God and enemies in our mind by wicked works, have been reconciled in the body of His flesh through death; therefore, we are to be presented to Him as being holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight (Col. 1:21-22). What a presentation that will be when the Day of Christ begins. It will be a far different presentation than that of Christ when Pilate said in John 19:14, “Behold your king!”
When Christ presents His Ecclesia of the One Body to Himself, it will be an Ecclesia of glory, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but it will be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:27). This is possible because of the secret, spiritual transactions which took place on the day of His crucifixion; only to be made known after “The Acts of the Apostles” ended.
The Mystery calling are the recipients of several “operations” of God which took place on Calvary . They were not performed with scalpels and sutures – circumcised with a circumcision “made without hands” in putting off the body of sins (sinful nature) in the flesh by the circumcision (death and burial) of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism of death, and we were raised with Him through the faith of the “operation of God,” Who hath raised Him from the dead (Col. 2:11-12).
Not only that, but when we were dead in our sins and in the uncircumcision of our sinful nature, God made us alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins; even “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances” (Col. 1:14) with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, “nailing it to His cross” (Col.1:14). He disarmed the powers and authorities of Darkness, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross ( Col 2:13-15). This was done on our behalf, on the cross, but these were unknown accomplishments until the Risen Christ made these transactions known after Acts 28.
We are not to be concerned about man’s judgment of us, in what we eat, or drink, or whether or not we observe days, or ordinances (Col. 2:16). Because of these spiritual operations, we are dead with Christ, to the rudiments (i.e. the abc’s) of the Acts Period Christianity – such as, touch not, taste not, handle not. They all perish with the using (Col. 2:16, 20-22).
Knowing these facts, we are to, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power” ( Col 2:8-10). “Complete”is the translation of the word, “pleerooo” ─ which means, in this case, “to make complete in every particular; to render perfect” (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon). We can do nothing to improve our standing in Christ.
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
The following thoughts were written sometime ago and we refer to it quite frequently. We must never grow careless of being “complete in Christ.”
“As a believer, I am complete in Christ. I died with Christ to the worldly way of looking at things. Being complete in Christ, I am not compelled to live by the rules, creeds and precepts of worldly Christianity, which insist on self-abasement and a voluntary humility which is the result of a vainly puffed-up mind. Being complete in Christ, I am not subject to church ordinances. Those who submit to such ordinances openly display their incompleteness. Self-imposed restrictions have, indeed, the outward appearance that popularly passes for wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion, humility, and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the fleshly nature. The fleshly mind of incomplete Christians think by not doing this or that, they improve their stature as Christians. Those who believe that Christ Jesus has done it all are those who rest, comfortably, in the fact that they cannot add one cubit to their completeness. They are filled to the fullest. In Jesus Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. And Colossians 2 informs me that I am in Christ and; thereby, I am complete, or perfect in my standing before God. All because of the unmerited favor bestowed on all who believe present truth. I no longer fret over my standing in Him. I am no longer occupied with my good works, or lack of them—in plainer words, my focus is not upon myself. Therefore, I am free to be occupied with God Himself.
“My spiritual pursuit is to, increasingly, know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, that in resurrection, I might attain a prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The question Christians should ask themselves; “Am I complete in Christ?” If so, the believer should acknowledge it.
Those among us who understand God’s grace, in all of its truth, can truly rejoice in Christ Jesus and place no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3).
One of the most unique features of present truth is the fact that by simply believing the revelation of the Mystery, in all of its purity, there is nothing, whatsoever, to be done to enhance our standing in Christ Jesus. Everything has been accomplished for us. It was done by Christ on the cross. Just over two-thousand years ago, on the day our Lord and Savior was crucified, the sun was darkened, the veil in the Temple was rent from top-to- bottom, and many saints arose from the dead and walked into Jerusalem. More was accomplished than Christ Jesus just dying for our sins. All was not revealed until about forty years later – when Paul became a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Many glorious things were carried out for the Ecclesia [Church] of His fullness (Eph.1:23).
Paul learned, after the Acts Period ended, that Christ was now selecting a company and calling who were made meet (or qualified) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light (Col. 1:12). The inheritance is ours if we don’t squander, or sell it for “one morsel of meat,” as did Esau (Heb. 12:16). By the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, He secured, for us, this inheritance. Our inheritance will be a place of high authority in the Pre-Millennial Government of God. It was unknown until it was revealed to Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles.
Christ Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15), and by so doing, He has delivered us from the power of Darkness and has translated us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son (Col. 1:13). This truth was unknown until Paul, the prisoner, had it revealed to him after Acts 28.
We, who had been alienated from the life of God and enemies in our mind by wicked works, have been reconciled in the body of His flesh through death; therefore, we are to be presented to Him as being holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight (Col. 1:21-22). What a presentation that will be when the Day of Christ begins. It will be a far different presentation than that of Christ when Pilate said in John 19:14, “Behold your king!”
When Christ presents His Ecclesia of the One Body to Himself, it will be an Ecclesia of glory, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but it will be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:27). This is possible because of the secret, spiritual transactions which took place on the day of His crucifixion; only to be made known after “The Acts of the Apostles” ended.
The Mystery calling are the recipients of several “operations” of God which took place on Calvary . They were not performed with scalpels and sutures – circumcised with a circumcision “made without hands” in putting off the body of sins (sinful nature) in the flesh by the circumcision (death and burial) of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism of death, and we were raised with Him through the faith of the “operation of God,” Who hath raised Him from the dead (Col. 2:11-12).
Not only that, but when we were dead in our sins and in the uncircumcision of our sinful nature, God made us alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins; even “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances” (Col. 1:14) with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, “nailing it to His cross” (Col.1:14). He disarmed the powers and authorities of Darkness, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross ( Col 2:13-15). This was done on our behalf, on the cross, but these were unknown accomplishments until the Risen Christ made these transactions known after Acts 28.
We are not to be concerned about man’s judgment of us, in what we eat, or drink, or whether or not we observe days, or ordinances (Col. 2:16). Because of these spiritual operations, we are dead with Christ, to the rudiments (i.e. the abc’s) of the Acts Period Christianity – such as, touch not, taste not, handle not. They all perish with the using (Col. 2:16, 20-22).
Knowing these facts, we are to, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power” ( Col 2:8-10). “Complete”is the translation of the word, “pleerooo” ─ which means, in this case, “to make complete in every particular; to render perfect” (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon). We can do nothing to improve our standing in Christ.
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
The following thoughts were written sometime ago and we refer to it quite frequently. We must never grow careless of being “complete in Christ.”
“As a believer, I am complete in Christ. I died with Christ to the worldly way of looking at things. Being complete in Christ, I am not compelled to live by the rules, creeds and precepts of worldly Christianity, which insist on self-abasement and a voluntary humility which is the result of a vainly puffed-up mind. Being complete in Christ, I am not subject to church ordinances. Those who submit to such ordinances openly display their incompleteness. Self-imposed restrictions have, indeed, the outward appearance that popularly passes for wisdom in promoting rigor of devotion, humility, and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the fleshly nature. The fleshly mind of incomplete Christians think by not doing this or that, they improve their stature as Christians. Those who believe that Christ Jesus has done it all are those who rest, comfortably, in the fact that they cannot add one cubit to their completeness. They are filled to the fullest. In Jesus Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form. And Colossians 2 informs me that I am in Christ and; thereby, I am complete, or perfect in my standing before God. All because of the unmerited favor bestowed on all who believe present truth. I no longer fret over my standing in Him. I am no longer occupied with my good works, or lack of them—in plainer words, my focus is not upon myself. Therefore, I am free to be occupied with God Himself.
“My spiritual pursuit is to, increasingly, know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death, that in resurrection, I might attain a prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The question Christians should ask themselves; “Am I complete in Christ?” If so, the believer should acknowledge it.
