Archie Moore, called "The Old Mongoose," was known for being one of the most dangerous counterpunchers in the history of boxing. In boxing, a counterpunch is a punch that immediately follows an attack launched by an opponent. Moore’s strength and ability led to over 130 knockouts in his professional boxing career.
David expressed adoration to the LORD for teaching his hands to war and his fingers to fight (Psa. 144:1). “Spiritual warfare” is a familiar phrase within the church. We use it to speak to the reality of our continual wrestling against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). For the believer today, spiritual warfare is as real and intense as combat on the battlefield was for David in the Old Testament. Therefore, like David, the believer must learn how to properly war and fight. The inability to do so ensures a defeated spiritual walk.
After learning of the spiritual opposition launched against the church at Colosse while imprisoned in Rome (Col. 1:4-8), the Apostle Paul was moved to write the Epistle of Colossians, which he did through dictation to Tychicus and Onesimus (Col. 4:18). In chapter two, Paul’s focus was to obliterate the heretical towers of the Gnostics, who denounced the deity of Jesus Christ and the gospel alone as being sufficient for salvation. In doing so, Paul exposed the lies and the tactics often propagated by Satan that, if accepted, render a powerless and defeated walk in the life of the believer. Through Paul’s rebuttal in chapter two of Colossians, the believer in Jesus Christ is armed with seven counterpunches that are to be used daily in spiritual warfare against our adversary, the devil.
Counterpunch #1: I am Completely Filled in Christ
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
The word “complete” in Colossians 2:10 means to make replete, which is completely filled. A punch that Satan throws hard and often is that although we are in Christ, we are still lacking. Jesus declared that He is the bread of life, and he that comes to Him shall never hunger and he that believes on Him shall never thirst (John 6:35). He also declared that He came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Since He cannot lie, in Jesus, every believer has everything they could possibly need. Satan’s lie of incompleteness, when accepted, entices the believer to pursue what is impossible to attain apart from an intimate walk with Christ: fulfillment.
The Holy Spirit of God consistently reminds me through the word of Christ that anything offered to me which involves looking and going outside of Christ is not something I need, and is at best an empty promise. So when faced with the temptation to look beyond Christ for fulfillment, we must remember that we are completely filled in Him.
Counterpunch #2: I am Completely Accepted in Christ
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Paul continued amplifying our completeness in Christ by declaring our spiritual circumcision in Him. The heresies of the Gnostics mirrored those of the Judaizers who also presented physical circumcision as a mandate for acceptance by God. Paul’s rebuttal was strong and affirming. At salvation, the believer was spiritually circumcised by Christ with the body of the sins of the flesh being put off. That is, the sins of the flesh were separated from the soul and the spirit. In the companion epistle of Ephesians, Paul doubled down on our acceptance in Christ by stating that God made us accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6). Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son in whom He is well pleased (Matt. 3:17). Therefore, because of our position in Christ, we too are sons of God accepted in the beloved.
Many of us have come to learn that rejection is not an elective in life, and Satan is ever faithful to remind us of who has rejected us. Some were given up for adoption, some were not the favorite child, some were rejected because they were not deemed attractive or talented enough or lacked the preferred gender or race, some were spurned by an ex-spouse for someone else. Whatever the rejection was, it was made irrelevant the moment we believed on Jesus Christ. At that moment, we were accepted in the beloved because we are in Christ. Therefore, if we are accepted in the beloved, it does not matter who has rejected us.
Counterpunch #3: I am Completely Regenerated in Christ
Col 2:12a Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God…
The body of the sins of the flesh were put off and were buried with Christ in baptism. Just as our circumcision was made without hands, our baptism with Christ was performed without water.
Our spiritual baptism represents the burial of the old man. Sadly, too many believers magnify their water baptism while minimizing their spiritual baptism. The reality is, there can be no water baptism without there first being a spiritual baptism, at which time we are regenerated in Christ and are made new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
Satan seeks to gain an advantage over us by reminding us of who we were in the flesh before Christ. This is one of the reasons believers are voluntarily held hostage in various forms of bondage to the flesh all the while being raised up and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). If we are preoccupied with who we were and who we are in the flesh, Satan will have his way with us. However, at the moment we reckon our complete regeneration in Christ, we will see ourselves for who we really are in Christ. We can then land a monstrous counterpunch in the heat of temptation that says: I am completely regenerated in Christ.
Counterpunch #4: I am Completely Empowered in Christ
Col 2:12b …who hath raised him from the dead.
Our blessings in Christ are so vast and rich that there are always more of them to be reckoned. Not only were we buried with him in baptism, but we are also risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And in Christ, where there is a baptism, there is a resurrection. The believer was buried with Jesus in baptism and was raised spiritually with Him from the dead. Paul made it clear that this was through the faith of the operation of God. So, our spiritual baptism and resurrection were based on what God did, not what we did.
When comparing scripture with scripture, we discover that power is clearly associated with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:19-20; Phil. 3:10). If power is associated with His resurrection, it must also be associated with our being risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. When Jesus began to send forth His apostles by two and two, He gave them power over unclean spirits (Mk. 6:7). There was never a question if they would encounter unclean spirits. The issue was that they had been given power over them. The same is true for the believer today. Paul emphatically stated that the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in us (Rom. 8:11). Like the apostles, we have been completely empowered to defeat everything that the world, the flesh, and the devil attacks us with. This calls for our walking in the Spirit of God, which, when we do, allows us to endure and resist the temptations of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). Regardless of the temptation, we can face it in Christ and win by agreeing with God regarding our complete empowerment in Christ.
Counterpunch #5: I am Completely Pardoned in Christ
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
In the previous chapter, Paul assured us that we have the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14). At a very basic level, sin is voluntary disobedience to God’s word. Trespasses specifically refer to offenses or injuries we cause to others (Matt. 18:15). Even as believers, in our flesh, it is very likely that we will commit trespasses against others. In that great discourse between Peter and Jesus about forgiveness, Peter asked Jesus, “…how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? (Matt. 18:21)” The answer given by Jesus affirms the likelihood that we will trespass against others: “...I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matt. 18:22)”
While this is a reality, it can be debilitating to think about the pain we have inflicted upon others. But as real as that was, what is as real in Christ is that we have been forgiven all trespasses. This truth does not give us permission to be flippant about how we have injured others. God forbid. What it does for us though is give us permission to be released from the burden of guilt we are tempted to carry over what we have done to others. Even if others choose to cling to bitterness and unforgiveness towards us because of what we did to them, it does not nullify our complete pardon in Christ.
This is a vital truth to embrace because Satan, the world, and our flesh are faithful to remind us of what we have done. When this happens, we must counterpunch by accepting our complete pardon in Christ
Counterpunch #6: I am Completely Settled in Christ
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
The two tables of testimony (Ten Commandments) given to Moses from God were written with the finger of God (Exo. 31:18). So the handwriting of ordinances refers to our guilt in breaking all ten of those commandments.
During the time of the writing of the New Testament, whenever a criminal was put to death by crucifixion or some other form of death, their crime was written on a placard and nailed above their head so that all would see what happens when Roman law was violated. This is why written above the head of Jesus on the cross was the accusation, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Matt. 27:37).
At Calvary, Jesus did more than just pardon us. He settled our sin debt. Our sin was blotted out (obliterated), taken out of the way (lifted), and nailed to his cross (paid). When a debt is settled, it means that nothing further is owed. In emphatic fashion, Paul told us that we are not debtors to the flesh (Rom. 8:12). In other words, we do not owe the flesh anything. This includes guilt, shame, sadness, fear, embarrassment, or excessive apologizing about what we've done.
Sin is dark and very ugly and because of it, our debt was very large. But Jesus paid it all (settled)! Therefore, as it relates to the body of the sins of the flesh, we are debt-free, because, in Christ, our sin is completely settled.
Counterpunch #7: I am Completely Triumphant in Christ
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
If there was ever a truth that Satan would love to permanently conceal from the believer in this dispensation, it would be Colossians 2:15. From this verse, we are given the final score from what happened at Calvary. Satan and his team lost big. The principalities and powers that we wrestle against (Eph. 6:12) were spoiled. That is, they were defeated decisively. Not only were they defeated decisively, but they were also humiliated publicly (“he made a shew of them openly”). In sports terms, this was a blowout. When Jesus rose from the dead, it was a demonstrative expression of His omnipotence over Satan and his forces. It was why Paul could say that we have been delivered from the power of darkness (Col. 1:13). We have been delivered from the power of darkness because the one behind the darkness was decisively defeated at Calvary.
Jesus emerged as a conqueror and triumphant when He rose from the dead. When we believed on Him, that reality became our reality.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
2 Cor 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
A defeated Christian walk is a deliberate choice by the believer. For in Christ, we are more than conquerors and are completely triumphant. Satan and his army will only be as effective to the extent that we have not agreed with God about who we are in Christ. We are completely triumphant in Him. So let’s think, speak, and live like it.
Check out this episode of The Postscript Show where Kenny discusses Discipleship
Kenny Morgan is the discipleship pastor at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, where he also leads the Life Fellowship adults class.
