Colossians - Chapter 2

1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

Paul mentions Laodicea because he intends this letter to be read there also. Laodicea (modern day Pamukkale) was only about 10 miles northwest of Colosse and was a wealthy trade and commerce center which was later criticized for their lukewarm commitment (Revelation 3:14-22). The fact that this letter was also intended for Laodicea indicates the false teaching may have spread there as well.

Paul counted on ties of love to bring the churches together to stand against the heresy and encourage each other to remain true to God’s plan of salvation in Christ. Churches should be unified communities encouraging each other and committed to carrying out Christ’s work.

Paul stressed knowledge in his letter because he is refuting the heresy that emphasized knowledge as the means of salvation. Paul insists it is the Christian, not the heretics, who possess genuine knowledge.

The word heresy is being used to mean “a teaching contrary to Biblical doctrine”.

“Gnosticism” is the Greek work for knowledge. Being a Gnostic was “fashionable” in the second century, but the heresy Paul was combating in the first century was probably the beginning of Gnosticism. These belief systems undermined Christianity in several basic ways:
1. They insisted that important secret knowledge was hidden from most believers; Paul said Christ provides all the knowledge we need.
2. They taught that the body was evil; Paul countered that God himself lived in a body as Jesus Christ, therefore the body could not be evil.
3. They contended that Christ only seemed to be human, but was not; Paul insisted that Jesus is fully human and fully God.

Similar teachings still pose significant problems for many in the church today. We can avoid falling into believing untruths by becoming thoroughly acquainted with God’s Word through personal study and sound Bible teaching.

The philosophers and false teachers were very persuasive. They were good talkers, good debaters, and appealed to the flesh. Beware of teachings that appear to be Christian truths but appeal primarily to the materialistic aspects of life. The more it appeals to our flesh, the more persuasive it can be.

5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

The believer’s intimate, spiritual, living union with Christ is mentioned repeatedly in this letter. Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of life with Christ. But you must continue to follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith. Christ wants to help you with your daily problems.

Paul uses the illustration of our being “rooted” in Christ. Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through their roots, we draw our life-giving strength from Christ. The more we depend on him for our strength, the less we will be fooled by false teachings from those who claim to have life’s answers.

"Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him." The way we received the Lord is the very same way we are to walk in Him. We received Him by grace, we must walk by grace. We were born again by the Spirit, we must walk by the Spirit. Also, when we first received Christ, He was our only hope. Now, we are to walk with Him the same way.

It is good to recall how Jesus was our focus when we first accepted Him. When we received Him and His forgiveness, we knew He had to provide all that was needed for our salvation. We agreed with the Word of God that there was no other hope than Jesus. Jesus was our complete focus, our only hope. This is how we are to walk in Him today. We need the Lord Jesus as much now for living the Christian life as we needed Him at the beginning. For growth and victory and fruitfulness, He is the one we must focus upon. We need to be rooted in Him, having our faith reaching out to Him for nutrition and strength, even as the roots of a tree reach into the soil. We need to be built up in Him, having our lives developed by His work in us. We need to be established in the faith, allowing Him to stabilize us through the study of His word.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Philosophy is the "love of wisdom" and is more than just an academic pursuit; it is rooted in pride with the thought that man can figure out the universe all by himself. It can take the form of conceit believing that only certain people have, or can obtain, this "enlightened" understanding of life. Those people who feel like they have "arrived" at this special status of "wisdom" are, of course, threatened by the Bible which gives the answers about life to anyone who wants to read it.

The philosophies and deceit were rooted in the "human traditions". What are they? It's basically the attempt that man has made to explain the creation without considering the Creator.

An example of a "human tradition" would be evolution, which attempts to explain life without God. The deception of evolution causes evolution-indoctrinated Christians to interpret the Bible through evolutionary thought. All of a sudden, the Bible can't mean what it plainly says because it doesn't agree with evolutionary theory.

When Paul speaks of the basic principles of this world, he is talking about false, worldly, religious, elementary teachings. Paul was counteracting the Colossian heresy, which taught that for salvation one needed to combine faith in Christ with secret knowledge and man-made regulations concerning such physical and external practices as circumcision, eating and drinking, and observance of religious festivals.

The "basic principles of this world" are the simplistic, superstitious and immature ideas that man inevitably devises when God is absent from society, or abandoned by the individual. Some of our modern psychologies, and even science itself, is full of laughable nonsense. Why? Because so many of the theories, therapies, diagnosis, treatments and conclusions are formulated from a basic worldview of naturalism (i.e. God doesn't exist). Not only is God removed from consideration but any solution or theory that might even slightly confirm or imply that God exists is completely avoided no matter how much the evidence might support the idea. The "basic principles of this world" are the ideas that men formulate without considering God.

Paul was a gifted philosopher, so he is not condemning philosophy. He is condemning teaching that credits humanity rather than Christ with being the answer to life’s problems. There are many man-made approaches to life’s problems that totally disregard God. Paul was against any philosophy of life based only on human ideas. We must use our minds, keep our eyes on Christ, and study God’s Word.

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Verse 9 means that all of God was in Christ’s human body. Christ is everything we need for salvation and right living. This declaration that the very essence of deity was present in totality in Jesus’ human body was in direct conflict with what the false teachers were teaching.

Paul is optimistic about the Christian life. The Colossian Christians were searching to be “made complete” in the same way we do today. In verse 10, Paul affirms that Jesus contains all the fullness of God and asserts that true fullness is found only in Christ.

11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature (or the flesh), not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

In the Israelite faith, circumcision was a sign that the individual stood in a covenant relationship with God. With the death of Christ, circumcision was no longer necessary. Our commitment to God is written on our hearts, not our bodies. Christ frees us from sinful desires by changing our hearts, not by a bodily operation.

Baptism parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and portrays the death and burial of our sinful old way of life followed by resurrection to new life in Christ. Remembering that our old sinful life is dead and buried with Christ gives us a powerful motive to resist sin and continue our wonderful new life with Christ.

When we become a Christian, God replaces our old sinful nature with a new loving nature. He declares us “not guilty,” but does not take us out of the world or make us into robots. We will still be tempted to sin and will sometimes give into that temptation. The difference is that now we are free to live for Christ. When we fail, we can turn to Him and ask forgiveness, pick ourselves up, and continue to live our lives for him.

When we know Jesus, we don’t need to seek God by means of other religions, cults, or unbiblical philosophies as the Colossians were doing. Christ holds all the answers to the true meaning of life because He IS life. Paul declares that the Christian is complete in Christ. This “completeness” includes the putting off of the sinful nature, resurrection from spiritual death, forgiveness, and deliverance from legalistic requirements, and from evil spirits.

13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature (or the flesh), God made you (or us) alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

The “written code” was a business term meaning a certificate of indebtedness in the debtor’s handwriting. Paul uses it as a designation for the Mosaic Law (the laws of the Old Testament), with all its regulations, under which everyone is a debtor to God.

Although we do not live by the old laws, the moral truths and principles still teach and guide us today.

Not only did God cancel out the accusations of the law against the Christians, but he also conquered and disarmed the evil angels who entice people to follow asceticism and false teachings about Christ. Paul is painting a picture of conquered soldiers stripped of their clothes as well as their weapons to symbolize their total defeat. Verse 15 is a metaphor recalling a Roman general leading his captives through the streets of his city for all the citizens to see as evidence of his complete victory. Christ triumphed over Satan and his cohorts.

Who are the “powers and authorities”?

Paul may have been referring to the angels who were mediators of the law (see Galatians 3:19). The Colossian false teachers were encouraging worship of angels. But at his death, Jesus surpassed the position and authority of any angel. Rather than fear angels or worship them, we are to view them as unseated rulers. Paul meant no disrespect toward angels, but is illustrating that they are not to be compared with Jesus Christ.

Some believe the “powers and authorities” Paul is speaking of were the powers of Rome. By his resurrection, Christ stripped the power away from a world empire that seemed to temporarily defeat him.

16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

In the first century, the legal system and Jewish laws involved themselves with such issues as diet, religious ceremonies, and festival days (holidays). Paul explains why such “laws” may appear “spiritual” when in reality they may lead one away from God. Later in his letter, he will explain what holy living should be.

The festivals mentioned were Jewish holy days celebrated annually, monthly (at the New Moon), and weekly (the Sabbath). These rituals distinguished the Jews from their pagan neighbors, and their failure to observe them would easily be noticed by others. We should not allow ourselves to be judged by the opinions of others because Christ has set us free from the law.

Paul told the Colossians not to let others criticize their diet or their religious ceremonies. Believers should focus on faith in Christ alone. Our worship and traditions and ceremonies can bring us close to God, but we should never criticize or judge fellow Christians whose traditions and ceremonies differ from ours. More important than HOW WE WORSHIP is THAT WE WORSHIP CHRIST. We are responsible and answerable to Christ, no one else. If our reason for attending church services is to keep our fellow Christians from judging us, we are not focused on Christ.

17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

The ceremonial laws of the Old Testament are referred to as shadows because they symbolically depicted the coming of Christ; so any insistence on the observance of such ceremonies is a failure to recognize that their fulfillment has already taken place.

18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

The false teachers were proud of their humility, and this false humility brought attention and praise to themselves rather than to God. False humility is self-centered and self-serving; true humility is God-centered and is quiet and reserved. If someone is talking about themselves negatively so others will see them as spiritual, they are practicing false humility.

The false teachers were claiming that God was far away and could only be approached through various levels of angels. They taught that people must worship angels in order to eventually reach God. The Bible teaches that angels are God’s servants and forbids worshiping them (see Exodus 20:3-4 and Revelation 22:8-9)

The word “disqualify” calls to mind an umpire or referee who excludes from competition any athlete who fails to follow the rules. The Colossians were not to permit any false teacher to “force them out of the game” by denying them the reality of their salvation because they were not “following the rules” of delighting in mock humility and in the worship of angelic beings.

“What he has seen” probably refers to professed visions by the false teachers.

The expression “unspiritual mind” means that these people had created a self-made religion.

19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

The central error of the Colossian heresy is a defective view of Christ, in which he is believed to be less than deity.

20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.

The strict solemn nature of the heresy is seen here. These prohibitions carry Old Testament ceremonial laws to the extreme. We cannot reach up to God by following rules of self-denial, by observing rituals, or by practicing religion. Paul isn’t saying all rules are bad, but the keeping of laws and rules does not earn salvation.

People should be able to see a difference between the way Christians and non-Christians live. However, we should not expect instant maturity in new Christians. A Christian’s growth is a lifelong journey. Although we have a new nature, we do not automatically think all good thoughts and have all pure attitudes when we become a Christian. It is a learning process. As we continue to listen to God, we will be constantly changing and growing in awareness.

God reaches down to human beings and asks us to respond. Man-made religions focus on human effort; Christianity focuses on Christ’s work. Our salvation does not depend on our own discipline and rule-keeping, but on the power of Christ’s death and resurrection.

23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Here we have a detailed analysis of the Colossian heresy:
(1) It appeared to set forth an impressive system of religious philosophy.
(2) It was a system created by the false teachers themselves (self-imposed) rather than being of divine origin.
(3) The false teachers attempted to parade their humility.
(4) This may have been done by a harsh asceticism that brutally misused the body.

Paul’s analysis is that such practices are worthless because they totally fail to control sinful desires. The false teachers themselves had created the regulations of their heretical system—they were not from God.

Following a long list of religious rules requires strong self-discipline and can make a person appear moral, but religious rules cannot change a person’s heart. Only the Holy Spirit can do that.

We must not minimize the necessity of believing right doctrines or attempting to live a moral and ethical life, but being a Christian is essentially loving Christ rather than believing doctrines or obeying this or that commandment. We believe doctrines or obey commandments because of our love for Christ, not as a ritual.

In a nutshell, we are to be watchful and alert for the very persuasive false teachers who can rob you of the truth and God's blessing by filling your head with nonsense devised apart from God's Word. That is a warning that may be even more important today because man has had 2000 years to distort, twist and confuse the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The deceitful philosophies have become quite polished, perfected and appealing.

Do you scrutinize and evaluate everything you are taught by comparing it to the Word of God? Do you ask the Holy Spirit for discernment and protection from false teaching?

When looking into a religion, ask these questions:
(1) Does it stress man-made rules and taboos rather than God’s grace?
(2) Does it promote a critical spirit toward others or does it exercise discipline discreetly and lovingly?
(3) Does it stress formulas, secret knowledge, or special visions more than the Word of God?
(4) Does it elevate self-righteousness, honoring those who keep the rules, rather than elevating Christ?
(5) Does it neglect Christ’s universal church claiming to be an elite group? (6) Does it teach humiliation of the body as a means to spiritual growth rather than focusing on the growth of the whole person?
(7) Does it disregard the family rather than holding it in high regard as the Bible teaches?

We live in dangerous times. There are MANY persuasive, deceitful, and attractive philosophies in the guise of evangelical Christianity that threaten to rob the Church of blessing and truth. The only cure is to beware, be watchful, be alert by continuing to grow in the Word and be on guard in prayer, asking God through the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and discernment.