Colossians 2

     2:1-7.  The proclamation of God’s mystery, revealing the treasures of his wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ, has come to them at great cost.  It is a great spiritual struggle Paul has been engaged in for them, and every man (1:28), even though they have never seen him in the flesh (1, margin).  He urges them to discipline and stability in their faith in Christ, well grounded in the truth they have been given (4-7).  

     2:3.  Cf. Is.11:2; Mt.13:11,17; John 8:55; 14:7; 1 Tim.6:20.

     2:8-10.  These worldly elementary principles (8, 20; see notes, Gal.4:3) by which men are captivated include both heathen philosophies and the law keeping way of salvation taught by the Judaizers (14).  Since these exclude the preeminence of Christ, they are empty deceptions, whereas Christ is the fullness of God who fills all in all (9; 1:19; Eph.1:23), and in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (3).  We are made full and complete in him, the head over all things (10; 1:16-18).

     2:11-12.  New Covenant baptism corresponds to Old Covenant circumcision.  Both represent becoming identified with the promised Seed, who was cut off for us.  Both are ordinances signifying purification, the end of the old life and the beginning of the new life under God’s covenant of grace.  As circumcision looked forward to the promised Seed by faith, so baptism looks back in faith to Christ’s finished work on the cross, and to our hope of resurrection with him, in which we live the new life with him even now.  (See notes at Acts 16:31-34 & Ro.4:11-12; cf.Ro.6:3 ff.)

     2:13.  Cf. Eph.2:1-6.

     2:14.  Paul is here speaking of the Law’s utter condemnation of sinners, and he uses the common metaphor of debt.  This is redemption, all our unpayable bills being cancelled on the basis of the acceptable payment Christ made on the cross.

     2:15.  These are the spiritual forces of darkness at work in the men of this age (1:13), who enslave men with empty deceptions and worldly elementary principles, rather than the fullness we have in Christ (8, 9).  God has triumphed over them, putting them to open shame and defeat through Christ (or perhaps, through the cross, see margin and KJV).

     2:16-19.  Since Christ’s triumph, even the Law itself has become an elementary principle of the world, a way for men to deceive themselves that they are able to pay God what they owe.  But it is the law itself that was hostile to us (14), and it is now taken out of the way in Christ.  It was only a promise of real righteousness, a shadow of what was to come.  The substance is Christ (17).  Why should we hold to the shadow, deluding ourselves with outward symbols and self-deceiving vanities of spirituality (18), rather than holding fast to Christ, God’s true gift of life and growth and maturity in the body of Christ (19).

     2:20-23.  Why do we yet insist on working out our own salvation by methods which have always failed, and in fact only make us worse?  God has given us everything in Christ, and we are no longer subject to the perishing ways of the world, for in Christ we are no longer living in this world or by its principles.

     2:21.  Calvin translates this as, “Do not eat, do not taste, do not touch!” making the decree progressively more severe.  I can’t say if this is a good translation or not, but it does make a true pertinent point.  In attempting to restrain human nature, law must become progressively more severe.

     2:23.  Self-made religion; the KJV renders it will worship by which I think is meant will power worship, serving God by strength of our will—the New Year’s resolution path to perfection.  Cf, Mt.15:9.