10 - Complete in Christ | Uniting Heaven and Earth

In Christ, we are already complete – not at some point in the future, not through our own works, but here and now, through faith. The reconciliation that took place in him makes us complete: “You are complete in him” (Colossians 2:10). This is the full reality of the Gospel.

Self-deception destroyed our original unity with God. The truth “I am a creature of God” was replaced by the lie “I am God.” Since then, we have been unconsciously bound to people instead of to God – automatically and without choice. Nothing truly good can come from this false identity, even though the deception constantly leads us to believe there is a free choice between good and evil.

That is why the Bible contrasts two mysteries: The mystery of God (Colossians 1:26–27; Ephesians 3:3–6): Christ in us, the hope of glory – the perfect union of heaven and earth in the new identity through grace. In him we are holy, righteous, and complete. And the mystery of Babylon (Revelation 17), the great harlot, the false union of heaven and earth through religion born of self-deception, pressure to perform, trust in man, and deception. She disguises herself as pious, but leads to bondage and destruction.

In Jesus Christ, the second Adam and the New Creation, God and humanity are reunited – through His death, the old identity is crucified, and through His resurrection, we are born anew. Every individual enters into this perfection through faith: The Holy Spirit writes the new identity upon the heart and our will unites with God’s will. Our works are then the fruit of this perfect state, not the path to it.

Many of us live in frustration because we look at our shortcomings instead of at Christ, or because we unconsciously follow the Babylonian mystery. The liberating truth is: Look to Him! In Him we are already perfected. Heaven and earth are united within us – from this grows true freedom from guilt, the pressure to perform, and fear, and a joyful battle of faith from victory to victory. This and more will be explored in depth in the tenth part of the series “Uniting Heaven and Earth.”