Read or listen the Epistle to the Colossians chapter 2 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Paul continues his "introduction" in the opening verses of the second chapter. It is not until verse 6 that he begins do deal with the main topic of the letter, i.e. the heresy that was brought to Colossae.

Christ is sufficient – Col. 2:1-5

In verse 3, Paul deliberately uses the main terms that the heretical teachers used. Wisdom ('sophia' in Greek) and knowledge (‘gnosis’) were the trump cards of the heretical teachers. The new teachers said that Epaphras had indeed proclaimed the "basics" of the gospel, but the deep truth had only arrived with them. Paul’s strict answer to the heretics is: Christ is enough. There is nothing to add to Jesus’ work at Calvary. If we have less than Christ, we have nothing! If we have more than Christ, we have nothing!

Paul felt that he was an apostle to all the Gentiles; he did not only take care of the churches he founded, but of all Gentile Christians (verse 1).

Apparently, Paul had not visited the entire Lykos river valley, so in addition to Colossae, the churches of Laodicea (verse 1) and Hierapolis (Col. 4:13) were founded by someone else than Paul – perhaps by Epaphras.

Growing as a Christian is nothing more than being drawn closer to Christ by God's grace through the work of the Holy Spirit (verse 2). The salvation given by God is a mystery to the world (verse 3). It is revealed only to the eyes of faith. Only faith sees the atonement for our sins at Calvary, human eyes see only a crucified man.

The false teachers were eloquent speakers even in Paul's time (verse 4). Many sects use a lot of time to train their members to become as effective proselytizers as possible. In some cases you can say it is downright brainwashing. However, Christian faith is not born by persuasion or coercion. When faith is born, it is always God's work, which man cannot dictate or restrain. The Gospel must be presented, but people themselves will come to a watershed: is Jesus the Savior or not. No one can decide this matter for another person.

Before his counterattack against the false teachers in Colossae, Paul commended the order and firm faith of the Colossian church (verse 5). Paul did not want to give the impression that the Colossian church was in complete disarray. No, Paul knew that the church was on the right footing, but the heretical teachers who had come there had mixed things up. Now was the time to put right the damage they had done.

Be rooted in Christ – Col. 2:6-15

Christian faith is not a philosophy (cf. verse 8), but its true nature can only be revealed to those who want to live it out in their own lives (verse 6, cf. John 7:16-17). The most important task of a Christian is to be rooted in Christ. From Christ we also receive all the power to live as a Christian (cf. the parable of the vine in John 15:1-11).

The heretics who had come to Colossae had taught that the Christianity proclaimed by Epaphras was only rudimentary. The time had now come to progress in faith and learn about "philosophy" (as in Greek, in verse 8; however, the meaning is broader). What that philosophy or rationalism encompasses is partially revealed in verses 16-23.

It was not only about rational considerations. The salvation doctrines of the mystery religions, sometimes also all "higher religious knowledge" (cf. Gnosticism), were also called philosophies. The Jewish philosopher Philo called Judaism a philosophy. Also, some Christian apologists called the Christian faith a philosophy (Justin Martyr: "Christianity is the best philosophy in the world").

“The elemental spirits of the world” in verse 8 may mean mostly the primordial forces in the Hellenistic mixtures of religions: the heavenly bodies – the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets. The initial or elemental forces in ancient philosophy were earth, water, fire, and air.

“Human tradition” (verse 8) may refer to Judaism (cf. verse 16) or, more generally, to the customs of the many different religions in the Hellenistic world.

Christ is greater than all that. Christ is Lord and head of all. Therefore, we should not fall back into the worship of various elemental spirits of the world, but we must be members of the body of Christ.

As for infant baptism, one of the major reasons for the early church to use it was that Paul often compared baptism to circumcision (verse 11). Circumcision was performed at the age of eight days and could not be renewed. Circumcision was the way to become a member of the people of Israel. In the same way, baptism is the gateway to the church of Christ.

In verses 13-15, there are many words that are rare in the New Testament. It has been suggested that (once again) Paul is quoting some text used in church services, etc.

Unfortunately, many Christians do not want Christ to deliver them from certain sins – they just want deliverance from the penalty and judgment of sin. But Christ wants also to free us from sin itself.

In the background of verse 14, it is easy to see John 19:19-22: Pilate nailed the charge against Jesus on the cross over his head. That charge was the reason for his crucifixion. But Jesus carried much more to the cross. He carried all the sins of the world there. On the cross, Jesus atoned for all of our sins. He paid the debt. During that time, debts were cancelled by drawing an X-shaped cross from corner to corner over the document. That diagonal cross reminds us of the cross of Calvary and that in Greek the word for Christ begins with the letter chi, which is exactly that diagonal cross (cf. the monogram of Christ).

On the cross, Jesus won a triple victory: victory over the power of sin, death, and the devil. Are we on the side of the victor?

Wrong limits – Col. 2:16-23

It has been said that the strength of Islam is that it regulates the entire human life. One must be a "full time" Muslim or not at all. This is probably the case in the countries where Islam is the dominant religion. Muslims living in Western countries can of course live more freely. However, even their lives are regulated by the daily prayer times and the month of fasting, Ramadan. Throughout the history of the church, various heresies have aimed at the same thing: to control people's lives – "if you do this, you are not a Christian" or "if you do not do that, you are not a Christian".

Heresies often arise from two basic points:

1. They forbid something that God does not forbid (cf. verse 20)

2. They allow something that God does not allow

In Colossae, it was mainly about the first one, but the second one was also involved in the worship of angels etc.

In the Corinthian church, eating and drinking were also problems that Paul had to address in his letter (1 Cor. 10:23-31). One of the reasons that these problems arose in various places was that, in ancient times, slaughter was always also a sacrificial ceremony. The Jews had their own butchers, but the Christians had to eat the same meat as the Gentiles. Both in his letter to the Corinthians and in this context, Paul's answer to the problem was the same: Christ is Lord of all things, so Christians should not let various idols rule their lives (verse 20). Jesus, too, spoke about food and drink being perishable (Matt. 15:11). Both Islam and Judaism are "food religions", whereas Christianity does not have any specific dietary rules.

The grouping in verse 16 – festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths – relates to the feast cycle consisting of three kinds of feasts: there were annual, monthly, and weekly feasts (cf. also 1 Chron. 23:31). Since our calendar is based on the cycle of the sun and moon, it may be that following the calendar of feasts also involved some kind of worship of the stars and other heavenly bodies.

When Paul speaks in verse 17 about the statutes of the Old Testament as being only a shadow of what will come, he thinks like the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews: what the Old Testament decreed and what it told was also as an example – one day the Messiah will come and fulfil everything perfectly (cf Heb. 9:11-14).

It may be that the Colossians also associated the "shadow" with the philosopher Plato's doctrine that life is only shadows of the "real world” reflected on a cave wall.

Verses 18 and 19 are a reminder to us that people have always been fascinated by what is hidden. Anyone who claims to know what others do not know has often quickly gained large audiences and multitudes of supporters. However, Christians must always stick to what God has revealed to us (cf. Deut. 29:28).

Even in the Old Testament times, there were many who had false visions (e.g. Jer. 23:25). Colossae was part of the classical antiquity period of that time, and more and more new religions came there from the east. So, it was no wonder that various syncretistic movements, i.e. movements striving for a fusion of religions, were also born in Colossae. At all times, there are those who want to declare their own visions and views as the basis of a new religion. But the Christian faith has only one foundation: Jesus’ work of Calvary.