The Simplicity and Sufficiency of the Gospel

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“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. For 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 2:8–10).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

The complexity of something isn’t always the best measure of its value. Sometimes the very simple has the greatest impact. The Gettysburg Address, for example, contains only 266 words. Yet it has inspired millions to greater enthusiasm for liberty and freedom. The Lord’s Prayer contains only 56 words. Yet it is a wonderful summary of how to pray and what to pray for.

In Baptism, only 18 words are used, not counting the name of the one being baptized and the “Amen.” Baptism looks so simple. A splash of water. A few words. Yet “Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word.” Baptism unites us with our Lord Jesus Christ in a special way. In our Baptism, God takes the death of Jesus and the resurrection life of Jesus and makes them our own.

“I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” says the pastor. Short and simple, but oh so important! For in these words we are adopted as God’s dear children, becoming heirs of His kingdom, receiving the gift of forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. And, as we hear today, our Baptism identifies us with our Lord Jesus Christ so closely it helps us to recognize false teaching and to hold onto the truth when our faith is under fire.

The church at Colossae had been founded by Epaphras. Through his ministry the congregation had become “rooted and built up” in faith in Jesus. Epaphras had done excellent work. And as Paul stated in the introduction to his epistle, the report of their faith and love in Christ was traveling all over the Roman Empire. But now the Colossians’ faith was under fire. So Epaphras returned to his mentor and told Paul about the problems the church in Colossae was experiencing.

In Paul’s response, we see three areas where their faith was being tested. In each one the Colossians were being led to believe that something was lacking in their faith. Though they had been baptized into Christ, false teachers were telling them they needed more. They appealed to natural human reason, which says, “If I am to be saved, I must do something myself. Show me what I must do.”

The false teachers were only too willing to do just that. Some were saying, “You don’t know enough.” They appealed to curiosity, personal ego, and intellect. They contrasted their sophisticated, hidden knowledge with the simplicity of the Gospel, leading believers to wonder, “Maybe we’re missing something. Maybe the simple Gospel we’ve been taught isn’t enough.”

Some of the false teachers were saying, “You must do certain things. Without circumcision, the right foods, and ceremonies at the right times, you aren’t part of the true church.” They made their appeal to the Old Testament roots of the Christian faith, leading believers to wonder, “Since God’s people, Israel, used to have required rituals, foods, and festivals, perhaps we must too.”

Some false teachers were saying, “You don’t have the right connections. There are other spiritual authorities and powers besides Christ whom you must contact in order to gain this higher knowledge and proceed down the path to God.”

According to these false teachers, this knowledge was imparted by various types of angels who controlled the lines of communication between God and man. They taught that since the law was given through these angels, they were to be honored and worshiped by keeping the law. Breaking the law obligated the sinner to attempt to soothe these angels by Jewish ceremonies and living right.

In effect, these false teachers were saying, “Well, yes, Jesus loves you and died for your sins. But you still have to watch out for the angels. They control the lines of communication. You don’t want to make them mad.”  

Each of these errors was leading the Colossians to wonder if something was missing in their faith. And their new teachers were all too willing to supply whatever they might lack. Paul warned the Colossians that all these apparent deficiencies in their faith were nothing but lies. Baptism into Christ gave them everything they need.

To unravel and expose these lies, Paul directed the Colossians’ attention to Jesus. “In Christ,” he writes, “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.” The very essence of God, all His divine attributes are present in Jesus’ human body. The Colossians had received this fullness themselves when they received Jesus. How? Through Baptism, the simple washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit.

In many places, God’s Word explains how truly powerful this simple washing is. St. Paul writes to the Romans, “We were therefore buried with [Christ] through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (6:4).

And, in his letter to Titus, Paul tells us, “[Christ] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (3:5).

Paul reminded the Colossians that before baptism they were dead in sin and in the uncircumcision of sinful human nature. What do you do with something dead? You bury it! That’s exactly what God had done. He took their spiritually dead nature and buried it. But He didn’t use earth to do it. He dug no tomb. He used the water of Baptism, by which each one of them was united with the death and burial of God’s own Son.

And, having been united with Jesus in His death, they were also united with Jesus in His resurrection. Though they once had been dead in their sin and transgressions, they were now alive again in Christ!

Now they had their answer for those who told them their faith was lacking, that they needed something more. They had the full Gospel already when they had the forgiveness of their sins, new life, and salvation through Jesus Christ. In Baptism, Jesus had already taken them from death to life. How could secret or hidden knowledge add anything more? What ritual could ever be necessary to validate their baptismal burial and resurrection with Jesus? Could any other spiritual power have higher authority or add to what Christ has already done and the work of His Holy Spirit?

To each question the Colossians could answer with certainty, “No, nothing can be added to what God has done in Christ Jesus our Lord. He has the victory. By the cross, Christ triumphed over all of our spiritual enemies—the world, the devil, and our own sinful flesh” (v 15).

How about you? Do you have your answer to each of these questions? You see, when Satan desires to weaken your faith and create doubt, he’ll often use the same means he did in Colossae. Someone will approach and offer you a “full Gospel.” You may even begin to wonder if you have only a “half-full gospel.”

And if you do, of course, the false teacher will be perfectly willing to fill your half-full gospel with his. Perhaps his trick will be that of extra or superior knowledge, the path of secret societies, lodges, and cults that only reveal their secrets once you are shut up inside. Maybe he’ll tell you he’s discovered the details regarding the end of the world and how to be kept from being left behind. Maybe he’ll tell you that you to buy his book that tells how he “cracked the Bible code” and the amazing revelations God, for some reason, hid for centuries until someone as wise and knowledgeable as him finally came on the scene.

Maybe the false teacher will tell you not to take the Bible so literally. Sure, our forefathers believed those stories really happened, but we’re more educated and enlightened now. We realize most of that stuff is just myth and superstition. Besides, it doesn’t really matter if Jesus actually lived or died or rose again from the dead. What’s important is His teaching on morality and social justice.

Or maybe, the false teacher will take the ritual route. He might tell you that your cup will be full only when you become a prayer partner and send your money into PO Box 50429. Maybe he’ll tell you that your worship style is old and stale and needs to catch up with the times in order for you to have a more vibrant faith. Maybe he’ll tell you must be able to recall a certain, emotional experience when “you made a decision to follow Jesus” to be sure that you are “born again.”

Maybe he’ll tell you that you have to observe certain rituals or eat certain foods. Maybe he’ll tell that in order to be saved you must lead a sanctified life with certain distinctive habits. You must read only “Christian” books, watch only “Christian” television shows, listen only to “Christian” music.  

Or perhaps the false teacher will appeal to other spiritual powers. Maybe he’ll tell you that you must display certain charismatic gifts as proof of the Spirit. Maybe he’ll tell you that you should contact other spiritual powers and authorities through astrology, psychics, or channeling. Maybe he’ll tell you if you have a problem you just need to pray to a certain saint or guardian angel.

But you don’t have to fall for these lies. When faith is under fire, believers in Jesus, know this from God’s Word: “having disarmed the powers and authorities, [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (v 15). Baptized into Christ, your cup is already full. Your Gospel is completely full. You can’t put any more into a cup that’s already overflowing.

This is the simplicity and sufficiency of the Gospel!

Yes, like the Colossians, you also were once dead in transgressions and your sin was stinking up your whole life. So, God used the water of Baptism to unite you with the death and burial of His Son. Peter put it plainly, “Baptism … now saves you … It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). This is where you must turn when your faith is under fire: your Baptism—salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Baptism is our way of experiencing the life of Christ. We were spiritually dead. He came to live for us. He died for us. We were buried with Him. That means we were cut off from our old sinful nature and raised to a new life in Him. The record of our sins has been cancelled and we’ve been given the power to live in righteousness and holiness forever.   

So, when your faith is under fire, remember that Christ has already won the battle between the forces of the world and the power of God. When the powers of the world try to invade the territory of God, they fail, because God invaded the powers of the world by becoming human in Christ. By His death and resurrection, Christ won the battle for the world.

You are a part of His victory celebration. Because you’ve been received into Christ through Baptism, you can rest assured that you have the full sufficiency of the Gospel in all its saving power. By God’s grace, this simple water and Word has made you one of His dear children and given you an eternal inheritance in His kingdom. In Christ, you have forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. Indeed, you are forgiven for all your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.