Colossians Chapter 2
READING GUIDE
Before diving into this reading guide I’d urge you to take the next few minutes and read Colossians chapter 2 (or even the entire book of Colossians) all the way through. This will give you a better overall picture of whats going on in this chapter. Then go back with this guide and use this to help highlight some major themes and verses in this chapter and apply them to your own life!
Jesus Christ The Mystery of God
. . . That they may know the mystery of god, namely, christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of widsom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.
- Colissians 2:2-4
Sometimes in life there comes a moment where we feel like we need to go on a journey of discovery. Maybe you’ve personally taken a trip or moved to a new city to discover yourself. To find out who you really are, what you want to do with your life and in some instances discover why God’s put you here. The journey of discovery is a very common and very necessary journey to take. So much in life feels like a mystery that needs to be unearthed and there may come a moment (or moments) where you delve into that mystery and discover what God has for you in that season.
One thing I love about God is that while so much of life and even ourselves can feel like a mystery, Colossians tells us that God is not. You don’t need to search for God, He came to you! Colossians says that all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge and the mystery of God is plainly revealed to us in Jesus. How amazing is that! Jesus is the very image of God made known and fully available to anyone and everyone who calls to him. He’s not hiding or playing hard to get. He takes no pleasure in being unknown.
Think about this: If God wanted to remain a mystery or be unknown all He would have had to do is nothing. God could completely and fully exist independent of our knowledge of Him and He would be just fine. But think of everything God has done to reveal Himself to us and show us that He wants to know us, and even better, He want’s us to know Him!
No matter how you’re feeling today God is not far. He’s not hiding form you, even if you feel more distant from Him now than you ever have before. He’s made himself known all throughout creation and ultimately revealed his full nature in Jesus Christ. If you feel far from God today remind yourself that He takes no pleasure in being a mystery or being distant. You can call out to Jesus right now and He will respond!
Always Only Jesus
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form and in christ you have been brought to fullness…
Colossians 2:8-10
Even in the days of Paul there were people, philosophies, theologies and theories that wanted to add to or divert from the simplicity of the gospel. Sometimes it’s the simplest things in life that we struggle with accepting the most. Think of a time that someone just randomly blessed you with a gift; a time when someone just randomly venmo’d you some money or maybe paid for a coffee or a dinner. It’s weird right? Everything inside of you looks for a reason to justify someones act of generosity toward you. You begin looking for reasons and excuses to either why you do or why you don’t deserve what was just given to you.
This isn’t just true with random acts of generosity, it’s true with our faith as well. The gospel is so simple and so insanely generous that we often try to add to it to help it make sense to us. We’re not the only ones who did this, it happened in Pauls day too. People in Colossae couldn’t wrap their minds around the message of Jesus, so they started adding to the message. While we can’t know for sure exactly what they were trying to add, we can assume based on Pauls writing to the church that they believed there was hidden wisdom and mystery to attain or there was philosophical theories to explore that would enlighten you to know God better. They just couldn’t believe that Jesus was enough!
I don’t know about you, but I constantly find myself doing this in my own life. I try to add to the perfect gift of Jesus with works or look for reasons to disqualify myself from receiving such a generous and life changing gift. Let this be a reminder to our souls that it is and will always only be because of Jesus. That God’s gift to us isn’t earned, learned or discovered. It’s simply received because of Jesus.
Does this resonate with you? Do you find yourself trying to add to the gift that jesus has already brought to you? In a journal or in your bible write down some ways that you try to add or earn the generous and free gift of Jesus. Remind yourself that it’s only because of Jesus that you can know God and have a relationship with him! What good news!
Salvation In Jesus
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14
Because of Jesus you are forgiven. Forgiven of what you may ask? What do I need to be forgiven for? Here in Colossians 2:13-14 Paul describes us as being dead in our sin, meaning that without Jesus we are totally and fully surrendered to sin and it’s power, even if we try to be good people! Paul equates it to a legal indebtedness that stands against us and condemned us. Think about that!
When someone commits a crime we find it justified in punishing that person with a sentence that is suitable for the crime. The bible makes it clear that all sin is deserving of death and the wrath of God because sin is in complete and total opposition to who God is and His character. Often times when we think of sin, especially our own, we simply see it as a mistake that gets to be forgiven. But Paul tells us that all sin, even our own, is deserving of the highest punishment and condemnation. So what are we to do?
Enter Jesus. Paul tells us that while we were dead in our sins Jesus came to make us alive to God. Our sin didn’t go unpunished or simply forgotten. God in His great mercy put all of the wrath and punishment that we deserve onto Jesus when Jesus died on the cross. That is how all of our indebtedness to sin has been taken away. When Jesus freely gave His life on a cross He did it in place of you and me. Jesus, who never sinned, paid the price for all of us who were helpless to sin, and gave us a new way of life. A life where we can know God, be led by His Holy Spirit, and boldly approach Him because we are now spotless in His sight!
Jesus Is Enough
Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules
Colossians 2:20
In Pauls writing to the church of Colossae he battles two errors in theology that we see and continue to wrestle with to this day. The first he addresses in the beginning of the chapter when apparently someone in the church was teaching that while the work of Jesus on the cross paid for sins, there were higher levels of “enlightenment” (for lack of a better word) to gain through mental ascension. Basically the smarter you became the more you knew God. Paul defeats this argument by saying that all the knowledge and wisdom of God can be found in Jesus. Jesus is for the rich and the poor, the brilliant and the ordinary.
The second error Paul addresses here is that poverty/minimalism equates to a greater closeness with God. Apparently there was another man in the church who was teaching that the less you have and the more you deny yourself in this physical world, the closer to God you became. While there is a great president in the bible with contentment and self control Paul says that this idea of extreme self denial for piety sake is “an earthly rule” that you don’t have to adhere to. As Christians we all have equal and total access to God through Jesus and the work He did on the cross. No amount of knowledge or self denial will gain you anymore access than you already have!