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OCTOBER 11
in Him and established in the faith, as you have
been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through phi-
losophy and empty deceit, according to the tra- 2:14 wiped out the handwriting. The Greek
dition of men, according to the basic principles word translated “handwriting” referred to the
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of the world, and not according to Christ. For handwritten certificate of debt by which a
in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead debtor acknowledged his indebtedness. All
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bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is people (Rom.3:23) owe God an unpayable debt
the head of all principality and power. for violating His law (Gal.3:10; James 2:10; Matt.
11 In Him you were also circumcised with the 18:23–27) and are thus under sentence of death
circumcision made without hands, by putting (Rom. 6:23). Paul graphically compares God’s
off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the cir- forgiveness of believers’ sins to wiping ink off a
cumcision of Christ, buried with Him in bap- parchment.Through Christ’s sacrificial death on
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the cross, God has totally erased our certificate
tism, in which you also were raised with Him of indebtedness and made our forgiveness
through faith in the working of God, who complete.nailed it to the cross.This is another
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raised Him from the dead. And you, being metaphor for forgiveness.The list of the crimes
dead in your trespasses and the uncircumci- of a crucified criminal was nailed to the cross
sion of your flesh, He has made alive together with that criminal to declare the violations he
with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, was being punished for. Believers’ sins were all
14 having wiped out the handwriting of require- put to Christ’s account,nailed to His cross as He
ments that was against us, which was contrary paid the penalty in their place for them all,thus
to us. And He has taken it out of the way, hav- satisfying the just wrath of God against crimes
ing nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed requiring punishment in full.
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principalities and powers, He made a public
spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the
or regarding a festival or a new moon or sab- basic principles of the world, why, as though
baths, which are a shadow of things to come, living in the world, do you subject yourselves
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but the substance is of Christ. Let no one to regulations— “Do not touch, do not taste,
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cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false do not handle,” which all concern things
humility and worship of angels, intruding into which perish with the using—according to the
those things which he has not seen, vainly commandments and doctrines of men?
puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding 23 These things indeed have an appearance of
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fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nour- wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility,
ished and knit together by joints and ligaments, and neglect of the body, but are of no value
grows with the increase that is from God. against the indulgence of the flesh.
DAY 11:What were the false teachers trying to do to the Colossians?
“Beware lest anyone cheat you,”Paul warns in Colossians 2:8.Here is the term for robbery.False
teachers who are successful in getting people to believe lies rob them of truth,salvation,and bless-
ing.“Through philosophy and empty deceit.”“Philosophy” (“love of wisdom”) appears only here in
the New Testament.The word referred to more than merely the academic discipline, but described
any theory about God,the world,or the meaning of life.Those embracing the Colossian heresy used
it to describe the supposed higher knowledge they claimed to have attained. Paul, however,
equates the false teachers’ philosophy with “empty deceit”; that is, with worthless deception.
“According to the basic principles of the world.”Far from being advanced,profound knowledge,the
false teachers’ beliefs were simplistic and immature like all the rest of the speculations, ideologies,
philosophies, and psychologies the fallen satanic and human system invents.
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”(v.9).Christ possesses the fullness of the
divine nature and attributes. In Greek philosophical thought, matter was evil; spirit was good.Thus, it
was unthinkable that God would ever take on a human body.Paul refutes that false teaching by stress-
ing the reality of Christ’s Incarnation.Jesus was not only fully God,but fully human as well.“And you are
complete in Him”(v.10).Believers are complete in Christ,both positionally by the imputed perfect righ-
teousness of Christ and the complete sufficiency of all heavenly resources for spiritual maturity.“Who
is the head of all principality and power.”Jesus Christ is the creator and ruler of the universe and all its
spiritual beings,not a lesser being emanating from God as the Colossian errorists maintained.

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