Colossians 2:8, 16-23

VERSE 8

Meaning of “see to it”

· blepw, “look out” or “beware”

Meaning of “take you captive”

· sulagwgew carry off as a captive; or, rob so figuratively take control of? Lead astray? Probably the NASB is very accurate “take you captive” to their own thinking and ideas; not used elsewhere in NT

· following a man’s ideas means that he has your allegiance rather than Christ

Meaning of “philosophy”

· lit. love of wisdom, but used for the world’s wisdom, man’s thinking, not God’s (i.e., not based on truth); not used any other times in NT

Meaning of “empty deception”

· empty = literally used of an empty glass or pot; used many times in NT for vain, without substance

· deception = trickery, deceit

· man’s wisdom that sounds spiritual but isn’t is a trick; it’s empty vanity

Meaning of “tradition of men”

· 3 times in the NT this word “tradition” is used positively: I Cor. 11:2; II Thes. 2:15; II Thes. 3:6. This clearly indicates that traditions (men’s applications/teachings of Bible principles) can be helpful barriers and protections for us. We are often wise to follow these things when they flow from our heart’s desire to obey God, NOT when they are a cover up to look spiritual while our heart runs to sin.

· but here it is particularly “tradition of men,” and highlights that it is based on man’s wisdom, not God’s.

· see Matthew 15:2-20 (parallel passage in Mark 7)

· Jesus says that they “transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition,” “invalidate the word of God for the sake of your tradition,” and “teach as doctrines the precepts of men.”

· the issue was that the disciples ate bread before they washed their hands, against the teachings of the Jewish elders. Jesus retorts that they make up traditions that directly contradict the law. For example, they had come up with this convenient loophole by which a child could be prevented from having to take care of his parents, by saying that his money was dedicated to God and couldn’t be used for anything else.

· The point is that they “honor with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” They do external things which look spiritual (like saying that their possessions are dedicated to God) when really their heart is set on disobeying God (by not honoring their parents).

· He concludes by saying that it isn’t what comes in your mouth that matters that much; it is what comes out from your heart. He basically says “stop worrying about whether you get a little bit of dirt from your hands on your bread when you eat it! Start worrying about evil thoughts, adultery, slander, false witness, stealing.”

· conclusion: heart obedience is what really matters to God; or, the application of principles in areas of liberty is not nearly as important as the obedience to God’s clearly revealed will

Meaning of “elementary principles of the world”

Used in Gal. 4:3, 9 seemingly to refer to the regulations of the law. These were the “elementary principles” because they were just foreshadowing Christ; they weren’t the climax yet? They were to bring us to Christ, not actually to save us. They were an important stage in the story of redemption, but an incomplete one until Christ came as the fulfillment of those things.

This could explain why Col. 2:20 says we have “died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world.” I.e., Christ is all we need, and in his death we have full payment for our sins. The regulations of the law no longer have the authority to condemn us. That kind of makes sense, but this isn’t complete yet…

Used in II Pet. 3:10, 12 to refer to actual physical elements. So this is accurately reflected by  “ABCs.”

· before Christ came many of these things (the ones that were actually from God, not additions) were good because they pointed people forward to God’s perfect priest, perfect sacrifice, and perfect tabernacle – they pointed to Christ. But once Christ came these things were “of the world” because they were in opposition to Christ. Christ is here, so you don’t need those things any more.

Meaning of “according to”

· this stuff doesn’t lead you to Christ, it leads you away from Him, because instead of needing Him and His grace you’ve got your own works to depend on.

VERSE 16

· does this verse give us specific examples, while verse 8 gave us general categories or characteristics of these things?

“Let no one act as your judge”

· These are areas of liberty. It DOES matter what you do; you can’t just do whatever you want. But what you decide to do must be decided in your conscience before God, not because someone else decided what you must do.

Meaning of “food or drink”

· Jewish dietary laws.

Meaning of “a festival”

· Matt. 26:5 Passover; John 7:2 feast of tabernacles; maybe used for one other Jewish feast? Those two are clear.

Meaning of “a new moon”

· only time in NT, but often in OT (like Num. 10:10, Ps. 81:3, etc.), a monthly Jewish celebration

Meaning of “a Sabbath day”

· normal word for “Sabbath”

VERSE 17

· apparently these things (in verse 16) were not wrong, but they were just a “shadow” of what is to come, and that is Christ (the “substance” behind the shadow). So if you continue to pay attention to those things and ignore Christ, you are committing a fatal error – paying attention to the shadow, not the reality.

· Hebrews 8:5 the sacrifices under the law, and the tabernacle itself, were “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” An imperfect copy of the real thing, pointing God’s people to the heavenly realities. Or foreshadowing the realities that were coming in Christ.

· Hebrews 10:1-4 is also very important. “The Law … is a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of the things.” It “can never make perfect those who draw near … it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

· They served a purpose until Christ, but now their purpose is done.

VERSE 18 (EXBC: “Two of the most puzzling verses in the NT”)

Meaning of “defrauding”

· literally “decide against,” used as an athletic word for the work of an umpire or referee. You cross the finish line, but the judge decides against you – he decides that for some reason you are disqualified.

Meaning of “prize”

· Probably this is salvation, and when combined with the previous word it means that if someone gets you to go back to the works of the law, he is taking away your prize from you, you are letting him steal away the possibility of salvation because he led you away from Christ to works.

Meaning of “delighting in self abasement”

Not clear whether this is best taken as “self-abasement” or “humility.” Probably go with the NASB and the first option. The point must be that self-abasement is ultimately of no value for salvation. Beating up on yourself will not save your soul from sin.

Meaning of “worship of angels”

· God is so high and holy that we can’t possibly worship him, so we’ll worship angels instead. Bologna, since Christ came to bring us to God!

· Or maybe some said they had visions of angels or talked with angels, so you should follow them?

Meaning of “inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.”

· Inflated = conceited, arrogant

· According to his fleshly mind he is doing a great job as a Christian; he has lots of evidences of this for himself. But, like those in Matt 15, he is not comparing himself to God’s will for Him, because that would expose his fleshly living.

VERSE 19

Here is how you get your prize – you hold on tight to the head, which is Christ. He is making an implied point. If you are part of a body, you had better stay attached to and pay close attention to the head. You will be in real trouble without it!

VERSE 20

· From above: Used in Gal. 4:3, 9 seemingly to refer to the regulations of the law. These were the “elementary principles” because they were just foreshadowing Christ; they weren’t the climax yet? They were to bring us to Christ, not actually to save us. They were an important stage in the story of redemption, but an incomplete one until Christ came as the fulfillment of those things.

This could explain why Col. 2:20 says we have “died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world.” I.e., Christ is all we need, and in his death we have full payment for our sins. He completely fulfilled the law and paid for our rebellion against it, so that we are “dead” to the obligations of the law for salvation.

· What does it mean: “as if you were living in the world”? Here’s a guess: if you are are not saved, have rejected Christ, you don’t have any way to take care of your sins. So you just hope that you an be good enough. So if anyone has a rule or regulation that sounds good, you obey it, in the hopes that it will make it. So if you are obeying every rule or regulation that anyone makes up, you are living like an unsaved person, not someone who has full forgiveness in Christ.

VERSE 21

· Does this mean that any rules are wrong? NO! This is referring mainly to rules related to salvation. Stuff men make up and then say “God will save you if you’ll do this!” If you don’t get circumcised, you can’t be saved. If you don’t follow the Jewish festivals you can’t be saved. If you don’t observe the Sabbath Day you won’t be saved. It’s not true – salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by those manmade rules.

· self-discipline is very important; making rules for yourself is very important; etc.

VERSE 23

· These things look really spiritual, but they don’t have any power against your flesh. And your flesh is the real problem. Remember 2:11, Christ has to cut your flesh out of you, He has to circumcise it away by a spiritual circumcision, or you will not be saved. You are spiritually dead because of fleshly indulgence. No manmade rules are going to take care of that.

· And once you are saved a bunch of rules won’t make you holy either. You have to know and love Christ, love His Word, and live in the reality of Christ.