Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

There’s a phrase I’ve carried with me for years, and I believe it’s one of the most freeing truths of the gospel: Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

When I open Colossians 2:4–15, Paul is reminding the church not to be swayed by “plausible arguments” that sound spiritual but ultimately strip away the power of the gospel. He warns that we don’t need anything added to Christ in order to be saved. Our salvation is complete in Him. Likewise, Romans 6:1–5 reminds us that salvation isn’t a license to sin or an endless treadmill of striving, but a reality that transforms us as we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection.

That’s the message we need to keep returning to: salvation is a gift received, not a prize achieved.

Rooted and Built Up in Christ

Paul’s words in Colossians 2:6–7 are so simple yet so profound:

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

Notice that he says, as you received Christ, so walk in Him. That means the way we began our relationship with Jesus is the same way we continue it — by grace through faith.

But here’s the problem: we often start with grace and then shift into striving. We think, Surely God expects me to add something to this. Surely I have to keep up my end of the bargain. Before we know it, we’re trying to tack on extra requirements to secure God’s love:

• Jesus plus good behavior.
• Jesus plus church attendance.
• Jesus plus serving enough.
• Jesus plus social media approval.
• Jesus plus performance.

But Paul pulls the rug out from under all of that. Christ is enough. He is the fullness of God in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). He has already secured our salvation. Anything we add as a requirement to “earn” His love dilutes the gospel and turns it into something it’s not.

Salvation Is Complete

When Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He meant it. Salvation is not a work-in-progress project where we keep adding to it like home renovations. It is a complete, finished work of God through Christ.

Paul describes it in Colossians 2:13–14:

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

I love that picture. Everything I owed — every sin, every mistake, every debt before God — was nailed to the cross. And when He nailed it there, He canceled it forever. That’s not a partial cancellation, like a debt collector negotiating down to a payment plan. It’s gone. Wiped clean.

That’s why striving never works. You can’t pay off a debt that’s already been canceled.

Too Good to Be True… But True

I’ll be honest: sometimes grace feels too good to be true.

Think about it. If I handed you the keys to a brand-new car and said, “It’s yours,” you’d probably hesitate. You’d wonder, What’s the catch? Where’s the fine print? And until you actually accepted the gift and signed the paperwork, the car wouldn’t really be yours.

That’s what grace is like. God hands us this incredible gift of salvation. It feels too good to be true, but it’s not only true — it’s the truest thing we’ll ever know. We don’t own it until we receive it, but once we do, it’s ours forever.

Sometimes I laugh when I get those spam emails that say, “You’ve won $10,000!” My first reaction is to delete it — because I know it’s a scam. I wonder if some people treat the gospel the same way. It seems so unbelievable that Jesus would die for us, forgive us, and love us with no strings attached, that they dismiss it as a scam. But unlike those emails, the gospel is not a fraud. It’s the very truth of God’s love written in blood.

United with Christ

Romans 6:1–5 gives us another angle on this truth. Paul says we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection. That means His story becomes our story.

When Jesus died, my old sinful self died with Him. When Jesus was buried, my sins were buried too. And when Jesus rose from the dead, I rose to new life with Him.

That’s why salvation isn’t about trying harder. It’s about living out what has already happened to you in Christ. You don’t have to strive to “become” someone new. You already are someone new in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now you just get to walk it out, day by day, rooted and built up in Christ

The Rivals to Christ

Paul also reminds us that no other person, ideology, or power source can rival Christ. Yet if we’re honest, we often let rivals creep in.

• For some of us, it’s approval. We crave likes and validation on social media.
• For others, it’s performance. We measure our worth by how much we get done.
• For others, it’s control. We think if we can manage every detail, we’ll be safe.

I’ve been there. I’ve let performance become my rival. I’ve felt like if I could just check all the boxes — lead well, serve well, do well — then I would finally feel secure in God’s love. But the truth is, every rival falls short. Social media likes don’t satisfy. Achievements don’t last. Control slips through our fingers. Only Christ can anchor us.

Paul says in Colossians 2:15 that Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Every rival power has already been defeated. Why would we give our hearts to something that has no power to save us?

Salvation Is Received, Not Achieved

Let me say it again: salvation is received, not achieved. It is a gift, not a reward.

Ephesians 2:8–9 says it this way:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

When I was younger in my faith, I struggled with this. I thought I had to keep doing things to keep God happy with me. I thought if I messed up, I was out. If I had a bad day, I had to “make it up” to God with extra effort.

But the gospel silences all that noise. I don’t serve God to earn His love. I serve Him because I already have it. I don’t love people out of obligation. I love them as an overflow of the love He has lavished on me.

Living Free from Striving

So what does this look like in everyday life?

It means when I fail, I don’t hide in shame — I run back to the One who nailed my failure to the cross.

It means when I serve, I don’t do it to earn points with God — I do it because I’m already secure in His love.

It means when I’m tempted to measure my worth by productivity, performance, or approval, I remind myself: Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

An Invitation

If you’re reading this and you’ve been caught in the trap of striving, I want you to hear this clearly: you don’t have to keep striving. Your salvation is not about what you do, but about what Christ has already done.

And if you’ve never received Christ, this is the invitation. He has an amazing gift for you — grace and forgiveness. He wants to set you free. All you have to do is believe and receive.

Romans 10:9 promises, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

It really is that simple. Not easy — because surrender costs us our pride — but simple.

If you’re unsure about this or you need someone to talk to, I would love to connect with you. Leave me a comment, send me a message, or reach out privately. I would love to pray with you and even send you a New Believers Journal to start your journey. You don’t have to walk this alone.

Closing

Paul’s message in Colossians and Romans is as true today as it was in the first century: Christ is enough. Salvation is complete. Grace is a gift. Don’t let rivals distract you. Don’t let striving steal your joy. Don’t let “plausible arguments” convince you that you need Jesus plus something else.

You don’t.

You need only Him.

Because Jesus plus nothing equals everything.