Colossians 2
1I 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. 2My 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, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5For 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.
Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See 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.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,[b] God made you[c] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having 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. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[d]
16Therefore 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. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do 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. 19He 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.
20Since 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: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such 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.
Footnotes:
[a] Colossians 2:11 Or the flesh
[b] Colossians 2:13 Or your flesh
[c] Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
[d] Colossians 2:15 Or them in him
6 comments:
Col 2
18Do 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. 19He 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.
--Does anyone else visualize a chicken with their Head cut off? I can understand what Paul is saying here, another way to put it is without direction from God, we get excited about the wrong things and head down the wrong paths.
20Since 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: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such 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.
--While I didn't know this particular verse, this has haunted me in regards to the media's view of "Religion". I want be careful with my wording here:
I don't blame the media/public for their disdain of Christianity in general. I believe that a collective "we" have done an adequate job over the last 20 years of discrediting ourselves. I am frustrated by the continued bombardment within the last 3-4 years however that I feel is, in fact, unjust.
Why I chose to bring this up is that vs. 23 was how I (and my wife) were brought up in the church: self-denial, aloofness, and guilt.
Lord, Help us to aid the misguided within Your church that we may be more effective stewards to the rest of the world. Guide our "ka-tet" to continue to grow individually and collectively, towards You. In Jesus' amazing name,
Amen
crb
1. ka-tet
-a group bound together by fate to achieve a common goal. Ka, meaning destiny, + tet group. From Stephen King's "The Waste Lands"
20Since 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: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?
Men...this one kills me...i feel like i ask myself this CONSTANTLY...how, as a self proclaimed Christian, how wants to evangelize, who knows the importance of serving, who desires to see others change their beliefs and accept Christ, can i continually find myself giving into temptations of this world. i often tell myself, that i wouldnt have done "fill in sin here" if i saw God standing before me. But this is where i must change, because God IS standing in front of me. He does see, does know, and He does cry when i give into temptation.
Father God, i pray for all of these men, that we would be able to follow you and deny the temptations of this world. Not just now, as we read this or pray this, for this is easy, but after this moment when we are in the heat of the battle and when we are staring at temptation. God, we are not perfect, nor can we be, but God give us immeasuabel Faith and Trust and Strength to follow your commands and only your commands. Amen.
This is getting good boys!!
timmcd6, if you ask me, that is what the devil wants us to beat ourselves up about from now until we return to be home with the Father. He does not want you to understand true agape love and that Christ has paid the price for your sins and are truly FORGIVEN. It is not conditional. CRB nailed it, read Roms 7:14-8:2. I can say that over the years I have used this as a "crutch" and tell myself that the most prolific writer in the bible has captured my essence and he was talking about himself.
As far as my thoughts on Col 2, this is what jumped out at me:
7Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
What an amazing description of how we should see our devotion to Him
Father, let us all become so rooted in you that all around us want to know you.
timmcd6, you and your family and future wife are certainly in my prayers
IN Christ,
cas
On behalf of crb, I offer the following comment:
Maybe you guys have some insight to help aid my confusion, but I have always read this verse in the opposite context:
20Since 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 : 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings .
I've always interpreted these comments in regards to the "Law", in all of its minutia, that we should not sit around and worry if we are approaching someone to share the gospel "in the right way", but instead that if we do things with a good heart, it is our intention and our acts that matter, rather than applying the Old Testament Law as to HOW things are done. Tim, if I read it your way, I (and I think all of us) struggle mightily. We're human. We sin. We're sons of Adam. We will sin in the future. But while God hates our sin, he is overwhelmed in love by your own conviction. Even Paul knows of what you speak: Romans 7:
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? F24 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
May God bless your day,
crb
Just a reminder, to post comments as a reply to other comments, rather than emailing the team. This keeps a record/account of our struggle/wrestling with the Word in a threaded fashion.
To accomplish this the easiest way, simply look at the bottom of the email which is giving you the comments from a particular post and click on the link at the bottom entitled "The Sounding". It will take you to the specific comment and you can then post a reply there.
I hope this makes sense. If it doesn't just let me know and I will give you a call so we can clarify.
Blessings, Men.
er
Wow!
This chapter continues on with placing Christ firmly in the center of Christianity. It is as if we are on a ship on a stormy night and we must "lash" ourselves to something solid lest we get tossed overboard by the crashing waves and wind. In whom or what do we trust enough in the raging storm to lash to? After this chapter, Paul shows why "religion," "asceticism," or anything other than Christ is simpy the wrong choice.
You already pointed out some of the central verses, so I will avoid the redundancy. I also loved crb's comments about vs. 19 regarding "chicken's with their heads cut off." Seems to be sadly on the mark.
In vs. 20-23 it seems to me that the basic point is on whose terms do we approach God...the world's or God's. Any other approach, whether moralistic or religious, that is not centered and rooted in Christ is not going to be of any benefit to us.
In light of this whole chapter, I am reminded to seek first the Kingdom of God through Christ. All the rest will be vanity in the end.
Father God, thanks so much for the blessing of Christ in our lives. May we never substitute man-made religion for life in and through Your Son.
In Christ's name,
er
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