Colossians 2:6-23

6Therefore as you have received 1Christ Jesus the Lord, so 23walk in Him, 7having been firmly 4rooted and now being 5built up in Him and 6established 7in your faith, just as you 8were instructed, and overflowing 9with gratitude.

810See to it that no one takes you captive through 11philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the 12elementary principles of the world, 13rather than according to Christ. 9For in Him all the 14fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10and in Him you have been 15made 16complete, and 17He is the head 18over all 19rule and authority; 11and in Him 20you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of 21the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12having been 22buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also 23raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who 24raised Him from the dead. 13When you were 25dead 26in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He 27made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14having canceled out 28the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and 29He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15When He had 3031disarmed the 32rulers and authorities, He 33made a public display of them, having 34triumphed over them through 35Him.

16Therefore no one is to 3637act as your judge in regard to 38food or 39drink or in respect to a 40festival or a 41new moon or a 42Sabbath 43day-- 17things which are 44a mere shadow of what is to come; but the 45substance 46belongs to Christ. 18Let no one keep 4748defrauding you of your prize by 49delighting in 50self-abasement and the worship of the angels, 51taking his stand on visions he has seen, 5253inflated without cause by his 54fleshly mind, 19and not holding fast to 55the head, from whom 56the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and 57ligaments, grows with a growth 58which is from God.

2059If you have died with Christ 60to the 61elementary principles of the world, 62why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to 63decrees, such as, 21“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22(which all refer 64to things destined to perish 65with use)--in accordance with the 66commandments and teachings of men? 23These are matters which have, to be sure, the 67appearance of wisdom in 6869self-made religion and self-abasement and 70severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against 71fleshly indulgence.