Colossians 2 with comments

Colossians 2 Commentary

• Col. 2:1 | I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at
  Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
• Col. 2:2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

  How can you have the full riches of complete understanding without the unity of the fellowship? There are Christians who are solitary Christians, but I am sure that they receive a special grace from God if they are to grow like those that are part of a loving, united fellowship of believers. In the fellowship I'm confronted with my own sin that otherwise I may be able to cover up or deny. If I am not confessing my sins to my brothers, I may be able to fool myself into thinking that I've confessed them to God when I haven't. Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, but if I am alone then who can I give anything to?

• Col. 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

  So many people want to say that there are hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge in other things, in other sources. I question the statement "all truth is God's truth" because something can be true but not be right. There is no wisdom and knowledge that is not in Jesus and can be found somewhere else instead. Many philosophers or other religions may have very wise things to say, or very good principles to live by, but they don't have them all. Jesus has them all.< <<<>>>>

• Col. 2:4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.

  We must be rooted and established in Christ as our SOURCE of all wisdom and knowledge, or else the experts in logic and debate will lead us astray.

• Col. 2:5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and
  delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
• Col. 2:6 | So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,

  Being a Christian is a state of being, not like graduating from High School. I graduated. It's an event. I got saved. It's an event. I'm a high school graduate. it is a state of being. you continue to live like you've graduated. You don't do the things you did before you got your diploma. I'm a Christian. You received Christ, now live like it. Don't do the things you did before you received Him. What were the works that you did to receive Jesus? You sinned. You were evil. I heaped up so much judgment on myself that when I discovered what I was doing it was too late and I was buried. I was dead under all of my evil deeds. Sure I had moral acts and good deeds, but those were really just to make me feel good or look good, which meant they were evil deeds.

  the weeks after I graduated from High School, I didn't read any novels or write any papers. I didn't get school supplies and I didn't get up early and go over to Harrison. Turn from the old life, Christian. Don't go where you used to go, don't do what you used to do. Now that you received Him, live in Him.

• Col. 2:7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
  overflowing with thankfulness.
• Col. 2:8 | See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

  "takes you captive" in greek is to steal or rob. Isn't that exactly what happens from false beliefs? We believe we are supposed to look or act like this or that, and we're robbed of who God made us to be. We are afraid of something, so we're robbed of growing in our faith or seeing God do a mighty work.

• Col. 2:9 | For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
• Col. 2:10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

  God gave Christ His fullness, and Christ gives us His fullness.

• Col. 2:11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ,

  Once again, an event has happened that prevents us from doing things the same way that we used to. It took DAYS to recover from a circumcision. And even after that a lot of things would be different. Jewish boys had it done when they were 8 days old, but Greek converts to Judaism would get it whenever they converted, whether they were 20 or 50. There were men coming into the church that wanted the Colossians to adhere to more of the Law than they had originally been instructed was necessary in following Christ. One of those laws would be to be circumcised. Here Paul is saying don't follow every wind of teaching, don't get caught up in tradition and principles. The Law is not your master any more than sin is your master, you are in Christ, a new creation. Christ has done to you all that the circumcision was for Abraham.

• Col. 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

  By being baptized and raised with Christ, all of the covenants have been consummated. Circumcision was a covenant confirming what God had done in Abe's life, and baptism is here listed as an equal covenant for the Christian.

• Col. 2:13 | When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful
  nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

  You didn't have to die in order to come to Christ, YOU WERE ALREADY DEAD!
  Romans 4:17 God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

  I was not, but He called me as if I were.

• Col. 2:14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and
  that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
• Col. 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle
  of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
• Col. 2:16 | Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with
  regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
• Col. 2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is
  found in Christ.

  All of those things, the New Moon celebrations, sacrifices, etc., were part of the Law that we could not keep-part of the Law that was completely broken if only one small part was broken. That Law was ratified and fulfilled when Christ died for all of our sins on the cross. "Matt. 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have
  not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." The fulfillment of the Law was the completion of all of the judgment that we had stored up.

  All of those Laws and even the celebrations were a shadow of Christ and us in heaven. Sure, you can see some of the characteristics about something from its shadow, but man! Imagine how different it would be to see my shadow and the real me in a big gold Elvis jumpsuit. Quite a difference! The one is just a darker shade of what ever color is under it, the other full of it's own color and vibrance. One is warped and distorted as it is cast, depending on the angle of the light or the ground it falls on or any other objects the shadow may hit. Me in an Elvis jumpsuit is me in an Elvis jumpsuit, wherever I may be. And finally, the shadow is where light isn't. The light of the gospel of grace was not in the Law. Rom. 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
  Everyone that died under the Law waited until Christ came and died and then was taken with Him into heaven. When the light shines on a shadow, the shadow disappears. When Christ came to earth, all of the old shadows were drowned out in the light. Now we see Jesus, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, then we say daily sacrifices and the Day of Atonement and the Temple. Now we see the movement of the Holy Spirit and His work in people, then we saw people reading scrolls and performing acts together because to fail to do so would result in death.
  

• Col. 2:18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels
  disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has
  seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

  There is a tendency or a movement going on for people to really get into detail even today about spiritual experiences and visions and leadings. What was happening here still happens today and we should give due diligence to not take part in it. A person may go into great detail about their spiritual experiences, speaking in tongues, falling down, seeing and hearing things, but on the inside still being a gossip, prideful, or lustful. The false humility and worship of angels are all externally spiritual acts. Today's external spiritual acts are also called gifts of the Spirit. What is really hard is that when people really do perform acts of the Spirit, it looks the same to the onlooker. I guess there's two solutions.
  1. for the person doing it: if it is truly a spiritual experience, it doesn't have to be seen by anyone, and no one needs to hear about it. All gifts are given for the building up of the church, not us.
  1Cor. 14:12 So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. We should excel in gifts, but if they are a real experience, they will penetrate us all of the way through. Not saying we'll become perfect, but in your spirituality don't trample on your brother that you don't think is as spiritual. When we see the pattern of Peter, Moses, John the Baptist, and numerous people that Jesus healed, and even the demons; we see that those that come face to face with the Living God walk away soaked with reverence and fear shown with humility.

  2. for the onlooker: Rom. 14:4-5 "Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands
  or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind." As hard as it is, we should not judge people when we see them having these amazing spiritual experiences. The person and their master know what is going on, but we don't. At the same time, we should never feel pressured to have or show any spiritual acts. I know a guy that prayed for a gift to play guitar, but he questioned his motives so he told God that he would not play in front of people. God answered him and he learned how to play. Then God flipped around some circumstances, and he had to lead worship on a mission trip. Did anyone question him? no, because his true humility showed that God should get all the glory, and his playing showed that he wasn't faking it.
  So don't fake it to fit in or be puffed up with idle notions, and don' t be disqualified for the prize by people that are by trying to puffing yourself up.

• Col. 2:19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported
  and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
• Col. 2:20 | Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as
  though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:
• Col. 2:21 ‚ÄúDo not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!‚Äù?
• Col. 2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human
  commands and teachings.
• Col. 2:23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed
  worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack
  any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

  Regulations sound good, they make you look good, they make you an upright and honorable person is you stick to them. The fact is, everyone has regulations for themselves and for others, and the ones for others are a lot more strict. It is easy to offer ourselves grace (oh, I couldn't help myself, ha ha ha) but almost impossible to offer it to others (I can't believe he did that!).

  I'm writing this at the mall, and all I can think about is how in the world am I going to raise my sons to restrain sensual indulgence in a place like the mall?????
  Proverbs says Charm is deceitful and beauty fading, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Where there is immodest dress, there is no fear of the Lord. Everyone is seeking to have good looking externals, while attempting to destroy other people's souls. They don't realize it, and they don' t set out on a path of evil to do it, they are just being taken captive by the hollow and deceptive reasoning that depends on the principles of this world: look good, be attractive, draw people to yourself.

  so we don't treat the body harshly, and we don't act humble, and we don't impose worship on ourselves by ourselves, we love and forgive and serve God and others above ourselves, and from that comes modest dress and the death of pride as a pleasant side-effect.