Colossians 2
"Trusting God's blueprint ensures a life built on the solid foundation of Christ."
Devotional Insight: Grace and Truth Study Bible
Photo Credit: Unsplash
In Colossians 2, Paul addresses the believers in Colossae and Laodicea, emphasizing the importance of unity in love and the full assurance that comes from understanding the mystery of God—Christ Himself. He warns against deceptive philosophies rooted in human tradition and elemental spiritual forces, which can lead believers astray. Paul asserts that in Christ dwells the fullness of deity, and through union with Him, believers are made complete. He highlights the spiritual transformation that occurs through Christ: the circumcision of the heart, resurrection from spiritual death, forgiveness of sins, and triumph over demonic powers. Paul cautions against adhering to outdated religious rituals and false humility, urging believers to remain connected to Christ, the head of the church, from whom the entire body grows and is nourished.
Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture
I have knit you together in love, encouraging your hearts so that you may have the full riches of complete understanding, knowing the mystery of God—Christ. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you with fine-sounding arguments. Though you have not seen Paul in person, his spirit rejoices to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
As you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and elemental spiritual forces rather than on Christ.
In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Him, you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In Him, you were also circumcised, not with a physical circumcision, but with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the sinful nature. You were buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all your sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against you and stood opposed to you; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Therefore, 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. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on false humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about visions they have seen, puffed up without reason by their sensuous mind. They have 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.
Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Scripture References: Colossians 2:2–23
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine you're assembling a piece of furniture with a detailed instruction manual. Midway, someone hands you an alternative set of instructions, claiming it's a better method. Confused, you try to follow both, but the pieces no longer fit together, and the structure becomes unstable. Similarly, when we add human traditions or philosophies to the gospel, we disrupt the perfect design God has provided in Christ. Trusting solely in His blueprint ensures a sturdy and complete life of faith.
Prayer
Father, I stand in the completeness You've granted me through Christ. You've rooted me in Him, built me up, and established me in faith. I overflow with gratitude, knowing that in Him, I lack nothing. The allure of human traditions and deceptive philosophies holds no power over me, for I am anchored in the truth of the gospel. Thank You for the freedom and fullness I have in Christ.