Colossians 2: Bible Study, Commentary and Summary

Colossians 2: Bible Study, Commentary and Summary May 27, 2016

Here is a Bible study, commentary, and summary of Colossians chapter two.

Colossians 2:2-3 “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, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Paul was often speaking about the gospel as a mystery, hidden for ages, that was made known to those God chooses. Paul’s desire was that this knowledge would knit their hearts together in love and for encouragement and to reach the full assurance of what this means to the Colossian. It was in Christ that all of the infinitely valuable treasures are hidden but not in costly pearls or gold but the truest treasure is that of “wisdom and knowledge” of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Why does Paul say it was hidden in Christ?

Why does Paul want the Colossians to have the full assurance in their understanding about this mystery?

What are the true riches or treasures?

Colossians 2:8-9 “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. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”

Paul is concerned about the Colossians being taken captive by those who are infiltrating the church and bringing false doctrines with them that are no more the empty, deceitful teachings and come from human traditions. Jesus once rebuked the religious leaders, telling them that “in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt 15:9) but the philosophies that Paul was speaking about were “according to the elemental spirits of the world,” which obviously means wicked spirits in high places (2nd Cor 4:3-4).

Who is the source of these “elemental spirits of the world?”

Why does Paul call them “empty deceit?”

Is all human tradition bad?

Col 2 In-him-also-you-were

Colossians 2:11-12 “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, 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.”

This reminds me of the Old Testament where several verses refer to a day when God will give us a new heart and a heart that is circumcised, not of the flesh but of the spirit. This new heart gives us God’s power to be able to put “off the body of flesh” which is at war against our new nature (Rom 7:22-23). Since our old man has been buried with Christ in baptism, we are raised to a new life in Christ and being a new creation in Christ (2nd Cor 5:17) and “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2nd Cor 5:18), meaning we’ll have new desires and strive to live a life that is pleasing to God.

What is the symbolism of baptism?

What does it mean that we were buried with Christ?

What does a circumcised heart refer to?

Colossians 2:13-14 “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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

As once we were dead in our sins and having an uncircumcised heart, God joined us together with Himself through Christ because of His redeeming us and forgiving “us all our trespasses” by the “cancelling” of the “debt that stood against us.” The legal demands of those of us who were before on “death row” have had our debt cancelled because Christ “set aside” the laws demands by “nailing it to the cross,” and thereby, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Col 2:15).

What did Jesus have nailed to the cross?

What were the legal demands that our sins had brought?

How did Jesus disarm “the rulers and authorities?”

How did He “put them to open shame?”

Colossians 2:16-17 “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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

Apparently some of the Jews had infiltrated the church at Colossae and had begun to insist that the believers observe certain days, likely holy days or feast days, and to abstain from certain “unclean foods,” but also insisting they keep the Sabbath too, however Paul says that these were all just shadows of the reality that is now found in Christ. A shadow has no substance in itself. They only pointed forward to the work of Christ on the cross. There is no salvation by human effort (Eph 2:9) so to try and make others observe what is no longer in effect is useless, because “the substance belongs to Christ.” Why cling to shadows when the substance that is Christ is here?

What is the “substance” that Paul was writing about?

What were these Jews thinking by trying to get the Gentiles to observe Old Testament laws?

Colossians 2:20-22 “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—“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings.”

The legal requirements of the Mosaic Law appeared to be good in themselves but the fault was not in the laws but in the lawbreakers, of which we are all guilty of. To the carnal mind, “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” (Col 2:23). In other words, these laws can’t covert a person; they can only find us guilty.

What are the “elemental spirits of the world?”

What was the purpose of the law (Rom 7:7-12)?

Summary

The Book of Colossians contains a lot about the law and the supremacy of Christ. Paul writes how the law only made us guilty but the substance, found in Christ, has nailed it all to the cross, thereby freeing us from serving the law to serving and obeying Christ. The traditions of men and the old Mosaic Laws could not save anyone. These were but a shadow and were pointing forward to the reality that is found in Christ.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.


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