Scripture Reading(s)
Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)
2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him,
2:7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.
2:9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
2:10 and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;
2:12 when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
2:13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,
2:14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
2:16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.
2:17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
2:18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,
2:19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
Reflections
There are many different religions and beliefs in this world. A lot of the time if we are not properly equipped in discerning the truth, we are left either feeling confused or being lead astray. Paul here is warning against being sucked in to the false teachers who are successful in getting people to believe lies.
Furthermore, Paul outlines the true message of the Gospel. He reminds them that we were once lost beings. We ere dead in our sins and were without hope and in desperate need of a Savior. Paul points out the heart of the Gospel in that through Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross, it put an end to sin and now are alive in Christ. Our new hope, joy and reason for living is found in Christ.
Paul concludes this chapter by then telling them how to live. He points to the fact that our outer appearances are not what win souls to Christ and get is into heaven. Our hearts are to fully love God and seek after the things of God. Our reason to live is found in Christ alone, our source of true spiritual growth is found in a deep relationship with Him.
Apostle Paul was continuously battling against competing philosophies and teachers of pagan religions. Wether it was the Judaizers trying to force Jewish law on the churches or pagan religious teachers forcing the worship of other gods, early Christians were constantly under assault. Sadly, some early Christians were deceived by these pagan philosophies. But Paul reminded them that it was in Christ that they are nourished and held together. It is through Christ that they are made new and given everlasting life.
Today we have a different set of problems but we still have false doctrines that have lead many astray. It is important to root ourselves in the Christian tradition we find in the scriptures and passed down through experienced and educated Christians. We must not put other things before Christ, even if those other things are good things. Only the Lord deserves all our devotion.
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