Written ~ 10-07-2024
Read Colossians Chapter Two
Colossians 2
Wow! This chapter is powerful!
But before we get into the entire chapter, I want to show you something that I saw from verse one, something I never noticed before.
Colossians 2:1…
1 “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.”
When reading this very first verse, my attention was immediately drawn to “the church at Laodicea…” The only time the church at Laodicea is mentioned in the entire Bible is in the Book of Colossians and again in the Book of Revelation. In Colossians 2, we have the church at Laodicea lumped together into the group of believers that Paul agonized over, even though he had never met them. Then, in Colossians 4, in his concluding statements Paul asks the believers in Colosse to pass their letter from him to the Laodicean church so they would have the opportunity to read it too. And that’s the only mention of the church at Laodicea, until the Book of Revelation… look at what the Apostle John wrote about this church, these are the words given to John directly from the Lord…
Revelation 3:14a,15-16, 19b…
14a “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea…
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth!… So be diligent and turn from your indifference.”
Doesn’t it seem to you that the Laodicean believers did not heed to all the instructions that Paul was trying to instill in them? Think about your life… Would Paul be agonizing over you? Next, we are going to see how Paul was agonizing over the Laodicean church and in fact, all believers…
Colossians 2:2-10…
2 “I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ Himself. 3 In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. 5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. 7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”
The underlining thought here is that Paul does not want anyone to be deceived. Especially once we have given our lives over to the Lord. Without remaining steadfast and firm in the Word of God it’s rather easy for other belief systems, empty philosophies, and ungodly ideologies to take up residence in our hearts as well.
Verses 2:6-7 should be kept very close to mind, “…You must continue to follow Jesus…Let your roots grow down into Him…Let your lives be built on Him…”
The visuals given to us in these verses is pretty awesome…
- “You must continue to follow Jesus…” Think of a beautiful, sandy beach, it’s hightide so the ocean comes way up onto the shore then back out again and all you see are fresh footprints in the glistening wet sand, imagine those footprints to be the steps of Jesus. In my mind I begin to walk with my footstep right in His. Wherever His footsteps go, that’s where I go…
- “Let your roots grow down into Him…” Think of a green, lush forest with trees lining a mountain stream. The roots of the trees are reaching out, stretching down further and further to find the living water they need to grow healthy and strong. Jesus is the Living Water, our hearts, minds, and souls need the nourishment that only the Lord can provide. Our roots (our spirits) need to intertwine with the treasure of wisdom and knowledge hidden deep within the Lord’s spirit.
- “Let your lives be built on Him…” Think of a brick building built on a level and sturdy foundation, Jesus as the cornerstone. As long as the cornerstone is laid first, everything else built on top of it will withstand any storm that comes its way. It is the truth of Jesus that we build our lives on, He must be the foundation to everything we do or say.
Verse 2:7 continues… after we do these things, “Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
When we don’t apply the Scriptures to our lives, there is no way we can grow in our faith. We can try, but without having the wisdom and knowledge of the Bible to guide our steps and train our minds we can easily go astray. When we see the benefit of living by the Word of God we will have a thankful heart, an overflowing thankful heart!
In Colossians 1:19, Paul said that “For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ.” Now in Colossians 2:9, Paul says almost the same thing, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”
When we put our trust in Jesus, it’s not just a man in whom we put our trust. It is the fullness of the Almighty God that lives within Christ. We put our trust in the All-Powerful God when we put our trust in Christ. Awesome!
This next section of chapter two tells us what happens when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior…
Colossians 2:11-15…
11 “When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision – the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.”
After reading these verses you should have shouted a Hallelujah!! If you didn’t, then read them again!
Our sinful nature was cut away, we were buried with Christ in baptism, but then we were raised to NEW LIFE! We were dead because of sin, but God made us alive with Christ. And the awesome thing about this, no matter what we have done, God forgave all of our sins! We were sentenced to death and hell because of our sinful natures, but God canceled the record of the charges against us! The purpose of Christ dying as the final sacrificial lamb was to nail sin and death to the cross and in doing so Jesus disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities, He publicly shamed them. Christ alone is victorious!
Now do you want to shout a Hallelujah!!
Verses 2:16-23 caution believers not to allow anyone to condemn us for not following the old way, the old covenant. Paul doesn’t want anyone to take away what Christ has done for us in Salvation, he warns us that there will be those who try to push their agenda on us. But keep in mind what verse 2:20 says, “You have died with Christ, and He has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world…”
In chapter three Paul will continue these same lines, so until next time…
God bless you!!!
~AMEN~