I grew up in a faith tradition that encouraged exploring many different spiritual paths, almost like a buffet where you pick and choose what resonates with you. The idea was that truth could be found in many places, leaving it up to each person to assemble a faith that felt right to them.
While many religions may have wisdom and some truths, I eventually came to realize that if I was the one deciding what truth was, then I wasn’t submitting to something greater than myself—I was, in a way, making myself the ultimate authority.
I wasn’t worshipping God; I was worshipping my own ability to define Him.
Unlearning this wasn’t easy. After all, I had spent most of my life believing that spirituality was about finding my own path.
The early church in Colossae struggled with the same temptation. Paul warned them in Colossians 2:16-23 not to be led astray by teachings that added to or distorted Christ’s sufficiency.
As I reflect on those verses, I see my old way of thinking, the mindset Christ led me out of.
Paul was pushing back against false teachers who insisted that Christ alone wasn’t enough. They were saying believers needed something extra—old traditions, new mystical experiences, or extreme self-denial—to be truly righteous. But Paul calls these things shadows.
Colossians 2:17 — “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
While many religions may have wisdom and some truths, they are ultimately glimpses, not the source—only Christ is the fullness of truth. A shadow only has meaning because of the substance that casts it. The old laws and regulations weren’t bad, but they weren’t the point—they were signposts pointing to Jesus.
And now that Jesus has come, why live as though He isn’t enough?
This struggle isn’t just ancient history. It creeps in when I start performing for God instead of resting in Him—when I believe following the ‘right’ rules or having the ‘right’ spiritual experiences somehow makes me more saved. I tend to feel like I need to earn God’s approval, as if His grace isn’t freely given.
Colossians 2:20-21 —“If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—’Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’? “
The Colossians were being pressured to observe extra rules—special diets, festivals, mystical experiences—because false teachers made them believe faith in Christ wasn’t enough. Today, the temptation might look different, but the heart issue is the same. Why do I try to add requirements, thinking they make me more worthy in His eyes?
Paul doesn’t just refute legalism; he dismantles the deeper issue—our belief that outward rules can fix the sinfulness of the human heart.
These false teachers were like spiritual multi-level marketing (MLM) recruiters, selling the idea that a “higher level” of faith could be achieved through special practices, secret knowledge, or extreme discipline. They promised access to something deeper, something exclusive—making ordinary believers feel like they were missing out unless they bought into the system.
But just like most MLMs, the real winners were the ones at the top—the false teachers—while everyone else was left spiritually drained, constantly striving but never truly satisfied. The ‘product’ they were selling wasn’t real transformation; it was an exhausting cycle of effort with no true reward.
Colossians 2:23 — “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
The truth is, rules can’t change the heart. Avoiding certain foods won’t stop sin. Harsh treatment of the body won’t kill pride, lust, or greed. Only Christ can change us from the inside out. Chasing after religious rules for salvation is no different than chasing an MLM promise—it looks like progress, but it never delivers.
Final Thought:
Pastor John put it simply in his sermon:
Jesus + Nothing = Everything.
It’s not just a catchy equation—it’s the heart of the gospel. I don’t need to chase shadows when the fullness of Christ is already mine. Where am I still clinging to extra requirements instead of resting in Christ alone?
The Colossians were told that faith in Christ wasn’t sufficient—that they needed extra rules, mystical experiences, or extreme self-denial to be truly righteous. But Paul makes it clear: Christ alone is enough.
That’s exactly what Jesus + Nothing = Everything means.
- You don’t need old religious laws.
- You don’t need mystical experiences.
- You don’t need extreme self-discipline.
- You just need Jesus.
How About You?
What’s the ‘extra’ you’re tempted to add to Jesus?
What shadows do you find yourself chasing?”
Let me know what you think.