This is week 5 of our study of Colossians “Look Up! Living Below For Who Is Above!”
Introduction
Last week, we delved into the “mystery” of Christ and the purpose of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. This week, we will find out in more detail what Paul was warning the church about.
Question – What are some ways that churches sometimes put things ahead of Christ and His sacrifice?
4 “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Spiritual Fullness in Christ
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Verses 4 and 5 – “I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.”
These verses tell the Colossians the reason why Paul has laid the foundation of Christ’s supremacy so that they would not be deceived and stray from the truth.
Verse 6 and 7 – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Here Paul is simply telling them to remember their foundational belief – Jesus as Lord – and reminds them to stay ‘rooted’ in their faith.
Verse 8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”
This is similar to the purpose of Paul’s letter (verses 4 and 5) although he spells out in more detail the deception that was creeping into the church. In addition, Paul is sounding the alarm that they must steer clear of this philosophy. (See concluding remarks and application)
Verses 9 and 10 – “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
Paul is simply stating once again the supremacy of Christ
Verses 11-13 – “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.”
Old Testament circumcision symbolized a cutting away, or separation from wickedness, ungodliness, and all that were unholy in the world. The believer under the new covenant (i.e., God’s plan of salvation and a renewed relationship with people through the life and sacrifice of His Son) has experienced a spiritual circumcision symbolizing the “putting off of our sinful nature. Such circumcision is a spiritual act by which Christ cuts away our old nature of rebellion against God and gives us a renewed spiritual life characterized by the same life-transforming power that raised Jesus from the dead. This is a circumcision of the heart.
Verses 14-15 – “…..He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
The old covenant as a way of maintaining a relationship with God through keeping commands and making sacrifices has been nailed to the cross because Christ fulfilled the law perfectly and became the perfect sacrifice once and for all. In the process, God established a better covenant through Christ’s life and by the power of His Spirit.
Concluding Remarks and Application
Paul is warning us as well to be on guard against all philosophies, religions, and traditions that emphasize humans functioning independently from God and His written revelation; as found in the Bible. Today, one of the greatest philosophical threats to true Bible-based Christianity is “secular humanism” (Humanism is a thought system based on values, characteristics, and behaviors that are believed to be best in human beings rather than any supernatural authority.) This has become the underlying philosophy (i.e., worldly, non-spiritual) education, government, and society in general. It is also the established viewpoint of most of the news and entertainment media throughout the world.
