Colossians 2:8-12

Day 10

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Observations:
Paul makes a stark contrast in how we must walk by comparing captivity to freedom in Christ. The mind is the battleground where the world and its tainted influence face off against the new creation we are in Christ. What does the world have to offer? According to Paul, it offers philosophy and empty deception, according to its elementary principles and the tradition of men.

Unfortunately, the elementary principles of the world, the assumptions the world has and works from, are faulty at best. A living God is explained away and denied. Or even if God is somehow recognized, He is portrayed as either an inept fool or indifferent to people. Any idea that starts with one of these premises will not end well.

So Paul urges his readers to live according to the freedom Christ has given us instead. Look at the first three words of today’s passage. See to it. This is a command and acknowledges that it will take effort on our part to keep from becoming captive. We are not helpless-- Paul is asking that we be proactive!

What freedoms can we walk by-- in contrast to the captivity the world offers?

1. We have freedom from inadequacy. You have been made complete in Him. The world tells you that you are not smart enough, good looking enough, or talented enough. God says we are complete in Him. He has put resurrection power at our disposal. We have everything we need to walk worthy of the Lord: “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

2. We have freedom from the flesh. Romans 6 delves into this idea. We were once slaves to sin. We walked around in the darkness and had no power over the sin which ruled us. “Our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). Circumcision was an outward sign in the Old Testament to identify oneself with the God of Israel. Yet God wanted more from His people. He wanted them to circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16). It wasn’t about outward standards. It was about a heart change.

Jesus provided this with His crucifixion. Paul told the Galatians: “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” (Galatians 2:20) Jesus “circumcised” or marked us as His.

3. We have freedom from condemnation. You were also raised up with Him. Once damned to the consequences of our human condition and our own deadly choices, we now live in the light, the land of the living. Rather than face punishment, we have been made heirs with Christ and look forward to a share of His inheritance.

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So how do we avoid the captivity the world is pushing on us with its empty philosophies and faulty assumptions? We identify with Christ, who has already saved us. We may have to live in the world, as lights reflecting the presence of God within us, but we should never identify with what it has to offer. Our identity is in Christ alone.

Application:
The world is insidious in its philosophies and assumptions. Where has it influenced you most? What steps can you take to change its influence?

Colossians 2: 6-7

Day 9

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Observations:
When you see the word therefore, always look to the Scripture preceding it to find out the why of what the writer tells you next. Paul has just finished telling the Colossians how he struggles on their behalf, in order that their hearts might be encouraged. He may be absent in body, but he is with them in spirit. Therefore. . .

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. How did the Colossians, or any believer, for that matter, receive the Lord? Through the grace of God. “For by grace you have been saved. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any many should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9) So we need to walk in grace. When we received the Lord, we were transferred from the darkness to the Kingdom of Light (Colossians 1:13). So we need to walk in the light. We were given total and unconditional forgiveness for our sin (v. 14). The blood of Christ paid for it all. So we need to walk in forgiveness. We were reconciled to God-- we started as enemies of God, but when we received Christ, God now calls us sons and daughters in His kingdom (v. 21). So we need to walk as reconcilers. Since receiving Christ, we have been presented as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach(v. 21-2). So our walk should reflect our holiness. Our actions should be beyond reproach. As we received Him, so should we walk.

Having been rooted and now being established in your faith . . . Have you ever watched the development of a plant from a seed? The first thing to spring from the seed is a root. Why is it so important to have a root first? The seed does have a supply of food for its fledgling plant as a part of its composition, but that supply won’t last for long. As the plant develops, the root must grow first. It will then become the source of life for the plant. Its tiny root hairs will soak in the water and nutrients from the soil. As the new plant peeks its tender head above ground, the root will serve to anchor the plant when winds buffet or rains pound down from overhead. The root is vital to the life of the plant. So it must grow first.

Paul writes that our root is in Jesus Christ. Our salvation is through Him alone. Our life exists because of Him. This is our foundation. Back in 1:23, Paul warned the Colossians not to move away from the hope of the gospel. Without that root, that provider of life, the plant will wither and die. We cannot hope to function as a Christian without full understanding and assurance that we could do nothing to save ourselves. Christ did it all.

Once the root has grown, the plant can be established. The verb tense here is present: being established. It is happening right now. Our “establishment” is an ongoing process. It comes from good teaching, as Paul writes: Just as you were instructed. A plant is never stagnant. Its life mission is to grow and produce fruit. While it is alive, a plant will continue to grow. New leaves will sprout. Fruit will grow, mature, and fall to the ground.

Our quest must be the same. Never stagnant. Always growing.

One of my favorite Connecticut memories is of an afternoon when I joined a group of young adults to go inner tubing down the Farmington River. We had a wonderful time, riding the occasional rapids with hands linked, screaming our delight as we splashed over the rocks. In other places the river was quieter, and only gently moved us along. The beauty of the sport was even if one did absolutely nothing, their tube continued to move downstream. The current was enough to carry us. We live in a world which is moving downstream, away from God toward self-destruction. If we do nothing, expend no energy toward keeping ourselves from drifting away from the Lord, we will naturally and unconsciously move in the wrong direction. Instead, we must fight the current, pursuing actively the things which He desires for us. Only then can we avoid the slow drift that will eventually lead us away from Him.

Application:
What does your walk reflect about your salvation and the God who saved you? How purposeful are you about your growth?

Colossians 2:1-5

Day 8

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

Observations:
Paul had never met the Colossians, nor had he visited Laodicea. Yet he tells them he is struggling on their behalf, in order to encourage them. Have you ever put yourself out for a stranger, someone you have never laid eyes on? It is hard to conjure up sympathy for someone you have no investment in, whether in time or emotion. Yet Paul seems fairly passionate about the Colossians. How was this possible?

I think the answer lies in the verses that we viewed yesterday. Paul had a purpose and a singular passion: to present every man complete in Christ. Paul’s purpose and calling was much broader than any individual or even a specific church. Paul’s purpose was to build The Church. The encouragement of the Colossians was an important part of the overall picture.

How did he intend to encourage their hearts? He is targeting three things for the Colossians.

1. Having been knit together in love:
Unity is a big theme for Paul. He stresses it in most of his letters in the New Testament. For instance, when Paul first wrote the Corinthians, they were up to their ears in serious problems. There was incest in the church. People were abusing the Lord’s Supper. Spiritual gifts were being exercised inappropriately. People within the body were suing each other. But after his introduction in his letter to them, what problem does Paul tackle first? The division within the body takes center stage.

Unity is an outward expression of a healthy body. Unity means its members have decided that to love each other is more important than to struggle over differences in doctrine or opinion. They have decided to esteem the other as more important than themselves. And they have placed Jesus Christ where He belongs: at the head of the body. They are acting in submission to Him.

2. Attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding:
The Colossians needed understanding. They were being influenced by false teachers who were mixing truth with false teaching. Paul was praying that they would have a great understanding of the truth, so they could meet the false teachers head-on with full assurance.

3. Resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge:
Again, Paul is working against the false teachers in this phrase. The heresy going around the church in Colossae taught that only a select few could ever gain the mysterious knowledge needed for salvation. Paul is stressing that ALL of them can know Christ.

One last observation: Paul expresses two marks of a mature Christian. He rejoiced to hear of the Colossians’ 1. good discipline, and 2. the stability of their faith. The discipline was an indicator that the Colossians had their actions under control. The stability was a comment on their character. They knew who they were and Whom they served.

Application:
How do you fare in the marks of a mature Christian? Does discipline mark your life? Would those around you consider you a stable person, especially in the area of your spiritual life? Make a list of those areas in which you wish to see improvement. Commit them to prayer.

Colossians 1: 28-29

Day 7

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Observations:
In the section preceding this one, Paul wrote about the mystery that was now known: Christ in you, the hope of glory. He now writes about his ministry, in which his sole purpose is to proclaim the formerly mysterious messiah, Jesus Christ, to every man.

It is interesting to note just how Paul proclaims Christ. He was a great preacher; you would think that proclaiming Christ would involve a soap box, a street corner, and a crowd. While at times Paul did preach to a huge audience, this is not how he defines proclaiming Christ in this particular letter. How does he proclaim Christ? “Admonishing every man and teaching every man. . . so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” A better word for admonish would be counseling, while teaching involved instruction. Paul proclaimed Christ by encouraging each person he worked with through personal interaction and instruction to exhibit Christ in their lives. In other words, Christ is made manifest to the world through His Church. He is proclaimed every time a life is changed.

I have a friend named Mike who came to know the Lord through the ministry at Trinity Community Church. The change in him was instantaneous. He was so enthusiastic about God, his relatives started showing up on Sunday morning as well. His sister told me, “Mike was so completely transformed, we had to come here and find out what made such a drastic difference in him.” Christ was effectively proclaimed through the changed life of one He saved.

Paul’s goal was to make every man complete in Christ. The idea of being “complete in Christ” is akin to maturity. How do we as Christians get to that place, finally mature in Jesus Christ?

A look at the Greek word translated “perfect” helps us understand what Paul is saying. The word is teleios, and has a lexicon meaning of “having attained the ending or purpose; complete, full grown, mature, or adult." Philippians 1:6 tells us that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” James (1:4) wrote that the times of trials in our lives will have their “perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Becoming complete (or mature) is a process. Maturity comes through learning the Word of God and through the experience of living out its truths in our lives.

Notice also two things we learn about Paul. First, his keen sense of purpose. Paul lived each day with the goal of presenting every man complete in Christ. It is an all-encompassing goal. Included in Paul’s purpose is his dedication to bring men along from new birth to spiritual maturity.

Later in his letter, Paul urges the Colossians to make the most of every opportunity given them. This was a man who lived by that rule. Paul wrote the Colossians from Rome, where he was imprisoned. He was under house arrest, chained 24 hours a day to a member of the Praetorian Guard (kind of like the Navy Seals of the Roman army). Can you imagine being a member of that guard, chained to a man with such focused intent to bring every man to completeness in Christ? Paul wrote the Philippians that his cause had become known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard. No doubt. This was one focused guy.

The second thing we see about Paul is how he is going about accomplishing that purpose. Paul writes he is “striving according to His power, which mightily works in me.” Paul found some time ago that the key to success was total reliance on the power of the Lord. After struggling with a “thorn in the flesh,” Paul had learned the hard way how to rely on God. He wrote to the Corinthians: “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

A sense of purpose and the power to pull it off. We all need both of these things if we are to be effective in our walk with the Lord.

Application:
Could you verbalize, as Paul did, your purpose in life? Spend some time thinking about this and try to write it out in one sentence. Then pray for the power to fulfill this purpose.

Colossians 1:24-27

Day 6

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Observations:

What is the “mystery” Paul is referring to here?

The Greek word translated “mystery” is musterion, and has a lexicon definition of something that was previously unknown but now revealed. There are over 20 times where this word is used in the New Testament. It can refer to as varied a subject as the mystery of God’s will to the mystery of the power of lawlessness. So we have to look at the context to figure out what mystery Paul is talking about.

The mystery was concealed from previous generations in ages past. It remained unknown until Paul’s generation, when it was revealed both to God’s saints and among the Gentiles. Paul identifies the mystery as “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Until Christ’s resurrection, God’s plan of salvation was kept shrouded from view yet in plain sight. Certainly the pieces of the mystery were all given within the Old Testament writings. The messiah was promised after the very first sin was committed (Genesis 3:15). Again in Genesis 12, Abraham was promised that “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”(Genesis 12:3) The messiah would come through the line of Abraham. Many years later, Abraham’s grandson Jacob prophesied over his son Judah, “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [messiah] comes”(Genesis 49:10). Four hundred and thirty years later, God’s instruction to the Hebrews as they prepared to escape the slavery of Egypt included a Passover meal, where a lamb was slain and its blood smeared on the doorpost to save the lives of those inside the house (Exodus 12). Later on, once the Hebrews were safely in the desert, the Law was given which required sacrifices to be made, blood to be shed as atonement for sins committed. All of this was a picture of and preparation for the Savior who would come and shed His own blood to atone for us on the cross.

Yet there were confusing aspects to the prophecies about the messiah. Mixed in with the many predictions of the messiah made by the prophets were also predictions of a glorious kingdom, in which the messiah would reign, as every knee would bow to him. Israel would be restored to the land after a long period of exile. We know now that there would be two comings of Christ, one to save us from the consequences of our sin, and a second to establish an everlasting reign on earth. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.

While the religious leaders of Jesus’ day paid great attention to prophecies of a political reign and restoration to the land, they largely ignored the many predictions of a suffering messiah (Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, for example). And so they were unwilling to accept Jesus as their messiah.

Jesus finally revealed the mystery to his disciples shortly after the resurrection. In Luke 24:27, we read, “Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” Once the many prophesied events had taken place, He was able to show them from the Old Testament alone God’s plan of salvation which had been in place all along. The mystery was revealed.

Now Paul speaks of the mystery here in Colossians. What was once “hidden” has now been “manifested.” The messiah had come and made atonement for once and for all. All who believed in Him would receive eternal life. His Spirit would come to dwell within every believer as a seal, a promise, that one day all believers would share in His glory and inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). Christ in you. The hope of glory. All that had once been a mysterious shadow within the pages of the Old Testament was now perfectly clear.

Application:
Spend some time thanking God for His amazing plan of salvation which was conceived before the very first sin. Though thousands of years, He patiently wove the events of history to get the world ready for the day His Son would come to earth. It is truly remarkable what He accomplished, and all on our behalf.

Colossians 1:21-23

Day 5

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Observations:

Paul has provided a beautiful before and after picture for believers of all time. Notice how he compares our lives before and after Christ:

Before:
Alienated
Hostile
Engaged in evil deeds

After:
Holy
Blameless
Beyond Reproach

Also noticeable is the mention of the “fleshly body” of Christ. Once again, this was in response to the false teaching threatening the church. The philosophers of the day (Platonists) believed that the body and everything physical or material was evil. Therefore, Christ could not have had a physical body, since a physical body could not be anything but evil.

Paul and the other apostles wrote against this false doctrine. For example, in John’s first letter, he strives to disprove this. He reminds his readers: “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life. . .” (1 John 1:1) Four out of five senses are mentioned! Those who knew Jesus personally in the flesh, which by definition included the apostles, testified that Jesus was God in the flesh.

The conditional clause “if you continue in the faith steady and steadfast” gave me pause, because at a first read it seems like our presentation as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach is conditional on our remaining steady in our faith. Could any part of our salvation rest on our own shoulders? The answer is an unequivocal NO, according to the rest of the New Testament! A closer look at the grammar of the clause in the Greek reveals this is a first-class conditional clause. This means the writer assumes the answer is positive. Paul assumed the Colossians were true believers, judging by their faith, love, and hope he mentions at the beginning of the letter. He does not wonder at the outcome. Their position in Christ is secure. The words which are translated "if indeed" could almost be translated "since then."

Paul gives us two lists in these verses. One list tells who we are in Christ: reconciled, holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. The second list tells us what those who are in Christ do: continue in the faith, firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel.

The only way we can remain unmoved in our hope is by making sure our foundation is sure. Many of us remember singing about the parable of the foolish man building his house on the sand as children. The first storm came along and swept the silly man’s house from its foundation. Yet the wise man’s house, built instead on solid rock, remained unaffected in the storm. The foundation we must build on is the hope of the gospel. Our salvation is in Christ alone. It does not have anything to do with who we are or what we have done. It was supplied purely by the grace of God. When Satan comes along and attacks us, whispering doubts in our ears about our salvation, a man who has built his house on a less solid foundation will surely falter. Our house of faith must rest on the rock-solid foundation of Christ alone.

Application:
What are things that cause you to doubt your standing with God? Have you moved away from the rock-solid foundation in any subtle ways?

Colossians 1:15-20

Day 4

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or in heaven."

Observations:
A few verses ago, Paul urged the Colossians to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” He explained that we have been transferred into the kingdom of light, and that darkness has no place in our lives anymore. This is the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Now Paul takes a paragraph to give the Colossians a better picture of that Son, Jesus. They needed this information because of the heresy being taught within their community.

To understand why Paul emphasized what he did, we need to take a look at the false doctrines that were being taught. The bad teaching going on in the first century church was the precursor to the later second century philosophical teaching known as Gnosticism. The main thrusts of this heresy were these:

• Gnosticism’s roots were in Judaism. Its proponents taught that the Old Testament Law must be observed. Paul taught that we are no longer under that Law but now live under grace (Galatians 3:24-26).
• The philosophical part of Gnosticism stressed a “deeper knowledge” only given to a select few.
• This idea of “a select few” bred the idea of exclusivity. The Gnostics believed it was a privileged, small, exclusive group who actually possessed this.
• Angels were believed to be deity and were thus worshipped.
• The deity of Christ was denied.

As an answer to that last pillar of this false teaching, the denial of the deity of Christ, Paul writes a portrayal of Jesus Christ that can only describe one who is fully God. Take a minute and read through today’s passage again and make a list of all of the things that make Jesus fully God.

Finished?? Here is what I came up with:
1. He is the image of God.
An image is something visible. God, a omnipresent, invisible spirit, became visible to mankind in the person of Jesus. Hebrews 1:3 tells us Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being.

2. He is the firstborn of all creation.
Firstborn here does not mean created first, because that would contradict other Scripture that tells us that created creatures are not to be worshipped (Exodus 20:4-5) yet the angels worship Christ (Hebrews 1:6). Christ was not created, He is eternal just as God the Father is eternal. If Paul meant “first created,” he would have used a different Greek word-- but He called Christ “firstborn” instead.

Instead, Paul used “firstborn” to indicate a position. Christ was BEFORE all creation, and He is SOVEREIGN over creation. The term "firstborn" would have had that nuance of meaning for Paul’s readers because of what it meant to be a firstborn in the ancient world. Remember Jacob and Esau and all of the strife over the birthright? Being a firstborn son gave privileges and wealth that the other siblings would never share. It also made you head of the family. This is what Paul is referring to here.

3. He is creator of all things.
Notice the word ALL. Paul follows this by giving an all-encompassing sweep of things that are created: in the heavens, on the earth, visible and invisible, and man’s domain. All of this was created THROUGH Him and FOR Him. John 1:3 echoes this thought: “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

4. He is the sustainer of all things.
I once asked my secular physical science teacher why the nucleus of an atom holds together. It is comprised of tiny particles called protons that repel each other, being of the same electrical charge. Yet the force that is needed to split the nucleus of an atom is considerable. He answered, “It is nuclear energy that holds it together.” When I questioned what that was or where it came from, he didn’t have an answer. “We’re not sure,” he apologized. “It is just something that we assume and is always present.”

I know what holds the nucleus of an atom together. Jesus, the creator, continues to sustain what was created. He is actively involved with His creation to this present day.

5. He is head of the body.
Christ is the head of the church. The church is often called the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:12, Ephesians 4:12). The head contains the brain, without which the body ceases to function. Christ gave life to the church by dying to save it. He continues to provide life to the body and retains His position of authority over it.

6. He is the firstborn of the dead.
Paul wrote the Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith is also in vain. . . if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless . . . and we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:14-19) Christ proved we can be resurrected from the dead by blazing the trail before us. If He couldn’t raise Himself, how could we trust Him to raise us? His resurrection proves that God is able to save us as well.

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Put all of the above together, and Christ cannot be anything but deity. Paul ensured his readers would understand this truth in spite of the teaching that had been circulating contrary to this fact.

Application:
Meditate on these attributes Paul teaches us about Christ’s deity. Think of the ways the “fullness of God” dwelled in Jesus. Spend some time in prayer praising Him for all of the ways He demonstrates He is God.