Colossians 2(06–15)

Introduction

Last week we were thinking about how the Lord Jesus Christ is the mystery hidden in Old Testament times, but who was revealed to the world in New Testament times. He was there during the times of the Old Testament in the sense that every prophet, priest and king, and every sacrifice offered at the tabernacle and temple, and the Passover Lamb and the Exodus and all kinds of other types and ordinances foreshadowed the Christ who was to come into the world. So, the good news of Jesus Christ was there, during Old Testament times, but it was hidden from the people under these types and shadows. But then, Christ came into the world and what was hidden was revealed and it became clear that he had come to save us from our sin and misery by laying down his life for us on the cross. And it became clear too that he was not just Saviour for the Jews, but he was Saviour for the Gentiles too, because everyone who believes in him — whether Jew or Gentile — is pardoned and accepted by God and receives the free gift of eternal life.

And since this is true, since Christ is the mystery, once hidden, but now revealed, and the only Saviour of the world, then ‘him we proclaim’. That is, we proclaim Christ. That’s what Paul did. That’s what the other apostles did. That’s what every preacher must do. Preachers must preach Christ, because he is the mystery, once hidden, but now revealed and the only Saviour of the world.

And Paul has been writing to the Colossians about Christ, because the believers in Colosse were in danger. Their physical lives weren’t in danger, but their spiritual lives were in danger. And they were in danger because of what certain false teachers were teaching them. They were teaching a kind of Jewish mysticism which was an amalgamation of different ideas drawn from Judaism and from paganism. In today’s passage Paul refers to their hollow and deceptive philosophy. And he says it depends on human tradition and on the basic principles of this world. And later he’ll refer to their holy days and to special diets. And he’ll mention how they worshipped angels. And he’ll refer to their visions. And he says about them that what they believed does not depend on Christ; and that they have lost connection with the Head, who is Christ. And some of the commentators think they promoted this kind of thing in order to ward off evil and to show people how to have a higher, better spiritual life. And Paul is warning his readers and us not to be led astray and deceived by this kind of false teaching.

And the world is full of this kind of false teaching. I said one week that people in the world turn to religion to help them deal with all the sin and misery which fills their lives. However, because we’re sinners — who are sinfully inclined to suppress the truth about God, which is all around us in the world — we naturally turn to false religions instead of turning to the true religion and to the true God. And so, the world today is full of false religions. And the world is full of cults and religious sects. And as well as religions and cults and sects, there are all the isms which people believe in today. I was listening to a talk on YouTube given by someone who used to teach me in Edinburgh. He was asked to speak about science and Christianity, and with a nod to Ephesians 6:12, he said that we wrestle not against flesh and blood… but against isms.

As an example he mentioned scientism. Don’t mistake scientism for science. Science is a way to understand the world around us by means of observation and experiment. And it’s invaluable, because where would we be without science and all the knowledge it has given us and the advances it has brought us in medicine and technology and in other areas of life? That’s science. But scientism is the belief that the natural or material world around us is all there is; and that science is the best way or indeed the only way to know the truth about reality. And it’s a form of belief. It’s a kind of religion, because people rely on it to make sense of the world and to deal with the sin and misery which fills their lives.

I mentioned consumerism recently which is the belief that we can make a better world for ourselves through all the goods and services we create and consume and enjoy. And once we spread wealth and prosperity throughout the nations, we’ll have heaven on earth. And it’s a form of belief. It’s a kind of religion, because people rely on it to make sense of the world and to deal with the sin and misery which fills their lives.

And there are lots of other isms and ideologies which people believe in and which they rely on to make sense of the world. And in the face of such unbelief, God has sent preachers to proclaim Christ who is supreme over the old creation and who is supreme over the new creation; and in him all things hold together; and through him God reconciles to himself all things by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Christ is only Saviour of the world: the only one who can save us from our sin and misery in this life and in the next.

In today’s passage, Paul tells his readers — and that includes us — that we must continue to live as followers of Christ; and we must see to it that no-one takes us captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies or religions.

Verses 6 and 7

In verses 6 and 7, Paul says to his readers that just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord — or it should probably be just as we received Christ Jesus the Lord — continue to live in him.

Think about a family heirloom which is passed down from one generation to the next. Our think of a family farm which is passed from father to son. What would we think of a family member who received that family heirloom and didn’t take care of it? Or what would we think of a son who inherited the family farm and let to go to ruin? We wouldn’t think much of them, would we? And we have received something precious, haven’t we? Perhaps we received it from our parents or from a minister or from a Sunday School teacher or from a friend. We received from them the good news about Jesus Christ. They taught us the good news and God graciously enabled us to believe and to trust in Christ for salvation. And so, the good news has come to us. And it’s more precious than a family heirloom or a family farm. It’s more precious than anything else in this world, because whoever has Christ has forgiveness and peace with God and the sure and certain hope of the resurrection and eternal life in God’s presence.

We have received the good news of Jesus Christ. And instead of giving up this precious message, we must hold on to it. Or, as Paul says here, let’s continue to live in him. Let’s continue to live as followers of Christ. Let’s not despise what we have received. Let’s not abandon it. Let’s not turn away from him. But let’s continue to live as one of his followers in the world.

And that means, according to verse 7, being rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. The word ‘rooted’ makes us think of a plant, whereas the words ‘built up’ make us think of a building. So, Paul wants us to think of ourselves as plants and as buildings. But the point of both images is that we must remain connected to Christ. If we picture ourselves as a plant, we must remained rooted to Christ. If we picture ourselves as a building, we must be built on Christ. A plant without roots will die; and a building without a foundation will collapse. And therefore we must remain united to Christ, because to turn away from him or to leave him behind will only lead to spiritual disaster for us.

And so, we must be strengthened or established in the faith as we were taught. So, instead of listening to what false teachers say, we should devote ourselves to what true teachers say. We must devote ourselves to the word of the Lord as it has been taught to us in church. And in this way, we’ll be strengthened and established as believers and we’ll be less likely to turn away from Christ and his salvation.

And Paul also says we’re to overflow with thankfulness. Christians should be the most thankful of people, because we know that every good thing we enjoy has come to us from God. And we know that God did not spare his Son, but he gave him up for us and for our salvation. And we know that, because of Christ, God does not deal with us according to our sins. Instead he pardons us and gives us the hope of eternal life. And we know we don’t deserve any of this. And so, knowing this, we should be the most thankful of people.

And perhaps the false teachers were attracting people who were overflowing with fear. They were afraid of what evil spirits might do to them. But Christians need not be afraid. Instead we can be thankful, because we have peace with God through faith in Christ; and God promises to work all things together for our good, so that we need not be afraid of anything or anyone, whether visible or invisible, because God is able to overcome what they do to us and use it for our good.

So, just as you have received Jesus Christ the Lord, continue to live as his followers in the world. Don’t turn away from him. Don’t abandon the faith. Keep trusting in him and walk in his ways. And be thankful.

Verses 8 to 10

And having told us positively to continue to live in Christ, Paul now warns us in verse 8 to see to it that no-one takes us captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.

The word ‘captive’ makes us think of the military. So, just as a lookout has to stand guard and watch out for the enemy, so we are to stand guard and watch out for those who are trying to capture us. And they will try to capture us, not with guns and knives, but with hollow and deceptive philosophy.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with philosophy in general; and I’ve studied a bit of philosophy over the years; and any of our young people who want to study it at university should go ahead and do so. But Paul is referring not to philosophy in general, but to hollow and deceptive philosophy. So, he’s thinking about philosophy and ideas and belief-systems and religions which are hollow and deceptive. They’re hollow because they’ve missing something vital at their core. What are they missing at their core? They’re missing the truth. That’s why these things are hollow and deceptive. And instead of bringing us to the truth, they are leading us away from the truth.

And, of course, he’s thinking of the things the false teachers were saying and he’s thinking of their brand of religion which had nothing to do with true Christianity. And Paul’s warning about hollow and deceptive philosophy applies to every false religion today and to every cult and to all those isms and ideologies that people believe in today. We need to watch out lest we’re taken captive by this kind of thing, because it will only lead us away from the truth and into error.

And Paul says that these things depend on human tradition. The gospel — which has been passed down to us and which we have received and which we believe — is a tradition. It’s a tradition, because what we believe is what Christian have always believed and it’s been passed down from one generation to the next. So, it’s a tradition. What we believe is traditional Christianity. But it’s not a human tradition. It wasn’t made up by men and women. Instead it has come from God. The truth about Christ and our salvation was revealed to the apostles by God and it has now come to us.

But these hollow and deceptive philosophies which can lead us astray are based on human tradition. So, it might be something that has been passed down from one generation to another. It might be some ancient tradition. But since it’s a human tradition, it did not start with God. It did not begin with him. If it had begun with God, it would be true. But it began with fallen, sinful humans. And if you look up any of the false religions or cults or isms or ideologies in Wikipedia, you’ll probably discover the names of the people who first came up with these ideas. But why would we accept these traditions which began with fallen, sinful humans when we can have the gospel, which came from God?

And Paul adds that these hollow and deceptive philosophies depend on the basic principles of this world. The word translated ‘basic principles’ can also be translated ‘elemental spirits’ and the commentators discuss what Paul is referring to. Some think he’s referring to an ancient belief that the world is made up of earth, fire, air and water. They believed that these are the building blocks of the world. However, it also seems that people associated these things with spiritual beings and with magic and astrology. And that perhaps fits with what we know about the false teaching, because Paul will go on to refer to angels and to powers and authorities. And so, it seems that the false teachers were teaching the people about the spirit world. As I’ve said before, they might have claimed that they could ward of evil spirits to prevent anything bad happening to you. So, here’s a way to control the spirit world. And in the same way today, people will claim they can ward off evil and trouble and they can show us how to control our destiny and improve our lives. But why would we rely on these things, when Christ is the one who rules over all things in heaven and on earth?

And the last thing Paul says about these hollow and deceptive philosophies is that they are based on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. So, instead of proclaiming Christ, as Paul did, they disregarded Christ. Theirs was not a Christ-based religion, but a Christless-religion. And no matter how ancient and respected and popular a religion or belief-system may be, and no matter who promotes it and teaches it, if it is Christless, then it is worthless, isn’t it? It’s worthless compared to knowing Christ, because look who Christ is according to Paul in verses 9 and 10. Paul says that in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. In other words, he is God made man. He is perfect man and perfect God, God and man in one person. He is the image of the invisible God and the exact representation or imprint of God. He is not some lesser being than God, because he is God.

And we have been given fullness in him. Paul means we have been filled with him. Just as God once dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem, now he dwells in us by his Spirit. And the one who dwells in us by his Spirit is the head over every power and authority. So, we need not fear the spirit world. Evil spirits and demons should not worry us. We should not turn to magic and astrology. And if people claim that they know how to control our destiny, we do not need to listen to them, because we know Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, who dwells in us by his Spirit and who is Head and Ruler over all things in heaven and on earth. Why turn away from Christ to a Christless religion when Christ is so much greater and better and glorious and more mightier than anyone else in all of creation?

Verses 11 and 12

And Paul then refers to circumcision and baptism. Do you see that in verses 11 and 12? Presumably he mentions circumcision because the false teachers were saying something about it.

Circumcision, of course, was the sign of God’s covenant which he gave to Abraham and to his descendants after him. By means of the covenant, God was promising to be their God. He was promising his commitment to them. ‘Never will I leave you or forsake you.’ That was the covenant: God’s promise to his people. And the sign of the covenant was circumcision. Part of the body was removed to remind the people of God’s commitment to them. When bad things happened to them, they would see the sign on their own bodies and remember and believe what God had promised.

However, then we come to a place like Deuteronomy 30:6 where God promised his people that he would circumcise their hearts. Circumcising their hearts was a way of referring to how God would take away their old, unbelieving hearts and give them new hearts. And so, they were able to live a new kind of life, one of faithful obedience to God.

And that’s what Paul is thinking about in verse 11. In Christ, you have been circumcised. But he’s not referring to literal or physical circumcision: the cutting off of a piece of skin. He’s referring to spiritual circumcision: when God takes away our old, hard heart and gives us a new heart so that able to live a new kind of life, one of faithful obedience to God.

This is a circumcision which is not performed by human hands. It’s a circumcision which is performed by Christ. And now I’m re-arranging what the NIV says here, because the words ‘in putting off the sinful nature’ should really be ‘in putting off the body of flesh’. Paul is referring to the death of Christ: he put off his fleshy body when he died on the cross. And he then refers to Christ’s death on the cross as ‘the circumcision of Christ’, because when Christ died, his body was cut off.

And so, what Paul is saying here is that, since Christ’s body was cut off when he died for us, then old our life of sin and unbelief has been cut off too and it has died. And that means we’re now able to live a new life of faith and obedience.

And having referred to circumcision in verse 11, Paul refers to baptism in verse 12: ‘having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him….’ The reason he mentions baptism here is because whenever people were converted to faith in Christ in biblical times, they were baptised almost immediately. Think of the Ethiopian Eunuch who believed; and he stopped the carriage he was riding in and he was baptised by Philip at the side of the road. And then the Philippian jailer and his family were baptised whenever he believed. So, in those days, people believed and were baptised immediately.

And so, when Paul refers to their baptism, he’s referring to the day they first believed. And when they first believed, their old life of sin and unbelief died and was buried; and they were raised to live a new kind of life, one of faith and obedience. So, just as Christ was buried and then he was raised, so those who believe in him are buried and they are raised. Their old life is buried and they are raised to live a new life.

As I said earlier, presumably Paul mentions circumcision because the false teachers were saying something about it. Perhaps they were saying everyone had to receive physical circumcision. If that’s the case, Paul makes clear that Christ provides us with a better circumcision, because his life was cut off when he died on the cross. And through faith in him, our old sinful life is dead and buried and we have been raised with Christ to live a new life of faithful obedience.

Verses 13 to 15

And in the final part of today’s passage — verses 13 to 15 — Paul reassures us that though you were once dead in your sins, God has now made you alive with Christ. You were spiritually dead, unable to love God or to serve him and destined for condemnation and eternal punishment in hell. But now, because of Christ, you have been made alive. You’re now able to love God and serve him and you can look forward to everlasting life in the presence of God.

And this is possible, because God has forgiven your sins. In fact, he has forgiven all your sins. Not just some of them, but all of them. The big sins and the little ones. And since you have received forgiveness, you have peace with God and you need not fear the day of judgment, because you have been forgiven.

And Paul refers to the written code, with all its regulations, that was against us and which stood opposed to us. Some commentators think he’s referring to something like the law, because God’s law condemns us, because we have not kept it. Therefore it’s against us, because it shows us our sins and what we deserve. Others think Paul is referring to a list of our sins. So, there’s a record of all our sins and shortcomings, all the things we have done wrong and all the times we fell short of doing what is right. It’s all written down and recorded. And then others think Paul is referring to an kind of IOU. Sin can be regarded as a debt which we owe to God, We all owe God our obedience; and so we are in debt to him, because we haven’t given him the obedience we owe him. Whichever one of these three Paul means, the point is clear: it has been cancelled. The law’s ability to accuse you is cancelled; the record of your wrongdoing is cancelled; your IOU to God has been cancelled. It has been erased. It was been torn up. It has been destroyed. Think of the relief someone would feel if the credit card company cancelled their debt. Think of the joy someone would feel if the bank told them their mortgage has been paid off. Well, you can rejoice because the debt you owe to God for failing to obey his laws and commandments has been paid off. It has been paid off by Christ, you paid for your sins with his life. The law can no longer condemn you; and the record of your wrongdoing has been wiped clean. Rejoice in the good news of your salvation.

And Paul then uses a different image, because we’re now to think of the way the charges against criminals were nailed to the cross above their heads. For instance, when Christ was crucified, Pilate wrote ‘King of the Jews’ on a sign and had it nailed above him, because he was killed for claiming to be a king. And Paul says that the charge against you has been taken away and nailed to the cross. It was taken away from you and it was nailed to the cross of Christ. And therefore Christ suffered the penalty that you deserve. He took the blame for you so that you could receive the forgiveness of God and the hope of everlasting life.

And what about the powers and authorities which the false teachers claimed they could control? Well, God has disarmed them. That is, he has stripped them of whatever power they held over us. When Paul says God triumphed over them, he’s referring to the way defeated enemies were paraded through the streets of the city by the triumphant heroes. And God in Christ has conquered every evil power that stands against you. God has triumphed over them in Christ. And since Christ is not only the one who died for you, but who now lives and reigns over all, why would you ever turn away from him to a Christless religion? Why would you ever rely on other religions or cults or on any of the modern isms and ideologies? People may believe in those things to help them deal with all the sin and misery in their lives. People may believe in those things to help them make sense of life. People may believe in those things to make them happy and successful. But none of those things compares with what you have in Christ, because he is God in bodily form; and his body was cut off for you so that you could live a new life now in this world and then enjoy everlasting life in the world to come. He died on the cross for you so that you could receive forgiveness for all that you have done wrong. And after he died, he was raised and exalted over all, so that he now reigns over every power and authority for your sake. Since this is who he is and since this is what he has done for you, then see to it that you continue to follow him.