Colossians / Fullness in Christ and Warnings against Human Traditions

Fullness in Christ and Warnings against Human Traditions

Colossians 2:6-23

Chapter 2

⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him. ⁷ rooted and being built up in it and being confirmed in the faith just as you were taught, overflowing in thanksgiving. ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ. ⁹ because in him dwells all the fullness of the divine nature bodily, ¹⁰ and you are in him having been fulfilled, who is the head of every ruler and authority, ¹¹ in which you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the stripping off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in the baptism, in which you were also raised together through the faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting against us in the decrees—which was opposed to us—and having taken it out of the midst, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having stripped off the rulers and the authorities, he put them on display openly, having triumphed over them in him. ¹⁶ Therefore let no one judge you in eating or in drinking or in respect of festival or new moon or Sabbaths, ¹⁷ which is a shadow of the things to come, but the body is Christ's. ¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, desiring in humility and religion of angels, which he has seen, intruding, vainly puffed up under the mind of his flesh, ¹⁹ and not holding on to the Head, from whom the whole body, supplied and held together through the ligaments and bonds, grows with the growth of God. ²⁰ If you died with Christ from the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if living in the world, do you submit to regulations? ²¹ Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch. ²² which are all destined for corruption through their use, according to the commandments and teachings of humans; ²³ which indeed have a word of wisdom in self-imposed worship and humility and unsparingness of body, not in any value toward satiety of the flesh.