TGIF Colossians 2 Bible Study (2:1-15)

Colossians 2:1-15

2:1 -Contending (Greek) Agon- Struggle or fight originally in context to an athletic event or a place to contend like a stadium usually involving some form of conflict - 1:29 & 2:1

Paul is elaborating on the labors he had mentioned in verse 29 This struggle is not just for these Churches but for all believers.

What does it look like to struggle for other believers and what are some examples of that contending?

Do you think there is value in this context of a sporting event or competition? What is the reward for our contending?

2:2- Paul begins to elaborate further on the meaning of maturity and He lists three things that he defines as his purpose What are they?

How does the word united play a role in this verse for the Church as a whole? Can we learn the lessons and real virtues of our faith without doing life with others? Is the Church as a location whether large or tiny neccessary for Christians to grow in their faith?

United loving and forgiving communities allow us to grow in understanding as we see truth performed in practice and practice enables truth to be seen in action causing it to be fully grasped and understood…Complete understanding of Christ

2:2b,3- What does “complete understanding” mean? (Col 1:9) How can we understand a mystery? Does it happen right away or is it a progressive unraveling of the mystery?

Christ is the mystery of God - He reveals God’s truth previously hidden to mankind (Col 2:2 and 1:27)

This is a challenge and a comfort for the Christian we never need to seek wisdom or knowledge outside of the one we have access to but we have a long way to go to fully understand and explore all the rich inheritence offered to us.

2:3- Where are all the tresures of wisdom and knowledge hidden? Whos wisdom and knowledge is it and how do we access it? Is there any value in calling it a treasure? What if I told you where there was a treasure what would you do?

2:4- Deceive you- Convince you with lies… Fine sounding arguments- arguments which are lies...

When grace is abundant (Christ is present) and working the attack from the enemy is not far behind...

These attacks are not always so obvious when poison is injected slowly it is much easier to go unnoticed…False teachers or Churches who do not have Christ as the central focal point can get religious and this causes our thoughts about God to be skewed into works based or some other form of religious behavior absent of a life changing relationship with Christ...

2:5-Paul’s statement about being absent in body but present in spirit (also 1 Cor 5:3) carries no spiritualistic overtones, as though his “spirit” could leave his body and go to Colossae; it is simply a way of stating his sense of close identification with his Colossian fellow Christians, even though he is not physically present with them

Why is discipline so neccessary in our walk with Christ?

What do you believe it means to be firm (Greek - Stereoma-steadfastness) in your faith in Christ?

Colossians 2:6- 4:6 - The Appeal For Christian Maturity

2:6- After this introduction of Christ Paul now makes note that they have received THIS Christ (Col 1) and to live (walk - ethical - conduct ourselves) our lives out with Him. Pauls telling us to walk out our lives with conduct appropriate for one who claims Jesus as their savior...

2:7- Paul uses two figurative expressions...

Rooted in -A picture of a tree or a plant (Eph 3:17)

Being built upon - A picture of building (1 Cor 3:10, 12, 14; Eph 2:20, 1 Pet 2:5

What is Christ’s role in these two illustrations?

2:7b- Being strengthened - To confirm- Greek refers to this as to be or being strengthened, conceived of as a foundation is laid.

2:7c- Overflowing with thankfulness… Why does Paul always use this thankfulness as a test of the Christian faith? What does Rom 1:21 show us about the first indicators of a departure from relationship with God?

If you are rooted in, built on and strengthened in Christ…The one who laid down everything to make you whole we should be thankful if we are not it would be good to self evaluate if He is the foundation of our faith.

2:8- Captive -(Greek- sylagogein) The word here is only used once in the whole Bible- Means to lead away into slavery.

Paul knows they have already been rescued and brought into the kingdom of Christ (Col 1:13) and now in danger of being made slaves again...

Paul uses philosophical language in his writings but his source of knowledge is God’s revelation in Christ (Col 2:2-3,6) not the worlds philosophical human reasonings. Paul is affirming that the simple message of Christ is much more profound then the deepest thoughts of the brightest philosopher.

2:9-10- What does fullness mean here for Jesus and then for us? (Eph 1:23; 3:19)

He is the head (Col 1:16)

2:11- Paul gives us this idea that the heart requires circumcision not the body…Why is this? What does this verse tell us is removed in this spiritual circumcision?

How do we put off our old bodies? Scholars believe this may have some implication of leaving our old “family” friends but this is more easily understood as no longer being under the power of or being controlled by...

2:12- Baptism is a “burial” under water and a resurrection out of the water and symbolizes death and resurrection with Christ - the old selfwas buried the new life has begun

2:13- Paul continues on to tell us more about this spiritual death. What are the circumstances that Paul says caused this spiritual death?

2:14 Paul uses the example of the cancellation of a record of debts as a picture for the forgiveness of Christ. “He cancelled” is the greek word for wipe out or erase (Acts 3:19)

What does it mean when Paul says that all of our indebtedness has been taken away and it was nailed to the cross?

Ultimately, what does Christ’s sacrifice and victory accomplish—both on the large scale and in each of our lives (2:15)