Colossians

The false teachers presumably claimed access to the mysteries of God’s truth, but Paul insists that Christ is God’s mystery, and all understanding is to be found in him.

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Anticipating what he will soon say about false sources of knowledge (vv. 4–23), Paul emphasizes that Christ is the ultimate storehouse of divine wisdom and spiritual knowledge. His language parallels what the OT says about wisdom (Prov. 2:3–6).

The Dangerous Teaching at Colossae. Paul delivers a series of warnings about the teaching that is threatening the Colossian church. In doing so, he also provides important teaching on the Christians’ new identity in Christ that will help them resist the arguments of the false teachers and live worthily of the Lord.

Warning about a Deceptive Teaching. Even though the Colossians are doing well spiritually, they must be on guard against false teaching.

that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. Paul warns the Colossians about the direct and dangerous threat in their midst. It is important to see that the threat comes from within the church and that what the teacher(s) are saying sounds reasonable and even persuasive.

I am with you in spirit. Because both the Colossians and Paul live “in Christ” and possess the Spirit of God, there is a sense in which Paul is, in fact, present with them (see also 1 Cor. 5:3–5). To express the stability that Paul wants to see continue in the Colossian church, he employs two military metaphors—good order and firmness. The Colossians should be like troops drawn up in battle formation, standing firm like soldiers resisting the enemy.

you received Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul calls the Colossians back to the foundational teaching passed on to them by Epaphras when they first became Christians. At the heart of this is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord (1 Cor. 12:3). Paul uses the images of a tree (rooted) and a building (built up) to remind them of their firm foundation in what they have already been taught. The implication is, why should they now give a hearing to any rival teaching?

The term “philosophy” occurs only here in the Bible. Paul was not making a blanket denunciation of philosophical study or even Greek philosophy like Platonism or Stoicism. Nor was he worried that the Colossians’ faith would crumble if they subjected it to critical inquiry. The article “the” appearing before the term in the Greek text suggests that the opponents had characterized their own teaching as a “philosophy”—the specific teaching Paul opposed.

“Elements of the world” (stoicheia) suggests supernatural agencies or spiritual beings.

See to it that no one takes you captive (Gk. sylagōgeō, commonly used of the plundering of cargo from a ship). The false teacher(s) in Colossae pose a very real threat to the church. philosophy. The Greek for this word includes the article (tēs philosophias), suggesting that the ringleaders of the faction called their teaching “the philosophy.” When Paul speaks of “filling” and “fullness” in this letter (see v. 10), he is clearly echoing the jargon of the erring teachers, and he may be doing the same here. The term “philosophy” was used much more broadly in the ancient world than it is today. Josephus, for instance, could call the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees “philosophies.” Even a magician could be called a philosopher. Paul is not making a blanket condemnation of the traditional Greek philosophical schools (e.g., Platonism, Stoicism, Aristotelianism, etc.). His remarks are focused on the particular factional teaching being disseminated at Colossae. He makes the incisive claim that this teaching is not only empty deceit but that it has been inspired by the elemental spirits (Gk. stoicheia) of the world. Stoicheia is sometimes translated “the basic principles” of the world and then interpreted to be something like the fundamental principles of pagan religion. In the ancient world, however, the term stoicheia was widely used for spirits in Persian religious texts, magical papyri, astrological documents, and some Jewish texts. Paul is likely using it here to refer to demonic spirits; it is the equivalent of “rulers and authorities” (vv. 10, 15). Although the false teaching is handed down as human tradition, it can ultimately be traced to the influence of demonic forces. The fundamental problem with this philosophy is that it is not in accord with Jesus Christ and the gospel proclaimed by him and the apostle Paul.

Jesus Christ is far more than an inspired prophet, an extraordinary moral teacher, or some kind of supernatural being. The very substance of God exists in Jesus the Messiah in his incarnation, in his life on earth, and in his resurrected and ascended body.

Help for the Danger: Resources in Christ. The Colossians have everything they need in Jesus Christ. Since they are forgiven of their sins by virtue of the cross of Christ and are already living a new life in him, they should not turn to anything or anyone else to “complete” their spiritual well-being.

in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Christ is the visible expression of God. In his incarnation and now in his glorification, Jesus is God in the flesh (cf. 1:15–20).

you have been filled in him. In this remarkable statement, Paul affirms that believers share in Christ’s power and authority over every rule and authority by virtue of their union with him. Here is the main theme of Colossians. The divine “fullness” is in Christ (v. 9), and believers are “filled in him.” Hence, they have everything they need in Christ. They do not need any other teaching to become like God. The term head is clearly used here with the sense of “authority over” (see note on 1 Cor. 11:3). This would have been an encouraging and helpful teaching for the Colossians, who clearly continued to live in fear of the demonic realm.

In him also you were circumcised. Paul here uses circumcision metaphorically for a spiritual (made without hands) action, which he describes as putting off the body of the flesh. Believers no longer live in the sphere of the flesh and its influence (Gal. 5:24) but have been transferred to the kingdom of Christ and live through and in him, under his lordship (Col. 1:13). In this “circumcision” performed by Christ, Christians have been removed from their solidarity with Adam and his sin (see Rom. 6:6) and are now in solidarity with Christ and his righteousness and can live for him, as they before could not.

buried with him in baptism … also raised with him … made alive together with him. In a second metaphor drawn from Christ’s work on the cross, Paul says that the Christian rite of baptism represents an identification with Christ in his death (cf. Rom. 6:4–6) along with an identification with Christ in his resurrection (cf. Eph. 2:6). Dying and rising with Christ signifies death to the power of sin and Satan plus empowerment to live the new life that Jesus calls believers to live in imitation of him (see Rom. 6:3–11).

the record of debt that stood against us. In the Greco-Roman world, the “record of debt” (Gk. cheirographon) was a written note of indebtedness. Paul uses this as a word picture to characterize each person’s indebtedness to God because of sin. God himself has mercifully resolved this problem for all who put their faith in Jesus by taking this note and nailing it to the cross, where Jesus paid the debt. The image comes from the notice fastened to a cross by the Roman authorities, declaring the crime for which the criminal was being executed (see John 19:19–22).

No contradiction exists here between Paul’s statement that the rulers and authorities have been defeated and his assumption elsewhere that they are still virulently active and that believers need to fight against them (e.g., Eph 6:12). The cross of Christ is the point of decisive victory over the powers of evil; believers can now be victorious over them through union with Christ. They will be vanquished once and for all at the end of the age.

He disarmed the rulers and authorities. The cross of Christ marks the decisive defeat of the demonic powers. On the cross, they were stripped of their power to accuse Christians before God. (Gk. diabolos, “devil,” means “accuser, slanderer.”) Nevertheless, these demons continue to exist and to exercise power to incite evil, so Christians must continue to struggle with them (see Eph. 6:12, 16). put them to open shame. This is the same term (Gk. deigmatizō) used in Matt. 1:19 to refer to Joseph’s unwillingness to expose Mary’s pregnancy and bring public shame on her. The cross publicly reveals the failure of the demonic powers to thwart God’s plan of salvation through Christ (see 1 Cor. 2:6–8). triumphing over them. The image is of a triumphal Roman military procession. The defeated king with all of his surviving warriors and the spoils of war were paraded through the streets of Rome, as a public spectacle for all to see.

Additional Warnings about the Teaching. Apparently the false teachers advocated asceticism for spiritual growth. The true path to spiritual maturity is holding fast to Christ as the head, not following these misguided human rules.

food and drink … a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. The false teacher(s) were advocating a number of Jewish observances, arguing that they were essential for spiritual advancement. On “new moon,” see note on Num. 28:11–15.

a shadow of the things to come. The old covenant observances pointed to a future reality that was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 10:1). Hence, Christians are no longer under the Mosaic covenant (cf. Rom. 6:14–15; 7:1–6; 2 Cor. 3:4–18; Gal. 3:15–4:7). Christians are no longer obligated to observe OT dietary laws (“food and drink”) or festivals, holidays, and special days (“a festival … new moon … Sabbath,” Col. 2:16), for what these things foreshadowed has been fulfilled in Christ. It is debated whether the Sabbaths in question included the regular seventh-day rest of the fourth commandment, or were only the special Sabbaths of the Jewish festal calendar.

This probably refers to a magical invocation of angels for help or deliverance.

Paul lists a variety of ways the false teachers had tried to disqualify the genuine believers in Colossae. Asceticism translates the Greek word for “humility” (tapeinophrosynē). Paul probably had in mind fasting and perhaps also the taboos mentioned in v. 21. Worship of angels involves invoking angels for help and protection from evil spirits (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background). The verb translated going on in detail (Gk. embateuō) is rare in Greek literature and difficult to interpret. The use of this word on a series of inscriptions found near Ephesus, however, has clarified its meaning here. It denoted the higher stage of mystery cult initiation that involved “entering” the innermost sanctuary of the pagan temple. The term suggests that the leader of the Colossian faction may be basing part of his teaching on spiritual experiences he gained in a pagan ritual initiation, thus showing the syncretistic nature of his false teaching. about visions. Some form of visionary experience and, thus, mystical insight was offered as part of the false teaching.

not holding fast to the Head. The fundamental problem with the competing teacher at Colossae is that he has not maintained contact with Christ and has thus become influenced by evil spirits (see v. 8). As the head of the body, Christ not only provides leadership but is also a source of provision for every member of the body (its joints and ligaments) so that it grows and matures (see note on 1 Cor. 11:3). On the church as a body, see Rom. 12:5–8; 1 Corinthians 12; Eph. 4:4, 12–16.

the elemental spirits. See note on v. 8.

“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch.” Quotation marks are used here to indicate that these are specific taboos, which the teacher of the false philosophy is insisting the Colossians must obey. These rules are not divine but human, for the food a person eats is not crucial in his or her spiritual life (cf. Mark 7:18–19).

an appearance of wisdom. The ringleader of the faction in Colossae was advocating an esoteric wisdom for daily life that would allegedly help the Colossians deal with evil spirits and cope with life’s circumstances. self-made religion. The Greek word (ethelothrēskia) could also be translated “voluntary worship,” which may allude to the fact that the false teacher was stressing the Colossians’ freedom to choose this syncretistic path contrary to apostolic tradition. severity to the body. This refers to the fasting and taboos that were part of the ascetic behavior advocated by “the philosophy.” It may have gone beyond this, however, to include forms of self-mutilation similar to what was practiced in some of the local cults. Such asceticism may appear to be spiritual, but it actually promotes nothing more than confidence in self rather than in Christ.