Summary of Colossians, Chapter 2

Paul wants them to know how hard he has been working [in prayers and sacrifices] for them and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have never seen him, so their hearts may be consoled, joined in love, made rich in the assurance that comes from their knowledge, the knowledge of the mystery of God in Christ. In Him there are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Paul says this to try to protect them against deceptive arguments. For even though he is physically absent, he is with them in spirit, and rejoices at seeing their good order and firm faith in Christ.

So they should walk in Christ, just as they have received, and be rooted in Him and built in Him, and strengthened in the faith that was taught them, abounding in giving thanks.

He urges them to watch so no one may take them captive through reasonings and empty deception, according to human, not divine tradition, according to the cosmic powers, and not according to Christ. In Him, Christ, all the fullness of the divinity lives permanently in a bodily way. And they have been made full in Him, having everything they need. He is above every principality and power. In Him they have been circumcised with a circumcision not done by hands, which takes off part of the flesh, but they have been circumcised in Christ by being buried together with Him in Baptism, Him in whom they were raised from the dead through faith in the working of the God who raised Him from the dead.

For when they were dead spiritually because of transgressions, and in the uncircumcision of the flesh, He made them alive together with Christ, and forgave all their transgressions. He took away the bill that was against them, with its claims against them, and took it and nailed it to the cross.

He despoiled the principalities and the powers. He made a spectacle of them, leading them as captives in triumph in Him.

So no one should condemn them for not observing rules about food or drink, or feast days, or new moons or sabbaths, which were a foreshadowing of things to come in Christ. But now the reality promised by them is at hand in Christ.

So they should not let anyone rob them of their prize so that they would humiliate themselves and worship angels, being moved by a vision and vainly puffed up in a fleshy mind, instead of holding on to the Head, which is Christ. From Him the whole [mystical] body is nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, and it grows with a divine growth.

Since they have died with Christ, so as to be away from the cosmic powers: why should they still let rules be imposed on them as though they still belonged to the world? rules that say: ``Do not touch, or taste, or handle,'' referring to things that perish as they are used, according to human rules and teachings. These things have the appearance of wisdom in would-be religion and self-abasement and unsparingness to the body. But they are not of any value in checking the indulgence of the flesh.

Comments on Chapter 2

Paul opens by saying he is ``struggling'' for them, presumably in prayer and sacrifice. He mentioned Laodicea, which was north of Colossae, on the Lycus river.

He turns to warning them of false teachers. As we said in the introduction, we are not sure precisely what kind _ perhaps more than one kind. He warns against a false ``philosophy'' or reasoning and deception, which uses human tradition, not the divine tradition of the Church. They preach cosmic powers, Greek stoicheia. We commented on that word at Galatians 4:3, and saw it might mean there either early religion, insufficient and imperfect as it was, or else cosmic powers. Here Paul seems to have in mind spirit powers. It need not mean Paul believes in such beings as his opponents speak of: he is using the language of his opponents. Yet he does believe in angels and devils, of course. The opponents must have been saying one should honor them as well as Christ. Paul says in Christ lives the fullness of divinity permanently, not just for a time. Christ is above every principality and power _ some of the names for these spirit powers. He says the Colossians have had a spiritual, not a physical circumcision. This makes us think that the opponents urged some, perhaps not all, Jewish practices, perhaps were entirely Jewish. Or they could have proposed a mixture of ideas. Christians have all the fullness they need in Him, Christ.

He brings back the syn Christo theme, the idea that we are saved and made holy if and to the extent that we are members of Christ, and like Him _ we spoke of this in comments on 1:24 above. We note Paul speaks here as if they have already had the resurrection. This is not a physical resurrection,¹⁶ but a spiritual one, so that Christians should live already with the same outlook of mind they will have when they do physically emerge from their graves on the last day. How different will the world appear then!

When they were spiritually dead, Christ brought them to life by forgiveness of their transgressions.

He took the cheirographon that was against them with its claims. Some think this means He took away the Old Law. But Jesus said He came not to destroy but to fulfill. It is true, Paul has said they are free from the law, but that expression is easily misunderstood, as we gather from such texts as 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 where Paul says if one violates the law, he will not inherit the kingdom. But cheirographon is better rendered as a bill to be paid. This fits well with the debt concept of sin we spoke of above in comments on 1:24. He paid that bill by His cross.

The context shows it means a bill for a debt, for in the previous verse Paul says that when you were dead in your sins, God made you alive together with Christ, ``forgiving you all your sins.'' (Ephesians 2:15 at first sight might seem to be the same thought ``annulling the law of commands with its ordinances.'' But there the context is not that of forgiving sin, as here in Colossians, but of breaking down the boundary between Jew and gentile).

He also despoiled the principalities and powers. At this point we see clearly for the first time Paul views them as evil spirits. Christ made a spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his triumphal procession _ he is using the familiar image of a triumphal procession in the Roman forum, in which captives were led along with the victorious troops and commanders.

Next he tells them not to let these opponents impose rules on them about kinds of food or drink or certain feasts or new moons or sabbaths. These again seem to be Jewish ideas. Paul says they were there temporarily to foreshadow the true reality which came with Christ.

But he adds they should not lower themselves by worshipping angels, impressed by a vision of angels. In the mystery religions they would sometimes put on things like this. (The words could also mean taking his stand on visible things, in contrast to spiritual realities of our faith). Instead of lowering themselves to worship beings lower than Christ, if indeed they exist at all, they must stay with Him. It is from Him the Head that His whole mystical body grows with a divine growth.

Since they have died with Christ they are free of the cosmic powers, and should ignore the rules the opponents try to put onto them. It seems he quotes something like those rules: ``Do not touch, taste, or handle.'' Yet the rules refer to things that are material, and so are used up. The opponents claim there is wisdom in this, but it is only a would-be religion. It includes self-abasement and unsparingness to the body _ it seems, ascetic practices. Paul says they are not of any value. They are either a way of indulging man's pride, or of no value in taming the flesh _ the Greek here can stand either translation.

Paul of course does not object to Christian feasts, or to mortification such as fasting, which we know he himself practiced, e.g., in 2 Corinthians 11:27 and 1 Corinthians 9:26-27. Paul does not object to these things in themselves, but only to doing them out of impositions by a false religion.