New American Standard Bible 2020

Colossians 2:4-23

4 1I say this so that no one will deceive you with 2persuasive arguments. 5For even though I am 3absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing 4to see 5your 6orderly manner and the 7stability of your faith in Christ.

6Therefore, as you have received 8Christ Jesus the Lord, so 9 10walk in Him, 7having been firmly 11rooted and now being 12built up in Him and 13established 14in 15your faith, just as you 16were instructed, and overflowing 17with gratitude.

8 18See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through 19philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the 20elementary principles of the world, 21rather than in accordance with Christ. 9For in Him all the 22fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10and in Him you have been 23made 24complete, and 25He is the head 26over every 27ruler and authority; 11and in Him 28you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of 29the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12having been 30buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also 31raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who 32raised Him from the dead. 13And 33when you were 34dead 35in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He 36made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14having canceled 37the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and 38He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15When He had 39 40disarmed the 41rulers and authorities, He 42made a public display of them, having 43triumphed over them through 44Him.

16Therefore, no one is to 45 46act as your judge in regard to 47food and 48drink, or in respect to a 49festival or a 50new moon, or a 51Sabbath 52day-- 17things which are only a 53shadow of what is to come; but the 54substance 55belongs to Christ. 18Take care that no one keeps 56 57defrauding you of your prize by 58delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, 59taking his stand on visions he has seen, 60 61inflated without cause by his 62fleshly mind, 19and not holding firmly to 63the head, from whom 64the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and 65ligaments, grows with a growth 66which is from God.

20 67If you have died with Christ 68to the 69elementary principles of the world, 70why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to 71decrees, such as, 21“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22(which all refer 72to things destined to perish 73with use)--in accordance with the 74commandments and teachings of man? 23These are matters which do have the 75appearance of wisdom in 76 77self-made religion and humility and 78severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against 79fleshly indulgence.

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Notes

1. Colossians 2:4 Eph 4:17 ↩
2. Colossians 2:4 Rom 16:18 ↩
3. Colossians 2:5 1 Cor 5:3 ↩
4. Colossians 2:5 Lit and seeing ↩
5. Colossians 2:5 Or your good order ↩
6. Colossians 2:5 1 Cor 14:40 ↩
7. Colossians 2:5 1 Pet 5:9 ↩
8. Colossians 2:6 Gal 3:26 ↩
9. Colossians 2:6 Or lead your life ↩
10. Colossians 2:6 Col 1:10 ↩
11. Colossians 2:7 Eph 3:17 ↩
12. Colossians 2:7 1 Cor 3:9; Eph 2:20 ↩
13. Colossians 2:7 1 Cor 1:8 ↩
14. Colossians 2:7 Or by ↩
15. Colossians 2:7 Or the faith ↩
16. Colossians 2:7 Eph 4:21 ↩
17. Colossians 2:7 One early ms in it with ↩
18. Colossians 2:8 1 Cor 8:9; 10:12; Gal 5:15; Heb 3:12 ↩
19. Colossians 2:8 Eph 5:6; Col 2:23; 1 Tim 6:20 ↩
20. Colossians 2:8 Gal 4:3; Col 2:20 ↩
21. Colossians 2:8 Lit and not ↩
22. Colossians 2:9 2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:19 ↩
23. Colossians 2:10 Eph 3:19 ↩
24. Colossians 2:10 Lit full ↩
25. Colossians 2:10 Eph 1:21f ↩
26. Colossians 2:10 Lit of ↩
27. Colossians 2:10 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 3:10; Col 2:15 ↩
28. Colossians 2:11 Rom 2:29; Eph 2:11 ↩
29. Colossians 2:11 Rom 6:6; 7:24; Gal 5:24; Col 3:5 ↩
30. Colossians 2:12 Rom 6:4f ↩
31. Colossians 2:12 Rom 6:5; Eph 2:6; Col 2:13; 3:1 ↩
32. Colossians 2:12 Acts 2:24 ↩
33. Colossians 2:13 Or although ↩
34. Colossians 2:13 Eph 2:1 ↩
35. Colossians 2:13 Or by reason of ↩
36. Colossians 2:13 Eph 2:5; Col 2:12 ↩
37. Colossians 2:14 Eph 2:15; Col 2:20 ↩
38. Colossians 2:14 1 Pet 2:24 ↩
39. Colossians 2:15 Or divested Himself of ↩
40. Colossians 2:15 Eph 4:8 ↩
41. Colossians 2:15 John 12:31; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 3:10; Col 2:10 ↩
42. Colossians 2:15 Eph 4:8 ↩
43. Colossians 2:15 2 Cor 2:14 ↩
44. Colossians 2:15 Or it; i.e., the cross ↩
45. Colossians 2:16 Lit judge you ↩
46. Colossians 2:16 Rom 14:3 ↩
47. Colossians 2:16 Mark 7:19; Rom 14:17; Heb 9:10 ↩
48. Colossians 2:16 Mark 7:19; Rom 14:17; Heb 9:10 ↩
49. Colossians 2:16 Lev 23:2; Rom 14:5 ↩
50. Colossians 2:16 1 Chr 23:31; 2 Chr 31:3; Neh 10:33 ↩
51. Colossians 2:16 Mark 2:27f; Gal 4:10 ↩
52. Colossians 2:16 Or days ↩
53. Colossians 2:17 Heb 8:5; 10:1 ↩
54. Colossians 2:17 Lit body ↩
55. Colossians 2:17 Lit of Christ ↩
56. Colossians 2:18 Or deciding against you ↩
57. Colossians 2:18 1 Cor 9:24; Phil 3:14 ↩
58. Colossians 2:18 Col 2:23 ↩
59. Colossians 2:18 Or going into detail about ↩
60. Colossians 2:18 Or conceited ↩
61. Colossians 2:18 1 Cor 4:6 ↩
62. Colossians 2:18 Rom 8:7 ↩
63. Colossians 2:19 Eph 1:22 ↩
64. Colossians 2:19 Eph 1:23; 4:16 ↩
65. Colossians 2:19 Lit bonds ↩
66. Colossians 2:19 Lit of God ↩
67. Colossians 2:20 Rom 6:2 ↩
68. Colossians 2:20 Lit from ↩
69. Colossians 2:20 Col 2:8 ↩
70. Colossians 2:20 Gal 4:9 ↩
71. Colossians 2:20 Col 2:14, 16 ↩
72. Colossians 2:22 1 Cor 6:13 ↩
73. Colossians 2:22 Or by being consumed ↩
74. Colossians 2:22 Is 29:13; Matt 15:9; Titus 1:14 ↩
75. Colossians 2:23 Lit report; Gr logos ↩
76. Colossians 2:23 Or would-be religion ↩
77. Colossians 2:23 Col 2:18 ↩
78. Colossians 2:23 1 Tim 4:3 ↩
79. Colossians 2:23 Rom 13:14; 1 Tim 4:8 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Colossians 2