Bible Study Colossians: 2: 1-14

 

A Commentary of the Book of Colossians 

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Colossians: 2: 1-14

Text: 

Alive with Christ

2 For I want you to understand how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 so that their hearts may be encouraged, having been held together in love, even unto all the wealth of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing [a]to see your good order and the stability of your faith in Christ.

6 Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so [b]walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established [c]in your faith—just as you were instructed—and abounding [d]with thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily, 10 and in Him you have been filled, who is the head [e]over all rule and authority; 11 in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you being dead [f]in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. 14 Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having [g]disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in [h]Him.

16 Therefore, no one is to judge you in food and drink, or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath [i]day— 17 things which are only a shadow of what is to come; but the [j]substance [k]belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one keep [l]defrauding you of your prize by delighting in [m]self-abasement and the worship of the angels, going into detail about visions he has seen, being puffed up for nothing by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and [n]ligaments, grows with a growth [o]that is from God.

20 If you have died with Christ [p]to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees: 21 “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”? 22 Which [q]deal with everything destined to perish [r]with use, which are in accordance with the commands and teachings of men; 23 which are matters having, to be sure, a [s]word of wisdom in [t]self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Verse by verse commentary

Verse 1: “For I want you to understand how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh,”

Observe the emotion which Paul had for these Colossians and the other churches which he had not any personal knowledge of. He had never been to Colosse, and the church planted there was not of his planting. Paul struggled for people he had never met or spoke to except in letters. May we have the same struggle for those we see every week.

Verse 2: “so that their hearts may be encouraged, having been held together in love, even unto all the wealth of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,”

“Understanding” of the fullness of the gospel, along with emotional encouragement and shared love, mark mature disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who, thereby, enjoy the “assurance” of salvation. Let this be the goal of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 3: “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

The false teachers attacking the Colossians claimed to possess a secret mystical wisdom and transcendent knowledge available only to the spiritual elite. In contrast, Paul declared that all the richness of truth necessary for salvation, sanctification, and glorification is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself is God revealed. The mystery has been revealed in Christ. There are no more excuses, it is repent or perish.

Verse 4: “I say this so that no one will delude you with a persuasive argument.”

Paul was a doctrinal purist. He disliked false teachers and teaching, and was always ready to point out errors. Paul is reminding the Colossians of the scope of Christ’s Lordship and the way Christ’s redemptive work has come to transform  their lives. Now he turns to his own role in God’s evangelistic plan and the relationship he hopes to establish between himself and the Colossians, most of whom he has not met, in order to draw them from the captivity of the so-called heresy in their midst.

Verse 5: “For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the stability of your faith in Christ.”

Since he was a prisoner, Paul was unable to be present with the Colossians. That did not mean, however, that his love and concern for them was any less. Paul wanted to make sure that the Colossiansd were taught the truth and knowing the truth would insure the Colossians stability in the Christian faith.

Verse 6: “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,”

Receiving Christ meant that one would have felt Holy Spirit conviction for being a lost sinner, realized the lost condition of his soul, saw that his only hope was the substitute provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, and been born again as a new creature in Christ. This would be transformational in every aspect of his life. There is no genuine salvation without obedience in your walk. This does not imply absolute perfection, but rather a process of sanctification that the Christian experiences daily as he becomes more Christlike.

Verse 7: “having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him, and having been established in your faith—just as you were instructed—and abounding with thanksgiving.”

There will be little growth if the Christian relies on false teachers and teachings. The sense here is objective, referring to the truth of Christian doctrine. There is clear orthodox teaching available to us today. The doctrine must be based on the Word of God. Spiritual maturity develops upward from the foundation of biblical truth as the bedrock of truth. This rooting, building, and establishing is in sound doctrine as taught by the Apostles. “God told me,” is no substitute for Scriptural truth. If someone says, “God told me,” I respond with “Bye-bye.”

Verse 8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

To “take you captive,” is the term for robbery. False teachers who are successful in getting people to believe lies, then rob them of truth, salvation, and blessing. Most of the doctrines taught in churches today contain errors. The Word of God is marginalized, God humanized, and man exalted to deity.  “Philosophy” (literally “love of wisdom”) appears only here in the New Testament. The word referred to more than merely the academic discipline, but described any man made 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. Any teaching not based on the Scriptures is in error and designed to be like the snake in the Garden of Eden. The false teaching is designed to take your eyes off God’s Word and onto vain philosophies and errors.

Verse 9: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily,”

Hear this all you who deny the full divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ! He is 100% Divine and 100% human. If you don’t believe this, you are lost and headed to a devil’s hell. Christ was fully divine and that is why He could be the Perfect sacrifice for the elects’ sins. Christ has “ALL” the fullness of Deity, not a partial fullness which is a contradiction.

Verse 10: “and in Him you have been filled, who is the head over all rule and authority;”

Believers are complete in Christ, both positionally by the imputed perfect righteousness of Christ, and practically, because righteousness is imparted to them as well, all designed for our spiritual maturity. It is a mistake to think that salvation only brings imputed righteousness (means we are still unrighteous but God only sees Christ’s holiness when He looks at us), but salvation also brings the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify (set us apart more and more for God) us daily for our growth in grace.

Verse 11: “in whom you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,”

Circumcision in the Old Testament was a ritual performed in the flesh to cut away skin from the man’s private area. Circumcision in the New Covenant is a spiritual act performed by the Holy Spirit when the carnal nature is removed when one is baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas, the Old Testament method focused on the flesh and did not yield permanent results, the New Testament circumcision is of the Spirit and leads to a lasting result throughout eternity. Paul wants the Colossians to know that their circumcision will lead to a different result than the one performed in the Old Testament.

Verse 12: “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”

In the Old Testament, circumcision demonstrated being consecrated (in covenant) to the service of God. Paul here declares that this consecration has now been fully accomplished by Christ, as signified in baptism. When we are buried in baptism, this correlates to Christ being buried in the tomb. As Christ was raised on that Sunday morning into new life, when we come out of the water in baptism,we enter into a new life of consecration (being dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ) because just as the Father raised His Son Jesus Christ, so will He raise us on our resurrection day.

Verse 13: “And you being dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions.”

This is shouting ground for the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! We were once dead, not partially or mostly dead, but rather graveyard dead. We were powerless to save ourselves. Without the grace of God being given to our hearts, we would never be saved from sin. We were all destined for the fires of hell, but God in His infinite grace and mercy, chose some to save. Until you were made alive in regeneration, you would not come to Christ in repentance. Regeneration precedes faith, not the other way around. The Father grants His sheep a new heart and that new heart wants God. The old one was spiritually dead. The individual responds with his new heart with faith and repentance and he or she is born again! It is the work of God, not man.

Verse 14: “Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Paul sees the cancellation of the death warrant that stood against transgressors of the law. The believer is no longer subject to the threat of the law’s condemnation. I have said for years, you must have a substitute to pay for your sins, or you will. Think about the fact that every sin you have committed, are committing, or will commit has been naked to the cross at Calvary and Christ has paid your sin debt in full. Every sin you will ever commit has been nailed to the old rugged cross. Thank Him for His grace and mercy.