Colossians 2:13-15 The charge against us has been cancelled!

2:13,14

The attacks of the false teachers may have troubled the minds of the Colossians, Paul reminds them that God made us alive with Christ, while we “were dead in our sins”, i.e. when there was nothing to commend us to the Lord. In this entirely unattractive state God “forgave us all or sins”. He cancelled  the legal charge against us. We could look at the Law and come to the right conclusion that we are in big trouble. We were legally indebted, but God has cancelled the charge. Now it was God’s law that stood against us, He has the right to cancel it. How did He do this? By nailing the charge to the cross. The charge of guilt against us is now completely without foundation.

2:15

God has disarmed the powers and authorities. He made a public spectacle of them on the cross. The cross was a public event, open for all to see. Accusation is one of the weapons that Satan uses, but we should be aware that this weapon is now absolutely useless. God just looks at the cross and declares that we have now been cleared.

Colossians 2:9-12 - All the fullness of the deity

2:9,10

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”, so no other teaching can possibly have anything to offer. For everything of God is to be found in Christ. Moreover, “in Christ you have been brought to fullness”. There is nothing that any other teaching can offer. Everything is in Christ,and everything  we need or could want is in Christ. “He is the head over every power and authority”. Nothing can threaten us, for Christ is over every power and authority.

2:11

As well as the gnostic type threats and temptations, the Judaising element  said they needed to be circumcised. But in Christ  we were “circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands”. This circumcision was more complete, for our whole self was put off, for it is our whole self that was ruled by the flesh. Something more drastic than physical circumcision was needed.

2:12

And in Christ that something more drastic was performed. Through baptism we were buried with Him, we were united with Him in His death. And we were raised  with Him "through the working of God, who raised HIm from the dead.” We have everything in Christ.

Colossians 2:6-8 - Do not be taken captive

2:6,7

The Colossians had received Christ, but were now having their faith attacked. They are urged to continue with Christ. This is not just a matter of mental assent, but of living their lives. They were to be “rooted and built up”. We do not stop learning, but are to be strengthened and deepened in our faith. And we are to be “overflowing with thankfulness”. We are to be grateful and appreciative of our faith and of its benefits.

2:8

False teachers’ ideas are “hollow and deceptive”, they have no real substance and their ideas deceive. However, these ideas do have power, power to take us captive, the gospel has power  to give life. The ideas depend on human tradition, and "elemental spiritual forces” of this world, but not on Christ. What are “elemental spiritual forces”? The Greek word means “primary and fundamental principles”. The root of man’s rebellion is saying “we don’t need you God”, and “we will decide what is right and what is wrong”. These false teachings are based on a human approach to life. Anything that is worthwhile needs to be based on Christ.

Colossians 2:1-5 - Contending for them in prayer

2:1-5

Many of them in Colossae did not know Paul, even so Paul prayed for them and worked for them., along with those in Laodicea. Paul’s goal was “that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love”. Paul’s words about the full riches of complete understanding, and know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, is a counter to the false teachings. False teachings are an attempt to bring a substitute for Christ, but there is no substitute, and in Christ there are riches greater than anything the false teachings claim to offer. In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. The false teachers may have had “fine sounding arguments” but they were all lies, we should not be deceived. Although Paul was absent from them, he was present in spirit, praying for them. Prayer is effective and has a real effect.

Colossians 1:25-29 - The mystery disclosed

1:25-27

Paul was a servant of the gospel, “by the commission God gave him”. Paul’s task was to present the word of God in its fullness. “Mystery” was a word beloved of gnostic type teachings, but the gospel presents the greatest mystery of all. The mystery was how could God’s goodness be given to  a sinful people. The answer is in Christ, and this has now been revealed. It had been disclosed to the Lord’s people. It was not the Gnostic who had possession of any “hidden knowledge”, but God’s people who believed the gospel. The gospel is the “hope of glory”.

1:28,29

So Paul, and his co-workers, proclaimed Christ. It is a person that we proclaim, They admonished and taught “with all wisdom”. In order to present everyone fully mature in Christ. So Paul worked towards this end with everything he had.

Colossianss 1:21-24 - Reconciled with God

1:21-23

False teachings try to make out that we are lacking something, and it is true that once we were alienated from God, we were enemies of God in our minds. All this was a result of sin. But now this has all changed. We have been reconciled “by Christ’s physical body, by His death on the cross. So through Christ we are now “without blemish and free from accusation”. In order to continue to benefit from this we need to  continue in the faith. We need to be firmly grounded in the faith. This is the gospel that Paul preached, and it has been proclaimed to every creature  under heaven, there is no other way in which we can be made right with God.

1:24

The false teachers may have made much of the fact that Paul suffered so much, and was continually being  thrown in prison. But the gospel is founded on suffering. Christ’s suffering earned our salvation. Paul is not saying that there was anything lacking in that, but the continued growth of the kingdom and advancement of the gospel depends upon God’s people being ready to suffer. So Paul is happy to suffer in order to build up the church. 

Colossians 1:15-20 - The greatness of Christ

1:15,16

The major theme of the letter is the supremacy and all sufficiency of Christ. He is the “image of the invisible God, and the first born over all creation.” Everything of God is contained within Christ. In Christ we have it all, nothing else can offer anything worthwhile that we do not already have in Christ. In saying he is the firstborn Paul is in no way saying that Christ was created, rather he is stressing the supremacy of Christ over all creation. All things were created in Him, whether things in heaven or on earth, visible or invisible, absolutely everything, whether thrones or powers. All are subservient to Him. They were all created through Him and for Him.

1:17,18

Indeed in Him all things hold together. All of creation is utterly dependent upon Christ in every way, He is also the head of the church. He is also the beginning and the firstborn among the dead. Christ’s resurrection will be our resurrection, and His resurrection is the proof and guarantee that we will be raised. Christ is utterly  supreme.

1:19,20

God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ, there is nothing lacking or missing. False teachings will often use fear or guilt to try and unsettle us. But we need have no fear, for in Christ God reconciled all things to Himself, including us. He did this by making peace through the cross.