Colossians 2

Colossians 2:1

E. Christ’s Sufficiency Against the Perils of Philosophy, Legalism, Mysticism, and Asceticism (2:1-23) 2:1 This verse is closely linked with the last two verses of chapter 1. There the Apostle Paul had been describing his strivings, by teaching and preaching, to present every believer mature in Christ. Here his strivings are of a different nature. Now they are spoken of as great conflict in prayer. And here this great conflict is in behalf of those he had never met. From the first day he had heard of the Colossians, he had prayed for them as well as for those in the neighboring city of Laodicea, and for other Christians whom he had not as yet met (see Rev_3:14-19 for the later sad state of the church there). Verse 1 is a comfort to those who are never privileged to engage in public ministry. It teaches that we need not be limited by what we can do in the presence of people. We can serve the Lord in the privacy of our rooms on our knees. If we do serve publicly, our effectiveness depends largely on our private devotions before God. 2:2 The exact content of Paul’s prayer is given in this verse. The first part of the prayer is that their hearts may be encouraged. The Colossians were in danger of the teachings of the Gnostics. Therefore, encouraged here means confirmed or strengthened. The second part of the prayer is that they might be knit together in love. If the saints went on in happy, loving fellowship with one another, they would present a solid flank against the onslaughts of the foe. Also, if their hearts were warm in love to Christ, He would reveal to them the deeper truths of the Christian faith. It is a well-known principle of Scripture that the Lord reveals His secrets to those who are close to Him. John, for instance, was the apostle who leaned on Jesus’ chest, and it was no coincidence that he was also the one to whom the great revelation of Jesus Christ was given. Next Paul prayed that they might enter into all the riches of the full assurance of understanding. The more they entered into an understanding of the Christian faith, the more fully convinced they would be of its truthfulness. The more firmly grounded the Christians were in the faith, the less would be the danger of their being led away by the false teachings of the day. The expression full assurance is used three times in the NT. (1) Full assurance of faithwe rest on God’s word, His testimony to us (Heb_10:22). (2) Full assurance of understandingwe know and are assured (Col_2:2). (3) Full assurance of hopewe press on with confidence as to the outcome (Heb_6:11). The climax of Paul’s prayer is found in the words to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ. What does Paul mean when he says that they may know the mystery of God … and of Christ? He is still referring to the truth of the churchChrist, the Head of the Body, and all believers members of the Body. But the particular aspect of the mystery which he has in mind is the headship of Christ. He is anxious that the saints should acknowledge this truth. He knows that if they realize the greatness of their Head, they will not be drawn away by Gnosticism or the other evil cults that threatened them. Paul wants the saints to use Christ, to utilize His resources, to draw upon Him in every emergency. He wants them to see that Christ, who, as Alfred Mace puts it: … is in His people, is possessed of every attribute of deity, and of infinite, unutterable, measureless resources, so that they did not need to go outside of Him for anything. To them God willed to make known what are THE RICHES of the glory of THIS MYSTERY among the Gentiles: WHICH IS CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory (Col_1:27). The truth of this, known in power, is the sure and certain antidote for Laodicean pride, rationalistic theology, traditional religion, demon-possessed spiritualistic mediums, and every other form of opposition or counterfeit. 2:3 In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Gnostics, of course, boasted of an understanding far surpassing anything found within the pages of divine revelation. Their wisdom was something in addition to what was found in Christ or Christianity. But here Paul is saying that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, the Head. Therefore, there is no need for believers to go beyond what is written in the Scriptures. The treasures in Christ are hidden from unbelief; and even the believer needs to know Christ intimately to enter into them. Christ is in the believer as Head, center and resource. By the vastness of His unsearchable riches, by the pre-eminent wealth of His infinite greatness, by all that He is essentially as God, by all He has accomplished in creation and in redemption, by His personal, moral and official glories, He crowds out the whole army of professors, authors, mediums, critics, and all others arrayed against Him. (Selected) There is more in this verse than meets the eye. All knowledge is found in Christ. He is the incarnation of truth. He said: I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nothing that is true will ever conflict with His words or His works. The difference between knowledge and wisdom has often been explained as follows: Knowledge is the understanding of truth, whereas wisdom is the ability to apply what truth has been learned. 2:4 Because all wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, Christians should not be deluded with the persuasive words of false cultists. If a man does not have the truth, then he must seek to attract a following through the clever presentation of his message. That is exactly what heretics always do. They argue from probabilities and build a system of teaching on deductions. On the other hand, if a man is preaching the truth of God, then he does not need to depend on such things as eloquence or clever arguments. The truth is its own best argument and, like a lion, will defend itself. 2:5 This verse shows how intimately aware the Apostle Paul was of the problems and perils facing the Colossians. He pictures himself as a military officer looking over the assembled troops as they stand ready for inspection. The two words order and steadfastness are military terms. The first describes the orderly array of a company of soldiers, whereas the second pictures the solid flank which is presented by them. Paul rejoices as he sees (in spirit though not in body) how the Colossians were standing true to the word of God. 2:6 Now he encourages them to go on in the same way in which they had originally begun, that is, by faith. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. The emphasis here seems to be on the word Lord. In other words, they had acknowledged that in Him there was complete sufficiency. He was enough, not only for salvation, but for the whole of their Christian life. Now Paul urges the saints to go on acknowledging the lordship of Christ. They should not stray from Him by accepting the teachings of men, however convincing they may sound. The word walk is one that is often used of the Christian life. It speaks of action and progress. You cannot walk and remain in the same place. So it is in the Christian life; we are either going forward or backward. 2:7 Paul first uses an expression from agriculture, then one from architecture. The expression rooted refers to what took place at the time of our conversion. It is as if the Lord Jesus Christ is the soil and we find our roots in Him, drawing all our nourishment from Him. This emphasizes, too, the importance of having our roots deep, so that when opposing winds blow, we will not be moved (Mat_13:5, Mat_13:20-21). Then Paul switches to the figure of a building. Built up in Him. Here the Lord Jesus is suggested as the foundation, and we are being built on Him, the Rock of Ages (Luk_6:47-49). We were rooted once for all, but we are being built up. And established in the faith. The word established might also be translated confirmed, and the thought is that this is a process that goes on continuously through the Christian life. The Colossians had been taught the fundamentals of Christianity by Epaphras. As they continued on in the Christian pathway, these precious truths would be continually confirmed in their hearts and lives. Conversely, 2Pe_1:9 indicates that failure to progress in spiritual life results in doubt and loss of the joy and blessing of the gospel. Paul concludes this description with the words abounding in it with thanksgiving. He does not want Christians to be coldly doctrinal, but he wants their hearts to be captivated by the marvelous truths of the gospel so that they in turn will overflow in praise and thankfulness to the Lord. Thanksgiving for the blessings of Christianity is a wonderful antidote against the poison of false doctrine. Arthur Way translates verse 7 as follows: Be like trees fast-rooted, like buildings steadily rising, feeling His presence about you, and even (for to this your education has led up) unshaken in your faith, and overflowing with thanksgiving.2:8 Now Paul is ready to deal directly with the specific errors that had threatened the believers in the Lycus Valley, where Colosse was situated. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit. False teachings seek to rob men of what is worthwhile, but offer nothing substantial in its place. Philosophy means literally the love of wisdom. It is not evil in itself, but becomes evil when men seek wisdom apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Here the word is used to describe man’s attempt to find out by his own intellect and research those things which can only be known by divine revelation (1Co_2:14).

It is evil because it exalts human reason above God and worships the creature more than the Creator. It is characteristic of the liberals of our day, with their boasted intellectualism and rationalism. Empty deceit refers to the false and valueless teachings of those who profess to offer secret truths to an inner circle of people. There is really nothing to it. But it gathers a following by catering to man’s curiosity. Also it appeals to their vanity by making them members of the select few.The philosophy and empty deceit which Paul attacks are according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

The tradition of men here means religious teachings which have been invented by men but which have no true foundation in the Scriptures. (A tradition is a fixation of a custom which began as a convenience, or which suited some particular circumstance.) The basic principles of the world refer to Jewish rituals, ceremonies, and ordinances by which men hoped to obtain God’s favor. The Law of Moses had served its purpose as a type of things to come. It had been a primary school to prepare the heart for the coming Christ. To return to it now would be to play into the hands of the false teachers who conspired to use a discarded system to displace the Son of God. (Daily Notes of the Scripture Union) Paul would have the Colossians test all teaching by whether or not it agreed with the doctrines of Christ. Phillips’ translation of this verse is helpful: Be careful that nobody spoils your faith through intellectualism or high sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men’s ideas of the nature of the world, and disregards Christ!2:9 It is marvelous to see how the Apostle Paul constantly brings his readers back to the Person of Christ. Here he gives one of the most sublime and unmistakable verses in the Bible on the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Note the intended accumulation of evidence as to the fact that Christ is God.

First of all, you have His deity: For in Him dwells … the Godhead bodily. Secondly, you have what someone has called the amplitude of deity: For in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Finally, you have what has been called the absolute completeness of deity: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (This is an effective answer to the various forms of Gnosticism that deny the deity of the Lord JesusChristian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unity, Theosophy, Christadelphianism, etc.) Vincent says: The verse contains two distinct assertions: (1) That the fulness of the Godhead eternally dwells in Christ … ; (2) The fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him … as one having a human body. Many of the cults mentioned above would admit that some form of divinity dwelt in Jesus. This verse is identifying all the fullness of the Godhead with Him, in His manhood. The argument is clearif there is such a sufficiency in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, why be satisfied with teachings which slight or ignore Him? 2:10 The apostle is still trying to impress on his readers the all-sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the perfect standing which they have in Him. It is a marvelous expression of the grace of God that the truth of verse 10 should follow that of verse 9. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and the believer is complete in Him. This does not mean, of course, that the believer is indwelt by all the fullness of the Godhead. The only One of whom that was ever true, or ever shall be true, is the Lord Jesus Christ. But what this verse teaches is that the believer has in Christ all that is needed for life and godliness.

Spurgeon gives a good definition of our completeness. He says we are (1) Complete without the aid of Jewish ceremony. (2) Complete without the help of philosophy. (3) Complete without the inventions of superstition. (4) Complete without human merit. This One in whom we are complete is the head of all principality and power. The Gnostics were greatly taken up with the subject of angels. Mention of this is made later on in this chapter. But Christ is head over all the angelic beings, and it would be ridiculous to be occupied with angels when we can have the Creator of angels as the object of our affections and enjoy communion with Him. 2:11 Circumcision was the typical rite of Judaism. It is a minor surgical operation in which the knife was applied to the flesh of the male child. Spiritually it signified death to the flesh, or a putting aside of the evil, corrupt, unregenerate nature of man. Unfortunately, the Jewish people became occupied with the literal ceremony but neglected its spiritual meaning. In trying to achieve favor with God through ceremonies and good works, they were saying in effect that there was something in human flesh which could please God. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the verse before us physical circumcision is not in view, but rather that spiritual circumcision which is true of everyone who has put his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. This is clear from the expression the circumcision made without hands. What the verse is teaching is this: Every believer is circumcised by the circumcision of Christ. The circumcision of Christ refers to His death on the cross of Calvary. The thought is that when the Lord Jesus died, the believer died also. He died to sin (Rom_6:11), to the law, to self (Gal_2:20), and to the world (Gal_6:14). (This circumcision was made without hands in the sense that human hands can have no part in it by way of merit.

Man cannot deserve or earn it. It is God’s work.) Thus he has put off the body of the sins of the flesh. In other words, when a person is saved, he becomes associated with Christ in His death, and renounces any hope of earning or deserving salvation through fleshly efforts. Samuel Ridout writes: Our Lord’s death has not only put away the fruit, but condemned and set aside the very root which bore it.2:12 Paul now turns from the subject of circumcision to that of baptism. Just as circumcision speaks of death to the flesh, even so baptism speaks of the burial of the old man. Thus we read: Buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

The teaching here is that we have not only died with Christ, but we have been buried with Him. This was typified at our baptism. It took place at the time of our conversion, but we expressed it in public confession when we went into the waters of baptism. Baptism is burial, the burial of all that we were as children of Adam. In baptism we acknowledge that nothing in ourselves could ever please God, and so we are putting the flesh out of God’s sight forever. But it does not end with burial.

Not only have we been crucified with Christ and buried with Him, but we have also risen with Him to walk in newness of life. All of this takes place at the time of conversion. It is through faith in the working of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 2:13 The Apostle Paul now makes the application of all this to the Colossians. Before their conversion, they had been dead in their trespasses. This means that because of their sins, they were spiritually dead toward God. It does not mean that their spirits were dead, but simply that there was no motion in their spirits toward God and there was nothing they could do to win God’s favor. Not only were they dead in sins, but also Paul speaks of the uncircumcision of their flesh. Uncircumcision is often used in the NT to describe the Gentile peoples.

The Colossians had been Gentiles. They had not been members of God’s earthly people, the Jews. Therefore, they had been in a position of distance from God, and had given full rein to the flesh with its lusts. But when they heard the gospel and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, they had been made alive together with Christ, and all their trespasses had been forgiven. In other words, what had really happened to the Colossians was that their whole lifestyle had been changed. Their history as sinners had come to an end, and now they were new creatures in Christ Jesus.

They were living on the resurrection side. Therefore they should say goodbye to all that characterized them as men in the flesh. 2:14 Paul now goes on to describe something else that was included in the work of Christ. Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. The handwriting of requirements that was against us describes the law. In a sense, the Ten Commandments were against us, condemning us because we did not keep them perfectly. But the Apostle Paul is thinking not only about the Ten Commandments, but also about the ceremonial law that was given to Israel.

In the ceremonial law, there were all kinds of commandments with regard to holy days, foods, and other religious rituals. These were all a part of the prescribed religion of the Jews. They pointed forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. They were shadows of His Person and His work. In His death on the cross, He took all this out of the way, nailing it to the cross and canceling it as a bill is canceled when the debt is paid. As Meyer put it: By the death of Christ on the cross, the law which condemned men lost its penal authority, inasmuch as Christ by His death endured for man the curse of the law and became the end of the law.

Kelly summarizes neatly: The law is not dead, but we have died to it.Paul’s language here very likely refers to an ancient practice of nailing the written evidence of a canceled debt in a public place as a notice to all that the creditor had no more claim on the debtor. 2:15 By His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and ascension, the Lord Jesus also conquered evil powers, making a public spectacle of them, and triumphing over them. We believe that this is the same triumph that is described in Ephesians 4, where the Lord Jesus is said to have led captivity captive. His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were a glorious triumph over all the hosts of hell and of Satan. As He passed up through the atmosphere on His way back to heaven, He passed through the very domain of the one who is the prince of the power of the air. Perhaps this verse carries special comfort for those who have been converted from demonism but who might still be obsessed with a fear of evil spirits. There is nothing to fear if we are in Christ, because He has disarmed principalities and powers.2:16 Once again the Apostle Paul is ready to make the application of what he has just been stating. We might summarize the foregoing as follows: The Colossians had died to all efforts to please God by the flesh. They had not only died, but they had been buried with Christ and had risen with Christ to a new kind of life. Therefore they should be done forever with the Judaizers and Gnostics, who were trying to draw them back to the very things to which the Colossians had died. So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.

All human religions place men under bondage to ordinances, rules, regulations, and a religious calendar. This calendar usually includes annual observances (holy days), monthly festivals (new moons), or weekly holidays (sabbaths). The expression Therefore let no one judge you means that a Christian cannot be justly condemned by others if, for instance, he eats pork, or if he fails to observe religious festivals or holy days. Some false cults, such as Spiritism, insist on their members abstaining from meats. For centuries Roman Catholics were not supposed to eat meat on Friday. Many churches require abstinence from certain foods during Lent.

Others, like the Mormons, say that a person cannot be a member in good standing if he drinks tea or coffee. Still others, notably the Seventh Day Adventists, insist that a person must keep the Sabbath in order to please God. The Christian is not under such ordinances. For a fuller treatment of the law, the Sabbath, and legalism, see the excurses at Mat_5:18, Mat_12:8, and Gal_6:18. 2:17 The Jewish religious observances were a shadow of things to come, but the substance (or body) is Christ’s. They were instituted in the OT as a pre-picture. For instance, the Sabbath was given as a type of the rest which would be the portion of all who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that the Lord Jesus has come, why should men continue to be occupied with the shadows? It is the same as being occupied with a picture when the very person pictured is present. 2:18 It is rather difficult to know the exact meaning of this verse, because we are not fully acquainted with all that the Gnostics taught. Perhaps it means that these people pretended to be so humble that they would not dare to approach God directly. Perhaps the Gnostics taught that they must approach God through angels, and so in their supposed humility they worshiped angels rather than the Lord. We have something similar to this in the world today. There are Roman Catholics who say that they would not think of praying directly to God or to the Lord Jesus, and so their motto is To Jesus through Mary. This seems to be a false humility on their part and a worshiping of a created being.

Christians should not allow anyone to rob them of their reward by such unscriptural practices. The word is clear that there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1Ti_2:5). The Apostle Paul goes on with the obscure expression: intruding into those things which he has not seen. The Gnostics professed to have deep, secret mysteries, and in order to learn what these mysteries were, a person had to be initiated. Perhaps the secrets included many so-called visions. Supposed visions are an important element in such present-day heresies as Mormonism, Spiritism, Catholicism, and Swedenborgianism. Those who were members of the inner circle were naturally proud of their secret knowledge. Paul therefore adds: Vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.

They took a superior attitude toward others and created the impression that one could be happy only through entering into these deep secrets. We might pause here to say that much of this is characteristic of the secret fraternal organizations of our day. The Christian who is walking in fellowship with his Lord will have neither time nor sympathy for such organizations. The important point to notice in this verse is that the various religious practices of these men were performed according to their own will. They had no scriptural authority. They did not act in subjection to Christ. They became vainly puffed up by the mind of their flesh because they were doing exactly what they themselves wanted to do, in independence of the Lord; yet their conduct appeared to be humble and religious. 2:19 And not holding fast to the Head. The Lord Jesus is here spoken of as the Head of the Body. To hold to the Head means to live with the consciousness that Christ is Head, drawing the supply of all our needs from His exhaustless resources, and doing all for His glory. It means looking to the Lord in glory for sustenance and direction, and keeping in touch with Him. This is further explained in the expression that follows: from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. The various parts of the human body are connected by joints and ligaments.

The body in turn is joined to the head. The body looks to the head for guidance and direction. That is just the thought that the Apostle Paul is emphasizing here. The members of Christ’s Body on earth should find all their satisfaction and sufficiency in Him, and not be lured away by the convincing arguments of these false teachers. Holding fast to the Head emphasizes the necessity for a moment-by-moment dependence on the Lord. Yesterday’s help will not do for today. We can’t grind grain with the water that has passed over the dam. It should also be added here that where Christians do hold to the Head, the result will be spontaneous action which will coordinate with other members of the Body. 2:20 The basic principles of the world, as used in this verse, refer to rituals and ordinances. For instance, the rituals of the OT were rudiments of the world in the sense that they taught the elementary principles of religion, the ABC’s (Gal_4:9-11). Perhaps Paul is also thinking of the rituals and ordinances connected with Gnosticism and other religions. In particular, the apostle is dealing with asceticism, springing from a Judaism which had already lost its standing with God, or from Gnosticism or any other cult which never had any standing with God. Since the Colossians had died with Christ, Paul asks them why there was still a desire to subject themselves to such regulations; to do so would be to forget that they had severed their ties with the world. Perhaps the question will arise in some minds: If a Christian is dead to ordinances, why does he still retain baptism and the Lord’s Supper?

The most obvious answer is that these two ordinances of the Christian Church are taught in the NT. However, they are not means of grace, making us more fit for heaven or helping us to gain merit before God. Rather, they are simple acts of obedience to the Lord, indicating respectively, identification with Christ and remembrance of Him in His death. They are not so much laws to be kept as privileges to be enjoyed. 2:21 This verse is better understood if we supply the words such as at the beginning. In other words, Paul is saying in verse 20, Why, as though living in the world, do you submit yourselves to regulationssuch as (v. 21) Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle? Strangely enough, some have taught that Paul was here commanding the Colossians not to touch, taste, or handle! This, of course, is the very opposite of the meaning of the passage. It should be mentioned here that some authorities, such as William Kelly, believe that the order of the clauses in this verse should be: Handle not; Neither taste; Nor even touch. This order would describe an increasing severity in the practice of asceticism. 2:22 The meaning is still further explained in verse 22. These are prohibitions which are manmade, as is indicated by the expression according to the commandments and doctrines of men. Is this the essence of true religion, to be occupied with meats and drinks, rather than with the living Christ Himself? Weymouth translates verses 20-22 as follows: If you have died with Christ and have escaped from the world’s rudimentary notions, why, as though your life still belonged to the world, do you submit to such precepts as Do not handle this; Do not taste that; Do not touch that other thingreferring to things which are all intended to be used up and to perishin obedience to mere human injunctions and teachings? 2:23 These practices of man’s religion all create a seeming appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and severity to the body. Self-imposed religion means that these people adopt a form of worship according to their own ideas of what is right, rather than according to God’s word. They seem to be religious but it is not true Christianity. False humility has already been explainedthey pretend to be too humble to approach God directly, and so they use angelic mediators. Neglect of the body refers to the practice of asceticism. It is the belief that through self-denial or self-torture, man can achieve a higher state of holiness. This is found in Hinduism and other mystical religions of the East. What is the value of all these practices? Perhaps it is best expressed in the closing part of this verse: of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. All of these put on a fine appearance outwardly, but they do not succeed in checking the indulgence of the flesh. (Even the well-intentioned temperance pledges fail to achieve their goal.) Every false system utterly fails to make men better. While creating the impression that there is something the flesh can do to merit God’s favor, they are unable to restrain the passions and lusts of the flesh. The Christian attitude is that we have died to the flesh with all its passions and lusts, and from now on we live to the glory of God. We do this, not out of fear of punishment, but rather out of love to the One who gave Himself for us.

A. T. Robertson put it well: It is love that makes us really free to do right. Love makes the choice easy. Love makes the face of duty beautiful. Love makes it sweet to keep up with Christ.

Love makes the service of goodness freedom.