Lesson 15 – Submitting to the Right Authority, part 2 (2:18-23)
Read Colossians 2 - www.bible.com/bible/59/col.2

The second instruction about who is our authority is found in verses 18-22. The first warning, in our last lesson, was one of our attitude toward other believers, here the warning is about our relationship with Christ. Here the warning is that we can be disqualified. This is not a disqualification for salvation, but of our life of victory in Christ leading to blessing.

Let’s remember a very important, basic truth of Scripture – salvation is always only by God’s grace, never for anything we do (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are also kept saved by grace (Galatians 2:15-21). As we were born human and there is nothing we can do to become another species – but we can hurt our bodies with wrong foods or not enough exercise. We are born of God when we are saved and nothing can change our eternal life in Him – but we can hurt our spiritual growth and be disqualified from blessings.

How can we become disqualified from blessings? The first wrong authority is in verse 18 – placing our focus on things other than Christ. The list in verses 18-19 are:
-Asceticism – focusing on our style of life, appearing to be religious
-Worship of angels
-Puffed up by a sensuous mind – being proud of our ability to identify spiritual things through our own feelings (see Romans 8:7)
-Not holding fast to the Head – that’s Christ, the Head of the Church

Human rules may have an appearance of wisdom, as verse 23 tells us, but they have no value other than promoting a man-made religion which can do nothing to truly change our sins of our flesh. As with everything in our relationship with God, there is never anything we can do to make Him forgive us more, love us better, or give us longer life than what He’s already given us. He has already forgiven us completely. He already loves us completely. He has already given us eternal life.

Verse 20 reminds us where our authority should be focused – on Christ – and why:
-We died to the spirits of the world in Him.
-We are no longer subject to regulations of things that are not eternal.
-We are subject to a higher authority that is above human teachings and understanding.

Submitting to Jesus’ authority in our life is far more than mere religious rituals for a lifetime. It is a moment-by-moment following where He leads us, whether we understand what He’s asking of us or not. It is a life of joy and peace and blessing beyond anything we can imagine. It is an eternity of living with Him.