Colossians: 2:4-23

Review

Last week we covered the opening of the letter. The greeting and acknowledgement of Timothy. The thanksgiving prayer that is intentional and then the hymn of Christ. The hymn is this high Christology praise that climaxes with the realization that the Christ that is above all is also the crucified one. Paul and cruciformity.

Overall structure of Colossians (Gupta):

Christ the ruler, 1:1-2:3

Fullness in Christ Alone: The transcendent-Ascetic Philosophy Vain, Christ the Fullness, 2:4-23

New Life in Christ: The Quality of New Life in Christ, 3:1-17

New Life in Christ: Household Relationships Reoriented under the Lordship of Christ, 3:18-4:1

Joyful Cruciformity: Patterns and Models, 4:2-18

Sources

Nijay Gupta, Colossians

N.T. Wright, TNTC Colossians and Philemon

Introduction

In the first section that we just reviewed, Paul has put off addressing directly the problem. Now that he has set things in perspective with the confidence, faith, and hope in Christ, Paul can now move forward to face the problem head on.

Fullness in Christ Alone: The transcendent-Ascetic Philosophy Vain, Christ the Fullness, 2:4-23

Our work today are just 20 verses so we can probably get into a little more detail. Let’s begin with the first break.

The Disastrous Potential of the Transcendent-Ascetic Philosophy, 2:4-5

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The verse just previous to this gives us clues about where we are headed.

verse three says, “in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

There is a change of tone here in verse 4 and Paul is moving to address the ascetic philosophy. The culprits of the philosophy are never identified but here in verse 4 we learn a couple of things:

παραλογίζομαι (paralogizomai): deception

πιθανολογία (pithanologia): reasonable arguments

Paul is saying that they have deception in mind and they are using reason and external circumstances to persuade.

Example: reading a book right now and this illustration came up. Author’s son decided that he wanted to lose some weight. He comes across one of those commercials for the miraculous product that you strap around your stomach and it uses basically some stems to engage in stomach muscles. The kid is excited because he can wear it while playing xbox. You have seen the commercials.

Verse 5: Some more encouragement, The language of stability is meant to expose the flimsiness of the philosophy being peddled to them.

Questions?

Christ at the Center, 2:6-10

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NT Wright says 2:6-7 can be the lens through which you see the rest of the letter and the message of Paul.

Colossians 2:6-7

“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord”: Move to town, baptism

“Continue to live your lives in him”: living the dream, walk in life, you are alive

“Rooted in him”: Redwood forest. this work is done

“Built up in Him”: Staying with Jesus. ongoing

“Strengthened in the faith as you were taught”: old time religion, the historic faith…for the colossians it is the faith of the apostles. Hunger and thirst to grow deeper in our grasp of the faith

Gratitude: overflowing with gratitude

Rooted (6-7)

Receive Christ

Continue in Him

Rooted

Built up

Strengthened in the faith

Gratitude

Rooted, built up, established (strengthened):

These three verbs combined rein-force Paul’s point that their lives must have a solid foundation; their faith must be connected to something heavy, deep, and secure. If the transcendent-ascetic philosophy turns their attention upward (toward the firmament of the heavens), he wants them to think about what grounds them. For Paul, to have “faith” (pistis)does not mean to believe in something without good reason or evidence. The word implies, especially in the way it is used inColossians, depth and a strong bond of trust (see L&N 31.85).

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) Gupta, Nijay K. Colossians. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2013.

The appeal in particular is to the apostolic teaching, is important given the additional teaching that they are hearing.

“Don’t be a prisoner”

Ironic, that Paul would say that to believe in this deception, that is dependent on human tradition and spiritual forces....that is to be in prison. Why is this irony? Because he is jail when he writes it. “I am not a prisoner, but you are.”

(Highlighted Yellow)= Jesus was in bodily form, speaks against this escapist-the body is bad- kind of thinking.

Questions?

Christ the Redeemer, 2:11-15

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Ok let’s start with this first verse. Are you excited to talk about circumcision?!?! In all seriousness, these few verses and this chapter really leads many to think this philosophy or whatever is being peddled to them is a ascetic Jewish practice. I think you will see why.

Really a better translation here would be something along the lines of:

Verse 11

“In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your body of human solidarities was removed when you were circumcised with (or pertaining) to Christ.”

What you see here in modern translations is likely an overplay on circumcision and trying to take the analogy too far. Which is understandable. But what some scholars have noticed, including the take that I appreciate from NT Wright, is that there might be something else at work here. If you look at the greater context, Paul might be saying something about a different “body.” The body of flesh which we see in most translations could also be body of human solidarities or this idea of an old corporate body.

Circumcision was an entrance into the Jewish “corporate body.” And the circumcision of Christ is the entrance into the Christian family.

(In orange): Every Jew would agree with this statement: “You were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (a better translation is still human solidarities…or your old ways). Just as the Jew would thing, then God brought them to life under the law or in circumcision, he says something radically different. No, God made you alive with Christ.

The Jewish understanding of resurrection is some kind of event that would take place at the end of life. Paul says resurrection starts now. For those that have died in Christ, and have been raised to life in Christ…God sees those as alive even now.

And that family of God, the baptized ones, they stand in Christ who has victored overall powers and authorities.

Flow of Thought: 2:13-14a.

1. Former Condition: Death because of wrong doings/flesh uncircumcised (13a)

2. Action of God: God brought you to life with God (emphasis on together) (13b)

3. Means: forgiveness of sins (the problem is neither death nor the “powers,” but sin) (13c)

4. Result of Action: freedom from spiritual oppression (14a)

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) Gupta, Nijay K. Colossians. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2013.

Questions? Comments?

The Philosophy Rejected in View of Christ, 2:16-19

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Circle “Therefore”

with everything said to this point, Paul is going to reject the philosophy directly in these verses.

Again pointing to Jewish background of the bad teaching here. Festivals, new moon, sabbath. Food laws, etc. When Paul says these are a shadow, he is not saying they are all bad.

Paul can refer to rituals of “food and festival” as a mere shadow (skia) of what is coming. To call these things a “shadow” was not to degrade them per se but to treat them as copies, like hanging a “print” of a famous painting. The print is appreciated insofar as it represents and points to the real thing, but the real thingis what the print is all about. So “food and festival” should guide one to the “sub-stance of Christ” (to søma tou Christou), because without him such observances are meaningless.

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) Gupta, Nijay K. Colossians. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2013.

Modern example, Churches that are relics....loving the church over Christ. Or Christmas time....how much of it do we make this religious like practice and yet not worship Jesus. If you have a family that participates in Christmas and nods the cap to Jesus....this would be the same thing.

(Orange): Worship of angels....maybe religion in the way of the angels.

Ascetic practices. Belief that angels did not marry, they did not eat, they did not drink. They could make these visits to heaven. There is a commentary about a Jewish mysticism that was prevalent called Merkabah Mysticism. This could very possibly be what Paul is addressing. They would fast for 40 days and believe to go to heaven to be with God.

So they have a false humility, and then they are arrogant in suggesting they have the way and others do not.

Gupta:

Having outlined the vanity of chasing after angelic worship and heavenly visions, Paul exhorts true believers in 2:19 to hold tightly (krateø) to the head (which is Christ himself; 1:18), because God does not want individual adherents of religion but one organic whole body, guided and nourished by the capital leader in view of the care of God (cf. Eph 4:16). This is another way of saying, as he does later, “Christ is your life” (3:4). Spiritual progress cannot happen apart from the leadership and centrality ofChrist, and it cannot happen for an independent “member” severed from the whole body of Christ.

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.) Gupta, Nijay K. Colossians. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2013.

APA (American Psychological Assoc.) Gupta, N. K. (2013). Colossians. Smyth & Helwys Publishing.

Questions?

Rejecting Human Methods of Spiritual Empowerment, 2:20-23

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This is pretty straight forward and along the lines of the previous section. Paul says, why are you looking for superstition, human made things to find empowerment. All you need is in Christ. This false humility and good sounding stuff.

Subjected your body to things seems like humility but:

1) discounts that God loves the body, and

2)leads to actual boasting on your own work, and

3) has no power to do anything.

Main point and closing point for Paul in this section: Human religion has no power to restrain from indulgence. It has no power, only Christ.

Living it out (Application)

Where do we bring this home. How do we live the bible and what we are learning today. Well many things I could say but feel led to talk about Paul’s insistence in growing in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of Christ, but also his protection of the faith of the Apostles.

Colossians 2:6–7 NIV

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

“Strengthened in the faith as you were taught.”

For us we need to cling tightly to the historic faith. That is why we are saying the Lord’s prayer, and Apostle Creed in Core, and we said the great Thanksgiving in Core Sunday. That is why we are doing this class…to learn and grow in understanding of Christ and his salvation over our lives.

Two things here to make clear:

1. Live a life of learning and growing

Receiving Christ is only the beginning. The work of the Spirit leads you deeper into this journey. It is for your benefit because it is for your maturity in the faith. Same as last week, I think about the person that refuses to be in community. Read a book about theology, doctrine, about the aspects of our faith instead of 10 hours of netflix every week. Also, as a challenge…put down the self-help christian books every now and then and read something of more substance. If you need help, come and see me.

Study with each other, get into a Sunday School, come on Wednesday nights!

2. Live into the Historic Faith

We grow in wisdom and understanding in consistency with the historic church. Lucas puts it this way:

As usual with Paul there is this great stress on the importance of teaching. Without the full truth, and a mature understanding of it, there cannot be a satisfying Christianity or a stable church. So, according to Paul, a hallmark of the Spirit’s work is an unquenchable thirst to learn.

But once more there is a balancing caution here that is quite unmistakeable. The new learning must be consistent with the old. The Christian who grows in knowledge can claim fuller enlightenment only in so far as he remains loyal to the saving gospel truths that first he was taught, and which led him to Christ.1

1 Lucas, R. C. (1980). Fullness & freedom: the message of Colossians & Philemon (p. 92). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Too often in our post modern enlightenment we like to reinvent things or let our own experiences convince us that we know better than 2000 years of church history. I could say a lot here but will chose to keep it simple. We anchor ourselves to the creeds and to the historic faith because it is right and good. When we dont then resurrection, for example, becomes a nice metaphor. Or we get rid of the Old Testament because we dont like things there. Or we ignore the parts of the bible that Jesus performs miracles or cast out demons because that makes us uncomfortable.

Jesus is the one we “proclaim.” The revelation of Christ has been revealed and it is an admonishing force in our life.

This is about maturity. What I love about Paul is that he did not want to simply look back and see people following him because he was convincing, or to look back and see people following Jesus, as good as that is, he wanted to look back see people following Jesus on to maturity. Same here my prayer is not for us to sit in the shallow end....

Homework for next time

Read 3:1-17

Write a short summary of the passage in your own words