Eyes on Christ

Paul has just reminded the Colossian believers that in Christ, they are complete — their sins forgiven, their debt canceled, their enemies defeated. 

He guides them to realize the cross is not only the place of salvation; it’s the scene of triumph (1 Cor. 15:57).

Galatians 5:1

5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

But whenever there’s victory in Christ, the enemy’s next strategy is subtle — not to destroy our faith, but to distort it. 

If he cannot keep us from salvation, he’ll try to rob us of the joy and freedom that comes with it.

That’s exactly where Paul goes next. After proclaiming to us what it means to “See to it that no one takes us captive,” he now warns us not to let anyone pull us back into the shadows of religion — the kind that looks holy on the outside but denies the sufficiency of Christ on the inside.

In Colossians 2:16–23, Paul exposes the danger of adding rules to grace, rituals to faith, and human effort to divine accomplishment. 

He calls the church to live in the freedom Christ has already purchased — not in the bondage of self-made religion.

He says: Don’t let anyone drag you back into living like you’re still incomplete.