Colossians 2

Scripture

Colossians 2:23
“…regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”

 

Colossians 2:17

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ

Observation

Paul exhorts the church at Colosse not to settle for the cheap counterfeit of legalism, spiritual pride, meaningless ritual and superficial worship as the means of right relationship with God and victory over temptation but rather to seek the genuine reality of these things which are found only by abiding in Christ. Paul points the believers to trade religion for relationship.

Understanding

Paul mentions that legalism, empty ritual and worship are mere shadows of a greater reality. Every one dimensional shadow that we settle for is cast by the genuine article, just as a counterfeit is a worthless rendering of the valuable original. We are compelled to look past the shadow and seek out that which is casting it. In this chapter, the shadow is the delusion of legalism and the solution to the problem is for us to be found “In Christ” who is the reality. 10 times in this chapter, as the remedy for empty, meaningless worship and the temptations of the flesh, Paul uses terms to describe intimacy with Christ as our only source of righteousness and our only hope for victory – in Him, in Christ, with Christ, by Christ. This chapter reminds me that the gospel has never been about following a list of rules and regulations or jumping through a bunch of hoops in order to overcome, to be holy, to please God and make Him love and accept us. Paul reminds us here that the ongoing process of progressive transformation is never accomplished from outside in, but it happens from the inside out as we seek to fully understand and experience who we already are “In Christ” and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to bring our earthly actions and attitudes into alignment with that heavenly position.

Life Application

So many times, I re-write Philippians 1:6 to read, “I need to carry on to completion the good work that He began in me”. However, as surely as my election and salvation were not my work but His work in me, so also are my transformation and sanctification. As faithful as He promises to be in completing that work, I need to be as faithful in cooperating with this lifetime project through surrender, humility, obedience and acceptance of the means by which He intends to affect these changes in me. 

 

To check out the conversation or to join in, click here

-Gary Parker