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.

Bible Study Colossians: 1: 15-29

 

A Commentary of the Book of Colossians 

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study Colossians: 1: 15-29

Text:

The Firstborn of All Creation

15 [a]Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For [b]in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 And He [c]is before all things,
And in Him all things [d]hold together. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church;
Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For in Him [e]all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in [f]heaven. 21 And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, 22 but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [g]the faith firmly grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, [h]was made a [i]minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and I fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I [j]was made a minister according to the stewardship from God given to me for you, so that I might [k]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [l]saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man [m]with all wisdom, so that we may present every man [n]complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His working, which He works in me in power.

Verse by verse commentary

In verses 15-20, Paul breaks into a doxology to the grandeur and glory of Jesus Christ. Many believe Paul is writing an early Christian hymn. 

Verse 15: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

For Paul, belief in the deity of Christ is practical. Since He is by nature God, Christ reveals the God who is otherwise invisible.  John Calvin wrote that “we must be careful not to look for Him anywhere else, for apart from Christ whatever offers itself to us in the name of God will turn out to be an idol”. We know that God is too awesome to look directly at. No one could see His face and live. However, since Christ was 100% human and 100% Divine, those alive in the first century could behold Him face to face. The Lord Jesus Christ was the physical image of an invisible God. Paul was not saying that Christ was the first born in the time of earth. Used of Christ, the term “firstborn” meant that He has such honor and dignity, not that He was the oldest child in a family. Christ is especially loved by His Father, and all things were created in Him, by Him, and for Him. In the Old Testament, the first born had special privileges. In is in this way Paul uses the word “firstborn.”

Verse 16: “For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

These are various categories of angels whom Christ created and rules over today. There is no comment regarding whether they are holy or fallen, but He is Lord of both groups. The false teachers had incorporated into their heresy the worship of angels, including the lie that Jesus was one of them, merely a spirit created by God and inferior to Him. Satan has used this deception many times. The lie goes that either Jesus was just a man, or He was only a Spirit, or that he was only a man until His baptism and then he became Divine. The Trinity is essential to salvation. The Father chose His elect, the Son agreed to redeem the elect through the cross, and the Holy Spirit agreed to place this truth into the hearts of the elect. Salvation is a work of the Trinity. Groups that deny the Trinity, e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals, are doomed unless they repent and believe the Gospel. Paul closes the verse stating that Christ is the cause and sustainer of all things created.

Verse 17: “And He is before all things,

And in Him all things hold together.”

The word “is” means has existed prior to to. “Hold” means to endure. It is clear that Paul is making sure that the Colossians understand that Christ is not only the Creator, but also the 

Sustainer. The Lord Jesus Christ is above all and there is nothing above Him.

Verse 18: “And He is the head of the body, the church;

Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”

Christ is the head of the church. Sadly, most churches in the USA have replaced Him with dreams, visions, spiritual gifts and human reasoning. Christ has caused His Words to be written in a book, the Holy Bible. He has said all He is going to say about how to operate His church. Christ is the first born from the dead and He provides us hope that we will rise again as well. Christ must be first in everything for the believer. He will take no second position. This is another reason why Christ must be Lord of your life if you are going to be converted. If He is not in first place, you are not born again. This is called “Lordship Salvation.” There is no salvation that is not Lordship Salvation.

Verse 19: “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,”

The words “all the fullness” was likely used by those in the Colossian heresy to refer to divine powers and attributes they believed were divided among various emanations (an abstract but perceptible thing that issues or originates from a source). Paul responded by asserting that the fullness of deity, all the divine powers and attributes, were not spread out among creation, but completely in Christ alone. 

Verse 20: “And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him—whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

This is the high point of the hymn. Man’s fall into sin brought with it the corruption of all creation, seen and unseen including man’s free will. Through the Gospel, man can be saved. The Gospel is Christ born of a virgin, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended into heaven, and His coming again. Christ redeemed the elect through His shed blood. He made peace between God and humankind and the eventual glorification of the created order is guaranteed, and the demonic spirit beings have their powers limited.

Verse 21: “And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds,”

Evil actions begin with thoughts in an evil mind. Paul is showing the link between thoughts and actions. The flesh is pleased to unite with a mind ruined by sin and seeking to violate God’s laws. Paul is making the point that these activities belonged to the Colossians' former lives before salvation, but not part of their current practices.

Verse 22: “but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—”

Christ’s death in the flesh on the cross means that the reconciliation God has accomplished is not merely in name only. There is imputed and imparted righteousness. Imputed righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus credited to the Christian, enabling the Christian to be justified; imparted righteousness is what God does in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit after justification, working in the Christian to enable and empower the process of sanctification. Imputed righteousness does not describe our auctions, but rather those of Christ. Imparted righteousness is a synergistic approach that actually makes us more Christlike everyday.

Verse 23: “if indeed you continue in the faith firmly grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”

Saving faith is a faith that perseveres and endures. For most of my Christian life, I have been in denominations that were Arminian. Those groups made man’s free will their God and believed that since you were in control of your salvation, you could choose to be unsaved. Man’s will became the most powerful force in the universe. I have repented of those heresies. Let me be as clear as I can be, if you are genuinely saved, you will persevere and endure. You will not lose your salvation. How can I be so sure? Because it was not you that saved you. God the Father chose His children before Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden. Revelations 17: 8 reads: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” Notice when the saved person had his or her name written in the book of life. It was written before you were born. Paul is making clear that your faith will make it to the end of your life. Because it was God’s choice to save you before the foundation of the world.

Verse 24: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and I fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of His body, which is the church,”

Remembering the context of this passage, which stresses the total sufficiency of Christ, as well as what he previously wrote, Paul does not mean that Christ’s saving work on the cross is deficient in any way. Rather, because the church is called to suffer for Christ, there is a divinely appointed requisite of suffering to be endured by Christians. Paul may also have in view here the sufferings which will accompany the tribulation. It is heretical to tell someone, “Come to Jesus and all your problems will be solved.” No my friend, you can expect more problems from Satan, his demons and the world. They hate you and will try to destroy you. However, as the previous explanation states, because it is God Who saved you, you will preserve and make heaven. Suffering is part of the Christian life, notwithstanding what the rich prosperity preachers say on television or the Internet.

Verse 25: “of which I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God given to me for you, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,”

A steward was a slave who managed his master’s household, supervising the other servants, and handling business and financial affairs. Paul viewed himself as a slave to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a slave to our Lord. We are to view our efforts to promote the Gospel the same way. We are slaves. This is not just for ministers, but for the entire body of Christ.

Verse 26: “that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,

This refers to the truth of the Gospel message, hidden until Christ’s First Advent, but revealed for the first time to the saints in the New Testament. The Old Testament saints had prophecies but the believers today have the complete Word of God and things hidden now are made plain. There are no excuses. We are so blessed to be alive and have an understanding of Christ’s message. But, to whom much is given, much is required. We are responsible for taking the true Gospel message to the entire world.

Verse 27: “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The Old Testament prophecies predicted the coming of the Messiah and that the Gentiles would partake of salvation, but it did not reveal that the Messiah would actually live in each member of His redeemed church, made up mostly of Gentiles. While the Old Testament saints had the prophecies, there is no way they could have understood them the way we can with almost 2000 years since Christ had His first advent. In Hebrew prophecy, you treat it like the way you row a boat. When rowing, you look at the direction you are coming from and not where you're going. Many times things make more sense with hindsight. Many times I have said the phrase, “So that is what that meant.” Often, we understand what God was doing after we see the effects of His doing.

Verse 28: “Him we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.”

Paul is reminding the Colossians of the scope of Christ’s Lordship and the way Christ’s redemptive work has come to impact on their lives. No one is the same when they are born again. I have jokingly remarked it is like a train wreck. By this I mean, when you see a train wreck you cannot help but notice the crash. There is a difference in the train and what it looks like. In the same way, when someone is saved, they are different. They are not the same person and it is noticeable. God’s redemptive plan will bring the person to completion. The King James Version uses the word “perfect.” This does not mean sinless perfection, but rather a state of completeness in Christ. This means that person sees Christ as 100% in charge of his salvation. It is all God and zero man. Salvation is of the Lord. (Jonah 2:9)

Verse 29: “For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His working, which He works in me in power.”

This verse speaks of the sanctification process. Paul states he labors and strives. He does so by cooperating with the Holy Spirit when the Spirit works in him. Whereas salvation is 100% God, sanctification is synergistic with God and man working together. Man responds to the grace placed in his new heart in faith and repentance and as he does so, he will be complete in Christ.