Bible Study - Colossians 2:6 - 15

Reading - Spiritual fullness of Christ

The New International Version (Chapter 2)

Spiritual Fullness of Christ

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh s was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Prayer - ask Holy Gost to opn the Word

Christ is the most perfect image of God, into which we are so renewed as to bear the image of God, in knowledge, purity, righteousness, and true holiness.

John Calvin; Henry Beveridge

Because it is in Christ that you have spiritual fullness, Paul is saying, do not let anyone impose upon you a program of spiritual development that does not have Christ at its heart.

Douglas J. Moo

Verse 6 - 7

The New International Version Chapter 2

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness

Paul says: As you received Christ, so you must live in Christ.

(Gnostisim aangespreek) Noudat julle Christus aangeneem het, moet julle in Christus geanker bly en op Hom bly bou, standvastig in geloof, en oorloop van dankbaarheid. Christus is genoeg - net Christus kan jou red. Geen ander ideologie, of wet, of enige “nuwe” leeringe kan jou red nie. Net Christus se kruisdood kan, deurdat jy in Hom glo.

Ephesians 4:17 “This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind,”

Wat beteken dit om in jou geloof “geanker in Christus” te wees?

Verduidelik hoekom dit belangrik is om meer te leer oor die agtergrond van ‘n Bybel boek en die skrywer / ontvanger.

Vers 8

The New International Version Chapter 2

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Waak daarteen om nie mislei te word deur menslike tradisie en leë wette nie, want dit is deur mense uitgedink, en wat nie van Christus afkomstig is nie. Wees geanker (rooted) in Christus. Hierdie waarssjuwing is tweeledig:

Mooi woorde teenstrydig met die grondbeginsels van ons geloof

Vreemde filosofiee - bv “Budisme is ‘n lewenswyse, nie ‘n geloof nie....”

1 Timothy 6:20–21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, which some, by professing it, have deviated concerning the faith. Grace be with you all.”

Op wie se gesag word bogenoemde twee aanvalle op Christene gedoen?

Verse 9 - 10

The New International Version Chapter 2

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Christus is volledig - Die volheid van God is in Christus beliggaam, en omdat julle een is met Chistus, deel julle in die volheid van Christus – Hy wat as Hoof aangestel is oor alles. Hy is alles en in Hom is alles. Christus het waarlik mens geword, net soos ons, is gekruisig, begrawe, het opgestaan en het opgevaar na die hemel. Besef dat die offer van Jesus volledig is, niks is meer nodig nie!

Christ is the most perfect image of God, into which we are so renewed as to bear the image of God, in knowledge, purity, righteousness, and true holiness.

John Calvin; Henry Beveridge

Wat is die betekenis van die woord “Diety”: State of being God

Wat of wie is die “power and authority” waarvan Paulus praat?

Verses 11 - 12

The New International Version Chapter 2

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh s was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Paulus waarsku teen Judaisme: Christus werk in Sy mense deur geestelike besnydenis, deurdat hulle die sonde van die flees (die ou mens) afgelê het, waarvan die doop as teken dien. Christene moet gedoop word, nie besny nie. Ons is saam met Christus gekruisig, ons het saam met Hom opgestaan uit die dood - geen fisiese aksie van ‘n mens, soos die besnydenis, is nodig nie. Geloof in Christus is genoeg!

How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing … it is irresistible. If even 10 per cent of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?

C. S. Lewis

Wat word bedoel met “Flesh” (sarx)?

Verses 13 - 15

The New International Version Chapter 2

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Alhoewel julle eintlik nog dood was agv julle sonde, het God julle sondige natuur weggevat en in Christus lewend gemaak. Hy het al julle sondes vergewe. Hy het al die aanklagte en veroordelings oor julle uitgevee deur dit saam met Jesus aan die kruis vas te spyker. Daardeur het Hy ‘n bespotting gemaak van al die gesagvoerders en regeerders deurdat Sy aksie hulle totaal ontwapen het.

Paulus verbind die twee tekens, nl die besnydenis en die doop, omdat beide dieselfde basiese betekenis het, een vir Jode, die ander vir Christene. Vir Jode was die besnydenis die simbool dat hulle volgens die Gees sal leef, vir die Christene, die doop bevestig die nuwe lewe in die Gees omdat die ou lewe, die fleeslike lewe, dood is. Nou kan die Christen uitsien na ‘n nuwe lewe in Christus! Wonderlik.

Wat beteken “legal indebteness”?

Wat beteken “disarm” in hierdie verband?

1 Peter 2:23–24 “who when he was reviled, did not revile in return; when suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed.”

Summary

Soos julle Christus ontvang het, so moet julle indankbaarheid in Christus leef.

Pasop dat niemand julle om die bos lei, weg van die ware geloof in Christus nie.

Jy het niks meer nodig om gered te word nie - net geloof in Jesus Christus.

Ons is saam met Christus gekruisig en saam het ons opgestaan - die doop is hiervan ‘n teken. Daarom moet Christene gedoop word (en nie besny nie)

God het alle aanklagte teen julle weggevat as julle in Christus glo. Daardeur het Hy die bose magte en regeerders se mag oor jou totaal weggevat. net Christus tel!

During the time of Paul Colossae was religiously multicultural. The deities the Colossians worshiped were Artemis, Helios, Demeter, Men, Isis, and Serapis. The Ephesian Artemis called by the Greeks, the “great mother goddess” and Diana called by the Romans. She is depicted as the goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and wild animals, and fertility. She is the helpers of midwives as a goddess of birth. There are also a number of well-known Greek divinities, including Athena, Demeter, Hygieia, and Tyche. It is likely that other distinctively Asia Minor deities would have been worshiped there as well, such as the mother goddess, Cybele, and the goddess of witchcraft, Hekate. (Arnold. 2002. P. 373). Acts 19 tells us there was a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines for Diana for money. This was not only seen in Ephesian but throughout all Asia. Paul tried to persuade them to turn away the people, saying that there is no gods, which are made with hands. Paul warned that this craft of making shrines of goddesses was dangerous and should not be. The temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipped. (Acts 19:23-28).

Judaism James D. G. Dunn suggested that the problem in Colossae was the same as in Galatians and other early Pauline epistles – Jews were arguing that the gentile Christians were not really “saved” since they did not keep the ceremonial law of the Jews, especially Sabbaths and food laws. This is the “normal” Jewish critique of Gentile Christianity. While this adequately accounts for the Jewish aspect of the Colossian heresy, there is nothing in Galatians which leads to the conclusion that worship of angels or visions were part of the Judaizer’s agenda. https://readingacts.com/2017/10/25/what-was-the-problem-in-colossians/

Gnosticism was built on Greek philosophy that taught that matter was evil and the Spirit was good. The Apostle Paul fought against the Gnostics idealism claiming since according to them matter was evil, the LORD God could not really incarnate in a human body. He only appeared in human form and only appeared to suffer, it was an illusion. It was stated when Jesus walked on the sand you could know by seeing his footprints that were left. The Gnostic’s believed Jesus could be a pure spiritual being in an evil world and not be contaminated by it. The Gnostics claimed knowledge of God what was only exclusive only to them. (Elwell. 2001. p. 485). The Gnostics belief in this century can be seen today with those who are trying to convince us that we do not have to be told how to act, or what to believe. We should all use our brain and knowledge that it is our ability to think for ourselves and we do not need to be told by the church or any other source what to believe. What many churches are teaching today is that you can find Christ in any way you want and that the finding God is inside us not because someone teaches us. I had someone tell me that faith is not what a person believes about Jesus but what your relationship is with Him if it be good or bad. https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1433