1I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all
who have not met me personally. 2My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and
united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they
may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding
arguments. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and
delight to see how orderly you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.
Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in
him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which
depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you
have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In
him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful
nature,[1] not with a circumcision done by the hands
of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism
and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful
nature,[2] God made
you[3] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our
sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and
that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed
the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the
cross.[4]
16Therefore 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. 17These are a shadow of
the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let
anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a
person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle
notions. 19He has 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.
20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you
still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste!
Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based
on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom,
with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they
lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
We’re looking at verses 1-23 of chapter 2, the entire chapter, in which Paul
continues speaking of his ministry, as he began in 1:24 and will conclude in 2:5, and reminding the
Colossians of the sufficiency of Christ, based on His preeminence, or supremacy, over all things.
This is the message of v6-15. Finally, in v16-23, Paul gives specific instructions to the Colossians,
directly in response, most likely, to the false teachings that they had encountered.
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V1-5 - Paul, in v24-29 of chapter 1, described in general his suffering for the Church, his commission
from God to preach the gospel, the message of his ministry, and his method, purpose, and power, or
motivation. In v1-5 of chapter 2, Paul continues speaking of his ministry, but with a slightly different
focus. He shows how his ministry is important to the Colossians and Laodiceans (4:16), though he hasn’t
even met many of them (v1). He still speaks of his struggle (v1), which is not solely prayer as some
commentators suggest, but is more related to his purpose (v2), of which he also speaks again. His purpose
is a struggle, to make disciples of Christ through the verbal communication of the gospel, so that those
who receive it will be made perfect, encouraged in heart, united in love, having the riches of complete
understanding, full in the knowledge of Christ (v2), in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge (v3). And Paul gives his reason for wanting to bring this reality that the fullness of wisdom
is in Christ to everyone (v4): so that no one will be deceived by fine-sounding arguments. The false
teachers denied that v2-3 could become reality for believers in Christ alone; they heralded additional
rites and spiritual practices. Paul wants them again to know that Christ is sufficient. And he
compliments them for thus far standing firm in their faith in Christ (v5). Let’s break it down a little
further.
Paul specifically in v2 wants the believers in this region of the Roman Empire to be encouraged in heart
(deep to the core) and united in love. The steady and stable, maturing Christian has a strengthened heart.
And the maturing Christian also has a deep love for other believers. “They’ll know we are Christians by
our love.” The knowledge of Christ produces these things; and these things help to increase our knowledge
of Christ. Additionally in v2, Paul says that encouragement and union in faith and love are essential for
having the full riches of complete understanding, which is having a full knowledge (experiential
perception) of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2). A Puritan once said, “Knowledge in the head is like
money in the bank, but knowledge in the heart is like money ready for use.” Knowledge in the heart is
what Paul desires for us, so we can put it to use.
Although the word “assurance” is missing from v2 in the NIV, it is present in the Greek and certainly in
Paul’s intent. It’s the same word from Hebrews 6:11, 10:22. The KJV says, “That their hearts might be
comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to
the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” Paul wants us as believers
to be firmly convicted in our relationship with Christ; he wants our faith in Christ to be sure and
settled, not halfhearted or uncertain. Settled conviction is what enabled the martyrs to die a death
in faithfulness to Jesus Christ. When Polycarp, an 86-year-old man, stood before the Roman proconsul,
the man said to him, “I will let you live; I will not put you into the fire, if you will but deny Christ.”
Polycarp said, “For eighty and six years I have served Him and He has never denied me yet. How can I deny
Him?” That is a man with settled conviction. He knows Christ. He knows that Christ knows him and he is
not willing to trade Christ for anything else or to add anything to Christ. This assurance has been
called “the suburbs of heaven.”
Paul wants spiritual encouragement, mutual love, deep assurance, and true knowledge of Christ for the
Colossians. Knowledge and application are joined together here. Living the Christian life cannot be
separated from knowledge of Christ (the full gospel, neglecting no doctrine), and an authentic knowledge
of Christianity (not merely intellectual) is certain to bring about living the Christian life. As a
circular letter, this epistle was to passed on specifically to Laodicea and perhaps to other neighboring
churches. Likewise, Paul wrote a letter to Laodicea that was expected to be passed on to Colosse; alas,
we have no record of that epistle.
At the end of v2 and into v3, Paul uses “mystery” again, and he also says that treasures are “hidden” in
Christ. This language is playing on the false teachers heresy. Ascetic rituals and mystical spiritual
experiences were taught to unlock some deeper spiritual life with God, but Paul says, “No. Christ alone
contains and unlocks the only treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Calvin says, “We are perfect in wisdom
if we truly know Christ, so that it is madness to wish to know anything besides Him. For since the
Father has manifested himself wholly in Him, that man wishes to be wise apart from God, who is not
contented with Christ alone.” In John 17:3, Jesus is praying to the Father, and He says that He has
shown the Father to His disciples (1 John 2:23). Then He says, “Now this is eternal life: that they
may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” In Christ alone is the treasure
of knowing God – eternal life.
So Paul uses the language of the false teachers to refute their claims (v4), and to warn his audience
of their intellectually appealing tactics, just as Jude did in his short letter. It’s really a great
example of an evangelism tool. Seated next to a lady on an airplane a few years back, she started a
conversation that quickly turned to spiritual things. She was a “new-ager,” thinking of “God” as some
“light-force.” And so I engaged her using her language. Indeed the Scripture says that God is light,
and in Him there is no darkness. Now I made efforts to correct her faulty understanding of the
“Light-God,” but I made no measurable progress that day. Perhaps it was a seed planted or watered,
and as the Bible says, “God must give the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
Finally, in v5, Paul compliments their “good order” and “firm faith in Christ.” This is a strong
encouragement to perseverance, something we spoke of previously in chapter 1. However, we come across
something else of interest here. Paul speaks of being absent in the body, but present in spirit. What
is that all about? Paul is saying that although he is not with them, his intimacy with them as a
brother in Christ and his authority over them as God’s appointed instrument to teach them makes it as
if he is there. His heart is with them; he cares for them deeply. And furthermore, his mind’s eye has
seen their unity and faithfulness and delighted in them.
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V6-8 - After the commendation, Paul exhorts them to continue in Christ, and by this he means to go back
to what they have been taught and to grow in it, to go deeper within it. Positively, he states the truths
that his readers need to know in this context, and negatively, he applies them against the errors that
his readers must avoid. V6-7, as positive (“do this”) reinforcements, summarize the whole letter, and
then v8 moves to a negative (“do not do this”) advisory. The simple message is this: “Remain faithful
in Christ, but grow in Christ as well.” Paul is basically being Paul here. He loves to tell people who
they are, and then encourage and command them to be who they are. He says, “You are a Christian, so be
a Christian. You have received Christ AS LORD (not just Savior), so continue living in Him, or ‘walk’
in Him.” In other words, receiving Christ is merely the beginning of spiritual life that lasts forever;
receiving Christ is not the end of the road.
V7 stresses thanksgiving, particularly since these believers are firmly rooted in Christ (Ephesians 4:14),
having been taught the gospel early on. Being firmly rooted and built up suggests a solid pattern of
growth. Robert Murray McCheyne, reflecting on his own growth, said, “I am persuaded that nothing is
thriving in my soul unless it is growing.” Also, Paul points to continued belief. C. S. Spurgeon once
said, “Men to be truly won to Christ must be truly won to truth.” If we are to continue to grow in
grace, we must continue to avail ourselves of the truth of God’s word. Paul also says that Christians
are thankful. Ligon Duncan says, “As we think about gratitude and thanksgiving in our experience, there
are two interesting components to it. Negatively, gratitude lifts our thoughts from ourselves because
true thanksgiving is born in a spirit of humility. Positively, gratitude directs our hearts toward God,
from whom all growth comes and to whom, therefore, all praise and glory should be given. So thanksgiving
and gratitude move us from off ourselves and onto God. It comes from humility and it ends in praise.”
Paul rightly instructs believers to be thankful to God that the gospel came to them and that they have
been firmly established in faith by God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
On a side note, though not mentioned here, Paul is no doubt complimenting Epaphras as the good teacher
who faithfully and completely delivered the word of truth to the Colossians some years prior to these
false teachers infiltrating their young church. Finally, Paul is not issuing commands here in v6-7;
rather these things – growth, belief, and thanksgiving – are descriptive of what is certain to happen
to true believers in Christ.
In v8, Paul directly attacks the false teaching that was likely prominent in Colosse. He says, “See to
it that no one takes you captive.” This language brings to mind the sheepfold of God. The Colossians are
in the fold, and the false teachers, unable to destroy the flock, will strive to plunder even one sheep
at a time by confusing the sheep. It is Jesus’ firm grasp of His sheep as the Good Shepherd (John 10),
through sound doctrine – hearing His voice – that prevents the sheep from being taken captive. Paul says
that the false teachers are guilty of using “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” to try to deceive the sheep,
the elect of God, if that were possible (Matthew 24:24). There is so much here. Let’s break it down:
First, philosophy here, according to Calvin, “means everything that men contrive of themselves when
wishing to be wise through means of their own understanding.” It is “nothing else than a persuasive
speech, which insinuates itself into the minds of men by elegant and plausible arguments.” And it
“will be nothing else than a corruption of spiritual doctrine, if it is mixed up with Christ.” Paul
condemns this kind of philosophy, which is hardly philosophy at all – Paul calls it hollow deception
or vain deceit – because it “depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather
than on Christ.” Paul declares tradition, and specifically philosophy based on tradition, since it is
manmade, to be less valuable than Christ and His word, which are divine. Vincent Cheung says, “It is
‘hollow’ in that it is devoid of truth, wisdom, and reason, but it tries to convince people that it
possesses these qualities by using methods and arguments that are ‘deceptive.’ In other words, this
philosophy can appear wise to foolish people, such as non-Christians, or to Christians who at the
moment fail to maintain their focus on the sound doctrines referred to in v6-7.”
The question is often asked, “What does Paul mean by ‘the basic principles of this world’?” Calvin
suggests that Paul is speaking of either cultural ceremonies, since he is about to bring up circumcision,
or things that are of no use for the kingdom of God (Galatians 4:3), like mere amusing entertainment,
such as television for us. Ligon Duncan says, “It may be that Paul is referring to ethical principles
of behavior which are not grounded in the Word of God. Or Paul may be thinking of a particular teaching
that says there are demonic spiritual beings who control elementary principles in the universe like the
stars and such. And those stars then control our lives. It would not be unlike astrology, where there
are people who believe that the position of the planets and the stars actually control human destiny.”
Vincent Cheung says, “The two major interpretations understand Paul to be referring to either ‘elements’
or ‘rudiments.’ The former could refer to the earthly elements of ancient science (as in earth, water,
fire, and air), or it could even refer to ‘elemental spirits of the universe’ (RSV), including pagan
deities that supposedly exercise power over peoples and nations. ‘Rudiments,’ on the other hand, would
refer to the first principles of a philosophy, that is, the basic principles, teachings, and assumptions
of a system of thought. Several considerations, including the context, favor the latter interpretation,
so that the meaning should be ‘rudiments,’ as in basic principles or teachings. Paul refers to the
rudiments of ‘the world,’ which in a context that chides the traditions of men, should be taken in
the ethical sense. The content of the rest of the passage is consistent with this understanding. In
particular, v20 calls attention again to ‘the basic principles of this world’ and cites ‘its rules’
as ‘Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!’ He says that these are ‘human commands and
teachings…regulations.’ For this reason Calvin thinks the basic principles refer to ‘ceremonies.’ But
it is more precise to say that Paul is referring to the teachings about these ceremonies. In any case,
even if some insist that Paul has in mind elements or elemental spirits, it makes no pivotal difference
in interpretation and application, since the meaning still reduces to a set of intellectual principles.
This is because he is talking about a ‘philosophy,’ so that even if the reference directly concerns
elements or spirits, he is in fact referring to the intellectual principles and assumptions associated
with them.”
Cheung continues, “These principles are false, Paul explains, because they are based on men’s ideas and
not based on Christ. This point is significant because it universalizes the application of the statement.
The false philosophy is hollow and deceptive not just because it is based on some particular human
inventions. If this is as far as Paul goes, then this verse might leave room for other human inventions
to be correct, or at least they would have to be individually considered. But Paul says that the
philosophy is false because it is not based on Christ, the Christ that the Colossians received and were
taught (v6-7). In other words, any philosophy that is not based on the Christian faith as delivered by
the apostles is a false philosophy. A hollow and deceptive philosophy consists of the traditions and
principles of men – things that they invented or deduced from their speculations and superstitions.
These false principles pervade all non-Christian religions and philosophies. The natural sciences,
including modern cosmology, physics, biology, and so on, are not exempted from this charge. Man-made
philosophies are not only hollow, but also deceptive, and many Christians have been deceived into
thinking that science is rational and authoritative. This is what it claims, and this is what it wants
us to believe, but it cannot withstand even the most basic logical scrutiny in its assumptions, methods,
and conclusions. They are after all the traditions and principles of men, nothing more. On the other
hand, true philosophy consists of Christian traditions and principles, things that God has revealed to
us through the Scripture.”
Whatever these principles, by clinging to them, we would be in no small way proclaiming that Christ is
insufficient, so Paul will now address that, as he has previously. V9-15 correspond to the positive
instructions given in v6-7; and v16-23 correspond to Paul’s negative charge given in v8. None of this
teaching is new to Paul – even within this letter. He frequently shows the sign of any good teacher –
repetition.
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V9-15 - Paul again says that Christ is sufficient. In Him are fullness, fellowship, forgiveness, and
freedom, and these themes will be noticed throughout v9-15, which is a continuation of the thoughts of
v6-7. We need to remember who Jesus is and who we are in Him. Calvin comments on v9, “God has manifested
Himself to us fully and perfectly in Christ.” Just as Christ is the fullness of God, so we are made full
in Him. He has authority over all. And on v10, Calvin says, “As to God’s dwelling wholly in Christ, it is
in order that we, having obtained Him, may posses in Him an entire perfection. Those, therefore, who do
not rest satisfied with Christ alone, do injury to God in two ways, for besides detracting from the glory
of God, by desiring something above His perfection, they are also ungrateful, inasmuch as they seek
elsewhere what they already have in Christ. Paul, however, does not mean that the perfection of Christ
is transfused into us, but that there are in Him resources from which we may be filled, that nothing
may be wanting to us.”
In v11, Paul introduces circumcision to the conversation. While the Galatian Judaizers were demanding
circumcision, that was not necessarily true of the Colossian false teachers. He is showing that power
over the flesh – something the false teachers offered – was already theirs in Christ. He is also showing
that physical circumcision by the hands of men is unnecessary, because spiritual circumcision by the
Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ is what matters. Calvin says, “Circumcision was given to the Fathers that
it might be the figure of a thing that was absent: those, therefore, who retain that figure after
Christ’s advent, deny the accomplishment of what it prefigures. Let us, therefore, bear in mind that
outward circumcision is here compared with spiritual, just as a figure with the reality. The figure is
of a thing that is absent: hence it puts away the presence of the reality.” Paul says that we who have
been circumcised by Christ have put off the sinful nature (Romans 6:13).
In v12, Paul clarifies the concept of spiritual circumcision with the image of baptism. Someone might
argue with Paul, asking, “Since Abraham received both inward and outward circumcision, why shouldn’t
we?” Paul answers that Christ accomplishes in us spiritual circumcision, not through means of that
ancient sign, which was in force under Moses, but by baptism. Baptism, therefore, is the sign of the
circumcision of Christ, the reality presented to us, which, while absent, was prefigured by circumcision.
Gentiles did not need the sign of the old covenant to be Abraham’s offspring. So God essentially replaced
circumcision with baptism. As in Romans 6:4, Paul declares, according to Calvin, “By baptism, therefore,
we are buried with Christ…that the reality (His efficacious death and burial) may be conjoined with the
sign (our death and burial in baptism).” And Paul does not leave us buried in baptism; he magnifies the
grace that we obtain in Christ, as being greatly superior to circumcision, by declaring that we are
raised to newness of life through faith in the power of God (the message of the cross, the gospel –
1 Corinthians 1:18), who raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 6:4, 8:11). Ligon Duncan, a PCA Minister,
can’t help but point out here that infant baptism makes perfect sense according to Paul. Baptism comes
before faith in Paul’s language here. So Paul, according to Duncan, is saying that baptism is “a sign
of God reaching out to us when we could not reach out to Him… God reaches out and sets a sign on us so
that when we grow and once embrace Christ personally through faith, we can look back and see that before
we loved Him, He loved us in Christ.”
Vincent Cheung makes the connection: “No doctrine of physical circumcision can add anything to the
believer. Christians have experienced spiritual resurrection (v12-13). All unbelievers are dead in
sin, but we have been made alive in Christ. A person is either spiritually dead or alive. Nothing could
be done to make us more resurrected. The idea itself is senseless. Christians have received complete
forgiveness. God has forgiven all our sins, canceled our debt, and nailed the note to the cross (v13-14).
The language is final, and there is no room for improvement or for more forgiveness. Christians have
attained complete victory. Christ has triumphed over all powers and authorities, and by our union with
Him, we share in His triumph (v15). We should stand firm in this, but there is nothing that needs to be
done or that could be done to gain additional victory. Christ’s work is complete, and we are complete
in Him.”
V13 and the surrounding context corresponds to Ephesians 2:1-18. See also Ezekiel 37 (The Dry Bones).
Paul’s point here is that sin is the cause of death and that uncircumcision, while not the cause of
death, is the outward sign that the sinner is indeed dead. Thus the remedy is the righteousness of
Christ and forgiveness of sins, bringing life, bringing freedom, and circumcision of the heart
(regeneration) as the sign of life and freedom. Paul usually speaks of justification, rather than
forgiveness, so it is thought that he is emphasizing Christ’s overcoming sin not merely as a general
power but as the removal of guilt from particular sins – forgiveness and freedom.
In v14, there is some question as to what exactly Paul means by Christ “having canceled the written
code.” We must recall the context, that it applies primarily to the ceremonies or rituals that the
Colossians were threatened with by the false teachers. Paul is not canceling the law itself; rather,
the death warrant of those who transgress the law but are in Christ is cancelled. Believers are no
longer subject to the condemnation of the law. Finally, in v15, Paul shows how Christ has taken away
the strength of the “powers and authorities,” even to the point of making a public spectacle of their
futility. He cast out Satan, threw him down to the earth, and bound him, having broken his power and
settled his fate.
Ligon Duncan offers an explanation of Christ’s “public spectacle” of the powers and authorities: “If
you had been in the Roman world in the times that the generals were going out and conquering the
far-flung nations, you wouldn’t have had CNN to tell you about the great victories that were being won
on the frontiers. So the only way a Roman general could show you that he had really won a great battle
was to parade all the captives, all the prisoners, in front of your eyes. He would put them in shackles
and march them back into the hometown. The great soldiers would come first, the conquering king would
then come, and behind him all of the captives, imprisoned. Paul is saying that is what Christ has done
to the spiritual forces arrayed against you. He has led a triumphant procession in which they are
brought along behind Him in the train as slaves. Now Paul asks, if Christ has done that, what are
these teachers doing telling you that they can give you authority over these people? Christ has
already exercised this authority over everything that is arrayed against you and your freedom is
assured because of His victory. You are not a victim in this world of demonic forces. You are not
a victim in this world of the alignment of the stars and planets. You are not a victim in this world
of fate and the outrageous claims of fortune, because Christ rules the world for the sake of His people.
Because Christ is Lord, you are free.”
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V16-23 - In v16-23, Paul is returning to the negative theme of v8. It is suggested that Paul, in v16-17,
refutes the idea of special days that were regarded in Colosse as “Sabbaths” to the stars, which aligned
to determine one’s destiny. It makes about as much sense for the Colossian Christians to add this type of
practice to their Christianity as it would for us to daily read our horoscopes in hopes for something
special. Paul has discussed circumcision as the foremost evidence of legalism amongst false teachers, and
now he moves to other legalism concerns, such as Sabbaths, food, and drink. None of these “shadows” touches
the “reality” – Christ is all and is in all. Romans 14 Yet, sadly, many Christians today prefer the
“shadows” of Easter and Christmas to the reality, Christ Himself. Should we not celebrate Christmas and
Easter as such, based on the text here? Perhaps Jehovah’s Witnesses have it right when the refuse to note
birthdays and religious holidays based on a sound reading of this passage. Vincent Cheung notes, “For one
to persist in a religion of shadow when God commands a religion of reality means that this person has no
spiritual reality, and no true contact with God.”
In v18, we read first of delighting in false humility and the worship of angels. Paul explains that folks
who go into great detail about their visions are puffed up by their unspiritual mind with idle notions.
Elsewhere Paul says that knowledge puffs up (self), while love builds up (others). These folks are in a
sense boasting in their experiences, thinking themselves humble, so that others will think them to be
super-spiritual. In fact, they are unspiritual, delighting in a false humility that is oftentimes prouder
than pride, and their idle notions are nothing more than conjuring up essential doctrine out of dreams.
And even more, they judge those as inferior and unspiritual who have not experienced the same things as
them. We can liken this group of people to our own extreme Pentecostals, who claim that two experiences
of the Holy Spirit are necessary to be the most spiritual kind of Christian; those who lack two
experiences may still be Christians, but they are second-class ones at best. Now this is not to say that
visions and spiritual experiences are worthless; rather, they are not something to hold over the heads
of others. Nor should they been seen as somehow adding to one’s own spirituality, which is made complete
by faith in Christ alone and in His supremacy and sufficiency. Paul effectively tells the Colossians that
they are not “disqualified” for the prize, despite these seemingly super-spiritual authorities purporting
the inadequacy of the Colossian believers. Rather, in Christ, they are qualified (Philippians 3:14).
We also read in v18 that the worship of angels in Colosse was expected to bring one closer to God.
Interestingly, Orthodox Judaism at the time had a practice of worshipping with the angels, a form
of ecstatic prayer and asceticism that was meant to accomplish the same thing. Thus it appears to
be the case that false teachers of Colosse did indeed combine Judaism, Christianity, and pagan rituals
as their vain and deceitful philosophy. Another viewpoint of this idea is that the Colossian false
teachers were encouraging the people to let the angels teach them how to worship. And even that would
be wrong, because God is the One who teaches that.
In v19, Paul says that the one who is seeking favor with angels is not only reducing Christ’s sufficiency
in principle, but also, in practice, decreasing his own joy, which is made complete in Christ. Paul’s
mention of Christ as “Head” looks back at Colossians 1:18 and looks forward to the application Paul will
draw out in relation to church membership in Colossians 3:1-4:6. Why would the body try to flee from the
governing of the head? It’s silly.
In v20-21, Paul again speaks of the “principles of this world” and its “rules,” and he lists a few with
which the Colossians may have been familiar. These manmade regulations take away from Christ’s supremacy
and sufficiency (Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 6:13; Matthew 15:6-11). Having died to the world in Christ,
we, though still in the world, are no longer of the world; and He who is in you is greater than he who is
in the world. Calvin says, “The sum is this – that the worship of God, true piety, and the holiness of
Christians, do not consist in drink, and food, and clothing, which are things that are transient and
liable to corruption, and perish by abuse. For abuse is properly applicable to those things which are
corrupted by the use of them. Hence enactments are of no value in reference to those things which tend
to excite scruples of conscience.” Derek Thomas says that Paul is referring to the ABC’s of worship,
which are based on Scripture; in fact, the ABC’s of worship are Scripture! Biblical worship should
consist of reading the Bible, hearing the Bible, singing the Bible, praying the Bible, preaching the
Bible, and teaching the Bible. Anything else is manmade, which is Paul’s focus in v23.
In v23, Paul speaks of the self-made worship regulations having an appearance of wisdom, but lacking any
ability to restrain sensual indulgences (Proverbs 3:5-6; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). We must worship God according
to His regulations as set forth in Scripture, not ours, no matter how “wise” they may seem. In fact, the
things that Paul says here are worthless are actually harmful, a form of indulging the flesh rather than
restraining those desires (Romans 13:14; Luke 16:15). Vincent Cheung says, “These human commands and
teachings that are so restrictive and dominating to the one who observes them in fact prevent the person
from obeying God’s commands and teachings.” Derek Thomas says, “Paul is drawing a very direct line from
worship to sanctification; that when you get your worship wrong, your holiness will go wrong with it.
In other words, Paul is saying that one of the distinguishing features of holiness and godliness and
Christ-likeness is our attitude to corporate worship.”
Footnotes
- 2:11 Or the flesh
- 2:13 Or your flesh
- 2:13 Some manuscripts us
- 2:15 Or them in him
Bible text from
Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society.