Colossians 2

Honor Scriptures -- Always & Forever

Verse-by-Verse Study

For Those Who Paul Never Met

Colossians 2:1 [In prayer] I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2:2 My goal is that (1) they may be encouraged in heart and (2) united [knit together] in love, so that they may have the (3) full riches of complete understanding [full assurance], in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. NIV

2:1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh. 2:2 (1) that their hearts may be encouraged, (2) being knit together in love, and attaining to (3) all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both Father and of Christ. 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. NKJV

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2:2 (1) that their hearts may be encouraged, (2) having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the (3) full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. New American Standard Update

My Goal

Paul, in a Roman prison, knows he has limited time. Through prayer and instruction given in this letter, his goal is for those in this fellowship to learn these three most important lessons.

1. Being encouraged, not discouraged.

2. Being knit together in love.

3. Having full assurance in knowing God’s mystery, which is Christ.

Letter to the City of Laodicea

Near the close of this letter, Paul instructs the churches to share his letters. He wrote to them, “See that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea” (Col 4:16). Unfortunately, this letter to the believers in Laodicea has been lost to us.

Later in John’s time, the Laodicean church developed serious spiritual problems. They said among themselves, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' Then the Lord answered, “But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked” (Rev 3:17-18). This church was proud of its truthful doctrine, its wealth, and just about everything else; as a result, it was blinded to its true spiritual condition.

Great Conflict and Struggle for You in Prayer

This is Paul’s reference to his purposeful, consistent, and determined prayer goals. Paul’s prayer was not like a Rosary, where certain phrases are repeated by memory. His prayers for Christians at Colossae and those in Laodicea had intensity and frequency. Later, Paul says, “Devote yourselves to prayer” (Col 4:2). Paul modeled this kind of prayer for the church.

Paul’s team had the same approach to prayer, as he recorded: “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Col 4:12).

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12). In this highly symbolic language, Jesus tells the secret of earnest prayer. It is fervent. It is persistent and constant. Jesus prayed in the same manner: “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly” or fervently (Lk 22:44).

Jesus told a parable of the unjust judge, saying, “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” The NKJV says, “pray at all times and not lose heart.” Jesus continues, saying, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” (Lk 18:1-7). The answer is NO. Jesus says, “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly” (Lk 18:8), meaning their urgent prayers will be answered.

• “Do not be anxious [stressed] about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7

• “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

• “Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Ps 55:22

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight, or he will direct your paths.” Ps 3:5-6

• “I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Ps 41:9-10

Fortunately for us, we can listen to Paul’s persistent prayer and use the same words and expressions in our own prayers. We can ask God for more time to pray, using similar content to what Paul used in his prayers.

Two of our favorite prayers of Paul are found in Ephesians 1:15-18 and 3:14-21. It is good to use Paul’s prayers as subject matter for our own prayers.

(1) Encouraged in Heart

This means we don’t pray in doubt, in the ups and downs, or with the loss of good hope. We should not pray in fear that our prayers may not be answered because of some fault of our own.

To be encouraged in our hearts as we pray is to know that God loves us and hears our prayers.

That “our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope” (2 Thess 2:16). Thus, we are not downcast in prayer but have an eternal encouragement that sees in hope that God is “good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Ps 100:5).

Perhaps the Colossians had gone through some difficult times, and Paul wished them to “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Ps 31:24). To repeat in prayer during hard times, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Ps 42:5,11).

At one time, Paul was very concerned about the believers in Thessalonica. Paul was worried, very worried; he was afraid they would be tempted to give up their faith. This was because of the strong opposition they were experiencing from the pagans in their town.

• “So, when we could stand it no longer… We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.” 1 Thess 3:1-5

The Apostle John, in writing to his friends, said, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us.” Meaning that we have confessed our sin and have a clear conscience as we pray. We therefore can “have confidence before God”. By trusting in God’s presence with you. We will “receive from Him anything we ask, because we keep His commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21,22).

Is there something that God has asked us to do? Yes, there is: to “believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ and to love one another” (1 John 3:23). If any hard feelings exist toward another person, this can seriously hinder prayer.

• “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:14,16).

(2) To Knit Together in Love

The Greek word is sumbibazó, which is best translated as "knit together in love," as in the NKJV, KJV, ESV, Berean Study, NAS, and NET Bibles. The New Living Translation says, “knit together by strong ties of love.” To be “knit together” is like mending a tear in a large cloth, uniting it again.

Paul fears the congregation may have unresolved conflicts. With earnest prayer for them, he wants love to knit together any breaks in the congregation. Any separation that has occurred. The idea is that love will find a way when disagreements cannot be resolved. Where there is division in the church, the congregation looks for a way, through love, to restore love between one another.

Often the Spirit has given the gift of hospitality to certain women. They have a womanly way of approaching people who are at odds with each other. Through their smiles and irresistible kindness, they are skilled at bringing people together. When all other means have failed. This is the ministry of knitting people together in love.

Two Women, Co-workers of Paul, to be of the Same Mind

Paul writes with passion, “I plead with Euodia, and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life” (Phil 4:2,3).

Paul asked his trusted friend to help these two good women settle their disagreements. To stop arguing with each other. To find a way to knit them back together in love, loving each other. To restore peace to the entire congregation.

So, You May Know Hidden Treasures

This is a conditional statement. If a congregation stays knitted together in love, then and only then can they discover the hidden riches found in Christ. These riches are hidden from those who have never learned to love.

As the Apostle John says, “This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another…anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (1 John 3:11, 14-15). Neither will they be able to discover the hidden riches in Christ.

If a congregation is divided. If families have unresolved disagreements with another family. Then, the whole congregation will never be “fully mature in Christ” (Col 1:28). They will not fully understand the mystery of God. This mystery is only shown to those who “love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

(3) Complete Understanding, Full Assurance

The Greek word is plérophoria, meaning “full assurance, complete certainty, full conviction.” It stands for confident assurance. So “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings” (Heb 10:22).

Full assurance is knowing and loving God, and trusting in Him with confidence that is “over the top and running over.”

“You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps 23). For in Christ “through faith in him, we MAY APPROACH God with freedom and confidence” (Eph 3:12).

This God-given assurance is known by our spirits that this is true. Our hearts know it is true, and our minds agree. This is by “the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” (1 Thess 1:5). Our hearts, minds, emotions, intellect, and inner spirit testify that God loves me. Only by God's grace do I have full forgiveness of my sins. And I know this is true.

• “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:16).

You May Know the Mystery of God

This is something that God has revealed to you personally, that you cannot fully explain. How God lives in us (see 1 John 3:24), influences us, and warms our hearts toward Him is a mystery.

There is no formula to explain it; it is all by the mysterious actions of God and His Spirit. For “The [Holy] Spirit himself testifies with our [human] spirit that we are God’s children… For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Rom 8:16,14). And they know this to be true.

We know this is true because we know it is a “mystery” by which “Christ [is] in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). This understanding cannot be explained in words; only the heart knows. Our human spirit and heart tell us it is true.

This experience gives you full assurance (NKJV) and opens all of God’s hidden sources and treasure of wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is a gift from God leading us to make better decisions in every area of our lives. This includes our diet, our relationships, our employment, our families and spouses, our sleep, our choice of entertainment, and how we use our free time. Wisdom from God is more precious than almost anything else this world offers.

• “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”  Rom 11:33

• “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” Col 1:9

Colossians 2:4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 2:5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined [orderly] you are and how firm [steadfast] your faith in Christ is.

2:4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 2:5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. NKJV

I Tell You This

In the previous verses, Paul told us about his “goal” for this fellowship. He wanted them to be “united in love” (2:2), creating an atmosphere where they could have “full assurance” and share “together all the wisdom and knowledge” (2:3) of God. Together, they are less likely to be deceived by false teachings.

What Delighted the Evangelist Paul?

This congregation was firm, stable, steadfast, and disciplined in their faith in Jesus Christ. They stood side by side, with unwavering confidence, through their faith in Christ. They faced together a world of universal pagan ideologies with loose morals, revenge, and violence the world over. Roman pride believed that all things Roman were the best.

Throughout the ages, many have had to stand alone against governments that hated their faith. This congregation stood together, loving one another, against a society that sought to discourage and destroy their faith.

So often, when a revival takes place or an evangelist speaks at a church, they lose most of their converts after the evangelist leaves. Six months later, only a few may remain.

Paul’s prayer that this group would be given “wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Col 1:9) was a major factor in this solid, well-organized congregation.

A well-ordered congregation seeks out lost members and educates the youth and new members. But best of all, they brought people together. Shoulder to shoulder, in love, “united in love” (Col 2:2), altogether possessing “love in the Spirit” (Col 1:8), the highest and purest form of love known to us.  

• “I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.” Col 2:5 English Standard Version

• “I am glad as I see the resolute firmness with which you stand together in your faith in Christ.” Col 2:5 Good News Translation

• “I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and looking at your arrangement and the solidness of your faith unto Christ.” Col 2:5  Literal Emphasis Translation

They were “strengthened with all power” from God, to give them “great endurance and patience” (Col 1:11). This church was not bonded by a creed, a ceremony, a suit and tie, or a specific style of music—but by “the true message of the gospel” (Col 1:5).

 It is amazing how quickly a church can fall apart over a change in worship style. We know of churches so proud that they sing only with piano and organ, using old hymns. Some congregations will not use any instruments at all, making that as important as faith in Christ.  

Many are proud to hold on to their man-made traditions. They make these conditions almost a requirement for fellowship. Those who want praise songs with drums are not welcome. To them, music style is part of the Gospel, yet they cannot produce a single reference from Jesus or His apostles to support this claim.

We know of churches that believe their pastor should only wear a suit and tie, or that anything else is disrespectful to God. However, God has not specified a worship clothing style, and Paul’s personal dress style would not be acceptable today. When dress style is made part of what pleases God, divisions will occur. They are not standing on God's revealed will, but on their customs.

Fine-Sounding Deceptive Arguments

This congregation was a model church. They were “united in love” (Col 2:2) and united in their faith in Christ. This was a major safeguard against “deceptive philosophy” (Col 2:8) teachings.

Congregations that are not united in love for one another and for God are more vulnerable to embracing deceptive teachings as new light or truth. They are more susceptible to listening to false prophets and individuals who cloak misleading teachings in education and recommendations.

Their words and logical conclusions sound very persuasive. Soon they gain a following, which gives them more credibility.

When Paul met with the Elders of Ephesus for the last time, he warned them, saying, “I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number, men [believers] will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30).

They will substitute new teachings that are in error, teaching what is not in the Gospels to develop a network of followers. To grow mega churches with their name prominent on all the buildings. They make a ministry around themselves. Once pride and wealth enter the picture, the truth will always be distorted. Because the compromised leaders can no longer know the difference.

Jesus warned the disciples that after he leaves, they should “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, [pretending] but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matt 7:15).

John the Apostle says false teachers “went out from us” (1 John 2:19). He also declares, “We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us” (1 John 4:6), that is, the Apostles.

False teachers look like Christians. They look and act like Christians. They hold the Bible or wear a cross. They may claim to be trained in theology at a seminary. They may have a natural charisma about them that is mistaken for the Spirit.

But they have altered the way of salvation. They have substituted new teachings, which are not in the Gospels at all. The Colossian congregation was “rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith in Christ” (Col 2: 7), making them less likely to follow false teachers. Together, they could “test all things” and “hold fast what is good” (1 Thess 5:21). They could also “find out what pleases the Lord” (Eph 5:10).

Colossians 2:6 So then, just as you received [by your faith] Christ Jesus as Lord, (1#) continue to live your lives in him [walk in him], 2:7 (2#) rooted and built up in him [Christ], (3#) strengthened in the faith [in Christ] as you were taught, and (4) overflowing with thankfulness. NIV

2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in [with] Him, 2:7 (2) rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, (4) abounding in it with thanksgiving. NKJV

In the last verse, Paul was delighted “to see how disciplined” and orderly they are in their fellowship; and “how firm” their “faith in Christ is” (Col 2:5). Now Paul seeks to strengthen their faith.

The Text: Three Metaphors

Rooted: The Greek verb is rhizoó, meaning “to be stable, grounded, and settled.” Jeremiah uses the same metaphor: a tree rooted by a stream.

• “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jer 17:7-8

Build-up: The Greek verb is epoikodomeó, which points to a finished building on a firm foundation. This is similar to what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

• “So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. The rain comes down. The water rises. The winds blow and beat against that house. But it does not fall. It is built on the rock.” Matt 7:24-25

• “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 3:11

• “Do not go beyond what is written.” 1 Cor 4:6

Strengthened in the faith: The Greek verb is bebaioó, which means, “to confirm, establish, secure, to make solid, and firm.” So as not to be moved. When pain and difficulties come, trust and hope in God, whose answer to prayer never wavers.

• “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Ps 16:8 NKJV

• “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Ps 62:5-7 NKJV

A View on How to Grow a Model Church

How to set the stage for public teaching of the gospels. What elements should be at the forefront of every public worship service?

1St  Walk in Him

The NIV says we are to continue to live our lives in him, while the Greek text simply reads, just “walk in him”. The New American Standard renders the text accurately: “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Just trust him, no matter what. Listen to him call you: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Ps 5:3).

What does this mean? It means that as you walk around in your home and office, you are not alone. You are aware of His presence. You talk to the Lord about anything, even small things. You confess any sin from your conscience and from Scripture, which reveals God’s will. Daily you go forward by faith alone. But faith will never leave you alone; God sends many companions to faith, such as love and, most importantly, the presence of the Spirit. Jesus has promised the Spirit, saying: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate [Comforter] to help you and be with you forever… for he [the Spirit] lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

When we walk with God, He is always with us, yet He is always ahead of us. When Jesus met Nathanael, He said, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. How do you know me? Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (John 1:48). Be assured, God knows even the location of our prayers to Him. As Jesus noted Nathanael's sincerity in his prayers, God recognizes and responds to your earnest prayer.

God is so far ahead of us in His planning and care; the time and distance are unimaginable. Paul declares, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world” (Eph 1:4). God’s planning on our behalf goes back to before time began. God is always in advance of us and has given us the “hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).

The point is, once you come to know and accept Him in your life, it is hard — very hard, probably impossible — to lose God. When life knocks you down, remember this: God has provided provision and guidance for you, and nothing in our lives ever takes Him by surprise. So walk with Him, all through your school days, your marriage, and your career. As you live, become more rooted, built up in Christ, and strengthened in your faith.

2nd Walk With Him

To walk with God means to consult Him in prayer with every decision we make daily. Just short prayers, sometimes just a whisper in the mind, for guidance and direction. Walking with God is one of life's great pleasures. Daily, keep the prayer line open to all things in your life, good or troublesome. As a result of this daily walk, we will have so many answered prayers that we must make a long list of them.

It is hard to love someone from a distance; walking with God is us coming near to Him. But remember, if you are coming near to God, He came near to you first. “We love [God] because He first loved us [me]” (1 John 4:19). The more we know about God, the more we come to “rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (1 John 4:16).

 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8 NKJV). This is a reliable promise that will never ever fail. Try it for yourself today.

• “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.  Ps 91:15-16 NKJV

John writes to his fellowship, “This is how we know [are sure, with no doubt] that we belong to the truth [to Him] and how we set our hearts at rest [feel at ease, quiet] in his presence” (1 John 3:19).

Take this promise, claim it, hold on to it. Review it all day long. Do not let troublesome circumstances make you feel you have no right to rest in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Rest in God, now, today, tonight, tomorrow, expect you can, and you will rest in God. Rest in His presence, His smile, His love, and His care for you and those you love. His faithfulness gives you assurance that He is with you and for you.

Rest in peace with all your heart; close your eyes, sleep there tonight. Wake up in the morning with no doubt or feeling that God has deserted you, forgotten you, left you alone, or separated Himself from you, or that He finds you unacceptable because of your sins, forgetfulness, faults, doubts, or troubles. Rest in his presence, feel that this is a secure and safe place, even as the storms of life blow across your pathway.

Rest in your mind, in your heart, with your soul, denying the feelings that may tell you the opposite. Rest in the presence of God; walk by faith alone, in His Word alone. Hold out your hands upward for God to fill them with His gift of love, assurance, and support. Do it now! Tell the Lord you want light in your life, not darkness.

Remember, the troublesome events in your life are not hard for God to manage. We cannot solve problems by worrying or by mentally rehearsing troubling events.

• “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:28

3rd  Rooted in Him

To be rooted is to be very stable and firm. We saw a picture of a tidal wave that swept over an island, and the only things standing were the palm trees. They looked weathered, but they were still alive. We have read that some people have been saved in storms by holding on to a palm tree.

• “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” Ps 92:12-15

What are we to be rooted in? Certainly not just sand. In Ephesians, Paul prayed that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love” (Eph 3:17).

Notice that love is not the root itself; it is love for Christ, deeply rooted in us. It is not like the Beatles song from 1967, which is surface-level romantic: “Love, love, love all you need is love.”

Love cannot grow deep with any bitterness. This is a chief reason why many congregations are devoid of the Spirit: there is hatred, animosity, and class divisions by education, family exclusiveness, or racial divisions that create separation from the mainstream, in and among them.

Love cannot grow deep when the church leaders do not often express their personal love of God. The congregation will be held together by social means and doctrinal convictions. Not by love for each other that springs from God's love. “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

4th Build Up in Him

Being rooted in love provides a solid foundation for building a large structure. Building up takes place over time. This happens through daily learning and growing in the knowledge of God. Peter says, “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pet 1:2).

• Building up—Is in good fellowship with other strong believers.

• Building up—Is in good Biblical Sermons, not prophetic speculations.

• Building up—Is found in group Bible Studies.

• Building up—Is found in personal Bible study, mostly the New Testament and the Psalms

• Building up—Is found in belonging to a prayer group.

• Building up—Is found in listening to or singing sacred music.

• Building up—is found in spending much time in prayer. Pray for everything possible.

• Building up—In Him is Christocentric, growing over the years higher, deeper, and surer.

• Building up—Is praying for stronger faith and trust. Watch your faith grow.

5th  As You Were Taught

Paul is telling the Colossian believers to remember the lessons he taught them. To not forget them. A strong church will emphasize what Paul taught in Colossians, Ephesians, Romans, and Galatians. All his letters to the churches should be reviewed and applied constantly.

We have asked long-term believers, since childhood, if they remember anything in Colossians or Ephesians. Nearly all of them cannot remember a single specific passage.

We have asked believers if they could tell us what Justification by Faith is, as taught in nearly ten chapters by Paul. They cannot. Can you?

This is a common weakness of the Western Church; they have Bibles. But they do not know Scripture. Some congregations are so focused on the Old Testament, which is good, that it leads them to neglect Scripture's most important ideas. Because “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3) are hidden in Christ.

Some congregations teach that the Gospel is given to make us rich. Such was never the example of Jesus or his Apostles.

Some congregations are so focused on speaking in tongues that they think this is the central, most essential aspect of the gospel. It is not, as we all know. Just read Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Romans, or Galatians. Count how many times Paul commands us to speak in tongues as evidence of the Spirit. Or the gospel of John and his three letters. There is not one time.

The neglect of the letters of Paul, Peter, and John will result in a weak foundation. This is why there are so many conflicts between members, divorces, and loss of youth in these churches.

6th Overflowing with Thankfulness

One of the good and beneficial side effects of serious study of Scripture is praise and thankfulness. It will flow from our lips without even trying to think of something to be thankful for. We will be thankful for the Spirit that God has sent to live in us. We will be thankful for Christ, His love, and His promises made real to us.

A church with no or little public thankfulness is generally not rooted in Christ at all.

But please take note, thankfulness is not so much self-centered. We do not see Paul, Peter, or John detail events in their lives or ministry where they boastfully thank God. They fail to talk much about themselves or bring attention to the ways God has blessed. John, in his three letters, could have listed all the miracles that attended his life, but he did not even mention one. Beware of a thankful testimony that is mostly self-centered, meant to show others what great things the speaker has done.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matt 6:1).

Thankfulness and praise should be gospel-centered, directed to God. Sure, there is a place to mention what God has done for you, for which you are so thankful. Especially in private and family prayer, we can recall all the good things God has provided with gratitude and praise.

In public thankfulness, God will give us the right balance that will enable us to honor Him, not ourselves. We should follow Paul’s example in Colossians, noting how little honor he gives himself and how much more praise he gives to God and His Son. If anyone had reason to boast, it was the Apostle Paul; we can never know all the miracle stories that accompanied his ministry—but alas, they were of no importance compared with the praiseworthiness due to God alone.

When Paul defended himself against false teachers who claimed authority above him, he defended his calling from God by telling the truth of a revelation he personally received from God, in the third person. “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows… but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses” (2 Cor 12:2,5). Thus, beware of preachers and teachers who lift themselves up, for there will always be less of Christ.

• “I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” 1 Cor 10:33.

Colossians 2:8 See to it [beware] that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition [their societies and customs] and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. NIV [Note: The words “Spiritual forces” were added to the text by NIV]

2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty [worthless] deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. NKJV

2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. NASU

In the last verse, Paul was encouraging the Colossians to be “rooted” and “strengthened” in their faith. Now he warns them about “human traditions” that will lead them astray.

See To It: Beware

The primary Greek verb for “beware” means to “behold, beware, or perceive.” In English, it means to be alert to danger. It carries the idea that we should look carefully at something to identify it correctly. Paul wants us to be cautious about the claims of human philosophy and society's cultural traditions, which may lead us away from “faith in Christ Jesus” (Col 1:4).

This is the same warning Jesus gave: “beware of false prophets” (Matt 7:15) and “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matt 16:6). Their deceptive teachings and philosophies sound very plausible.

Takes You Captive

In Greek, it means to carry someone off as plunder. Paul is not talking about human trafficking, but about protecting the “true message of the gospel” (Col 1:5). To be led away from Scripture and to believe the world’s invitation is to accept its approach to human happiness and peace. Thousands of books in different languages, written by learned individuals, claim they can guide your life. But they lack Scripture, “the way of truth” (2 Pet 2:2).

It is God who will “rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col 1:13). We are not rescued from darkness by popular authors or preachers.

Thankfully, God has not left our faith to depend on human sources. God and His Son take it upon Himself to secure our rescue.

Hollow or Empty Deceptive Philosophy

In Greek, this means to be empty, implying that what is promised cannot be given because it is not “in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21).

Millions of seminars, movies, and YouTube videos teach people how to live happy and productive lives or solve internal and emotional conflicts without reference to God. They present many good thoughts, some of which are spiritually helpful. But be cautious that they don’t steal your faith, and trust in the deliverance that only God can provide.

Some Eastern Faiths are an example; they teach cultivating inner calmness by training the mind with mindfulness, meditation, and compassion, focusing on acceptance of the present moment.

Although their practices can be helpful, their followers do not receive “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, and will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).

Only the “Peace of God,” the peace that comes solely from a Divine Source, can guard and protect our minds from self-hatred and obsessions that seize them.

• From the frustrations that come from disappointment in love, family, business, or marriage. From the petty jealousies that plague our waking thoughts.

• From buzzing bees inside our heads that fill us with anxiety and fear that is mostly imaginary. From obsessions that demand attention, unwholesome and unproductive.

• "In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety." Ps 4:8

• "The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace."  Ps 29:11

• "In God: Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." Ps 85:10

• "May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure." 1 Pet 1:2

Various counseling techniques claim to give us peace, but they cannot deliver. This is the reason why, sometimes, mind-altering drugs are prescribed for self-control and inner peace within oneself.

Taken Captive by Popular Philosophy

Today, many teach a way of life they claim will bring fulfillment and meaning. While they ignore or deny the influences of faith in God and the real joy that comes from “love in the Spirit” (Col 1:8) and “joy in the Lord” (Isa 58:14) and “joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess 1:6).

They want you to accept popular philosophies, promoted by highly educated men and women. They reject the “wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Col 1:9), which alone can connect us to “the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Rom 11:33).

In the world of political correctness, there is grave danger hidden beneath the surface of equality and acceptance of individual choice. Some political movements that become civil law are very helpful for the betterment of society, while others are very detrimental.

Philosophy in Paul’s Time

It is possible that Paul was referring to Plato and Greek philosophers, who were popular in Greek and Roman culture. Pagan gods were regarded as deities. They would pray to a god, hoping to gain favor and success. Their gods did not love them; often, they were indifferent. There were very detailed accounts of each Roman and Greek god, what they stood for, and what one could gain from worshiping them. Greek mythology is an account of the lives of their gods, giving worshippers hope for favor. Strange as it may be to a Christian, the Greek gods were not moral examples; they display all the flaws of both men and women.

Modern Philosophy

We have a whole wing of medicine that sees no therapeutic value in the knowledge of “the God of love and peace” (2 Cor 13:11) revealed to us through His Son and ministered personally within us by the Spirit. “For God is love, whoever lives in [God’s] love, lives in God and God in them…and we know it by the Spirit, He gives us.” (1 John 4:16; 3:24). Modern therapy often prescribes drugs as a remedy for mental trouble.

It is not possible for even a Christian therapist to impart the Spirit of God into a troubled patient. The Spirit is like “the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). The sweet influence of the Spirit can’t be controlled or directed; like the wind, it must be received from God alone.

A therapist cannot prescribe “the Spirit of God” (1 John 4:2). They cannot promise that their counseling will result in a sudden love for God and others through the ministry of the Spirit. This is because the Spirit is like the natural wind that no one can order to stop or come.

The Christian therapist can tell from experience what it is like to know and realize the blessedness of having “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

A Christian therapist knows they cannot impart the sweet indwelling of God’s gracious, peaceful, gentle, loving Spirit. The genuine Spirit that makes a temple home inside us. But they can humbly talk about their experience, without making themselves an example. Then urge them to look to Christ, personally. They can tell their patients, “Those who seek me [will] find me” (Prov 8:17). Tell them to claim God’s promise, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13).

• “This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live” Amos 5:4

• “Come near to God and he will come near to you”  James 4:8

• “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds. and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” Matt 7:7,8

We Cannot Understate the Importance of Personally Calling Out to God

Tell God you want to know Him, to receive His favor and grace; most of all, you want to experience “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7). And forgiveness—the sweet sense that costly mistakes are really forgiven. You will know it. God will make it plain to you, and you just know you are forgiven.

Always bear in mind that God will “reward those who earnestly seek him” (Heb 11:6). This is the starting point of real change in your life. It will become new, and your fears will be quieted by an outside power that you will know is from God Himself, for peace will come over you.

Only when we are “in Christ” can we be “brought to fullness” of life. Not only here on earth, but in the hereafter. In Christ, we have “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2). Modern secular philosophy believes it has the answers for better human behavior, and it does offer helpful advice in many areas. There are two things that they cannot offer: the grace and forgiveness of god or eternal life beyond the grave. Neither can they offer what God has promised.

• You [God] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Isa 26:3,4 NLT

Human Traditions

This refers to tradition passed down from one generation to the next. The Civil War in the United States is an example of an embedded culture that held people of color to be inferior. Their culture permitted slavery, even under harsh conditions and severe punishments. These customs were passed down from one generation to another. Not until after about 640,000 deaths was that cultural idea of slavery abolished.

Thousands of cultures have traditions; some are harmless. Others promote a way of life that runs contrary to the gospel account. There are many examples in history where governments have created customs that encourage hatred of Jewish people, Christians, or another ethnic group.

Basic or Fundamental Principles of the World

Christianity is not a philosophy created through human minds or government legislation. It is not a knowledge of abstract principles, but a personal knowledge of faith and love of God in Christ. Teachers who are most highly praised in the world will often deny the importance of faith in God. “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24); they do not know.

They will teach human wisdom as truth, and believers stand to lose when they listen to men and women with Ph.D.’s but are unfamiliar with “joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). They do not know how it is possible for “God’s love” to be “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5).

Who can know this, except those who have experienced it! But you, reader, you can know it.

Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 2:10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power [ruler] and authority [religious and civil]. NIV

2:9 For in Him dwells [lives] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 2:10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. NKJV

2:10 You have been filled by him [Christ], who is the head over every ruler and authority. [Christian Standard Bible; Common English Bible; English Standard Version; Holman Christian Standard Bible; International Standard Version]

2:10 You have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. NET Bible

When we put our faith in Christ, He can save us, help us, and give us peace and life. For in Him is the fullness of God, so when  “you are of Christ, and Christ is of God” (1 Cor 3:23). This is the best position to have in life; in Christ by faith, we are also brought into God through Christ. If you are worried or troubled, remember that it is always safe to trust God with the problems and difficulties we face in life, for “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26).

• “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Ps 62:7-8

• “In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies [my problems] triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame” (Ps 25:1-3).

The Text

The Greek text says simply that in Christ there is “fullness” of the “deity” in “bodily form.” All aspects of His life, both His physical and mental, all of God’s “fullness dwell(ed) in Him” (Col 1:19). The Greek word for fullness is pléróma; it means “fullness, completion, or full,” implying nothing is lacking that was in God the Father and His Son.

The Greek word for deity is theotés, meaning “deity, or a state of being a god.” This Greek word was used only once in the New Testament. In Greek culture, this word referred to pagan deities; however, it should not be translated as Godhead in the NKJV and KJV.

The Greek word for bodily, sómatikós, refers to a physical body. It means that Jesus had an exalted physical body because God the Father dwelt in Him in all His fullness.

The Greek word for fullness is pléroó, meaning “to fill, to make full, to complete, to fulfill.” It means to fill something empty to full capacity. The NIV reads, “in Christ you have been brought to fullness,” as their interpretation of the Greek text. Which literally reads, “you are in Him complete.”

The Word Godhead in NKJV & KJV

The NKJV says that God dwells “in all His fullness of the Godhead bodily”. The translators were trying to show the unified nature between God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, this section does not discuss the Holy Spirit. In the first chapter, Paul only makes two references to the Spirit in Colossians 1:8, 9. The Spirit is not referenced again until nearly the close of this letter in “songs from the Spirit” in Colossians 3:16.

Therefore, the word “godhead” does not fit the context of this passage, which informs us that God the Father is present in His Son, the Son of Man. Furthermore, there is no direct Greek word for "godhead"; it was coined by translators. The word sounds strange, leaving many confused about whether one head comes out of three separate heads. It is better to translate this passage as Paul wrote it in Greek. 

You are Complete In Him (NKJV);

You are Brought to Fullness in Him (NIV)

You have been filled by him (ESV)

The Greek word pléroó, meaning “to be complete,” carries the idea of being filled up or made full, as the NIV says, fullness.  We have been given fullness of life in union with Christ. In this union, no other source is needed. No extra power or information is required for you to be complete in Christ. For He “fills everything in every way” (Eph 1:23).

These two verses refer to the above content, about the danger of being deceived by the philosophies of the world and its cultures. We do not need the “human traditions” (Col 2:8) added to Scripture, as if we need to add secular authorities to Christ to complete our spiritual understanding.

In Paul’s first prayer in Colossians, he says, “We continually ask God to fill you [pléroó] with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives [to us]” (Col 1:9). Being brought to fullness, we are given access to wisdom and understanding that the Holy Spirit constantly, presently, in real time, imparts to us. Often without our notice.

For “my God will meet [will supply, pléroó] all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Fullness in Christ, His words, and life is our “daily bread” (Matt 6:11). It is the wisdom we need for the many tasks that we are assigned to do in life.

In Christ, all of God was present in His human form, in His words and life. His absolute, universe-creating power was hidden from human sight. It was not visible when the crowds wanted to crucify him. However, to the believer in Christ, His fullness is made available on His command for our needs. For our Spiritual growth.

Take a minute to thank the Lord of Glory for all with which you are blessed. For all your abundance, in every way!

His authority over all demons and Satanic forces always results in their complete defeat and soon their ultimate destruction. As prophesied, for “the devil…was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” (Rev 20:10).

In Him You Have Been Made Complete (NAS)

Nothing can separate us from God, because in Him we are brought to fullness, made complete. As Paul has affirmed to us, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom 8:34-35).

Our completeness in Christ stands for His defense of us. He holds us tight by His completeness with His Father. Thus, both from the Father and His Son we can say: "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Ps 3:3). The old King James Version says, “O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.”

• My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride, many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Ps 56:2-4

 Apostle John’s Teaching on Being Made Complete in Christ

1 John 2:5 But if anyone obeys his [Christ] word, love for God is truly made complete [teleioó] ‘in them’ [plural]. This is how we know we are in him [Jesus Christ]: 2:6 Whoever claims to live [abide] in him must live [walk] as Jesus did [walked]. NIV

The Shocking Truth

If a Christian's faith has not resulted in love for God, their faith is very immature. We may hold on to too many doctrines, such as water baptism, tithing, prophecy of the second coming, or various interpretations of last day events. They mean nothing at all—if the love of God is not evident in our lives.

The Love of God Makes us Complete

The Greek word for “complete” in the NIV means: “To complete, to perfect, to accomplish, to bring to an end.” It carries the idea of spiritual growth toward a goal or maturity.

What is this goal? The love of God is to be made complete in us; we are to “live in Him and He in us,” made evident by much love for God. To make this possible, “He has given us of His Spirit” (1 John 4:13).

The love of God is the most potent, powerful influence we can possess in our lives. Because God’s love dwells and abides in us, it has a holy influence that transforms us.  “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). Since a holy God lives in us and abides in us, holiness, rooted in love, shapes our lives.

God’s love placed in us is what makes us complete and mature, ready for “the Day of the Lord” (1 Thess 5:2). “God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in them” (1 John 4:16), meaning God’s love is alive, living in us. So much so that we love to sing praises, saying, “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” (Ps 147:1).

Love is the channel, the cord, the means by which God dwells in us and proof that we are growing believers in God. Belief in God is not theory, not theology, not lessons memorized, not church attendance, but love for God welling up inside us.

Only the love of God can influence our love for others. Only God’s love can create in us the impulse to do good for others. Thus, we are said to be “keeping his commands” (1 John 2:3). “He [Jesus] has given us this command(ment): Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:21).

John wants us to know what will give us confidence and assurance that God will welcome us into life everlasting. God’s love lives in us and is seen outwardly in loving others; this is the most important assurance for those who have “been redeemed from the earth” (Rev 14:3).

“In Christ YOU Have Been Brought to Fulfillment” ( Col 2:10)

By Means of a Spiritual Surgical Procedure

Accomplished by Christ

Colossians 2:11 In him [Christ] you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self-ruled by the flesh [sinful nature] was put off [cut away] when you were circumcised by Christ, NIV

2:11 ‘In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. NKJV

2:11 Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body. Contemporary English Version

2:11 In Christ you had a different kind of circumcision, one that was not done by human hands. That is, you were made free from the power of your sinful self. That is the kind of circumcision Christ does. Easy-to-Read Version

2:11 When you came to Christ, he set you free from your evil desires, not by a bodily operation of circumcision but by a spiritual operation, the baptism of your souls. The Living Bible

2:11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. New Living Translation

The Text

The NIV adds the words “whole self-ruled by,” and the NKJV adds the words “the sins of,” to the Greek text. A good literal reading of the text is, “In him [in Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.” English Standard Version (ESV).

The Illustration of Circumcision

Paul used circumcision—an illustration well-known in his day—to make a spiritual point. Originally given to Abraham, this practice marked the beginning of Ancient Israel. It served as a boundary; the Israelites were to marry those who followed this custom. God chose this means to preserve Abraham's lineage across generations, ensuring the promised Messiah would be clearly identifiable.

Because of this history, anyone reading the account of Jesus’ birth can know with certainty that the "Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world" (1 John 4:14). The genealogy of Jesus—"the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1)—proves he did not suddenly appear without context. He was promised throughout the long line of Abraham’s descendants, and circumcision was a major tool used to keep that bloodline distinct until the Savior arrived.

Putting Off or Cutting Away from Our Body of Flesh

Paul’s words are very brief, so we need to understand the text further.

Circumcision without hands clearly refers to God's work, accomplished for us without our help or any human influence. “We are God’s handiwork” (Eph 2:10). “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil 2:13). “You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor 3:9). His hands of mercy and love have a transforming influence on us.

 Paul’s expression of putting off or cutting away means removing and disarming something. Paul is not talking about our clothes or cutting our hair. The big picture is that something is done to us that we do not see and often do not know is happening. It is a significant change made in us by the hands of Christ.

Christ removes and cuts away something from us that we cannot do ourselves. We often pray for a victory over a bad habit. Some time later, we come to know that we are different than before.

The ancient practice of circumcision was done by human hands. Baptism is also done with human hands. But in Paul’s expression, something is done to us, for us, by Christ: cutting away the “old self” that finds sin a pleasure and putting on a “new self.” He puts a new part in us that seeks loyalty to God and worship of His Son (Col 3:9-10).  As a result, we “pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22).

 We are justified, forgiven, and declared right before God, not by our works. Without any prior required obedience. As Paul wrote to the Galatian church: For we know that “a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal 2:16).

Now we are changed and sanctified without our works. God does it for us. He cuts away, without our hands involved, and makes us new. Now, as a new person, we wish to do good, to love others, and honor God in our lives. We become Christians because God did it for us.

What Does This Mean?

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:22-23).

This is the best news for all humanity. God changes us in hundreds of ways. We are created anew; that is, we become a “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). At one time, we may have been addicted to movies that are not godly, or are violent and shallow. God removes the desire to sit in front of them for hours. God replaces it with stronger desires to live differently.

The desire to no longer follow these movies is stronger than the former addiction. God has circumcised your heart; He has cut off and removed from you even the desires to continue your old habits.

Over time, whether longer or shorter, you cannot see yourself ever going back to your old habits or your old way of thinking. You have now entered into a new way of life.

Brought to Fullness by Cutting Something Away

This is very reassuring. When lust is demanding satisfaction; when jealousy and envy are destroying the melody of pure prayer and praise; when depression has put us into a fog so deep, we cannot see any light giving us reason to hope to live; when physical pain, mental harassment, and addictions to various substances demand satisfaction—there is hope. 

Yes, there is good news. God will stand at your side to relieve you of these issues, give you peace, and bring into your life the ability to love again with sincerity and emotion. The new you will arise; the old you will weaken and lose its power to seduce you. “The new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here” (2 Cor 5:17).

Jesus speaks in spiritual language when He proclaims His mission: “He [God] has sent me [Jesus] to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free” (Lk 4:18).

This is such good news. Both the Father and His Son have promised to set us free from our addictions, our bondage to bad habits, and our natural tendency to outbursts of anger—To Set Us Free.

We need Christ to cut us away from our bondage, to move us into the “kingdom of light” (Col 1:12), from blindness to sunlight. Most of all, to remove what we do not need, so that we may have peace. To find freedom from the bondage of our negative habits that used to control our every move and implant new desires to do good.

• “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Col 3:10

• “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph 4:24

• “Over all these virtues put on love.” Col 3:14

• “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” Rom 13:12

• “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Eph 6:11

The Process of Removal

When we struggle against our fallen habits, such as anger or other ingrained habits, we take up our privilege to come to an all-powerful God. To call on the name of the Lord. To ask Him to remove a specific habit from your life.

• “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, my cry came before him, into his ear.” Ps 18:6

• “Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.” Ps 30:2

Help will come, sometimes soon or perhaps the next day, hour, or minute. God will give you peace and break lifetime habits. Sometimes God does this all at once, and other times, as He knows what is best, cuts the attachments to habits more and more every day.

• “For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.” Ps 86:13

It is our highest honor to ask God to cut away what we know is wrong and to put on new habits and a new way of looking at things. We can ask in prayer for any spiritual gift that will challenge our demanding, sinful nature, which at times has overpowered us and left us in despair. 

One very important secret: When tempted, look deep within your desires. Meet it with thanksgiving for everything, the grass you see or the blue sky; before long, the urgent temptation will lose its strength. Meet it by reading Scripture out loud. Meet it with earnest prayer, saying, "I want deliverance, or I die." Keep learning Scripture, the New Testament, and the Psalms.

Seek God earnestly in prayer and do not give up, even if answered prayer is delayed. Pray to find a believer who has been born of the Spirit, to pray with you and for you. Meet God in prayer while listening to simple and moving praise music.

Pray These Psalms:

 See the expression “my foes” or “my enemies” as our waywardness and the evil within us that leads us into forbidden paths of various bad decisions. God has promised not only to deliver us from evil, but also to create a new heart that rejects evil from within and around us in the world, and instead to do good, to be generous and caring, and, most of all, to seek to please God in our lives. 

• "He [God] rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me… He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes who were too strong for me.” Ps 18:17,19

• “Guard my life and rescue me, do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.” Ps 25:20

• Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue, be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Ps 31:2

• Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.” Ps 69:18

• “Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. Ps 142:6

• “Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.” Ps 143:9

• “In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me, turn your ear to me and save me. Ps 71:2

Brought to Fulfillment In Christ

Colossians 2:11 “In him [in Christ] also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.” English Standard Version

Colossians 2:12 having been [1st] buried with him in baptism, in which you were also [2nd] raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him [Christ] from the dead. NIV

2:12 (1st) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were [2nd] raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. NKJV

2:12 You were buried with Him in your baptism, in which you were also raised with Him to a new life through faith in the working of God, as displayed when He raised Him from the dead. Amplified Bible (AMP)

First, Be Baptized

Before baptism, we have just one thing to do. With humility, we need to confess our sins to God, ask for forgiveness, and then be baptized. As Peter told the crowds of people immediately after Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38).

Repentance and confession are very similar. To confess is to acknowledge the truthfulness of our sins to God as we are convicted by our guilt. Confession must be honest with ourselves, looking at the things we wish to ignore or excuse.

Repentance is heartfelt confession in sorrow for our sins. Repentance asks God to forgive our sins on account of His grace.

After you have repented and confessed your sins, God will give you faith to see and know they have been forgiven. So that you can walk in peace, which is most precious.

Our Faith, thankfully, is a gift to us from God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this [faith] is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8). He designed something so simple and effective for us weaklings. He did not create a lengthy list of prior requirements.

Furthermore, only through God's calling to us can we acknowledge and confess our sins in the first place. God is always working for our good. Only by faith alone, faith in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, can we receive eternal life. For faith in the Son of God gives us repentance, peace, and a desire to know God's will, with an increase of faith that is deeply genuine.

Baptism While Under the Water—Leaves Our Sins in the Grave

Baptism uses the imagery of the grave. At our baptism, our confessed sins, and whatever else troubles us, are removed from us and placed on Christ. While submerged under the water, a symbol of the grave, we leave them there on Christ. We are no longer guilty of these sins. Now justice has been satisfied for our sins; death has been assigned to them. More than just forgiven, they are removed from our record—there is no condemnation for us anymore.

For Christ carried all our sins with Him to the grave on our behalf. He has paid the ultimate price for “the wages of [our] sins is death” (Rom 6:23). In his death, he paid what we earned by our sins. With one difference: our sins were laid on him, but they were not his. Thus, by God’s power and will, and because he had “life in himself” (John 5:26), he rose from the dead. He is a living symbol of our future resurrection when the “Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him” (Matt 25:31).

Becoming Alive at the Resurrection

God does the hardest and most important work. He does not leave you in the grave with your sins. Just as Jesus was raised by His Father, so we too are raised by God's work. “Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Rom 6:4). This is accomplished not by our own studied efforts, not by our commitment to a list of rules, or our promise to obey the whole law and do better in the future—but alone by the “all power” (Col 1:11) that belongs to God our Father. Because God’s power works in us, and He promises eternal life to those who believe in His Son, we will be able to rise from the grave to live a “new life.”

Although seeing the dead rise is unheard of on earth, our future will bring us a new, eternal life. This will bring physical, mental, and spiritual changes that our earth-bound sight cannot imagine. Be excited about this event.

Have you Been Buried Under the Water with Christ in Baptism?

Have you risen with Christ from under the water in Baptism? 

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you wish to have all your sins forgiven?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that in Christ you want to be brought to “fullness” (Col 2:10)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son, that you want your faith “rooted and built up” to higher levels? (Col 2:7)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you want “your faith, established” and made “firm” so that it cannot be moved “from the hope” inside you of “the gospel” (Col 1:23)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you want to be “rescued” from all darkness so that you can “share in the inheritance” God gives to children in “the kingdom of light” (Col 1:12-13)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that the Spirit will give you daily a “knowledge” of God’s “will”? And more, that the Spirit will also impart to you “wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that God can impart to you a “love” from “the Spirit” (Col 1:8)? Love for all that is good, right, and lovely?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you want to “truly understand God’s grace” in your life (Col 1:6)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you want to realize the “hope stored up for you in heaven” that springs from your “faith and love (Col 1:5)?

• Do you acknowledge to God and His Son that you want to “love all God’s people” in ways you have never done before (Col 1:3)?

• Is it your desire to “set your heart on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1)?

Colossians 2:13 [Since you have risen with Christ] When [before] you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. NIV

2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. NKJV

First Observation

Notice in the above text that God makes the first move. He moves first, coming directly to us, even when we are not looking for Him at all.

The Colossian Believers were Dead in Their Sinful Pleasures Before They Were Risen with Christ

We have no spiritual life before we hear God's call to place faith in His Son. We did not have “free will” to decide to “set our hearts on things above…not on earthly things” (Col 3:1,2), all on our own.

We had no ability to discern the evil of our sins or stop their dominance. We “were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Titus 3:3).

At that time, the Colossians were driven by sinful pleasures, pride, selfishness, vanity, and violence, which was the way of Rome. They were held in bondage to false belief systems.

With those who do not know God, the foolish pleasures of sin are attractive until God cuts out all our lustful desires. This happens through the “circumcision of the heart by the Spirit” (Rom 2:29). Unless God gives us “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps 24:4), we will remain ignorant. God has promised, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone” (Ez 26:36). Then we can “draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings” (Heb 10:22).

Do not be deceived; believers in God and His Son can also become captive to various forms of lust, jealousy, envy, and self-righteousness. They must continually “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18).

Made Alive

Unless one is born from above, “born of the water and the Spirit” (John 3:5), nothing else matters. This is the same expression as being made, or created alive. Created new and different than before. We are not alive by ourselves, but alive because of our faith in Christ. We are alive with Christ, since He is alive. This is a new creation; we are not just renewed, not just fixed up—we are "born from above" (John 3:3, margin reading)

Those who have experienced the miracle of the "new birth" (1 Peter 1:3) in their hearts know; they know this experience is real for them. It is with them, and in them everywhere they go, as Jesus promised the Spirit will "be with you forever" (John 14:16). They truly love God and His Son; they truly want to follow and keep His commands. They are instantly grieved when they do not love as they should. They express love and thanksgiving freely in prayer. They know God “lives in him, and he in them…we know it by the Spirit, He [God] gave us” (1 John 3:24). Since God’s Spirit is a living Spirit, they have fellowship with His Son. 

• “This is how we know that He [God] lives in us: We know it by the Spirit, He [God] gave us” (1 John 3:24)

God Himself Interrupts Our Restless Life of Sin

 “Because of His [God’s] great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him [himself] in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-6).

God is pleased to love us; it is not a burden, difficulty, or inconvenience. Paul confessed that he lived “by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). In other words, Paul’s faith was strengthened by the realization that God loved him. 

Jude, Jesus's stepbrother, knew about God’s rich love and wrote, “To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance” (Jude 1-2).

We are made alive in Christ, a new alignment. We are no longer indifferent to our sins. We are alive to know what is evil and to be painfully aware of our former lust, malice, jealousy, or dislike toward our neighbors. Now, we don’t want to live in disharmony with Christ.

God Himself Forgives Our Sins Freely Through His Grace

Being alive first means that your sins are forgiven daily, with no delay when we ask for forgiveness. Now our sins are already paid for through God's free forgiveness and mercy.

• By faith: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mk 2:5

• By Grace: “forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Eph 1:7).

Raised with Christ

The Greek word for raised means “to raise and awaken together.” The Early Christian church proclaimed that Jesus’ resurrection results in a later spiritual resurrection for those of faith. When Jesus rose from the grave, it had a transformative power on the believer’s life. They experience a “new life” (Rom 6:4) that stems from Christ's new, resurrected life. 

This is the miracle of the resurrection; first, Jesus rises from the dead. From this, we are also raised from our spiritual death to follow a new master: our Lord and Savior. This radically different spiritual message has challenged the world. Those without faith in Christ are blind to it.

This was how the gospel was first taught in Peter’s sermon, the first Christian sermon. These truths carry extra weight. Peter publicly speaks to the whole world, every believer, for all coming centuries. Now listen to what he proclaimed. Just after Pentecost, when the Spirit entered their lives, they were forever changed.

• “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear [on us]” (Acts 2:31-33).

Later, Peter proclaimed, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Pet 3:18). So likewise in the resurrection of Christ, we too, along with Jesus, are made alive, “made new” (Eph 4:23), “through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), day by day.

We take part in the resurrected life of Christ through receiving the Holy Spirit: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Rom 8:11). This change does not come from the law; it is “not of the letter” but from “the Spirit” because only “the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). New influences come to work inside our hearts.

Believers today need to keep their focus on Jesus' resurrection, for power comes from that source and moves into our lives. It is the “power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” (1 Thess 1:5) that changes our lives forever, sealing us with the “hope of glory” (Col 1:27) of being with God. Paul boldly proclaims: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).

This is the very truth that Jesus has taught us. “I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). The Greek word “again” means not only “again,” but also “from above,” as the NIV and NKJV note. This highlights that the source and origin of our new birth is heaven.

Jesus continues, saying, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit…born of the Spirit” (John 3:5, 8). It is the power of the Spirit that gives us new life; we are given “a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3). Through the Spirit, as we have faith in the resurrection, we have a living hope because we are changed, renewed, and born again, feeling close enough to God to say, “Abba Father” (Rom 8:15).

Before we placed our faith in Christ, we were “dead in transgressions and sins” (Eph 2:1). But through God who is “rich in mercy” and “because of his great love” God “made us alive with Christ” (Eph 2:4,5), who let “His light shine in our hearts” (2 Cor 4:6), that we “should no longer be slaves to sin” (Rom 6:6). We become “God’s handiwork” (Eph 3:10), who has freed our will to serve Him.

First, we were dead in our sins, “captive to sin” (Acts 8:23). We are awakened by the love of God and believe that Jesus did rise from the grave, early Sunday Morning. Now, by the “gift of God” (Eph 2:8), we share in the resurrection of Jesus; “by grace…through faith,” we are given a precious “gift of God,” so that “inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Cor 4:16).

We receive a “new self” made in “the image of its [our] creator” (3:10). This new self is motivated to “walk by the Spirit” so that we “will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). This experience is made possible because Jesus rose from the grave, so that we can be made alive by the Holy Spirit and have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16).

Changes Because of the Cross:

Colossians 2:14 Having canceled [destroyed, erased] the charge of our [Jewish] legal indebtedness [written decrees & obligations], which stood against us [our record of debt] and condemned us [as guilty]; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle [openly] of them, triumphing over [disarmed] them by the cross.

The Conclusion:

2:16 Therefore, do not let anyone judge you [as guilty] by what you eat [food] or drink, or with regard to a religious festival [Yearly], a New Moon [Monthly] celebration, or a Sabbath [plural] day [weekly]. 

The Results:

2:17 These are [just] a shadow of the things that were to come [better]; the reality [substance], however, is found in Christ [Messiah]. NIV

Changes Because of the Cross:

2:14 having wiped out [removed] the handwriting of requirements [legal decrees] that was against us, which was contrary to us [condemned us]. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

The Conclusion:

2:16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 

The Results:

2:17 which are [just] a shadow of [better] things to come, but the substance is of Christ [Messiah]. NKJV

At the top. What is a Shadow (2:17)?

It is an incomplete, grainy picture of words and ceremony, telling the story of something to come. Something so momentous, so significant that God wishes all men to recognize it when He reveals it. When God creates a shadow, He does it in a grand style. With all the flourish, all the color, all the attention to detail, all the attention-grabbing symbols imaginable. All this is for the saving, redeeming of sinful humanity. God does not want a single person to miss His grandstand in front of all the world.

These many shadows that God has established in Old Testament times culminated in the death of His Son on the Cross, his resurrection, and the ministry of the Spirit that followed. Therefore, the keeping of the shadow “pen pictures” and ceremonies that pointed to Christ is no longer needed. Why? Because Christ the Messiah, as a person, is far better than just a shadow picture of Him.

They are just reminders of the Messiah to come. By themselves, they cannot save. They point to the Christ who is above all. Now we are to “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1), not on the shadow figures of the Old Covenant, or the sanctuary with its yearly, monthly, and daily ceremonies. Everything in the Hebrew services was held together by the Sabbath day; now everything is held together by Christ, “the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

• “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” 1 John 1:9

• “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” 1 John 1:29

• “The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33

• “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” 1 Tim 1:5

• “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

• “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9

Changes Because of the Cross

Terms Used In the Text

The NIV says that God has canceled the charge of legalism.

The NKJV says that God has wiped out the handwriting. These are all the written laws we are obligated to keep.

The Greek Interlinear says: “Having blotted out the against us handwriting in the decrees which was averse to us and has taken it out of the way.”

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says: The “handwriting what one has written with his own hand, specifically, a note of writing in which one acknowledges that money has either been deposited with him or lent to him by another, to be returned at an appointed time.

The NKJV's expression of handwriting is best understood as a “certificate of debt” (NAS). Also, in the NET Bible it is called “certificate of indebtedness.” Whereas the NIV translates it simply as legal, which is an inadequate description on its own. 

God wrote down laws in the Books of Moses for Israel to obey. When they failed to keep them perfectly, they were in debt. Laws cannot forgive mistakes; they only exact punishment. These laws are against us because we are guilty; thus, they condemn us. 

It is called a "certificate of debt" because no one could ever pay the debt owed, as described in the many civil, moral, and ceremonial requirements that shaped every aspect of life in ancient Israel. All these laws demanded perfect obedience. “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1:22).

Now the many demands of the law, with their required ceremonies, can no longer find fault in us. Christ has disarmed them on our behalf by faith alone in Christ Jesus. We are forgiven, not by animal sacrifices, not feast days such as the Passover, but by “the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Pet 1:19)

“Handwriting of Requirements that was Against Us” [NKJV]

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says about Colossians 2:14: “Handwriting in decrees which was averse to us.” The Greek word translated in the NKJV as “requirements” is dogma, meaning “decree, ordinances, edicts, or regulations.”

The word decree refers to the laws of Moses, written down as a witness to Israel. Just as Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses reminded them to obey God’s laws. “This is the law Moses set before the Israelites. These are the stipulations, decrees and laws Moses gave them when they came out of Egypt” (Dt 4:44,45). If they did not obey, a curse was pronounced, mentioned sixteen times in Deuteronomy.

“However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees, I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, the crops of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out… (Deut 28:15-19).

Here is the Point

We, as sinners, owe a debt to the law, called a certificate of debt, that is against us. We owe the Law perfect obedience, for which we cannot pay this debt because of our sins. No matter how hard we try to obey the law. Just one violation is equal to death. James adds further to our debt, declaring that if one “stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10).

The death of a sacrificial animal in the sanctuary was only a shadow of better things to come. “The Lamb of God” (John 1:29) is the reality and substance. The shadow of a lamb could not atone for any sin. Only the Lamb of God, the substance that created the shadow, Christ Jesus, could do so.

The purpose of the law was to create an awareness of sin, for “through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Rom 3:20). Real forgiveness could only come from the Messiah.

Not the Law, but the death of Christ, reveals the depth of our sins. The law was a shadow of the real means that brings conviction of sins: the cross of Christ.

Everything in the Hebrew Sanctuary service pointed forward to this event. The only One that could remove all our sins. Now, looking to Christ, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph 1:7).

Nearly all of the Book of Hebrews explains this process in detail; this is just a brief summary.

The Cross as a Public Spectacle (2:15)

The account of the Cross of Christ and His resurrection is the most visible event that is known in every country, city, and village in the world. Of all the Churches of the world, the Catholic Church in particular has promoted the story of the cross throughout the past several centuries. Sadly, in some Christian congregations the cross is not prominently displayed.

The life and death of Jesus have disarmed every possible power and authority, whether civil or religious. It has risen above all the world's flags. Every national, military, or civil power pales in significance to the cross. God has made the cross triumphant, a public display in every corner of the globe.

Religious Festivals

Paul is primarily talking about the Hebrew laws that pertained to worship of God through the Sanctuary service. There were seven annual feast days, where animal sacrifices were required. They included many other laws, such as the unclean laws as in Leviticus 11, that were associated with the Sanctuary service.

Why are these abolished?  Because we no longer worship God in a temple at one single location, nor do we need animal sacrifices. Thus, we no longer need to attend the annual feast days around the temple. Instead, now we worship God in prayer by faith, wherever we are. At any location. As Jesus said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). We no longer need to go to Jerusalem to worship.

“Since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Heb 4:14-15). The entire priesthood based on Aaron's lineage is abolished. The entire group of laws that governed Israel was only temporary. As Paul has described them, “The law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian” (Gal 3:23-24).

Religious Festivals As a Shadow

The annual “Day of Atonement” (Lev 23:27) was just a shadow, pointing forward to the cross of Christ. The Sanctuary services had no permanent reality or substance. It was all ceremonial and symbolic. It was designed for a short period of time. Having served its purpose, it has now ended. The Sanctuary service was a shadow over the land before the actual event occurred in 31 AD: “the light of the world” (John 8:12). “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

A Shadow is an outline of an object in the sun’s path. All the religious festivals pointed to the cross of Christ, the real substance. Paul's point is that there is no need to go back and worship God through the Hebrew temple and its yearly festivals.

The weekly Sabbath fit into the annual festivals, which centered on farming and raising sheep, necessary for the Sanctuary's function. The Festivals were agrarian and farming-based and depended on the tithe of animals to operate the temple's daily services.

On the weekly Sabbath, the farming connection was evident: “you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do” (Deut 5:14).

The Sabbath as a Shadow of Something Greater to Come

First: “Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing” (Gen 2:2).

The last words of Jesus on the cross were “It is finished” (John 19:30). In the prayer of Jesus to His Father, he declared, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4). This is the same word God at creation said on the 7th day, when “God finished the work He had been doing” (Gen 2:2).

While Jesus lived, “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

Therefore, just as nothing more could be added to creation and God finished it in perfection. Likewise, Jesus finished the work of atonement, and nothing more needs to be added to make the Gospel complete. The Sabbath or 7th day foreshadowed this greater event.

Second: “Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing” (Gen 2:2).

“Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:24,25). The NKJV says that Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost.” The Greek word is pantelés, which means “Complete, perfect, entire, or completely and perfectly.”

As God rested from all His work of creating the world, it is a shadow of Jesus' rest as He completed His work of redemption. As Jesus said, “I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed” (Lk 12:50).

Before sin, creation had no flaw. The Sabbath, or 7th day, foreshadowed a greater creation that could completely save sinners. “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?” (Heb 2:3).

Third: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Gen 1:1; 2:1-3). The earth was brand new; it was a new creation out of “darkness was over the surface of the deep” (Gen 1:2).

Now God takes us who “were once darkness” (Eph 5:8) and “living in darkness” (Matt 4:16) and creates a new person. By God’s power we are to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24).

The creation of the earth, celebrated on the seventh day, foreshadows another greater creation inside the believer. “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17).

The first creation of Eden shadows a better creation: a new earth to come. “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind” (Isa 65:17). The 7th day foreshadows another new earth. And the New Heavens represent the new citizens who will fill the heavens, from the finished atonement first promised to all born on earth on the 7th day of creation.

Fourth: “Thus, the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so, on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Gen 2:2-3) and in the 4th Commandment, “He rested on the seventh day.”

Sabbath is rest from physical labor; it was a shadow of the rest we can have in Christ, by faith. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28).

“He had provided purification for sins; he sat down at the right hand [rested] of the Majesty in heaven” (Heb 1:3). His work for us was finished. At the Temple Court trial of Jesus, he said, “From now on, the Son of Man will be seated [rested] at the right hand of the mighty God” (Lk 22:69).

Fifth: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gen 1:31). Then “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy” (Gen 2:3). “The Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex 20:11).

The 7th day foreshadows a new blessing in the work of redemption. “Through the Spirit of holiness” (Rom 1:4), Mary “was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:18). Now “Jesus suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood” (Heb 13:12).

God the Father announced to the world, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matt 17:5). God is very proud of His Son, Jesus Christ, and blessed His work. Now there is a “blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works” (Rom 4:6). Now this blessedness is credited to us by faith alone. “As it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17 NKJV).

As Jesus prayed, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

God has promoted His Son with his personal testimony. “We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.” Furthermore, “this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:9,11). Eternal life is a blessing that never stops, throughout all the days and years of eternal time.

Conclusion: Sabbath keeping today, a creation-based custom, has an important purpose. To point to the only one who can remove the burdens of our sins and give us forgiveness, rest, and peace. The only one able to create a new life in us. This is what keeping the Sabbath is all about: finding rest and redemption in Christ. Sabbath celebration now should be Christocentric: rest in Christ. The purpose of Sabbath was to point to Christ, a forward-looking shadow.

As “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Gen 1:2 KJV), on the first day of creation. It was a shadow outline of the Spirit's much greater global work after Pentecost.

Festival’s a Shadow

During the Day of Atonement, blood from an innocent animal was sprinkled over the broken law of God in the Day of Atonement ceremony, which declared Israel to be free from guilt. This simple act pointed to something greater than animal blood: a future sacrifice that would fully pay the debt they owed to the law because of their sins. Thus, animal sacrifices were just a shadow.

Now “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Now we have no debt to the law. Now, “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” This is the substance: “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

The Day of Atonement festival was merely a shadow. Now, “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith” (Rom 3:24,25). Now, believers all over the world, anytime, all day or night, are moved with love and devotion to God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Now we willingly serve with all our hearts. A love and loyalty to God, which could never be found in the sanctuary service. For it was only a shadow that pointed to a greater event to come. The Woman at the Well understood this when she said: I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us” (John 4:25).

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Cor 9:15). The Gift of His Son justifies us from all sin, frees us from all guilt, adopts us as Hi children, loves us, and promises us eternal life. All this is true because of the shadow, offering a lamb in faith, practiced since the days of Eden.

Taken Away, Disarmed, by the Cross

Paul describes the total forgiveness we receive by faith in Christ, in the great topic of justification by faith alone. Paul explains this in detail in Romans and Galatians. By faith, we are completely freed from the guilt of sin. Paul concludes, “For we maintain that a person is justified [declared not guilty] by faith apart from the works [demands] of the law… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:9-31; 4; 5).

That which stood against us [hostile] and condemned us [the law]; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. For us, as we confess our sins, which we have been made conscience of by the life and teachings of Christ and his Apostles, we find complete forgiveness. But so much more. We receive God’s Spirit to dwell with us (see Romans 8:1-39).

Justification, which is total forgiveness of sins, is freely given to us by faith. This was impossible for the Hebrew Sanctuary Services to provide. They gave to Israel a shadow of hope of a better day. A real Day of Atonement, now known and fully displayed on the Cross of Christ. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14). No boasting over the blood of animals or attendance at annual Sabbath Feast days.

The Laws of Moses Stood Against Us

Jesus canceled, wiped out, and removed all the judgments demanded before we could be right with God, since the law required perfect obedience.

Peter’s Pentecostal sermon demonstrated that Christ had taken away all the legal debt that was against us. A debt of death we owed for the breaking of the law, even one time, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). For “Christ redeemed us [Gentiles & Jews] from the curse of the law [against sin] by becoming a curse [became accursed] for us [in our stead]” (Gal 3:13).

After Peter’s sermon, the people said, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:37-39). Peter did not tell them to keep the laws of Moses first. Nor did he say, afterward, be sure to keep all the temple services and festivals. Instead, repent of your sins and believe in the name of Jesus, and you will be saved. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom 10:13).

Temple obligations and services caused conflict in the early church. “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: 'Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question” (Acts 15:1,2).

Peter settled the issue, once and for all, that temple ceremonies were not to be required of the Gentiles, who today make up nearly every believer in Christ.

“After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us [Hebrew Jews]. He did not discriminate between them and us, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now, then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke [the temple laws] that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (Acts 15:7-11).

This New Testament gospel way of salvation is possible because Jesus took the Law's lawful judgments and paid the price at the cross. In the process, he abolished the sanctuary-based, annual Sabbath-day festivals, the Aaronic priesthood, and all the animal sacrifices—forever.

Why Did God Give Laws to Moses, Only Later Abolish Them?

Some Laws were not removed.

The Hebrew Bible taught many moral truths, such as those found in the Ten Commandments. Many of these Hebrew laws have become the foundation for a just and free society.

The laws of the Old Testament had a godly impact on millions of people. They curtailed evil and wrongdoing. It protected widows and young women from sexual abuse; it forbade incest and many other laws that have become part of the Western Legal Standards of right and wrong. The world would be a place of total violence, with no human rights, were it not for the solid foundation of the just and good laws found in the books of Moses.

These laws provide a social network for support of the poor. Every third year, the tithe and temple offerings were to be used for the poor. Farmers were to permit the poor to glean their fields. There are too many examples for us to list them all. The world is better off because of the influence of these laws.

Here is the important point: These laws separated Israel from all other nations around them that did not value the high moral laws and standards that Israel was given. A true Israelite was different than any other pagan nation around them. “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit’” (John 1:47). The New Living Translation says, “As they approached, Jesus said, ‘Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.’”

Even though the ceremonial laws were no longer required, they still had a good influence on millions. It provided wonderful family time for friendships and for courtship to develop. It created a culture of devotion to God as part of their daily life. It gave them time to hear Scriptures being read and discussed. Time to learn, grow, share, laugh, love your neighbors, and love God.

All the Sabbath celebrations were a wonderful gift to the Hebrew people. Now, instead of a temple in one location, believers can share and grow through the church, in locations around the world. The Apostle John has left us his testimony about Jesus, “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Yes, this is true!

Hebrew Law and Temple Ceremonies were Unifying

Jesus did not just appear out of nowhere and declare himself to be the “Savior of the world” (John 4:42). His coming to this earth was long predicted. Long anticipated. The historical significance of a single-family group from Abraham, who was only a generation removed from the story of the flood. Up to today—is so remarkable. So impossible. Where are the Hittite, the Moabite, the Assyrian, or the Phoenician?

In Israel's history, they have known about the coming of the Messiah. It was written and predicted in the Scrolls. The law of Israel kept hope alive in a united people who refused to merge into any of the pagan societies around them. They refused to give up hope, as displayed in the ceremonies and festivals that centered around the Hebrew temple.

Now, at the cross, God has provided an atonement for sins from Himself. Not from bulls and goats, which only made them “ceremonially” clean (Heb 9:13). “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).

Only one man, one person, can fit the description of the Messiah. John the Baptist recognized it when he “saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). This one man must arise from the family of Abraham, the Hebrew people. Nowhere else.

Only one—Jesus of Nazareth, born in a manger, declared by a voice from heaven to be the Son of God—fits the description of the Messiah.

The Conclusion

Nailing them to the Cross—Everything that Found Us Guilty

Now there is no need for temple worship with annual feast days. They are forever removed, when Christ left the cross and was carried to the grave and resurrected. They are all in the past tense, left behind. The laws of the priesthood and the Sabbath days required to be honored around the temple are gone. Now we pray and worship God in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24), without a physical temple, anywhere in the world.

 The ceremonies that required an animal sacrifice had a limited purpose: pointing to the Messiah to come. Their intended purpose has been completely fulfilled.

Public Spectacle

The cross triumphs over all civil and religious authorities. Jesus' triumph in his public ministry, life, and resurrection has powerful implications. It rises above all civil government through the loyalty, devotion, and commitment Christ generates. Day after day, year after year, century after century. Forever the cross triumphs, as the most important event ever recorded in human history.

No More New Moons

Israel had a lunar Calendar, along with other cultures such as Sumerians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, Celts, Mayans, and Chinese. Until Julius Caesar introduced a solar calendar in 45 BC.

Israel provided a time to celebrate the new month. “Blow the trumpets in times of gladness, too, sounding them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month. And blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind your God of his covenant with you. I am the Lord your God” (Num 10:10). There were required sacrifices on the New Moon celebrations (see Num 28:1-15; 1 Chron 23:31).

The covenant has been fulfilled. New Moon festivals are no longer needed. “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (Rom 11:26,27). In Christ we start every day, every month, every year—all new. Forgiven, loved by God, adopted as His children and given a lively hope of eternal life. The New Moon celebration shadow pointed to the cross of Christ, when all things are made new.

Religious Festivals

Ancient Israel observed seven major religious festivals, as described in Leviticus 23. They were tied to their agriculture and their history as a people. They were Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost (Weeks), Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles. Every family was required to bring animal sacrifices. The animals they brought were their tithe.

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again, and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb 10:11,12). Only one, Jesus Christ, can be the true Messiah for the world. As practiced by people of faith since the dawn of human history, when “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous” (Heb 11:4).

Sabbath Days

The Greek reads just plural “Sabbaths.” Since Paul mentioned the Sabbath after New Moons and Religious Festivals. It is easy to apply this reference to the annual festivals, each of which was considered a Sabbath. There was also the Jubilee Sabbath, which occurred every 50 years for the entire year [Lev 25]. The Sabbatical year required the land to lie fallow every seventh year (Lev 25:1-7).

Paul could also be referring to the Torah's practice of offering two unblemished male lambs as burnt offerings on each Sabbath (Numbers 28:9-10). This is not necessary today.

Paul could have in mind the required attendance at the Hebrew temple in Jerusalem on the Sabbath. This is impossible today. Instead, we are to be: “Rooted and built up in him [Christ], strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Col 2:7).

Some say that the seventh-day Sabbath rest, given on the last day of the creation week (Gen 2:1-3) and enjoined in the Ten Commandments (see Ex 20), has a different foundation than the festival sabbaths. Thus, it should be honored as a sacred day of rest.

Some say that the creation Sabbath rest from all work is a shadow pointing to Christ who invites all to “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). Instead of resting on a day, they find rest in Christ every day, by the Spirit. They are re-created by the Water and the Spirit into a “new life” (Acts 5:20), which is focused on Jesus and His “new command I give you: [To] love one another. As I have loved you, you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34,35).

Paul knew that some believers still held to a Sabbath-keeping custom from the Law. Paul writes, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord…Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another.” (Rom 14:5,6,13). Let’s give each person the freedom to decide, as they believe the Lord is leading them to keep the Sabbath. In this, we know the keeping of the Sabbath still holds a blessing for those who see Christ at the heart of Sabbath worship.

The important thing to remember is that the Sabbath’s purpose is to rest by faith in Christ's finished work. Just as God finished his work of creation and rested on the 7th day, so we rest by faith in the finished work of Christ. The Sabbath’s purpose is to always point to Christ. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2 KJV).

Colossians 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail [a lot to say] about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 2:19 They have lost connection with the head [Christ], from whom the whole body [all believers], supported and held together [knit together] by its ligaments and sinews [each believer], grows as God causes it to grow. NIV

2:18 Let no one “cheat you of your reward” [added to text], taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 2:19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. NKJV

2:18 Let no one beguile you of your prize, delighting in humble-mindedness and [in] worship of the messengers, intruding into the things he hath not seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh, 2:19 and not holding the head, from which all the body -- through the joints and bands gathering supply, and being knit together -- may increase with the increase of God. Young's Literal Translation

The Flow of the Text

Paul was concerned about misleading and deceptive teachings; he called them “fine-sounding arguments” (Col 2:4).

The first was “hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition” (Col 2:8). What famous people have said and written throughout the years.

The second was the misunderstanding of Israel’s “religious festivals” that some believed should still be honored in the Jerusalem Temple (Col 2:14-17)

Now, the third misleading teaching is the “worship of angels” and “false humility” (Col 2:20-23).

The Text

The NIV is an accurate translation of the Greek, which correctly says, disqualify you. The Greek word is katabrabeuó, which means “To disqualify, to decide against, or to condemn.” This is a very serious conclusion: those who practice false humility or the worship of angels will be condemned by their head, Christ. They will lose all rights to claim their reward of eternal life.

The NKJV adds the phrase "cheat you of your reward" to show how serious these practices are. The NIV has added the expression "idle notions" to the Greek text to explain it.

The Greek word for angels is aggelos, meaning “angel” in most New Testament references, but also “messenger.” As in reference to John the Baptist: “I will send my messenger [aggelos] ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you” (Matt 11:10).

The Greek word for puffed up is phusioó, meaning “to puff up, to inflate; primary sense of blowing; thus, arrogant, bragging, and proud.” The same word is used in “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up [phusioó].” (1 Cor 13:4 NKJV).

These teachers make grand claims about themselves, their ministry, their services, their programs, their books, and their degrees. They claim to be led by angel guides. They want others to have a very high regard for their spirituality and their interpretation of Scripture. False prophets seek to place themselves at the center of esteemed Biblical understanding, above others, and claim the final word as from God Himself.

They are rejected because they have an unspiritual mind or, more accurately, a fleshly mind, as the NKJV says. Because “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom 8:8 NET). Meaning they do not have the Spirit of God in their lives. All that they teach, claiming to have come directly from their guide, God or angels, is not from the Spirit of God.

The First Concern—Delighting in Humility

Paul's concern was a movement among some believers who practiced delighting in humility. Humility for humility’s sake. Proud humility. They sought to make humility an important goal. They sought to make humility a grand display of one’s own piety for status in the community.

We would not want to say that most of the Colossians were involved in this behavior. Because Paul praised this congregation in the first part of his letter.

But they certainly knew about this, and Paul did not want to see them influenced by these “false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor 11:13).

The Greek text says, “delighting in humility.” This is a contradiction. To be humble is to be “the very last, and the servant of all” (Mk 9:35), with no desire except to be helpful, to be good, to serve, and not to draw attention to oneself as deserving all the honor and credit.

To delight in humility is intended to draw attention to one’s humility, as an object of great respect. This is not humility, but pride.

Sadly, the Christian Church in the Middle Ages sponsored communities of men and women living in convents, which made a public display of humility. Many followed rigorous hours of prayer, lived in required separation from others, and practiced self-abasement. At times, they even ate in total silence. Living in isolation and celibacy, denying family and marriage.

False Humility: Promoting Celibacy

 To Timothy, Paul wrote: “Now the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will desert the faith and occupy themselves with deceiving spirits and demonic teachings, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. They will prohibit marriage…” (1 Tim 4:1-3).

Never ever must the Christian community forbid marriage, as it has been the practice of some Christian groups. This is an unnecessary hardship for both men and women. It is against Creation Order. “So, God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). We should not miss that marriage is part of being in the image of God. To require otherwise is disagreeing with God.

False Humility, False Piety and Diet Restrictions

Paul continues writing to Timothy, saying, “They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creation of God is good and no food is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. For it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer” (1 Tim 4:3-5).

In the Middle Ages, the Christian community set a rule requiring people to eat fish on Friday and avoid other meats.

A Christian community must never require a specific diet as a means of living a holy life. As a witness to the Christian community that they are living to a higher standard of piety. All Old Testament ceremonial food restrictions have been removed. Jesus has publicly declared this: “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them [eating]. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them…” (Mark 7:14,15).

Paul returns to this theme in his most classic of all his letters, to the Romans, “I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing [food] is unclean in itself… For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:14,17).

Believers have an obligation to “cling to what is good” (Rom 12:9) and to pursue what is good for their bodies and their health. These conclusions must always be personal, individual, informed, and based on education. Not ever turned into a required religious practice. Those who have strong views on diet should be tolerant of others who do not see the necessity of following a certain diet as a means of honoring God. Paul further explains this in Romans 14.

The Second Issue of Concern—Worship of Angels Or Messages From God

There was a group of Christians who were not just respecting or adoring angels. They were praying, making requests to Angels. The Idea sounds reasonable: that a heavenly being of such majesty and power could be appealed to, answer our prayers, and give us instruction from God. 

In the New Testament, angels had a limited role. They supported Jesus after his long fast in the wilderness (Matt 4:11). They announced God's word, such as to Jesus' mother (Lk 1:19), and at the tomb they testified to Mary that Jesus had risen (John 20:11-15). We are not to be taught by angels; instead, we are to be “taught by God” (John 6:45; 1 Thess 4:9). Angels are not our instructors. Jesus is to us “Wonderful Counselor” (Isa 9:6). Now, since Pentecost, God has sent the Spirit to be our “Helper, Advocate, and Counselor” (See John 14).

But obviously, they were not talking to real angels, as they thought. . Paul says they would go into great detail about what they had seen. However, it was all nonsense; they were puffed up with idle notions.

They were puffed up, arrogant, and proud of what they were told by angels, which made them feel superior to others.  They were certain that it was the truth. They would counter all who challenged the veracity of their accounts.

Meekness is the chief characteristic of all Spirit-filled believers, as Jesus taught us, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt 5:5). They will not be puffed up with their importance, as they might claim, Angels favored them.

The teacher of the gospel is to “be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim 4:12). We are to “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21 NKJV). This is a defining feature of a person who teaches the Word.

Paul explains to us what the attitude of a trustworthy minister is like. He says as, “the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:1-3).

Lost Connection with Christ, the Head of all Believers

Paul describes those who practice false humility as having lost connection with Christ, their head, whom they should be following. The one that they should be listening to. Paul told the Galatian congregation, “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8). This is very serious advice. 

A true leader tries to keep in step with Christ, their leader. Jesus said, “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you [stay focused]. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). We must always remember that we are just a branch; the vine is what matters.

Note the promise. If we stay focused on Christ, he promises, “I in him.” That is, He will live in us and “make our home with him” (John 14:23). We are not alone; when we abide in Christ, his words and those of His Fathers and apostles will bring meaning into our lives. Of course, we are never told to listen to Angels and abide in them.

         It is also true that we should never follow anyone who asks us to keep their instructions as necessary before the plain truths of Scripture. Their followers will be left alone, without Christ dwelling in them, because they are not following their Head, Christ and his apostles.

A false religious leader first wants others to keep in step with him or her. Then they promise they will be in step with Christ. Beware of any leader who proposes ideas that are not founded on Christ teaching or His apostles', even if they claim to have been told by an angel or messenger from heaven.

Colossians 2:20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world [not listening to Christ], do you submit to its rules: 2:21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? [negative rules for no purpose] 2:22 These [many] rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use [no eternal value], are based on merely human commands and teachings. 2:23 Such [demanding] regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom [look harmless], with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value [worthless] in restraining sensual indulgence [works of the flesh]. NIV [word “spiritual” (2:20) is added to the Greek Text by NIV]

2:20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 2:21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 2:22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 2:23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. NKJV

2:20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 2:21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 2:22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 2:23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. New American Standard Update

The Flow of the Text

Paul was concerned about misleading and deceptive teachings; he called them “fine-sounding arguments” (Col 2:4).

The first was the “hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition” (Col 2:8). Tradition, or long-held customs, becomes religious obligations, instead of fullness coming from Christ, His life and values (Col 2:10).

The second was the misunderstanding that believers were still required to keep Israel’s “religious festivals” that some believed should still be honored (Col 2:14-17).

The third was the receiving of instructions from angels and the “worship of angels.”  Many promoted themselves and separated themselves through “false humility,” holding teachings that other Christian believers did not believe were part of the gospel (Col 2:18-19).

Now the fourth is the “principles of the world” (Col 2:20 NASU), which is how the world does things; it influences society's values. Such as in Germany in WW II, it influenced nearly all of society to embrace racist ideas and accept the murder of millions.

Theme: Died With Christ

Paul opens this section by returning to the theme of “having been buried with him in baptism” (Col 2:12), that we “may live a new life” (Rom 6:4). This is what it means to have died with Christ. This makes available to us the many benefits that come from Christ's triumph over death and evil. For in the cross of Christ is the gospel and the “power of God” (1 Cor 1:18) for salvation. It brings complete forgiveness of our sins, ushers us into the Father’s arms of love, “with grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16), and provides for us the ministry of the Spirit.

Theme: Deceptive Philosophy

First, Paul returns to the theme he talked about earlier in this chapter. “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col 2:8 NAS). Countless philosophies from the world deceive us. They draw our minds, our reason, and our spiritual understanding to society's ideals which are not in harmony with the Gospel. Today, there is the media that influences the values of society, its dress, its violent entertainment, and its science that leaves no place for God as a Creator.

Second, in this section Paul shifts his emphasis from deceptions from the world to deceptions from within the church. Within the fellowship of believers, some require harsh rules for spiritual growth. They demand certain practices to be right with God and the wider Christian community. The social and community pressures to conform can become very strong. In the end, it separates us from “the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel” (Col 1:5). Instead of being led by God and His Spirit, we are led by individuals who tell us about certain restrictive diets, and denial of self to the point of poor health is the way of truth.

Elements of the World

The NIV reads, “elemental spiritual forces.” They added the words “spiritual” and “forces.” This phrase has been better translated and understood as “principles, fundamentals, or elements of the world.”

It means an “orderly arrangement” of things. It refers to the way the world, its government, political power, and social customs are arranged, which do not come from God. They are man-made rules, commands, teachings, and regulations that say how things should be done and are opposite of gospel messages. They are given in a matter-of-fact manner. This is seen in some religious communities and governments that command a certain style of dress, dress colors, or headscarves. They declare these practices God’s will and demand them of women.

The world has its customs; its way of doing things.

• It’s way to answer conflict with war and bloodshed.

• It’s way of abusing women and the underprivileged.

• It’s way of favoring the rich and famous.

• It’s way of excessive praise for the very talented, rich, or beautiful.

• It’s way of eating unhealthy or fad diets.

• It’s way that women should dress with little regard for modesty or excessive dress requirements.

• It’s way of cheating, lying, and advancing oneself at the expense of others.

• It’s way of using government corruption to steal from the masses.

• It’s way of idolizing money, power, and material things.

• It’s way…always it’s way. These rules will, in the end, perish.

A believer has new ways where they learn to “Follow the way of love” (1 Cor 14:1) and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal 5:25). To “turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Ps 34:14). To “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11).

• “Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.” 1 Timothy 1:5 Christian Standard Bible

• Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another. Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer. Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Rom 12:9-13)

Human Sourced: Teaching, Commands, Rules, Regulations

Throughout history, many religious groups have claimed to teach “the way of the Lord” (Acts 18:25), the way of holiness. But their way includes many human rules, not founded on the truth in Christ Jesus. These man-made rules have no power to restrain sensual indulgence, which will lead to holiness, for “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).

All demands that religious leaders issue as correct behavior, when not explicitly stated in Scripture, should be given in mildness, giving room for individuals to decide for themselves.

The basic principles of the world are not Scripture-based but are instead created by human commands and teachings. They do not defer to Scripture as their authority. 

Some human teachings come from a church's founding members or its prophets.  They assert their commands as if everything they teach is the exact will of God for everyone.

First Example: The Shakers, who started in America in 1774, required many, even very minor, rules to be observed perfectly. A core requirement was celibacy, even for married individuals. They claimed to create heaven on earth. All these rules amounted to nothing of value. Since Scripture teaches, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith… They forbid people to marry” (1 Tim 4:1,3).

Second Example: Some congregations require tithe paying as part of being a member in good standing. They teach that the Lord demands tithe and that it must be given only to church governing bodies. Some even make it a requirement along with baptism. Whereas the New Testament church never collected tithe or even required it. A congregation can request tithe but never require it, or it becomes a human command.

Paul sets the standard for church collections, saying, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). The only offering the New Testament church collected was for the poor. When Paul received “the right hand of fellowship” from James, Peter, and John. They asked him to take up an offering for “the poor” (Gal 2:9-10). Not for themselves or for the church headquarters.

Giving, as we are blessed by God, giving to those in need, in response to God’s grace in our lives, has a good effect on our souls. Giving out of obligation does not have the same good effect on the giver or the organization that receives it, for they feel entitled to it and always want more.

The very early church “shared everything they had” in common. When they brought their possessions, the disciples did not keep the money as their salary or build large real estate holdings. Instead, “there were no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:32-25), for they gave it away to the poor.

Self-Made Religion with Harsh Treatment of their Bodies

It was common in the monasteries of the Middle Ages to whip oneself into deeper repentance and holiness.  Martin Luther (1483-1586), while a priest before he knew of justification by faith, practiced self-flagellation and extreme fasting to help him to live a holy life. They believed that actions that were hard on the body would help them overcome evil thoughts and desires. There were many nonsensical commands, such as not to handle, taste, or touch, a long list of rules that made no sense.

The Benedictine Rule (530-540 AD) structured life around vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, demanding communal living and silence. No one could own personal possessions. Punishment for disobedience and faults could be severe. They required absolute submission to superiors and compliance with all the community rules. They held eight daily prayer services, often disrupting sleep in the middle of the night.

 St. Anthony of Egypt (d. 356) is considered the father of monasticism, having spent 80 years as a hermit sitting atop a pillar.

Does all the self-flagellation and self-denial lead to restraint of sensual thoughts? No, it could not, because it was mostly just human commands, which cannot offer assurance of salvation or the true power of the Spirit to say “’No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12).

False Christian groups create new rules for membership. Some groups overemphasize certain portions of Scripture, such as prophecy, while they neglect the more important gospel teachings.  We should carefully examine every requirement of an organization to see whether Scripture supports it.

 All Bible quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.

“In repentance and rest 

is your salvation, 

In quietness and trust is your strength.” 

Isa 30:15 NIV

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This explains why there are no footnotes in our commentary.

We hold that Scripture is all-sufficient.

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

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Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

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 Written by: Brothers & Sisters in Scripture Fellowship

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