2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
Alive in Christ
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Let No One Disqualify You
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (ESV)
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.
The church of Colosse was being led astray by false teachers. Men were teaching things like angel worship, requiring participation in rituals and festivals, and downplaying the importance of Christ in salvation. Sound familiar? Just as Paul reminds the Colossians to remember the truth of the gospel and the preeminence of Christ, we too must remember these things. Our world makes up its own religions based on human tradition and what it deems correct, just as this verse says. We can avoid being led astray by the lies of the cults and the lies within evangelical Christian churches by knowing what the Bible says. How do counterfeit experts identify fake money?… by spending hours studying what real money looks like. We must be like counterfeit money workers and spend time daily studying the Truth of God’s Word so that when a false teacher comes along and tries to lead us astray we will not fall for his lies. Being rooted and grounded in the Truth is the way to stay strong in our faith.
Col 2:17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Religion and religious rules made by men have no value: the real value is in Christ, who He is (God and man) and what He says we are to do (seek first His kingdom and His righteousness by loving God and others before ourselves). Lord, help me to live for You this way today.
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.
This just shows that we need to continue being even more thankful for Christ every day. Not only that but also to continue in what verse seven says; to be strengthened by his word! If we’re not feeling compelled enough to talk to people about God, were doing something wrong. Thus we need to go back to our roots, and get that strength regenerated from Him by reading the message of Him!
Where did everybody go on Scripture of the Day!?
Looking forward to seeing everyone at True North this weekend! We’re starting a two-part series called “Grace Up In Your Face!”
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you 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.
These are two of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. God has canceled our debt and nailed our sins to the cross! Praise God for the forgiveness that we have in Christ and that we have been made “alive” in him!
Nice to see you on here Collin!
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:
We need to put our sin on the cross, we need to kill it. We can’t try to be a better person cause that we will still be living in this sin. I’m trying to put a sin I struggle with sometimes to death, can you PRAY for me??? We need to pray to the Lord to help us put our sin to death! We need God’s help, we can’t trust ourselves we need to trust in the Lord!
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
How great is this love? You can’t compare it! We were dead to our sins and just living in rebellion against God in our sinful nature, then God made us alive by sending His Son to take away our sin on the cross so that we can be made alive with Him!
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA these past couple days! But I’m here! Verse 13 is another reminder that God is the one who made us alive with Christ and our salvation brought us spirutual life! God also forgave all of our sins. And once we put our faith in Jesus, our sins are washed away. What a beautiful thing. This doesn’t mean that we are still allowed to sin just because God forgives us. We are called to be holy and even though we will fall at times, we need to repent and turn from those sins and live a life pleasing to the Lord. I am so thankful for our heavenly father, for his forgivness and mercy over us.
8 See 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.
Dont be tempted and led astray by false teachers everything you hear check the bible to make sure it lines up with what God would have us do for him!
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
This is a great example of how much we should care about our brothers and sisters in Christ! we should be struggling and praying for them all the time! Most people think oh ok ill pray for them and throw up a quick “i hope so and so has a good day” thats really weak we need to be physically struggling for them every day! not just hoping they have a good day we need to make an effort talk to them pray for them and help them out if they need any help with something going on in there lives.
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
People who continue to live the Christian life never stay at the same level for very long. The more that we are in the word, meditating on it and learning God’s commands, the more we will mature in Him and strive to take our faith to the next level. It is always so awesome to see new Christians, because they are so on fire for the Lord, and always eager about reading their Bibles and evangelizing. But as they grow older and the novelty wears off, so does much of their fervor. We need to “remember the height from which we have fallen” (Revelation 2:5), and return to the pattern of serving Christ wholeheartedly and with joy, finding delight in studying His word, telling others about Him, and worshipping Him with our lives!
10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.
HA this verse reminded me of Obama and my school teachers! Even though they may not realize it, God gave them their authority. It’s all apart of his perfect plan, and knowing that God is in charge over them just reminded me that i need to respect them as my God given authorities! I especially have trouble respecting my math teacher…so that is something i need to be working on!! This is a great verse to apply for all high school students who struggle in respecting their teachers! (cuz i know we all do sometimes..)
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
Everyday we should remain in Christ and do what He has asked us to do. SPread the Word so that others may know and also follow. :]
***REMAIN IN JESUS 4EVER!!!***
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.
Paul is an awesome example on how we should be loving others. He is sitting in jail, but all he can think about is the other Christians and how he desperately wants to be with them, not so that they can make him feel better, but so that he can encourage them. I need to be following his example by having such a desire for the spiritual wellbeing of others that I am constantly praying for them and always looking to build others up when I talk to them. I can’t have a hint of self, but rather always be thinking of others and looking to encourage them.
13 “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
14 having 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.”
Thank you God! Let us praise and thank the Lord daily for what He did: dying so that His enemies might live. That’s something to thank and praise God for, no matter what the circumstances!
20 “Since 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:”
23 “Such 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.”
As Christians, we no longer should be submitting to the world and its rules. Instead, we should be “overcoming the world” and sin (1 John I think). Like Paul tells us here, a lot of the time it actually will appear to be wisdom and the right thing, but in the end it really will not have any value. What we need to do instead is conform our lifestyle to Jesus and His Word.
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Jesus Christ is the only thing that will bring us real wisdom and knowledge. Only in Him, will we find real understanding. A lot of people brush off, wisdom and knowlege. They think that there are more important things, like money and other earthly things. There are a lot of people who would rather be rich than wise.
In this verse, wisdom and knowledge are called treasures. This means that they are very important to have. How do we gain these things? They can only be found in Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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!”?
Its so important that we do not give into the worldly things around us. We are not even suppose to get near them at all. Verse 21 says “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” It speaks of it as it would poison or something that could easily hurt us.
8 See 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.
This is a really interesting chapter. Verse eight stands out to me in particular – there are plenty of earthly philosophies about life, I think the most common of which would be “If it feels good, do it”. We can’t let the world make us conform to these though, because we know that in Christ we must live up to a higher standard than pleasing ourselves. We ought to be pleasing Christ in how we live our lives – being selfless and God-fearing, instead of selfish and lazy.
4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
We of course need to be studying God’s Word and learning more about our Heavenly Father so that when we do talk to others about Christianity, 1. we may be prepared to answer annnnnything annnd 2. we may not be swayed my anything they may say. And Josh has a good point. Check everything that any church may say and make sure it’s legit by reading His Word and seeing where it follows. It’s kind of scary how there are people out there that are sent to persuade us and tell us the wrong thing…BUT THAT’S WHY WE GOT THE LORD ON OUR SIDE!
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you 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.
Such cool verses! As Jesus was nailed to that cross, so were our sins! Such an encouraging verse to go out and tell everyone about the gospel!
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.
We are all sinners but Jesus Christ has given us the oppurtunity to take all our sin away. He took our sins up on that cross and paid the full price for them. That’s a heavy weight to be lifted up off our shoulders and we don’t even deserve it. What an amazing God we have.
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.
its really hard, but we must be strong! dont be part of the 80% that falters and loses faith after graduating highschool. don “God’s armor” and be protected from the evils of the world; i think it was at Corinthians somewhere…man, since the seniors graduated, not a lot of people are posting lately…
this chapter really encourages us to remain in Christ. We must not lose faith and forget the God’s grace gives us eternal life. Our hearts need to be “overflowing with thankfulness.” stay strong in our walk with God and trust him in all circumstances.
14 having 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.
Jesus took all our sins away from us….now, when God looks at us he doesn’t see our sins but instead the perfection of Jesus. Its such a beautiful thing not to have to worry about anything else in life! It is all taken care of, our eternity is secure. Incredibleee.
7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
I love this verse it shows us that we need to have strong roots and be strengthened in faith. If don’t have strong roots and faith we will be swept away when times of hardships come. I don’t want to be swept away so Lets have strong roots and faith.
I really enjoy verse 10. Just that God is head of everything and every power. God should be number one in our lives, and nothing should be made an idol, or above him. If so, then that is scary and there needs to be prayer and evaluation. If I think about it, there is nothing more inportant than my relationship with God. I wouldn’t want anything to be an idol in my life again, and I am so motivated!
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you 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.
These are amazing verses. I love hearing about how God washed away all of our sins by dying on the cross, and how in doing so he got rid of the regulations given by the old testament for anyone that wanted to go to heaven. I’m so grateful that God will forgive us of anything that we do wrong.
6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
After we accept Christ into our lives as our Lord and Savior, he should be all we live for. Not for money, or ourselves, or any other idols we may encounter, but Christ. Only he can save you once your time in this world is done. Only he has the power to save us by grace through faith and not by works.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ‘
We were dead in sin but by God GRACE we were forgiven and now we are alive. We Repented and Turned away from God. We shall save others from being dead. God Fogave us