Colossians 2:6-15
Chapter 2
6
Christian Life
If you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, let him be your doctrine.
7
Be rooted and built up in him; let faith be your principle, as you were taught, and let your thanksgiving overflow.
8
Make sure no one tricks you with philosophy or empty words; these are just human teachings, not inspired by Christ but by the wisdom of this world.
9
In him, the full nature of God lives in bodily form.
10
He is the head of all cosmic power and authority, and in him, you have everything.
11
In Christ Jesus, you were given a circumcision that is not performed by human hands, which completely removed the body of flesh from you:
12
I am referring to baptism. When you received it, you were buried with Christ; and you also rose with him because you believed in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13
You were dead, trapped in sin and uncircumcised. But God gave you life through Christ. He forgave all our sins.
14
He canceled the record of our debts, those regulations that accused us. He removed all of that and nailed it to the cross.
15
Through the cross, he defeated the rulers and authorities, humbling them in front of the entire world and making a public spectacle of them as prisoners.
Commentaries
Christian Life.
Paul addresses the challenge of syncretistic ideologies that infiltrated the community. He urges his listeners, first and foremost, to live according to the teachings of their faith. Then, with a strong warning, he cautions them against false speculations and the deceptions of human traditions (8). Christ is above all else, “the head of all cosmic power and authority” (10). He is the incarnate divine, and “in him you share in this fullness” (10). Regarding the “forces of evil” that wield power through human sin, Paul envisions them in the grand scene of Christ’s triumphant march—like the victory procession of Roman emperors—with his retinue of conquered prisoners (15; cf. 2 Cor 2:14; 1 Pt 3:22). Finally, he strongly criticizes those who practice mortification and esoteric rituals that deceive the mind—temporarily satisfying it but ultimately filling it with emptiness. This vain mental swelling contrasts with the growth of the body—the Christian community—which, through Christ as its head (cf. Eph 4:15ff), receives sustenance and cohesion (19).