Overview

Paul was ever wary of introducing human wisdom into the things of God. In 1 Corinthians 2.4-5 he states that His “preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

What he would not do in Corinthians he seeks to prevent others from doing at Colosse!

We must remember that the wisdom of men is foolishness with God and must be discarded.

Human wisdom would rob Christ of his personal glory and deny His absolute deity.  Human wisdom would also dispense with the cross-work of the Lord Jesus and relegate His bodily resurrection to the realms of the impossible.

No wonder Paul writes, “Beware!”

Colossians chapter 2.8-15

Complete in Him

Paul warns against the tactics of the false teachers in verse 8.  The idea of “spoil” is to make a prey of you, and the bait they use is to deceive through human philosophy and human traditions, which are established on the elementary principles of this world.  Philosophy is the love of wisdom, and, given that Paul has already informed them in verse 3 that all the treasures of wisdom are found in Christ, that ought to have been sufficient to safeguard them against the error.

In chapter 1.19 Paul has stated that “Divine fullness was pleased to dwell in Him.”  Now in chapter 2.9 he affirms that “all the fullness of the Godhead subsists bodily in Him.”  The word “Godhead” is not just referring to the attributes of God (compare Romans 1.20), but means all that the Godhead is in essence and the Divine personality, dwells bodily in Christ.   Note the present tense “dwelleth” is used here to emphasise that this is an eternal unchanging truth!  “Ye are complete in Him” means to be filled up, made full with the fullness of Christ.  Paul asserts that Christ is the head of all angelic rule and authority, showing His supremacy over them.

In verse 11 Paul speaks of spiritual circumcision, which is different from the physical rite practiced in Judaism.  Man has no part in it at all, as it is accomplished by Christ, and our position in Him makes it good to us at conversion.  It involves the body of the flesh being stripped off in the cutting off of Christ in His death at the cross.  “Body of the flesh” (note “sins of” should be omitted) refers to the body conditioned by our evil fallen nature.  God has dealt with our evil state as man in the flesh, through our association with the death of Christ.  Two further steps are emphasised through the symbolism of baptism, namely that we were buried and raised together with Christ.  Note that this (baptism) is also a demonstration of our faith in what God has done in raising Christ from the dead.  Those who were dead in their trespasses and who pursued the unrestrained passions of the flesh have now, in association with Christ, been made alive by God, who has also freely forgiven them.  So in Christ we are made alive and enjoy forgiveness, and all our indebtedness to God is blotted out.  The demands of the full penalty of the ordinances of the law, which we were unable to meet, have been forever removed through the work of Christ at the cross.

There was an unseen battle at Calvary, against Satan and the hosts of Hell. These rulers of the darkness were spoiled by the mighty Victor, who exhibited His power over them through the glorious triumph of His cross. This conflict with infernal foes was envisaged in Psalm 22.21 in the cry from the cross “Save me from the lion’s mouth; for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.”  God surely heard that cry, and every last foe was soundly defeated, publicly disgraced and dispatched back into the darkness from whence they came.

Well might we repeat the refrain of Moses and the children of Israel in Exodus 15.1, “I will sing unto the Lord for He hath triumphed gloriously.”

Next time:

Further warnings and the benefits derived from Christ as the Head