There is so much in chapter 2 that we can get lost as we dig into it. Therefore, we first need to read the chapter so that we have an overall "feel" for what Paul is trying to teach us.
The main theme of this chapter is that real Christians are COMPLETE IN CHRIST because:
1. In Christ, their sinful nature has been dealt with, verse 11.
2. In Christ, they have been raised to new life, verse 12.
3. In Christ, all their sins have been forgiven, verse 13.
4. In Christ, all the requirements and accusations of the law have been satisfied, verse 14.
5. In Christ, the spiritual powers arrayed against them have been disarmed, verse 15.
(1) I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at *Laodicea, and for many other believers who have **never met me personally.
· *Laodicea: About 9 miles from Colosse. Laodicea later became the luke-warm church of Revelation 3:14. Both the church at Colossae and Laodicea were infested with false teachers.
· **never met me: Most likely, Epaphras founded the church in Colosse and led these Christians to Christ. This would include Christians today too!
(2) I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s *mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
· *mysterious plan: Per Ephesians 3:6, the mystery, once hidden but now revealed, is that Gentile Christians would be heirs together (of the same blessing), members together (of the same body) and sharers together (in the same promise) along with Jewish Christians, that is, "in Christ Jesus."
· Most Evangelical Christians understand that Christ died for the forgiveness of their sins - they believed that and came to Christ because of that - but that is where most of them stop. Relatively few, it seems, ever go on to grasp the fact that Jesus died for them that he might live in them. It is His life in them that is the source of power, change and deliverance, and the ability to resist temptation. It is not enough to know that Christ died in order that we might go to heaven. We are also to know, understand and practice Christ actually living in us now!
· Ephesians 3:6: And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
· Colossians 1:23: For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
(3) In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and *knowledge.
· knowledge: God’s secrets, wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, not in the false teachers or in angels.
· Gnosticism teaches a limited and perverted knowledge, while Christianity teaches that a full knowledge of God comes only through Jesus Christ.
· 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30: But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
(4) I am telling you this so no one will *deceive you with well-crafted arguments.
· This is the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers – to keep the believers from being deceived by false doctrine from false teachers.
· “deceive” is paralogizomai, which means literally “to reason aside,” and then “to defraud, delude, distort.” This word is used in the Septuagint in Genesis 29:25 of Jacob’s complaint to Laban because Laban had tricked him with Leah rather than Rachael. The false teachers at Colossae were attempting to trick the Colossians. The method the false teachers used is seen in the statement, “through arguments that sound reasonable.” The term here is pithanologia, “persuasive speech.” It is derived from pithanos, “persuasive,” and logos, “word, argument, speech.” Paul uses it of speech that sounds convincing and reasonable, but is actually false.
(5) For though I am *far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.
· *far away from you: Paul is a prisoner in Rome.
· God is in the business of changing lives. The process of change begins with opening the heart to Christ and receiving him as Lord. But it is a process that is headed for a specific goal, which is "to present you holy [whole, complete, well balanced in spirit, soul and body] in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." That is God's goal, and he fully intends to accomplish it.
(6) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.
· Galatians 3:3: How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
(7) Let your *roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
· In fact, this was their problem: they were not content with Christ and Him only. To walk in Him, it is necessary first to be "rooted." The root system of a tree takes considerable time to develop before there is much growth above ground and continues to develop during the tree's growth upward. Hidden communion with the Lord is vital that there may be strength to stand.
· *roots is from the verb rhizoo, “to cause to take root, to become firmly rooted or fixed.” We can never, or must never, move away from Him as the source and resource of our spiritual lives. Christ is the root and life of the plant, and he is the foundation and its binding force upon which we are to build.
(8) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty *philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the **spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
· *philosophies:
o It was a mixture of Jewish and Greek philosophy that was creeping in at Colossae as a substitute for the realities in Christ. The word “philosophy” is a combination of the Greek words for “love” and “wisdom”.
o The "philosophy" that Paul warns against is "hollow and deceptive." It is "hollow" in that it is devoid of truth, wisdom and reason, but it tries to convince people that it possesses these qualities by using methods and arguments that are "deceptive." In other words, this philosophy can appear wise to foolish people, such as non-Christians, or to immature Christians aren’t growing in Christ and aren’t walking in Him.
· **spiritual powers of this world: These are demonic powers. Behind the doctrine of these deceivers is Satan and his demons. Satan’s aim is to lead believers away from the freedom that is in Christ and to rob them of their rewards and to make them ineffective in winning others away from him to Christ.
· The primary test of all religions, sects, cults, doctrines, philosophies and churches is simply who do they say Christ is!
(9) For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
· The so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, who deny the deity of Christ, are mistaken in their New World Translation where they translate verse 9 as "because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily." It is not speaking of quality, but the nature or essence of Christ. Those who reject the deity of Christ, not recognizing that all the fullness of the Deity dwells in him bodily, not only devalue the person of Christ, but also tend to devalue Christ's atoning work, since he would be only a created being.
· The meaning here is obvious: "Jesus Christ is God in the flesh." This is so easily understood by Christians, yet so adamantly denied by the cults - in spite of the fact that there are literally dozens and dozens of Scriptures that prove that Jesus Christ is God.
· The Jews believed that God dwelt in a building, but Paul says He dwelt in a BODY! When Jesus was on the earth and on the temple grounds, the Shekinah was absent from the temple and from the “Holy of Holies”. In fact, the ark itself was not there!
· John 1:1: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· John 10:33: They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
· John 20:28-29: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
· Titus 2:13: while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
(10) So you also are *COMPLETE through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
· circumcised:
· *baptized: The circumcision of verse 11 was obviously not physical. Neither is this "baptism" the physical water baptism. Nor is "buried" a physical burial. Paul is speaking of spiritual things, not physical. Baptism simply means to immerse one thing into another or to be identified with someone or something. In this case, we are spiritually immersed into Christ's grave, being buried with Christ. Our flesh still has to die because sin dwells in it, but we have paid for the sins of our soul through association with Christ's atoning work on the cross and his burial. And by identifying with his resurrection, we reckon that we are now reconciled to God.
(13) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
(14) He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
· Martin Luther once had a dream, in which Satan came and showed him a list of all his sins. Luther did not excuse himself. His reply was, “Write at the bottom of the list, ‘The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin’.”
· 1 John 1:7: But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
· Romans 8:1: So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
(15) In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Ephesians 3:10, 6:12: God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. … For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
(16) SO don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.
· Directly related to one's justification is sanctification, the process of growth in grace and maturity in the Christian life. The false teachers of Colossae intimidated the believers into thinking that something was lacking in their spirituality. They just did not have what it took to be really spiritual. But they had the answers! Through the means of legalism, mysticism, and asceticism they could enter into a deeper spirituality. But to all of this, Paul warns the believers not to be duped. For their completion in Christ includes their ongoing growth. They need not look outside of Jesus Christ and his sufficiency for their growth and maturity.
· The Jews were known for their strict observance of certain days on their calendars. This same "Old Testament" idea was passed along to the Colossians. Paul refers to "holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths," events that were never meant to be an end in themselves. The “holy days” were probably references to the annual festivals of Passover or Pentecost. Some writers also suggest that they refer to local pagan festivals as well. The new moon was a monthly festival that probably arose from local cults, carrying connotations of mysticism and magic in their celebration. Sabbath day observance could point to the sign of the old covenant. But being under the new covenant, the Christian is not bound by the legalisms of Sabbath observance, as practiced by the Seventh day Adventist church.
(17) For these rules are only SHADOWS of the REALITY yet to come. And Christ himself is that REALITY.
· The feasts, sacrifices and “Sabbaths” of the Old Testament pointed to and were fulfilled by Christ.
· Roman Catholicism is a shadow religion. It is amazing that so many are attracted to a religion of shadow instead of a religion of reality. They prefer the symbol instead of the substance. And if there are no authorized symbols, because the substance has come, then they will invent some for themselves. And on the basis of tending to these symbols, they even assert a spiritual superiority over those who tend to the substance and the reality.
· A stringent observer of religious food laws and holy days may think that he has a basis to be confident about his spiritual commitment and to judge himself superior to others. But Paul's criticism is that, since Christ has already come, such a person has nothing but a shadow religion, an image of the reality. Therefore, he is in fact less spiritual than those who commit to Christ in simple faith. Moreover, since Christ the reality has already come, and since Paul and others have preached about his achievements, to persist in or return to a shadow religion is at the same time a denial of Christ, the reality, the actual substance of true religion.
(18) Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,
· When someone claims to have had an experience with angels and elevates this kind of experience above that of knowing Jesus Christ Himself, then it is not of God. Angels never draw attention to themselves. They are always giving glory to the Lord. We should be suspicious of those in our day that always want to talk about angels and who imply their spirituality is higher because of such experiences. The Gnostics then and the Cults and false Christianity of today usually insist on intermediaries between the believer and Christ.
· Mormons claim that they don’t worship the angel Moroni, but a statue of him was placed on the Salt Lake Temple during the capstone ceremony.
· The Koran was supposedly revealed to Mohamed by the Angel Gabriel who said, “The Christians call Christ the son of Allah… Allah's curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the Truth!” (Sura 9:30). Yet, When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he told her that Jesus “…will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). The angel that appeared to Mohamed, if one did, must have been a demon.
(19) and they are not *connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
· What happens when you disconnect your computer from its power source? What happens when you disconnect yourself from your spiritual power source? Is it possible to be connected to Christ at the same time you are cursing His name, allowing anger to rule over you, carrying bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart, watching the wrong type of movie, gossiping, cheating, hating, practicing adultery or fornication, etc.? What happens if we plug that computer into the wrong power source? – it either doesn’t work or it blows up!
(20) You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,
(21) “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?
(22) Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.
(23) These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
· Christians are not to become modern versions of Pharisees.
· Muslim women must dress modestly, yet that does not constrain lust in Muslim men! While this sounds good and religious – “women must dress modestly” – it does nothing to deal with heart issues of sensual indulgence. The Muslims who crashed planes into the Twin Towers spent the night before with prostitutes! Look at what happened to the female reporter during the Egyptian riots. Praying three or five times a day facing east sounds spiritual, but one can have hate in his or her heart while doing so, whether a so-called Christian or a Muslim. A pilgrimage to a holy site sounds like a spiritual thing to do, but it is meaningless since that site will pass away. There are Hindus who walk through the streets, beating themselves with sticks and whips to subdue the flesh. This has the semblance of humility, but it is false humility.
· There are some who participate in Lenten fasts and special services. Yet, all of it is foolishness and contributes nothing to the worship of God, nor does it lead the practitioners to Christ.
· Do we too need to be aware of the subtle dangers that the Colossians faced? What types of danger affect us spiritually? Let us consider how our spiritual growth can be threatened and more importantly, how it can be nurtured.
· Legalism is the most natural substitute around for the gospel and for spiritual growth. Its essence can be seen in the things it forbids and the things it requires. Legalism has a list of do's and don'ts which promises certain spiritual attainment. Consider the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They believed that because of what they did and did not do, they were elevated to a new plateau spiritually. They scrupulously followed all of the laws relating to Sabbath observance because earlier legalists spelled these out as having promise. Even though the Pharisees neglected mercy and justice, as did their Old Testament counterparts, they believed that their rigid observance of Sabbath laws qualified them for super-spirituality.
· Here is the danger of all these things. They are substitutes for your completion in Jesus Christ. They all insist that there is another level of spirituality beyond what Christ has done for you. Because of a dependence upon one's own performance, these legalisms leave the believer in bondage. They keep the Christian always looking somewhere else, to the next experience, to the next rigid observance of a law, to the next set of do's and don'ts to find joy. But it is never there. There may be a momentary sense of satisfaction because of their observance, perhaps even a little cheering on by their fellow legalists. But there is no deep, lasting satisfaction. And there cannot be, for it is an attempt to find satisfaction outside of Jesus Christ and the fullness of his work.
· Paul reminds the Colossians that all of these things are "mere shadows of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Paul in Hebrews adds, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near" (Hebrews 10:1). The festivals, holy days, Sabbaths and other events established by the law were never meant to be the grand finale. They only pointed to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. "The reality belongs to Christ." So, when you have received the reality, you no longer need the shadows.
· Here is one of the quickest ways to spot spiritual fakery. When the emphasis moves away from the simplicity of continuing to grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ and to grow in your dependence upon him, then it bears the marks of a fake. Paul said that his whole aim in life was to "know Him" (Philippians 3:10) and the thrust of his ministry was to "present every man complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:29). Paul in Hebrews goes to great lengths to show the superiority of Jesus Christ to all of the shadows of the Old Testament. We are not to content ourselves with shadows when we can fill ourselves with the Substance. "The substance belongs to Christ." All spiritual growth has its ultimate focus upon Jesus Christ the Lord.
NOTE: Sources and References are on line at:
http://colossians-study.blogspot.com/2011/01/colossians-references.html
The main theme of this chapter is that real Christians are COMPLETE IN CHRIST because:
1. In Christ, their sinful nature has been dealt with, verse 11.
2. In Christ, they have been raised to new life, verse 12.
3. In Christ, all their sins have been forgiven, verse 13.
4. In Christ, all the requirements and accusations of the law have been satisfied, verse 14.
5. In Christ, the spiritual powers arrayed against them have been disarmed, verse 15.
(1) I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at *Laodicea, and for many other believers who have **never met me personally.
· *Laodicea: About 9 miles from Colosse. Laodicea later became the luke-warm church of Revelation 3:14. Both the church at Colossae and Laodicea were infested with false teachers.
· **never met me: Most likely, Epaphras founded the church in Colosse and led these Christians to Christ. This would include Christians today too!
(2) I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s *mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
· *mysterious plan: Per Ephesians 3:6, the mystery, once hidden but now revealed, is that Gentile Christians would be heirs together (of the same blessing), members together (of the same body) and sharers together (in the same promise) along with Jewish Christians, that is, "in Christ Jesus."
· Most Evangelical Christians understand that Christ died for the forgiveness of their sins - they believed that and came to Christ because of that - but that is where most of them stop. Relatively few, it seems, ever go on to grasp the fact that Jesus died for them that he might live in them. It is His life in them that is the source of power, change and deliverance, and the ability to resist temptation. It is not enough to know that Christ died in order that we might go to heaven. We are also to know, understand and practice Christ actually living in us now!
· Ephesians 3:6: And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
· Colossians 1:23: For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
(3) In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and *knowledge.
· knowledge: God’s secrets, wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, not in the false teachers or in angels.
· Gnosticism teaches a limited and perverted knowledge, while Christianity teaches that a full knowledge of God comes only through Jesus Christ.
· 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30: But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
(4) I am telling you this so no one will *deceive you with well-crafted arguments.
· This is the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Colossian believers – to keep the believers from being deceived by false doctrine from false teachers.
· “deceive” is paralogizomai, which means literally “to reason aside,” and then “to defraud, delude, distort.” This word is used in the Septuagint in Genesis 29:25 of Jacob’s complaint to Laban because Laban had tricked him with Leah rather than Rachael. The false teachers at Colossae were attempting to trick the Colossians. The method the false teachers used is seen in the statement, “through arguments that sound reasonable.” The term here is pithanologia, “persuasive speech.” It is derived from pithanos, “persuasive,” and logos, “word, argument, speech.” Paul uses it of speech that sounds convincing and reasonable, but is actually false.
(5) For though I am *far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.
· *far away from you: Paul is a prisoner in Rome.
· God is in the business of changing lives. The process of change begins with opening the heart to Christ and receiving him as Lord. But it is a process that is headed for a specific goal, which is "to present you holy [whole, complete, well balanced in spirit, soul and body] in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." That is God's goal, and he fully intends to accomplish it.
(6) And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.
· Galatians 3:3: How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
(7) Let your *roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
· In fact, this was their problem: they were not content with Christ and Him only. To walk in Him, it is necessary first to be "rooted." The root system of a tree takes considerable time to develop before there is much growth above ground and continues to develop during the tree's growth upward. Hidden communion with the Lord is vital that there may be strength to stand.
· *roots is from the verb rhizoo, “to cause to take root, to become firmly rooted or fixed.” We can never, or must never, move away from Him as the source and resource of our spiritual lives. Christ is the root and life of the plant, and he is the foundation and its binding force upon which we are to build.
(8) Don’t let anyone capture you with empty *philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the **spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
· *philosophies:
o It was a mixture of Jewish and Greek philosophy that was creeping in at Colossae as a substitute for the realities in Christ. The word “philosophy” is a combination of the Greek words for “love” and “wisdom”.
o The "philosophy" that Paul warns against is "hollow and deceptive." It is "hollow" in that it is devoid of truth, wisdom and reason, but it tries to convince people that it possesses these qualities by using methods and arguments that are "deceptive." In other words, this philosophy can appear wise to foolish people, such as non-Christians, or to immature Christians aren’t growing in Christ and aren’t walking in Him.
· **spiritual powers of this world: These are demonic powers. Behind the doctrine of these deceivers is Satan and his demons. Satan’s aim is to lead believers away from the freedom that is in Christ and to rob them of their rewards and to make them ineffective in winning others away from him to Christ.
· The primary test of all religions, sects, cults, doctrines, philosophies and churches is simply who do they say Christ is!
(9) For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
· The so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses, who deny the deity of Christ, are mistaken in their New World Translation where they translate verse 9 as "because it is in him that all the fullness of the divine quality dwells bodily." It is not speaking of quality, but the nature or essence of Christ. Those who reject the deity of Christ, not recognizing that all the fullness of the Deity dwells in him bodily, not only devalue the person of Christ, but also tend to devalue Christ's atoning work, since he would be only a created being.
· The meaning here is obvious: "Jesus Christ is God in the flesh." This is so easily understood by Christians, yet so adamantly denied by the cults - in spite of the fact that there are literally dozens and dozens of Scriptures that prove that Jesus Christ is God.
· The Jews believed that God dwelt in a building, but Paul says He dwelt in a BODY! When Jesus was on the earth and on the temple grounds, the Shekinah was absent from the temple and from the “Holy of Holies”. In fact, the ark itself was not there!
· John 1:1: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
· John 10:33: They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”
· John 20:28-29: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
· Titus 2:13: while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
(10) So you also are *COMPLETE through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
· *complete: This is the same in Greek as “fulfilled.” That is, God’s purpose in creating each believer is fulfilled when he or she is truly “in Him.” Paul emphasizes that the believer is "complete" in Christ, so that there is no need for anything to be added for his justification. There were in Colossae, as there are today, legalists, Gnostics, mystics and many others who try to convince that something was lacking in their spirituality. They just did not have what it took to be really spiritual. But to all of this, Paul warns the believers not to be fooled or “bewitched” he warned in his letter to the Galatians. We need not look outside of Jesus Christ and his sufficiency for our growth and maturity.
(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.· circumcised:
· Paul’s argument here is that Christians have already been ‘circumcised’ in their hearts, by Christ. Therefore, insistence on the physical rite is both unnecessary and misleading, since it draws attention away from the achievements of Christ and the absolute priority of faith. The circumcision that Christ has done is an inward work of grace, not done by the hands of men. This argument can also be applied to water baptism too – if you’ve been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, why then go to the “shadow”?
· Circumcision was intended to be an outward sign of an inward change of heart. It spoke of the removal of sin, of the need for God’s people to separate themselves from all that is unholy. Even the OT writers emphasized that the rite by itself is useless: it must be accompanied by a radical Godward change of heart and behavior, Jeremiah 9:25: “A time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit—.
· In New Testament times, some were insisting that circumcision was essential to salvation. Apparently, the Colossian heretics were making the same stipulation.
· Acts 15:1: While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
· Romans 2:28-29: For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
· Galatians 5:6: For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
· Philippians 3:3: For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,
(12) For you were buried with Christ when you were *baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.· *baptized: The circumcision of verse 11 was obviously not physical. Neither is this "baptism" the physical water baptism. Nor is "buried" a physical burial. Paul is speaking of spiritual things, not physical. Baptism simply means to immerse one thing into another or to be identified with someone or something. In this case, we are spiritually immersed into Christ's grave, being buried with Christ. Our flesh still has to die because sin dwells in it, but we have paid for the sins of our soul through association with Christ's atoning work on the cross and his burial. And by identifying with his resurrection, we reckon that we are now reconciled to God.
(13) You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
(14) He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
· Martin Luther once had a dream, in which Satan came and showed him a list of all his sins. Luther did not excuse himself. His reply was, “Write at the bottom of the list, ‘The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin’.”
· 1 John 1:7: But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
· Romans 8:1: So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
(15) In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Ephesians 3:10, 6:12: God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. … For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
(16) SO don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.
· Directly related to one's justification is sanctification, the process of growth in grace and maturity in the Christian life. The false teachers of Colossae intimidated the believers into thinking that something was lacking in their spirituality. They just did not have what it took to be really spiritual. But they had the answers! Through the means of legalism, mysticism, and asceticism they could enter into a deeper spirituality. But to all of this, Paul warns the believers not to be duped. For their completion in Christ includes their ongoing growth. They need not look outside of Jesus Christ and his sufficiency for their growth and maturity.
· The Jews were known for their strict observance of certain days on their calendars. This same "Old Testament" idea was passed along to the Colossians. Paul refers to "holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths," events that were never meant to be an end in themselves. The “holy days” were probably references to the annual festivals of Passover or Pentecost. Some writers also suggest that they refer to local pagan festivals as well. The new moon was a monthly festival that probably arose from local cults, carrying connotations of mysticism and magic in their celebration. Sabbath day observance could point to the sign of the old covenant. But being under the new covenant, the Christian is not bound by the legalisms of Sabbath observance, as practiced by the Seventh day Adventist church.
(17) For these rules are only SHADOWS of the REALITY yet to come. And Christ himself is that REALITY.
· The feasts, sacrifices and “Sabbaths” of the Old Testament pointed to and were fulfilled by Christ.
· Roman Catholicism is a shadow religion. It is amazing that so many are attracted to a religion of shadow instead of a religion of reality. They prefer the symbol instead of the substance. And if there are no authorized symbols, because the substance has come, then they will invent some for themselves. And on the basis of tending to these symbols, they even assert a spiritual superiority over those who tend to the substance and the reality.
· A stringent observer of religious food laws and holy days may think that he has a basis to be confident about his spiritual commitment and to judge himself superior to others. But Paul's criticism is that, since Christ has already come, such a person has nothing but a shadow religion, an image of the reality. Therefore, he is in fact less spiritual than those who commit to Christ in simple faith. Moreover, since Christ the reality has already come, and since Paul and others have preached about his achievements, to persist in or return to a shadow religion is at the same time a denial of Christ, the reality, the actual substance of true religion.
(18) Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,
· When someone claims to have had an experience with angels and elevates this kind of experience above that of knowing Jesus Christ Himself, then it is not of God. Angels never draw attention to themselves. They are always giving glory to the Lord. We should be suspicious of those in our day that always want to talk about angels and who imply their spirituality is higher because of such experiences. The Gnostics then and the Cults and false Christianity of today usually insist on intermediaries between the believer and Christ.
· Mormons claim that they don’t worship the angel Moroni, but a statue of him was placed on the Salt Lake Temple during the capstone ceremony.
· The Koran was supposedly revealed to Mohamed by the Angel Gabriel who said, “The Christians call Christ the son of Allah… Allah's curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the Truth!” (Sura 9:30). Yet, When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he told her that Jesus “…will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). The angel that appeared to Mohamed, if one did, must have been a demon.
(19) and they are not *connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
· What happens when you disconnect your computer from its power source? What happens when you disconnect yourself from your spiritual power source? Is it possible to be connected to Christ at the same time you are cursing His name, allowing anger to rule over you, carrying bitterness or unforgiveness in your heart, watching the wrong type of movie, gossiping, cheating, hating, practicing adultery or fornication, etc.? What happens if we plug that computer into the wrong power source? – it either doesn’t work or it blows up!
(20) You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as,
(21) “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”?
(22) Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.
(23) These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
· Christians are not to become modern versions of Pharisees.
· Muslim women must dress modestly, yet that does not constrain lust in Muslim men! While this sounds good and religious – “women must dress modestly” – it does nothing to deal with heart issues of sensual indulgence. The Muslims who crashed planes into the Twin Towers spent the night before with prostitutes! Look at what happened to the female reporter during the Egyptian riots. Praying three or five times a day facing east sounds spiritual, but one can have hate in his or her heart while doing so, whether a so-called Christian or a Muslim. A pilgrimage to a holy site sounds like a spiritual thing to do, but it is meaningless since that site will pass away. There are Hindus who walk through the streets, beating themselves with sticks and whips to subdue the flesh. This has the semblance of humility, but it is false humility.
· There are some who participate in Lenten fasts and special services. Yet, all of it is foolishness and contributes nothing to the worship of God, nor does it lead the practitioners to Christ.
· Do we too need to be aware of the subtle dangers that the Colossians faced? What types of danger affect us spiritually? Let us consider how our spiritual growth can be threatened and more importantly, how it can be nurtured.
· Legalism is the most natural substitute around for the gospel and for spiritual growth. Its essence can be seen in the things it forbids and the things it requires. Legalism has a list of do's and don'ts which promises certain spiritual attainment. Consider the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They believed that because of what they did and did not do, they were elevated to a new plateau spiritually. They scrupulously followed all of the laws relating to Sabbath observance because earlier legalists spelled these out as having promise. Even though the Pharisees neglected mercy and justice, as did their Old Testament counterparts, they believed that their rigid observance of Sabbath laws qualified them for super-spirituality.
· Here is the danger of all these things. They are substitutes for your completion in Jesus Christ. They all insist that there is another level of spirituality beyond what Christ has done for you. Because of a dependence upon one's own performance, these legalisms leave the believer in bondage. They keep the Christian always looking somewhere else, to the next experience, to the next rigid observance of a law, to the next set of do's and don'ts to find joy. But it is never there. There may be a momentary sense of satisfaction because of their observance, perhaps even a little cheering on by their fellow legalists. But there is no deep, lasting satisfaction. And there cannot be, for it is an attempt to find satisfaction outside of Jesus Christ and the fullness of his work.
· Paul reminds the Colossians that all of these things are "mere shadows of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ." Paul in Hebrews adds, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near" (Hebrews 10:1). The festivals, holy days, Sabbaths and other events established by the law were never meant to be the grand finale. They only pointed to their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. "The reality belongs to Christ." So, when you have received the reality, you no longer need the shadows.
· Here is one of the quickest ways to spot spiritual fakery. When the emphasis moves away from the simplicity of continuing to grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ and to grow in your dependence upon him, then it bears the marks of a fake. Paul said that his whole aim in life was to "know Him" (Philippians 3:10) and the thrust of his ministry was to "present every man complete in Christ" (Colossians 1:29). Paul in Hebrews goes to great lengths to show the superiority of Jesus Christ to all of the shadows of the Old Testament. We are not to content ourselves with shadows when we can fill ourselves with the Substance. "The substance belongs to Christ." All spiritual growth has its ultimate focus upon Jesus Christ the Lord.
NOTE: Sources and References are on line at:
http://colossians-study.blogspot.com/2011/01/colossians-references.html
