Christ Is All Necessary

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 2:9-10).

In Paul’s letters, such as Romans, Galatians, and Colossians, there are many passages that say God has fulfilled all the requirements of the law in Christ (Romans 10:4). Christ is the fulfillment of the law, of time, and of all things. Christ is all and has all. The person who holds on to Jesus in faith will receive forgiveness of sins. God’s laws will be fulfilled, death will be conquered, and the devil will be overcome. That person will receive the gift of eternal life. For in this one man, Jesus, all is settled. He has fulfilled everything. Whoever accepts him has everything. As Paul says here, “You have been given fullness in Christ.”

When I feel anxious about sin and hell, I remind myself that when I have Christ, I have all that is necessary. Neither death, sin, nor the devil can hurt me. If I believe in Christ, I have fulfilled the law; it cannot accuse me. I have conquered hell; it cannot hold me. Everything that Christ has is mine. Through him, we obtain all his possessions and eternal life. Even if I am weak in faith, I still have the same treasure and the same Christ that others have.

There’s no difference: we are all made perfect through faith in him, not by what we do. For example, imagine that two people each have a hundred dollars. One person carries it in a paper bag. The other keeps it in an iron chest. Both have the same treasure no matter where they put it. Similarly, we all have the same Christ. It doesn’t matter if one person has a stronger or weaker faith than another. Both of them still believe in the same Christ and have everything through him.

Adapted from Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional by Martin Luther