Christ Is All and in All

When Christ alone is the measure, unity is preserved by life.

Welcome to the Living Word Creations — Bible Study Zone Devotion.

Today, we are taking a quiet moment in the Word, allowing Scripture to shape how we see one another in Christ.

Colossians chapter 3, verses 10 and 11 say:

“And have put on the new man,
which is being renewed unto full knowledge
according to the image of Him who created him;
where there cannot be Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian,
slave, free man,
but Christ is all and in all.”

Christ Is All and in All

Have you ever stopped to think about why churches sometimes struggle, even when everyone says they believe in the same Jesus?

It is easy to assume the problem is disagreement, but very often that is not where the trouble actually begins.

Today, we are talking about a truth from the book of Colossians that goes deeper than agreement. It helps us see what no longer belongs in the church and why Christ alone must take its place.

A New Man Means a New Way

Let us read Colossians chapter 3, verses 10 and 11 together.

“And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him; where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.”
— Colossians 3:10–11 (KJV)

Paul is not talking about making small improvements to the old way of living. He is describing a complete change of realm.

When we believed in Christ, we put on the new man. This means that an old way of identifying people came to an end, and a new way began.

In the new man, people are no longer defined by where they come from, how they were raised, or the natural way they respond to things. Those things no longer exist as factors for judging one another.

There is now one defining reality. Christ is all, and Christ is in all.

Where Problems Quietly Begin

This is where the truth becomes very practical.

Most of us feel comfortable around people who respond the way we expect. Conversations feel easy, decisions seem smooth, and everything appears to fit naturally.

But there are other moments when someone responds differently than we hoped. They may ask a question, suggest another direction, or simply see the situation in a different way.

Nothing outward may change, but something can shift inside us. We may feel less open toward them, trust them a little less, or become more cautious about including them.

This is the moment that matters.

Nothing essential has changed about the other person. What has changed is the standard we are using.

Without realizing it, a natural response has taken the place of Christ as what counts. When this happens, something natural has entered a place where only Christ belongs.

This is how natural distinctions quietly enter the church. They do not usually come in through open conflict, but through what feels reasonable and justified to us.

When the Standard Shifts

In these moments, the issue is not who is right or wrong. The issue is that we have brought our own way of seeing, responding, or judging into the church as the standard.

When we approve some people and distance ourselves from others based on what feels right to us, we are not simply reacting emotionally. We are letting something other than Christ decide.

The moment Christ is replaced, even in a small way, real damage begins.

What God Does—and Does Not Do

God does not fix this problem by picking one natural way over another. He does not look at one response and say, “That one is right,” and then try to correct someone else’s response. He is not trying to improve our behavior or smooth out our differences.

God does something much more complete.

He sets all of those natural measuring sticks aside.

He does this because, in the new man, there is no space for them anymore. There is only room for Christ.

When Christ is what everything is measured by, those old ways of sizing people up do not get carried into the church. They are not argued over. They are not used to judge who fits and who does not.

They simply stop being what matters.

The Only Thing That Remains

This brings us to a clear and serious conclusion.

The church is not held together by shared preferences, similar responses, or personal comfort. It is held together because Christ replaces everything else as the measure.

You can see this in very ordinary moments.

A meeting runs longer than expected, and patience wears thin.
A decision is made that you did not agree with.
A familiar routine changes, and the room feels different.
New faces appear, and the old sense of ease is gone.

In moments like these, something inside us looks for footing. We look for what feels familiar. We look for what feels right to us.

If comfort or agreement is what holds us together, the strain shows quickly. Tension grows. Distance forms. People quietly pull back.

But when Christ alone decides, something else happens.

Even when plans change, Christ remains.
Even when responses differ, Christ remains.
Even when the setting feels unfamiliar, Christ remains.

When nothing natural is brought in as a standard, there is nothing left but Christ.

And where Christ alone remains, the church is preserved, not by careful effort or constant adjustment, but by life flowing quietly among God’s people.

This is not a theory meant to sound good.
It is the reality of the new man.
It is how the church is meant to live.