SEPTEMBER 17

Complete in Him

Bible Reading: Colossians 2:8-15

Colossians 2:10, “and in Him you have been made complete.”

It is the nature of false teaching to diminish the person and work of Christ.  So, it was in the church in Colossae.  The message they were espousing was that Christ was not enough.  There was something in addition which those believers needed to do, or something else they needed to know, or something else they needed to experience, or needed to endure.  Their heretical viewpoint was that Christ was not adequate to save, or to supply all which was needed.

Things haven’t changed so much, as John MacArthur has observed, “We often think today that Christ is a part of our lives. He’s maybe an important part but not all.  We need Christ plus philosophy, we need Christ plus psychology, we need Christ plus ritual, Christ plus ceremony, Christ plus some miraculous experience, or Christ plus some mystical intuition, or Christ plus some bodily self-denial or immolation, we need to do something to hurt ourselves in order to gain merit with God, or we need to do something to transcend this world, have some kind of mystical experience to really know God or something like that.”

The good news is in Christ we have been made complete.  We don’t need anything else.  In Him, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” have been granted to us (2 Peter 1:3).  The Greek term translated “complete” was a nautical term which spoke of a fully loaded ship, prepared to go to sea.  I’m familiar with this term from my submariner days.  Before deployment, they’d muster together a ship loading party, then we’d pass all the provisions hand-by-hand from the dock and down through the hatches.  Sometimes we’d be out at sea for a month or two and it’d take a lot of supplies, but we never ran out.

Everything you need for now and eternity are in Christ.  All the answers to your soul needs and salvation are provided in Him.  All that is necessary for your growth in Him has been provisioned to you.  Everything necessary to bring you safely home to heaven one day is bound up in Him.  They are all in Him and only in Him.

Charles Spurgeon has commented on this, “All the attributes of Christ, as God and man, are at our disposal. All the fulness of the Godhead, whatever that marvelous term may comprehend, is ours to make us complete. He cannot endow us with the attributes of Deity; but he has done all that can be done, for he has made even his divine power and Godhead subservient to our salvation. His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability and infallibility, are all combined for our defense. Arise, believer, and behold the Lord Jesus yoking the whole of his divine Godhead to the chariot of salvation! How vast his grace, how firm his faithfulness, how unswerving his immutability, how infinite his power, how limitless his knowledge! All these are by the Lord Jesus made the pillars of the temple of salvation; and all, without diminution of their infinity, are covenanted to us as our perpetual inheritance. The fathomless love of the Savior’s heart is every drop of it ours; every sinew in the arm of might, every jewel in the crown of majesty, the immensity of divine knowledge, and the sternness of divine justice, all are ours, and shall be employed for us. The whole of Christ, in his adorable character as the Son of God, is by himself made over to us most richly to enjoy. His wisdom is our direction, his knowledge our instruction, his power our protection, his justice our surety, his love our comfort, his mercy our solace, and his immutability our trust. He makes no reserve, but opens the recesses of the Mount of God and bids us dig in its mines for the hidden treasures. “All, all, all are yours,” saith he, “be ye satisfied with favor and full of the goodness of the Lord.” Oh! how sweet thus to behold Jesus, and to call upon him with the certain confidence that in seeking the interposition of his love or power, we are but asking for that which he has already faithfully promised!”

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

In Jesus Christ I am complete,
My soul is cleansed from sin;
His love in me is ever sweet,
His grace abounds within.

Refrain:
Complete, complete, I’m all complete,
Oh, glory to His name!
Redeemed, redeemed, just now complete,
His love I will proclaim.

In Jesus Christ I am complete,
My sins are all forgiv’n;
To do His will, it is my meat,
My name’s enrolled in Heav’n. [Refrain]

In Jesus Christ I am complete,
My needs are all supplied;
In Him I have a safe retreat,
My soul is sanctified. [Refrain]

I’m in the living Church of God,
In Christ I am complete;
Supported by His precious word,
I’ll worship at His feet. [Refrain]

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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