CHAPTER II
WARNINGS
AGAINST FALSE THEORIES
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Summary—Paul’s Conflict for the Churches. Present with Them in
Spirit. Exhortation to be Rooted and Grounded in Christ. Warning Against Vain
Philosophy. The True Circumcision. The Baptismal Burial. The Handwriting of
Ordinances Removed. Keeping Sabbath Days. Angel Worship Forbidden.
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1–3. What great conflict.
Anxiety. For you. The brethren at Colosse. At Laodicea. A sister
church only a few miles away. See Introduction. Laodicea was one of the Seven
Churches of Revelation. See Rev. 3:14. Have not seen my face. This
seems to imply that he had never visited either of these churches in person.
The reasons of his anxiety are revealed in this chapter. They were assailed by
false teachings. 2. That their hearts. He was deeply anxious that they
might be comforted, … knit together in love, and enjoy the full
assurance of understanding, a clear insight that would lead them to know the
mystery of God. This knowledge would make them proof against the arts of
false teachers. For “mystery,” see notes on 1:26, 27. 3. In whom. In
Christ all the treasures, etc., are hidden, and mysteries until revealed. The
gospel reveals them and those in Christ know them.
4–8. Lest any man should beguile you. Had they full knowledge (verse 2) this would not be
possible. 5. For though absent, yet he was present in spirit. He was
either present in spirit by having them in mind, being fully informed of their
state by Epaphras, which I think is more in harmony with the whole tenor of the
New Testament, or he was enabled by divine power to look upon them and behold
them. The latter is the view of most commentators. If this view is correct, why
does he say (1:7) that he learned their state from Epaphras? 6. Walk ye in
him. Continue to live in, obey and believe upon Christ as he was first
preached to you. 7. Rooted. Your life growing out of Christ as a tree
out of the soil. As ye have been taught. The point of the exhortation is
to cling to the gospel as it has been taught them. 8. Spoil you through
philosophy. Make spoil of you and carry you off as booty through some
philosophical speculation, or empty deceit. After the tradition of men.
By appealing, not to the Scriptures, but to human traditions. These traditions
probably referred mainly to the matters spoken of in verse 18 below. Rudiments
of the world. Paul uses this expression elsewhere of Jewish ordinances
(Gal. 4:3). Verse 16 below shows what it refers to.
9–12. For in him dwelleth all the fulness, etc. You must not be drawn from Christ. He is all in all. In him
is the divine fullness (all divine power). In him as revealed was God in bodily
form. Compare John 1:14. 10. Ye are complete in him. You need nothing
more. He supplies every want. Head of all principality and power. He is
over and ruler of those ranks of angels that some are trying to lead you to
worship. 11. In whom ye are circumcised. Are there those who say that
you ought to be circumcised? In him is the true circumcision, not done by
hands, not the cutting off of a little flesh, but the putting off of the entire
body of the sins of the flesh. 12. Buried with him in baptism. See notes
on Rom. 6:4. Paul teaches that we must re-enact the tragedy of the cross: The
agony of the garden, the complete submission to the divine will, confession of
Christ, crucifixion (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:5), death (Rom. 6:3), burial (Rom.
6:4; Col. 2:12), rising with Christ (Rom. 6:5; Col. 2:12; 3:1); nay, we must
ascend and reign with him (Eph. 2:4–6). Let it be noted that “the putting
off of the body of the sins of the flesh” (verse 11) is associated with
baptism (verse 13). Wherein ye were also raised with him (Revision).
We are raised from the burial as he was raised from the grave, and we rise to a
new life through faith, etc.
13–15. Being dead in your sins. He that is dead in sins is without spiritual or eternal
life. To be dead to sin is to be delivered from its power. The
uncircumcision of your flesh. “The body of the sins of the flesh” not
having been put off. See verse 11. Hath he quickened. By the power of
the gospel. We are buried with Christ, quickened with him, rise with him. Having
forgiven. The gospel comes with the offer of forgiveness. See Acts 2:38. 14.
Blotting out the handwriting. The Revision says, “The bond.” That is, the
written law of ordinances; the law of Jewish rites. This was “blotted out,”
erased, removed. Against us. Especially in the sense that they made
Gentiles aliens and strangers to the covenant, and without God and hope. Nailing
it to his cross. When the Jews nailed Jesus to the cross they drove the
nails into their own law. The old dispensation was ended; the blood of the new
covenant was shed from the wounds of the nails. 15. Having put off from
himself the principalities (Revision). Christ overcame and disarmed
the spirits of darkness, the evil angels. He triumphed over Satan and all his
powers. Made a show of them. Put them to an open shame by triumphing
over them in his resurrection and ascension.
16–19. Let no man therefore judge you. As the law was nailed to the cross (verse 14), let no man
compel you to keep its ordinances. In meat, or in drink. By requiring
you to eat only what the Jewish law prescribes (Lev. 7:10–27). See Rom.
14:17; 1 Cor. 8:8; Heb. 9:10. Compare 1 Tim. 4:3. Or in respect of a holy
day. Such as the Passover, Pentecost, etc. Or of the new moon. The
monthly observances (Num. 28:11). Or of the Sabbath day. The Jewish
Sabbath had passed away with the law. 17. Which are a shadow of things to
come. The body, or substance, which casts the shadow is Christ. We are to
pay no attention to the shadows since Christ has come, but to observe what we
find in him and the gospel. 18. Let no man beguile you. Rob you of your
reward by his guile. He will do so if you become unworthy of it by a
voluntary humility. By a humility that is willed, and therefore is affected
rather than real. It is probable that the false teachers made a great pretence
of humility, and taught a self-abasement, like that of monks clad in sackcloth,
or who go barefoot. And worshiping of angels. One feature of the heresy
against which Paul warned them was angel worship. See Rev. 19:10. Angel
worship, the worship of saints, dead or living, of pope, or any created thing,
is forbidden. “Worship God,” said the angel before whom John bowed. Church
history states that at a later period Michael the archangel was worshiped. Dwelling
in the things which he hath seen (Revision). Claiming special revelations.
He refers to “no man.” 19. Not holding the Head. Not clinging to
Christ the Head, from whence the whole body, the church, derives its
nourishment and increase.
20–23. Wherefore.
Ye died with Christ, died to the world, and to its rudiments, or fleshly
ordinances. See note on verses 8 and 12. Why, then, as though belonging to
the world, should you be subject to obsolete Jewish ordinances? 21. Touch
not, etc. Why are you subject to prohibitions of food and drink which
command you to “touch not?” etc. 22. Which all are to perish. The
prohibition applies to “things all of which perishing in the using;” i.
e., to food and drink. After the commandments. These ordinances, whether
Jewish traditions, or those of ascetics, are dependent upon the commands and
teachings of men. 23. Which things. The doctrines just condemned. Have
a show of wisdom. But only a show. In will-worship. Self-imposed,
arbitrary worship. And humility. Ostentatious humility. And severity
to the body. By starving it and refusing proper food. This implies that
these teachers demanded mortifications of the flesh, such as have been always
commended in the Romish church. But are not of any value. They have no
efficacy in overcoming the lusts of the flesh. In the first verse of the next
chapter we are told the only way of overcoming the flesh. In this chapter can
be discovered traces of the ascetic spirit which a few centuries later became
so dominant in the church. It is well to note that it is placed under the
condemnation of the Holy Spirit.
Excerpt from:
The People's New Testament
by Barton
Warren Johnson
www.e-sword.net
and www.ccel.org
