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Peace and Tranquility, landscape by Jacob Isaakszoon van Ruysdael (1629-1682)
Paul wants the Colossians to grow in understanding of the “mystery of God,” not in specious forms of knowledge which are presented to them. What “empty, seductive philosophy” (2:8) have you encountered in your life—ways of thinking that seem to o er answers to life’s problems but ultimately separate us from Christ?
Christ is not the creation of God, nor is Christ simply like God: Christ is God, the fullness of God incarnate in human nature. In the word of the Nicene Creed, Christ is “true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
Remains of Laodicea
CHAPTER 1
m. [1:26] Rom 16:25–26; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:3, 9.
n. [1:27] 3:4; Rom 8:10.
o. [1:28] Eph 4:13.
p. [1:29] 2:1; 4:12; Phil 4:13.
CHAPTER 3
a. [2:2] 1:26–27; Eph 3:18–19.
b. [2:3] Prv 2:4–5; Is 45:3; Rom 11:33; 1 Cor 1:30.
c. [2:4] Eph 4:14.
d. [2:5] 1 Cor 5:3; Phil 1:27.
e. [2:7] Eph 2:20–22; 3:17.
f. [2:8] Gal 4:3; Eph 5:6.
g. [2:9] 1:19; Eph 3:19.
h. [2:11] 1:22; Jer 4:4;
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Rom 2:25–29; Phil 3:3.
COLOSSIANS -
behalf of his body, which is the church, 25of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, 26the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,m 27to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.n 28It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.o 29For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.p
21For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you *
andforthoseinLaodicea andallwhohavenotseenmefacetoface, 2that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,a 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.b
III. WARNINGS AGAINST FALSE TEACHERS*
A General Admonition. 4I say this so that no one may deceive you by specious arguments.c 5For even if I am absent in the esh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing as I observe your good order and the rmness of your faith in Christ.d 6So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.e 8See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world* and not according to Christ.f
Sovereign Role of Christ. 9g For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity* bodily, 10and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power. 11h In him* you were also circumcised with a circumcision not administered by hand, by stripping o the carnal body, with the circumcision of Christ. 12You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith
* [2:1] Laodicea: chief city in Phrygia, northwest of Colossae; cf. Col 4:13, 16; Rev 3:14–22.
* [2:4–23] In face of the threat posed by false teachers (Col 2:4), the Colossians are admonished to adhere to the gospel as it was rst preached to them (Col 2:6), steeping themselves in it with grateful hearts (Col 2:7). They must reject religious teachings originating in any source except the gospel (Col 2:8) because in Christ alone will they have access to God, the deity (Col 2:9). So fully has Christ enlightened them that they need no other source of religious knowledge or virtue (Col 2:10). They do not require circumcision (Col 2:11), for in baptism their whole being has been a ected by Christ (Col 2:12) through forgiveness of sin and resurrection to a new life (Col 2:13; cf. Col 3:1 and Rom 6:1–11). On the cross Christ canceled the record of the debt that stood against us with all its claims (Col 2:14), i.e., he eliminated the law (cf. Eph 2:15) that human beings could not observe—and that could not save them. He forgave sins against the law (Col 2:14) and exposed as false and misleading (Col 2:15) all other powers (cf. Col 1:16) that purport to o er salvation. Therefore, the Colossians are not to accept judgments from such teachers on food and drink or to keep certain religious festivals or engage in certain cultic practices (Col 2:16), for the Colossians would thereby risk severing themselves from Christ (Col 2:19). If, when they accepted the gospel, they believed in Christ as their savior, they must be convinced that their salvation cannot be achieved by appeasing ruling spirits through dietary practices or through a wisdom gained simply by means of harsh
asceticism (Col 2:20–23).
* [2:8] Elemental powers of the world: see note on Gal 4:3.
* [2:9] Fullness of the deity: the divine nature, not just attributes; see note on Col 1:19.
* [2:11] A description of baptism (Col 2:12) in symbolic terms of the Old Testament rite for entry
into the community. The false teachers may have demanded physical circumcision of the Colossians.