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COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2 KJV WEB See previous page Col 2,1-10 (138i) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Exhorting the people to work together Col 2,1-4 (79l) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word as a sword in spiritual warfare >> To defend yourself from religion – Paul said these things to prevent anyone from deluding us with persuasive argument. He didn’t want God's people to be deceived, for there are those who would deceive us if they could, preaching a gospel other than the one Paul preached. Each deceiver has his own rendition of truth, but all are after one thing—money. They may be motivated by narcissistic, self-promoting tendencies for glory and fame, but if there were no pay-off, they wouldn’t be doing it, even if it bolstered their colossal egos. (80e) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to learn the ways of God >> Leading to Jesus – “Assurance” is synonymous with Confidence, and it is important to be confident in our knowledge of Him. We can know the Scriptures; we can memorize them and recite them, but without confidence that our hope will one day materialize, we may fall when we are tested. We live in a natural world, though God speaks to us about a spiritual world, and the two of them cannot be more opposite each other. We see no indication of God in this world from day to day; He seems absent from His creation, yet He commands us to live and walk by faith in Him. He wants us to know for sure that everything He said was true and has its fulfillment. We run into hard times and are called to be confident in Him when our circumstances deny the love of Christ. Wickedness happens and evil prevails; people speak their philosophies that mock and ridicule our faith, making us feel uneasy, yet we must be confident during those times. We have to know that what we believe is true and that the evidence is stacked against our opponent. All creation testifies to the glory of God, yet the world gives no evidence of Him. We call the universe to testify of God’s existence, and they call the world as inadmissible evidence. We say that the earth is part of God's creation but the world belongs to the devil. They say the universe we hold as evidence of God cannot even support life, and we say that it is under a curse. They send spaceships to Mars and elsewhere searching for life elsewhere, they say it is proof that God does not exist, and we say that God created the life they've found. See also: Creation is evidence of God; 2Pet 3-9; 247a (83c) Thy kingdom come >> Results of prayer >> Prayer unites the body (89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God – Through Christ we have access to all the wisdom of Solomon and of the old and new covenants. The boundless wisdom of Christ is the summation of all things. It is up to us how much of Him we want to drink in our dedication to the truth. This passage encapsulates everything Paul said throughout his epistles, framing his vision as a whole for the body of Christ, as he reiterated in so many ways this statement, “Let all things be done for edification” (1Cor 14-26). He wanted the people of God to always be together and improving each other. (108hb) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation >> Revelation of His love (122e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confident in your salvation – In the process of knitting our hearts together in love Paul wanted us to attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding. He wanted us to be confident in our salvation. When we search for assurance, our quest will end at the true knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ Himself. Many people lack assurance of their salvation, yet they do nothing about it. They might go to church, but they're not students of God’s word; and they might tithe, but they are not disciples of prayer. Obedience defines us as Christians, and if we diligently walk in Him, our assurance will serve us during hard times. We know there is false knowledge; for this reason there are many religions and denominations in the world. Nearly every denomination has a piece of the truth but also participate in falsehood, otherwise they would not have distinguished themselves as Lutherans or Methodists or Episcopalians, etc. There is no denomination that is right, and there are few that are absolutely wrong. If we seek the truth, we will find it, but the one who halfheartedly searches for God will find a mere rendition of Him. For the God of heaven we must diligently apply ourselves before we will be confident in our salvation; this is what He requires of us, and if we don’t give it to Him, we will always be skeptical, not of Him, but of our own faith. (249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verses 8-10 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,1-3 (109f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of God >> Revelation of God's word is true knowledge – The definition of “true knowledge” is having come to an understanding of the truth through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Peter also used the term “true knowledge” in 2Pet 1-3, which is highly significant in that there is some knowledge about God, apart from the Bible, that isn’t true, suggesting that true knowledge comes from the Spirit. Most Christians in America have a Bible but don't read it, and some even complain that knowing the Bible is not that important; then there are Christians in other countries who don’t have a Bible; and if they had one, they would be reading it. Their opportunities to learn about God are limited, yet their hearts are often more willing than most Christians in the states. The knowledge of God is invaluable, according to Solomon who said it better than anyone, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold” (Proverbs 3-13,14). Every word in the Bible is true, but the true knowledge of God is that which He imparts by His Spirit, so we can understand His word on a spiritual level instead of just cognitively agreeing with Him. (129f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> love perfects unity >> Love is the mortar between the blocks – Paul is talking about unity when he conveys his desire for God’s children to be knit together in love. He struggled with the Church’s disunity. If it bothered Paul, think how it must bother God that His people refuse to walk in one accord. People socialize in church and call it unity. When we look at the Bible’s version of unity, it goes far deeper than church functions. Col 2-1,2 (74h) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> The heart is what drives man’s desire (139b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> The adversity of our brothers encourages us (188d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Growing pains >> Growing inwardly (247d) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> Concern >> Caring about the body of Christ Col 2-1 (70d) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Being sensitive to the Spirit >> Spirit grieves over the flesh – Paul struggled over those who had not personally seen his face; that would also include us in the 21st century. He spoke about suffering in the first chapter, and now he is picking up the subject again, only this time it is not to do with physical suffering but mental and emotional anguish that he felt for the Colossians. To the degree that God's people did not grow but remained childish and disobedient was the degree of Paul’s struggle. Their immaturity caused him tremendous inner pain; he was feeling what Christ felt about them. Paul was a spokesman for Christ; he acted as the Lord’s proxy, His representative, so to the degree of Paul's struggle was the degree of Christ's struggle. The Lord suffers from our disobedience; it pains Him when He sees us sinning, refusing to repent and refusing to pursue our calling that He has prepared for us, and He reflects His suffering on us in the form of grieving the Holy Spirit. God shows us how He feels when we sin. Most people in the Church live under a heavy conviction, and they think that it is because of the sins they commit, but they are unaware of the righteousness they are omitting that is largely the cause of their heaviness. If we didn’t omit righteousness, we wouldn’t sin as much either; rather, we would be too busy doing God’s will to sin (Idle hands are the devil’s workshop). Paul said, “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14-23), meaning that we are supposed to do all things from faith. This is the believer's acid test; if there is something we can't do in faith, then we shouldn't do it. (148d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Natural advantage in the flesh regarding evangelism (236a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> All things are for your sake >> We are fighting for you >> Our suffering is for your sake KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,2-4 (231e) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Revelation of Jesus is the mystery of the kingdom >> Jesus is the mystery of the kingdom – Paul said that God’s mystery is Christ, yet we don’t hear anything about a mystery shrouding the person of Jesus; instead, we hear that He came to reveal the Father in a straightforward manner with no misunderstandings, so what is the mystery? Our beliefs must transcend our own human frailty to believe and rise to a level of faith that God has given us. The more confidence we have, the more Jesus comes into focus, the more He becomes a reality in our life. Knitting our hearts together through edification pertains to unity, and once we get to this point, we will have come to a place where His wisdom lays before us like a great vista on a mountaintop. It is laid before us at a glance, and everything we can see we can have. God promised Abraham the land under his feet, saying, “I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God” (Genesis 17-8), but in the New Testament He promises that we don’t need to physically go there; if we can just see it with our eyes, we can have it, referring to visions and the ability to see in the Spirit. In Eph 1-18,19 it says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Col 2-2,3 (89a) Wisdom (Key verse) (234d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seeking the glory of the body of Christ – Paul was talking about unity, being “knit together in love.” Unity doesn’t happen over ice-cream socials or potlucks, but occurs on the basis of wisdom and knowledge that becomes available to us from God as we open our heart to Him and to each other, making sure that every aspect of our lives is for the purpose of worshipping God and caring for the saints. Doing these things, God will reveal Himself. The key word to this is “assurance”, which implies confidence, and confidence is a synonym for “faith”. As the body of Christ continues to walk in this way, our assurance will increase, but Paul couldn’t directly tell us about these things, for we must experience them for ourselves. We apply our knowledge to our faith toward God and our love for one another, and He gives the increase, transforming our human knowledge into true knowledge of the Spirit, causing a snowball effect of faithfulness and obedience. These things feed on each other, strengthening us to climb the ladder of spiritual maturity to fathom the mysteries of Christ. Col 2-2 (34f) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> True knowledge belongs to us – Our confidence in God grows as His words lifts off the page and the Holy Spirit plants them in our heart as true knowledge. Paul performed many miracles in his ministry of evangelism, yet he didn't teach that miracles were the object of our query but maintained that the things God wants to do pertain to the heart, far outweighing any advantage of physical manifestations. He wasn’t interested in what God could do in the natural realm, but was content with the spiritual ministry of Christ in his life. Unbelievers look for physical proof of God, but true believers are unimpressed with such things compared to that which God is doing in their hearts. Even in heaven the work of God in the inner man will remain most expedient. When the entire natural realm is transformed by God’s presence, it will play second fiddle to the things that God is creating in us even now. Col 2-4 (7f) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth – This verse goes with verse 8. Paul’s goal for the Colossians and for all the churches was that they would not be deceived, as he said also in Eph 4,11-14. He wrote these things that no one could talk us from our faith; no one could present a gospel different from what we have heard and we believe it. Once we attain the true knowledge of God through the Spirit, nobody can lie to us, for we have learned from God what we know; He personally taught us, and nobody can teach us contrary to what we have learned, because nobody is more persuasive than Him. There are some persuasive people who try to lie to us, and they will attempt to talk us into their viewpoints in order to place us in bondage for the purpose of exploiting us, but we will not listen to them, for we have been persuaded by the Spirit of Truth. There is no greater influence in our lives than the Spirit of God who dwells in us. (84a) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >> Stay awake (182i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Being deceptive with people >> Distorted perception of others -- This verse goes with verse 8 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,5-7 (92k) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way connects you to God >> It solidifies your relationship with Him (97i) Rooted Deeply (Key verse) (97j) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Rooted deeply >> Standing firm in the faith >> Immovable – The legitimacy of our faith is best described as being, “firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith.” Paul is not just talking about building up our mind in the discipline of theology but rooting our behavior firmly in a lifestyle of godliness. If we spend our whole lives reading the Bible but never establishing our behavior in the will of God, we’ve wasted our time. (105k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Led by the Spirit to the truth >> Spirit will lead you to Christ – Verse 8, "Be careful that you don’t let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ," is similar to the statement Paul made to the Galatians, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5-25). We are gung-ho about living in the Spirit, but often we are not so crazy about walking by that same Spirit. Walking by the Spirit has replaced obeying the law, so that if we disobey the Holy Spirit, it is tantamount to breaking the Ten Commandments, i.e., committing murder, having sex with our neighbor's wife, etc., except that the consequences are now far more severe (Heb 12-25). If we are Christians, then we should pattern our lives after the one who saved us; and if we have invested our heart into the Kingdom, then we should also invest our flesh. If our salvation does not manifest in the natural realm, then God is unwilling to acknowledge our faith. See also: Faith doesn’t move God until it is manifested in the natural realm; 88d (139g) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> We build the temple through Christ Col 2-5 (6i) Responsibility >> Spiritual >> Ministering to people by being in the Spirit – When Paul wrote about being absent in the body but present in spirit, it is highly unlikely that he meant this literally. His spirit did not wander the earth seeing how the churches were doing. It is more likely that God spoke to Paul about the churches. God spoke to him about lots of things; he spent many hours in the Old Testament Scriptures and in prayer, God often telling him what the saints were doing and how they were behaving in order that Paul might pray for them. When Paul came and rebuked them, they must have wondered how he knew. They probably preferred that Paul used the old fashioned method of communication than for God to tell him about their dirty little secrets. He also had messengers who regularly relayed information to him. It was good for them to have a watchdog like Paul and the other apostles, giving them a sense of security that they had a shepherd watching over them, but to have people watching over their souls who were not even present with them must have been a little eerie. They must have thought they had better mind their manners lest Paul catch wind of it and expose to everybody the things they have done. This was a deterrent against sin and a motivator to ratchet up their devotion to Christ. See also: Discernment; 1The 5-14; 126l (69c) Authority >> Discernment >> Feeling the body’s infirmities – Paul made comments like this: “absent in body but present in spirit” (1Cor 5-3). The Colossians were a faithful church who loved the Lord with all their hearts, and Paul was with them in spirit, though in bondage in some dank jail cell. Paul occasionally received updates about them by word of mouth and by letters to him about the churches. He was with them through prayer, not a 5-minute prayer but morning prayer, and afternoon prayer, and evening prayer, lasting all day, devoted wholly to the Colossians. In those hours with God that he offered on their behalf, the Lord revealed the true state of the Church to Him, and when they were obeying Christ, he rejoiced with them, and no doubt the people were recipients of his joy. (125h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of obedience (240f) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >> Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> Limitations of the flesh KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2-6,7 (95h) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >> Ready to do God’s will – This is where God is leading us: firmly rooted and grounded in the faith. This is central to Christianity. To the extent that we are being established in the faith is the extent that we are listening to the Holy Spirit. Like a math problem, we go from what we know to what we don’t know; and after finding our location on a map, we are no longer lost. From there God will lead us in His specific direction that is different for each person, though the foundation is the same for all. (247b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in His people >> God is interested in our spiritual health – We need to ask God where He is taking us. The first step is uncovering our gift. Whatever comes easiest to us is our strength. Therefore, we are to pursue it with all our heart with one question in mind: how can we use it to help build up the body of Christ? Next, we bathe our gift in the word of God and prayer, two of the three spiritual tools at our disposal; the third is obedience. Our goal as Christians is to find God’s will regarding how He wants us to apply these three attributes to fulfill His purpose, benefit ourselves and encourage others, throwing in a healthy dose of gratitude. To have a thankful heart is a good substitute for being a grump. A grateful heart says to God that we are ready to do His will and are prepared to receive whatever He has for us. Gratitude bypasses hope and says, ‘I have already received God’s blessing.’ Col 2-6 (209a) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> We go where He goes – Paul tells us to walk in the same way that we received Jesus. How did we receive Him; wasn’t it through obedience? Didn’t we hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey Him? Didn’t we promise to do whatever He said for the rest of our lives in exchange for eternal life? We are the children of God because we made a life commitment to the Holy Spirit, for this is what it means to be a Christian. Those who respond Paul said that in the same way that we received the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to walk in Him. Therefore, salvation is a continuous process of listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what He says. (230b) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> What we must do to partake of the kingdom >> Partaking requires our participation – This verse correlates with Gal 5-25, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit,” for walking denotes participation. We partake of God’s life by living in the Spirit, and we cooperate with Him by walking in the Spirit. If we do not walk in Him, then neither do we live in Him. Many people are only fooling themselves claiming they are saved by grace through faith, not as a result of works lest anyone should boast, so we are free from all responsibility, claiming that their works are as filthy rags. Our works do not save us, but Paul spoke like John, “The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1Jn 2-6). Col 2-7 (82h) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His mercy – One of the evidences of investing our flesh in the Kingdom of God is the overflowing of gratitude. Grateful people are born of God. Being thankful is not actually listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit, but it is a godly attribute just the same. Gratitude certifies that being rooted and grounded in the faith is in progress, a lifelong process and a natural offshoot of our faith in Christ. (239c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Repeating instructions – Paul compares the Christian to the process of a plant growing. It must first form a root structure. Once that gets established, it sends up the stems and leaves, referring to being rooted and then being built-up and established in the faith, just as we were instructed more than once and overflowing with gratitude. Like a plant that is regularly watered, so God is an advocate of rote teaching and leaning. It is throughout the Old Testament; particularly, He drilled it into the Levitical Priesthood the duties of temple worship, and rote learning is also in the New Testament. Our pastors teach us by rote; we hear many of the same things over and over, such as that God loves us, that He sent us His Son, and that He died on the cross to save us from our sins for the purpose of offering us the promise of eternal life. These things have been drilled into us so we cannot forget. They become part of us; that is what learning by rote does. It is not just for the sake of helping us remember; the whole point of rote learning is so we cannot forget. That is how we have learned to read and write and do our math facts. We didn’t finally come to grips with the letter “C”, for example. We didn’t learn this once and then put it down; the teacher drilled it into us day after day. It is boring but it is the only way to learn these things, so it is no longer necessary to remember. Language becomes an aspect of us; we don’t have to think about it; we study the page, and we know the words and put them together whenever we read something, and we learn something new. Rote learning is a good thing, but it takes discipline, because no one particularly enjoys it. The same thing is true with mathematics; we work the problems, using different numbers, subtracting, adding, multiplying and dividing; the process is all the same in each situation, so when we run into a problem, we know what to do. We don’t have to think about the process, just the problem. It’s part of us now, because of rote learning. Col 2,8-23 (117e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Let Jesus do the work >> Let Him work on you Col 2,8-15 (29j) Gift of God >> God is on our side >> God identifies with us >> He is our advocate KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,8-10 (66f) Authority >> Jesus’ authority >> His position with the Father >> Jesus has authority over all things from the Father – Jesus is head over all rule and authority; He’s head over all mankind and head over Satan. He rules over all creation, except that these are days of man's reign on earth, and it is quickly coming to an end. He allows things to happen, choosing to remain silent, though injustice continues. How is it that Jesus Christ is head over all rule and authority if He allows atrocities? He has His reasons. God respects the right He has given man to exercise authority over the earth, and He respects our own sovereign will, but we think God should fix all our problems that we have caused. Since God is head over all rule and authority, He decides to let things fall as they may and lets man do what He wants. He’s not about to repent from giving man a will; to do that would redefine humanity to something far less than being made in the image of God. If He rescinded man's will, we would rail against God far more than we do about Him allowing inequity. Therefore, He leaves us alone, because under the circumstances it is the only thing He can do. Faith is the great equalizer. Those who have easy lives will have their reward in full, but those who by faith in Jesus Christ struggle under the control of sinners will inherit eternal life. So it all works out in the end. See also: Suffering and evil; Col 2-8; 5c / Suffering is not evil; Rev 10,8-11; 40g (163b) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Prison (164g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan’s system of authority >> His elementary principles of the world -- These verses go with verses 20-23. Some of the schemes that people implement can be very technical, but they are based on elementary principles, suggesting that it its core there is no such thing as a complicated deception. (180b) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Wolves bypass the cross (212d) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> Evolution (Defaming God) >> The philosophy of evolution (249g) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our hope in this life -- These verses go with verses 1-4. If a person wants to pastor a church, he must first go to Seminary School and get a four-year degree in theology (philosophy about God), the very thing that Paul warned could lead to empty deception. This is not how the Church started. Jesus’ disciples were uneducated men; He made sure of it, because He didn’t want people thinking we needed an education in order to be a leader of His Church, but in today’s apostasy we now say that a pastor must have a degree in theology before he can pastor a church. This just adds to the deadness of religion, so how do we fix these problems? Paul continued, “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” Jesus should be head of His Church and not some guru. That doesn’t mean churches should not have shepherds; it means they shouldn't have stolen the ministry from the people. If Jesus is head of the Church, then people are the members of His body and therefore should be working to fulfill their ministries. Instead, people come to church, find their seats, stand up on cue, sing songs, give their money, hear a sermon and go home. They have no ministry in this, except to be counted. They count the numbers on the dollar bills and they count the heads in attendance for prestige; religion reduces Christ's vision of the Church to mere numbers. The pastor says the Church is nothing without the people, yet he sacrifices their ministries to protect his own; religion’s objective is to preserve itself. See also: religion; Col 2-8 161k / Business of religion; Act 27,14-25; 164f (253a) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father >> Son has equal authority with the Father – This was Paul’s explanation why we shouldn’t be deceived, similar to what Jesus said regarding the last days in Matt 24-26,27, “So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” His point was that when His moment comes it will be perfectly obvious to all, and Paul's point was that if we don't believe Jesus is the fullness of deity dwelling in human flesh, then it is our own fault, because Paul was clear about this. Jesus didn’t possess a mere portion of God’s deity; He was the exact representation of the Father (Heb 1-3). Jesus is like the universe; if we settle on anything less than the infinite, then we will not understand galaxies. People in ancient times believed the earth was incased in a tent and that the stars were holes in the canvas. If we refuse to believe Jesus is God, then we might as well live under a tarp. Col 2-8 (5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course -- This verse goes with verse 16. Verses 8,16 and 18 are a progression of deceptions that people will try to pull on those who believe. Verse 8 addresses a philosophy that tries to do away with God's existence (atheism). The pseudo-philosophy of evolution is basically a religion that strives to explain the universe as it were absent a creator. However, the bottom line when it comes to the truth of the gospel is this: God is the creator of the universe. No one can take that away from Him, for only a fool would question God’s existence. Most people will not go that far, because they know it is useless; instead, they will try to talk us out of the gospel of God’s grace, calling it a fairytale, complaining that God cannot love us based on all the evil that is in the world. However, God exists, and by that fact alone it is irrelevant to say that Jesus is a fairytale, because God isn’t, and if we think so highly of God to believe that He would have sent His only Son to save us from our sins, then He would respect us just for that. The truth is, nobody has a point against the gospel of Christ and nobody has an argument against God. Jesus Christ is so well documented in the Old Testament prophecies and in the historical records that it is virtually impossible to deny that He lived or for the gospel to be false. Had the Jewish people made up the story of the Bible, why would they have put themselves in such a negative light? Nobody would do that! Had they made up the story, they would have been narcissists, but all narcissists try to portray themselves in the best possible light. Therefore, it is impossible for Israel to have made up the story of the Bible; hence, the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and we who believe in Him have nothing to fear, and no one’s petty distractions should ever bother us. See also: Suffering and evil; Col 2,8-10; 66f (7f) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth -- This verse goes with verse 16 (161k) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried Away >> Carried away by religion -- This verse goes with verses 20-23. We are not to put our light under a basket but on the table for all to see. They say that the expression of our faith becomes our religion, and they say that the one true religion is Christianity, but the Bible doesn’t teach that faith has anything to do with religion. In fact, Paul sternly warned us about religion. James too said, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (Jm 1-27). The word “religion” was used only five times in the New Testament (NASB), and Jm 1-27 was the only instance it was used in a positive context, showing what little emphasis religion has in the Bible, yet people equate religion with Christianity. How is the Church supposed to avoid religion? The biblical definition of a church refers to God’s people, but man defines the Church by the building and by the liturgy performed on Sunday morning. Paul warned us not to allow our faith to become religious, using two terms in this verse that are synonymous with religion: “philosophy” and “empty deception”. Some would define "Theology" as properly interpreting the Bible, but its literal definition is philosophy about God. Many philosophers are enemies of the Church, so we call our philosophies of the Bible theology, but this doesn't change the fact that Paul said these things end in empty deception, suggesting that the less we interpret the Bible, the better. In fact, the Bible requires very little interpretation, for it speaks clearly enough for itself so that people can just read it. Instead, religious people read into it. See also: religion; 162i (162i) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Being slaves of men >> Bad company >> Bad company will entangle you in their bondage – Cult leaders promise big things, worldly things involving money, things they want from us. For example, they may promise great prosperity, but in reality they want to prosper from us. They say, 'Even if you are not wealthy, you should give as though you were wealthy; pay it forward and watch wealth find its way to you.' This is cruel theology. Whenever a ministry sets its sites on money, regardless of the cause, by design it always aims lower than the truth and hurts people in the process. Contrary to popular belief, God’s main interest is never money, though it is always the main interest of cult leaders. God’s interests are in spiritual things, which pertain to faith and love, and no cult leader has ever tried to fool people by focusing on faith and love. See also: religion; Col 2,8-10; 249g (167i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It rejects God -- This verse goes with verses 16-23 (178d) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Philosophy (182i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Being deceptive with people >> Distorted perception of others -- This verse goes with verse 4 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,9-15 (135m) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Similarity in the body >> The things we have in common >> Common salvation – All the children of God have the Holy Spirit in common as it says in Eph 4-5, and also in 1Cor 6-17, “The one who joins Himself to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.” (136g) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Jesus’ spiritual body – Paul was referring to the law which was hostile to us, being the reason a new covenant was needed. The Law of Moses was given to Israel for the purpose of this life only, whereas God's covenant to Abraham was eternal. Abraham was the actual beginning of the new covenant that we now believe through the blood of Christ. Jesus fulfilled the covenant that Abraham started, who walked with God and obeyed the Spirit of faith, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Abraham no doubt had plans of his own before God called him; he was already married; he lived in the land of his relatives and intended to make a life for himself there. Then everything changed the day God spoke to him; Abraham adopted God's plan for his life in place of his own. One of the perks of obeying the Holy Spirit was Isaac, who fathered Israel. Abraham was more interested in integrating into God’s plan than he was in fulfilling his own, because Sarah was barren, meaning that Abraham's bloodline was destined to perish, but God promised him a posterity through Sarah. For this reason, every Christian walks in the faith of Abraham, knowing that without Christ he is destined to perish but is promised eternal life through the blood of His cross. See also: Believing in Jesus is like the faith of Abraham; 1The 1-3; 101h Col 2,9-12 (34a) Gift of God >> God’s generosity >> Believer owns everything >> Jesus belongs to us (70j) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have been given authority over all creation >> We are the children of God >> We have the divine nature Col 2-9,10 (61b) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Complete—You are a whole member of the body / You have a part in the deity of Christ – We understand that Jesus is God in human flesh and that He is the fullness of deity in bodily form, and we are His body (1Cor 10-16,17). We represent Jesus physical presence on the earth as members of His body. In eternity we will represent Christ throughout the universe, and since He is the fullness of deity, we will collectively represent His deity in bodily form. We will never become deity, but we will represent His deity, being made in the image of God, as a mirror reflects the image of a man. When He said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Genesis 1-26), the image in a mirror is not the person himself but represents the person. That is more than what He has given to the angels. No matter how great we think of heaven, it will be far greater. The Bible says that angels are messengers that carry out commands, perform duties and minister to the saints, but in no way does the Bible say that angels reflect the deity of Christ. Our finite minds are currently incapable of comprehending what God has given us. Our ministry in this life is to spread the word of God and evangelize the world and bring into the Kingdom of Heaven as many souls as possible, but a day is coming when this temporal creation will have run its course and God will do away with it and create a new heavens and a new earth. Then God will make us representatives of His deity collectively as the body of Christ. See also: Jesus Christ (God created all things through Him); Rev 19,11-13; 107e Col 2-9 (253eb) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the internal qualities of the Father >> Jesus is the Son of God >> Authority of the Son of God – How do the cults get over this statement? When they try to deny that Jesus is God in human flesh, they redefine “deity” to mean something else, but when they talk about their god, they reinstate the significance of deity to mean the eternal God who created the universe. They treat the truth as though it were a virus, mutating it as needed to avoid being trapped in debate. Col 2,10-13 (228j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in the garden of your heart – We have heard that man consists of body, soul and spirit, but that is true only of Christians. It is not true for those who do not have the Spirit of God dwelling in them; they are incomplete. Man obviously has a body and a soul, and when he is born-again, he gains the Spirit of God, who mixes His Spirit with ours becoming one spirit with Him, and the result is a new creation. Col 2-10 (44e) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Complete >> Completed by God – The uniqueness of the human soul depends on its underlying physical DNA, the inimitable structure of this highly complex molecule. Who’s to say when the Spirit of God joins with our soul to make a new creation, a similar process of conception is not at work? Male and female strands of DNA combine with each other in a myriad possibilities, suggesting that God also binds Himself to His children in a similar way that is totally unique to each person. Rev 2:17 says, “To him who overcomes, I will give him… a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” When the Spirit of God comes to dwell in us, this is the whole concept of being complete. This consequently means that unbelievers are incomplete; the whole world is incomplete. Each person has a body and a soul, but unbelievers lack the better third of themselves, the Spirit of God, the key to their humanity. It is ironic that God provides the most important part of our humanity last of all, raising one of most mysterious questions about God—just how human is He? If we were created in His image, it only makes sense that He is largely human. Moreover, without the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, it is hard to say just how human are we? Without the indwelling Holy Spirit it appears that people are mere animals with a soul, but when the Holy Spirit comes and provides the missing piece and completes us, this is when we become truly human. See also: God is human; Heb 2,11-14; 135n (78h) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of one mind, his mind -- This verse goes with verse 19 (137a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church -- This verse goes with verses 18&19 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,11-15 (31k) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Grace is the work of God – God promises to help us resolve sin in our lives as we work with Him as 2Cor 6-1 says, “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The essence of the word “grace” means God working in you, a beautiful truth. Why then doesn’t God work His grace in every person? We know that most people in the world don’t believe in Jesus; He only works in those who believe in Him, His children, and the rest He calls to faith and repentance, for He cannot give us what we don’t want. He wants us to exercise our will to obtain this heavenly gift, requiring us to work with Him and having a common cause. Col 2,11-13 (190i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Circumcision >> Circumcision is a sign of obedience >> Obeying the Holy Spirit makes circumcision obsolete – Some of our worst addictions can only be removed through a vision of freedom, so if we find we are having a hard time overcoming our temptations, it is a sign we lack vision. That is not entirely our fault, because sometimes the Church doesn’t have a vision big enough to give us reason to seek freedom. How are we supposed to have a vision if the Church doesn’t have one? Are we expected to have a vision of serving God all by ourselves? People would call us Lone Rangers and want-to-be cult leaders. The Church needs a vision of obedience, knowing that the rewards are far greater than our sacrifices. Having a vision of obedience makes the Christian walk so much easier; in fact, it makes the Christian walk possible. Col 2-11,12 (38e) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection anointing (103f) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Spirit like water >> Spirit cleanses you from the desire to sin – This may be the most concise passage in the Bible about the gift of repentance; He empowers us to resist temptation. Of course in this life there will always be temptation, so God distances us from them, weakening their charms, so we can more readily resist them. They are still in walking distance; we can always revisit them, and to move in their direction is to strengthen them. We would be wise to walk in our freedom the other way. The circumcision of Christ made without hands means it is a divine act of God. The doctor performs circumcision on the eight-day male child; it is associated with a little pain that quickly subsides. Circumcision pertains to the removal of the flesh surrounding the penis, called the foreskin; it is removed and disposed. Circumcision and subsequent baptism represent a divine act of God cleansing us from the desire to sin and endowing us with an ability to conquer our temptations. However, if we keep seeking our temptations without putting up a fight, the Lord will think we don’t value our freedom; then He might not help us, and we will have to fight them by our human resolve when it is not even in our heart to do so. (113k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Resurrection power (134h) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Body of sin >> Dying to the sinful nature (228i) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in the new creation – According to this passage regarding the symbolism of circumcision and baptism, they pertain to the removal of sin. Being raised with Him is a work performed without human hands. Jesus is the Great High Priest who performs the surgery and meets us in the water. He holds us there long enough to realize what this means, and then leads us back to the surface that we might breathe the air of a new life. These symbols represent God helping us live victoriously over sin. There are two aspects of God’s grace: the overcoming of temptation and the forgiveness of sin when we fall. They are the work of God, and our only job is to work with Him. We are fallible creatures; we do things that work against our own will and conscience to serve Christ. When we sin we go to Him and repent, and He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn 1-9). (229a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Growing In Numbers Corresponds With Spiritual Growth >> Kingdom slowly spreads and overtakes darkness Col 2-11 (118l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Spirit delivers you from the desire to sin – Paul said that though we live in sinful flesh, we should avoid sin much as possible; that is, we should not allow our sin nature to dictate how we live, and circumcision symbolizes this. The procedure of circumcision is usually performed on infants, on the eighth day of the child’s life when blood coagulation is at its peak. Its purpose is to remove the unneeded flesh that surrounds the penis, which all mammals have, suggesting that since we got saved, we are no longer to act like an animal. This removal of foreskin illustrates the removal of sinful works of the flesh, and notice that the ceremony involves the penis, suggesting that most if not all sin revolves around this one organ. God does not command us to remove our own foreskins, but a doctor performs the procedure, and in this case God is our doctor. The procedure is done on infants, suggesting that many of our addictions are resolved on the day of our conversion. For example, I quit smoking the day I got saved and was never tempted again to smoke. God automatically delivers us from many of our addictions and requires us to maintain the freedom of Christ. Later, if we decide to pick up our old habits, we should not expect God to fix us like He did when we first got saved. God cannot re-circumcise us; that was a onetime event. If we want to be free from our old habits, we will have to work with God in a maturing process to receive His grace. That doesn’t mean we are on our own; God sets tools in front of us and expects us to use them. We have the word of God and prayer and the Holy Spirit to help us incorporate obedience, separating us from our nasty habits. (140e) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> The entrance exam (190d) Circumcision (Key verse) – The message of circumcision is "sanctification" (separation from the world and separation from our old sinful ways). Remember what Jesus said in Mat 5-30, "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you." The same can be said for the penis; if this organ makes us stumble, we should be circumcised and throw the foreskin from us. Both Circumcision and Baptism are symbols that represent putting away the sinful ways of the flesh that we practiced prior to our spiritual enlightenment. Notice that in Circumcision, after we have finished the procedure of removing the foreskin of the flesh, the ceremony is over, but in Baptism, after being immersed in water, which represents death to the sinful nature, we return to newness of life. This difference from Circumcision signifies the new covenant's advantage over the old, and there is another advantage of the new covenant. Baptism replaces circumcision, and baptism includes the female gender, whereas circumcision only included males, suggesting that the old covenant was given only to men, but in the new covenant was given to both men and women; we are all equal in the eyes of God. (240g) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >> Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> The sinful flesh KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,12-15 (205i) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> Faith versus works >> The faith of God versus the faith of men >> Faith is the work of God – Most people believe in God yet are not going to heaven, according to Jesus own words, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mat 7-13,14). Many people believe a lot of strange things about God, but their beliefs don’t get them any closer to Him than the person who thinks he should sacrifice his children to a deity. In contrast, God imparts His faith in those who obey Him, referring to the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all the truth. The concept of faith is the very basis of Christianity, something the vast majority of people in the Church do not understand, and for that reason it is questionable just how many people in the Church are actually saved. Most people equate believing with faith, thinking they are the same, but they're not. Webster’s Dictionary might equate them as synonymous, but Webster is not trying to interpret Scripture. When we look carefully at the Scriptures, usually whenever the Bible talks about believing, we can replace it with “obedience”. So in that sense, people who believe in God obey Him, but faith is different; it is a substance that comes from heaven, according to Heb 11-1 (KJV). We can believe whatever we want no matter how crazy our ideas, but God's faith only believes the truth. The reason belief and “faith” are synonymous is that we use our will to believe in God, which communicates that we want a lifelong commitment with Him, which prompts Him to impart His faith to save us. See also: God replaces our belief with His faith; 1Pet 4-12,13; 121c Col 2-12,13 (191ba) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Baptism >> Baptism symbolizes death, burial and resurrection >> Baptism is a sign of faith – Paul wrote about baptism while on the subject of circumcision, as though he switched subjects, but he didn’t. Circumcision is a sign of deliverance from sexual sins, while baptism is a sign of deliverance from all sins. Tossing a small piece of flesh into a bucket cut from the penis is indicative of freedom, as baptism refers to freedom in the removal of dirt from the flesh (1Pet 3-21). Baptism illustrates that we have been buried with Him and also raised with Him to newness of life (Rom 6-4). When a person is baptized, it simulates drowning. Our flesh dies, referring to our sinful nature, which loses its power over us, as though we had already died and gone to heaven, leaving our body behind. The ceremony of baptism symbolizes the Holy Spirit’s ability to override our temptations and fleshly compulsions such as anger and fear, and the whole spectrum of emotions that we find so difficult to control. Baptism symbolizes our sin nature no longer being master over us, because it died, so when the preacher leads us from the water, we are raised in newness of life. We rise from the water obviously still alive in the body, but the sin nature no longer has power over us, the ceremony relating to the Spirit that God has given us. Theoretically, we are free to serve the Lord without hindrance, but we will have to work with the Lord to make this a reality. A person who believes in Jesus will be baptized. It is his belief in baptism that drives him to subject his sinful nature to the water. Although these things are symbolic, they will have their fulfillment at the First Resurrection when God raises the faithful from the dead, giving them bodies that are eternal and cannot sin, thus cannot die. Col 2,13-15 (25k) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Dead in sin >> The human condition without Christ (45e) Judgment >> God’s Judgment >> On believer’s sin >> Through His Son >> On the cross – One thing the Church tends to ignore is that Jesus came to defeat the devil. Some might say this was a secondary concern after making a way for us to come to God, and no doubt that is true, but we tend to de-emphasize God’s interest in defeating Satan when in fact they both have equal weight. This means there is interplay between God and the devil that we don’t fully understand, because we don’t understand God. He never sweeps anything under the rug but deals with all that comes across His desk. God is not content with simply throwing Satan in the lake of fire, like wadding up a piece of paper and pitching it into the trash can. Rather, He wants the devil to know that He deserves to be there, and He uses sin as His teaching tool to instruct His creation about Himself. When Lucifer fell into sin, God has been using him ever since to educate His people about the destructive power of His opposite. See also: Accuser of the brethren; 52b (52b) Judgment >> Judging Church with world >> Law judges sin >> Law is hostile against us – The Father nailed the Law of Moses to the cross with Christ so that it can no longer condemn us. He called it a certificate of debt in the same way that we are in debt to a lender. The day we can no longer pay our mortgage, the lender kicks us to the curb. The law works the same way; it is cold and ruthless, though the world tries to use it to justify themselves, yet any attempt ends in condemnation. The law does not address righteousness but sin, not rewarding us for keeping the law but condemning us for breaking it. In terms of righteousness, the only thing that matters is whether we receive Jesus’ blood sacrifice for the remission of sin and make Him our Lord. Nailing the law to the cross is the equivalent to nailing our sins to the cross, for when He removed the document that accuses us, He also removed the sin that condemns us. See also: Accuser of the brethren; Col 2,14-23; 119a Col 2-13 (120f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> God passes over our sins (209a) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >> Being married to God >> We go where He goes – God saved us when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions, being devoid of the Holy Spirit before salvation. While our flesh was still alive in sin, He made us alive in the Spirit by forgiving our transgressions and taking up residence in our heart, which meant that practicing sin must end. He didn’t ask us to die to sin before we were saved but vowed to Him that we would repent. In a marriage agreement we take our vows, promising to love and obey Him as long as we remain in the flesh, and we honor the covenant when we repent of our addictions. It would be difficult if not impossible to see God’s nurturing hand while we continued in our hedonistic ways. The Holy Spirit now dwells in us and He promised never to leave us or forsake us, and we promised not to drag Him through the mud, promising rather to do everything to make His presence in our heart as comfortable for Him and pleasant as possible. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,14-23 (119a) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Freedom from the law – God wants us free! He doesn’t want us falling under bondage to anything, such as abstaining from banned foods, or participating in various festivals, or observing new moons. We are free in every respect. Our only obligation is to obey Christ through the Holy Spirit. For instance, God will tell us to pay our taxes, negating state laws to pay them (Mat 22,17-21; Rom 13-6,7). Also, there are laws against prostitution, murder and fraud, but the Holy Spirit will lead us away from these things, so laws against such things are irrelevant to us, because God has written the law in our heart (Heb 8,7-13). Neither the laws of God nor the laws of men are designed to lead us into God’s specific purpose and calling in life; instead, the Holy Spirit does that. In our salvation God has “canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us.” He nailed both our sin and the ensuant law to the cross, the two being essentially the same. Although the law is good, righteous and perfect, yet it has the effect of increasing the offense, in that through the law we have it in writing that our deeds are evil. The law was given to regulate our flesh, but it accentuated our sin, so now we know without a doubt what displeases the Lord, and our acute knowledge of sin makes the infraction even worse. The law was never given to deliver us from sin, but as a measuring stick to confirm our conscience, removing any doubt that sin is utterly sinful (Romans chapter seven). Nevertheless, people throughout the generations have treated the law as though it were supposed to deliver them from sin, just the opposite of its intent. On the contrary, Jesus came to deliver us from the law, from sin and from its consequence, which is death that the law maximized against us. Now that there is a mechanism of forgiveness in the cross, there is no sin, thus no need for law, as we obey the Holy Spirit. See also: Accuser of the brethren; Col 2-14,15; 9a Col 2-14,15 (9a) Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for something you did not do >> Prevent accusations – God used the cross to disarm the rulers and authorities, which is in reference to Satan and his hoard of demons, suggesting that demonic forces use the law to accuse us of sin. One of the names of Satan is "accuser of the brethren"; he has used the law as a weapon against mankind since God gave it to Moses. If this is what He does to Christians, what does he do to the world? Consider all the wars that have taken millions of lives over the centuries; what was the devil’s involvement? When men try to back out of warring against each other, the devil is there to incite their hearts against each other. Demonic forces have been at the heart of all oppression since time began. When God gave the law to Moses, it was like putting a loaded gun in the hand of the devil. The first thing he did was point it at us and pulled the trigger, and we have no one to blame but ourselves, because we transgressed the law. When we sin, the devil uses the law to accuse us, proving that what he thinks of us is true, making us look worse than him, and we cannot defend ourselves because we have sinned. When we make the devil look right, we are in big trouble, because we know that he is inherently wrong about everything. See also: Satan is accuser of the brethren; 38f / Rev 12,12-14; 62o (37a) Judgment >> The cross >> God judged the sin of the world through Christ – Paul said that God nailed the Ten Commandments to the cross, so the Law died with Christ, the entire Mosaic Law, and He did not remove it without replacing it with something new, the administration of the Holy Spirit in the age of grace. We now fulfill the Law through the Spirit, so we no long live by a bulleted list of do’s and don’ts. Instead, we follow the Holy Spirit who is the righteousness of God, who leads us to fulfill our calling and play a part in establishing the Kingdom of God in this world. (38f) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> God judged the world, the flesh and the devil – The cross only benefits those who believe in Jesus, and for this is the reason Jesus can judge the world, because He suffered for everyone. Once we receive Jesus as our Lord and savior, having nailed the document of our condemnation to the cross, He then turned to Satan and destroyed his power over us by taking possession of the keys of death and hell (Rev 1-18). Jesus triumphed over Satan by the cross, not by the resurrection, which manifested His victory. Everything was accomplished on the cross; His willingness to suffer for us demonstrated His Father’s love for mankind. Satan was centrally involved in Jesus going to the cross; he was at a complete loss as what to do with Jesus, knowing that the only way to destroy Him was to successfully tempt Him to sin. After he failed to do this, all he knew was to kill Him, and so he incited His enemies to murder Him, which was God’s plan from the beginning. God not only judged the sin of man on the cross, He also sealed Satan’s fate as partaker of eternal hellfire. His resurrection was the fulfillment of His victory over death. Without the resurrection the cross would be meaningless. The resurrection was a natural reaction of His death, since He was without sin, being impossible it says in Act 2-24 for death to hold Him in the grave. Satan was by no means sure that killing Jesus would destroy Him, but he had no other recourse. The cross of Jesus Christ will haunt him for all eternity, for it not only demonstrated the level of wickedness of man, it also demonstrated Satan's wickedness. God judged both man and demon on the cross, showing there is no difference in their rebellion against God. See also: Accuser of the brethren; 39i (39i) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated Satan’s authority >> Jesus defeated Satan on the cross – Satan uses the law more than God ever did. Jesus disarmed the devil by shredding the law, which pronounced judgment against us and held the keys of death and hell. It is not a coincidence that it talks about Satan in the same breath as the law, since guilt is one of the tricks of the devil, who used the law to imprison people in their shame. The power of the cross is that instead of having a measuring stick to gauge sin, God now has a way to forgive sin, and in that forgiveness eliminate sin. The cross is not only God’s means of forgiving sin, but He also used it to destroy Satan. When Jesus died, He died without sin, and since death came into the world through sin, He violated the law that requires death to be the consequence of sin (Rom 8,1-4). Therefore, Jesus’ sinless life delivered us from the power of death for all those who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sin. This victory over sin and death will materialize at various stages of our salvation, culminating at the First Resurrection. See also: Accuser of the brethren; Col 2,13-15; 45e (41b) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Jesus is without sin >> He fulfilled the law (119l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of God is broken >> Curse of the law is broken Col 2-14 (44a) Complete (Key verse) KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2-15 (37b) Judgment >> The cross >> Father slays His son – The Bible says that Satan fell from heaven, but it doesn't say when it happened (Lk 10-17,18). It could have been millions of years ago or it could be only thousands. In some respects Lucifer was like a brother to Jesus, and so we could almost say that they were like Cain and Abel; Satan became jealous and slew his brother. When the Father had disarmed the rulers and authorities (Satan and his minions) by nullifying the law, He made a public display of them having triumphed over them through Christ. Note that it was the Father who gained the victory on the cross against Satan, not Jesus. Although the war was between Satan and Christ, the Father secured the victory for His Son and for us who would inherit eternal life through the cross. Satan incited Jesus' enemies to crucify Him; had Satan not agitated the crowds, His execution may not have occurred. Man was involved and was ultimately responsible for crucifying Him; Satan does not take responsibility for the things man does, yet God holds Satan accountable for the things he does, and since Satan coerced man to crucify Christ, He was involved and therefore judged for his participation. The Father stripped him of all his authority, consisting of the keys of death and hell (Rev 1-18). See also: God judged Satan; 39h (39h) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> Jesus never fails – When Paul said that Christ triumphed over the rulers and authorities, He wasn’t talking about Pontius Pilate or Caesar; rather, he was talking about demon forces and satanic authorities that control the world by the flesh. Jesus came in the flesh for the purpose of making the perfect sacrifice that the Levitical Priesthood merely simulated for hundreds of years. He fulfilled the Law and the prophets and by that ended the old covenant, creating a new one written in His own blood. Instead of all the rules and regulations, we simply follow the Holy Spirit who teaches us about God. See also: God judged Satan; 46j (46j) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Demons are subject to Christ – When Lucifer fell from heaven, rebellion was the initial crime he committed, but the cross demonstrated that rebellion more succinctly. The crucifixion of Christ was Satan's trial, which proved His intensions on the day of his initial rebellion in heaven, making an attempt on God’s throne. Satan's hand in the crucifixion of Christ proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that his desire to be like God was not innocent, which ironically betrayed his desire to be like man, who was made in the image of God. After Satan’s fall from heaven, God made man to sit on His throne next to Christ, the very position Lucifer coveted and sought to take by force. God caught Him red handed ousting him from the celestial realm (Rev 12,7-11), divesting him of all his glory, throwing him to the earth, which would become his prison until sentence is passed against him. After the Millennium it says in Rev 20-10, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.” Satan is allowed to roam the entire earth, but to him it is a dungeon after owning the entire universe. If we knew from what height he fell, we would understand why a tiny dot in the vastness of space feels like prison to him. God divested Satan of all his glory at his fall, taking away his weaponry, which was power over death and hell (Rev 1-18). See also: God judged Satan; 48d (48d) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Satan is under God’s eternal judgment – Jesus addressed His entire creation when He died on the cross; He judged rebellion against His authority, even addressing the sin of angels. Truth be known, there is a contest between God and the devil, a sort of private war, and we are stuck in the middle of it. It is too late for Satan and his minions to be redeemed, because they sinned in the presence of God, though God still wants to make a statement to His creation through him that sin doesn’t pay. We might wonder why God would care what Satan thinks, but He does care, for the express reason that His whole creation learns from this, that as God Almighty, He has an interest in subjecting all aspects of His creation to Himself. It is not enough to grind Satan under His thumb by His immense power; He also wants to subdue Him by His authority, and His authority is in His truth, and His truth is in His righteousness. He wants Satan to know that he was defeated through God's righteousness and through submission to His authority, and He wants it to be an object lesson for the rest of His creation for all eternity. See also: God judged Satan; 37b (143e) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The public >> Jesus ministered publicly – Jesus ministered publicly for 3½ years, and when His ministry ended, man crucified Him, the cross being another aspect of His public ministry. He was crucified, not in a corner, not at night or in secret, but in broad daylight in the sight of all. As He ministered the gospel, he offered His life a ransom for many. He freely gave His life for the sake of those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Jesus created a way for man to be saved and simultaneously destroyed the power of Satan. Prior to the cross, Jesus cast out demons, and He orally gave authority to his disciples to do the same, like a signed document authenticating their power, but after Jesus shed His blood on the cross, His authority was deposited in the disciples by the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is now written on our heart by the finger of God that we have authoring over our spiritual enemy through Jesus' victory on the cross. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,16-23 (157h) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Deceiving and being deceived >> Being deceived (162f) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> A slave to unbelief >> Bondage to believing a lie (167i) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil (Conspiracy) >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It rejects God -- These verses go with verse 8 (177d) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Doctrines of the precepts of men – Paul asked why we should submit to decrees, “such as ‘do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,’” since these things do not cleanse us from sin? The religion of abstinence has no power over temptation; we are not obligated to observe their teachings and traditions; instead, we are obligated to follow the teachings of Christ. Man will try to put us in bondage to their religion, so they can boast in our flesh and bolstering their confidence in their beliefs. To practice a cultic religion never produced any positive fruit, except lesson learned, with the only potential benefit being that it feels good when we quit. (179k) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Wolves >> Wolves lead people into a cult >> Leading people through ignorance (202b) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Running from God >> Running to your sinful nature >> Run from God by running to the world Col 2,16-19 (1h) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> False burden >> Serving God in ignorance >> Not knowing His will – One of the many reasons for knowing the word of God is to avoid falling into religious traps of those who would set for us. Those who are in bondage cannot help but lead us into their bondage, since it is all they know. The knowledge of the word of God will lead us to people who share the same thoughts and feelings toward God, and has the concurrent affect of repelling others who would pull down our faith. (18d) Sin >> False Judgment lacks evidence >> Undefined charges – There are lots of people who think they know what’s best for us, but they don’t. Those who tell us to do things contrary to the direction of the Holy Spirit would defraud us of God’s purpose and calling. Trying to make people happy is not worth it; there is no hope in it and there is no promise associated with doing their will. Tell someone the will of God for our life and most likely the person would find fault with it, things we have heard God speak to us, how we should invest our life in the Kingdom of God. If they find fault with God’s will, what kind of advice do they have? (154j) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Witness of the believer >> Conscience >> Having a good conscience >> God is my conscience – Let no one act as our conscience, for we have one conscience and Christ is head of it. There are things that some people think we should do, and they will try to make us feel guilty for not doing what they say, or perhaps God will call us to do something that others may think we shouldn’t do, and they will try to make us feel stupid for fulfilling our purpose and calling from God (remember Noah). Paul said, “the substance belongs to Christ,” but the world has no substance. Therefore, to the extent that we allow people to be our conscience is the extent that we have denied our conscience in the Holy Spirit and are being led by man. People who try to tell us how to live have no substance, and if we listen to them, neither will we; but if we continue in the direction of the Holy Spirit, He will impart His substance to help us understand His will and help us lead others to Christ. God is the only one who knows His will for us, and for that reason Paul refused to let anyone but God be his conscience. (173h) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice (Penance) >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the ways of God – According to the context of Paul's argument, that God has called us to freedom, we can interpret "food and drink" in verse 16 to mean the bread and wine at communion, and the Catholics who believe that it mysteriously turns into the body and blood of Christ, if it were true, would cancel the need for faith. Paul is addressing the mentality of cults. People judge us based on what we eat and drink, whether we attend festivals or go to church, whether we celebrate new moons (which some call witchcraft) or observe the Sabbath, but Paul said that the substance belongs to Christ, who alone has power over temptation, and for this reason we should not submit to people's tyranny. They would steal our faith if they could. The things that some people must endure require tremendous faith; they have no need for customs and traditions that offer no remedy for their afflictions. Self-loathing eventually mutates into doctrines of religion, the more pain they feel, the more spiritual they become, yet none of these things have any power over their urges that lead away from Christ. It may temporarily distract them, yet the only result is more bondage. Col 2,16-18 (17g) Sin >> Judging in the flesh >> Perceiving reality according to the flesh (Satanic world view) Col 2-16,17 (110l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spiritual substance and truth >> Spiritual substance follows the truth (124l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of God’s faith Col 2-16 (5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course – This verse goes with verse 18. There are those who try to discourage us from following Christ, but they cannot change our course who refuse to move away from the hope of the gospel. There are circumstances that are themselves discouraging, but we who are deeply rooted in the word of God and prayer over many years of diligent faith do not flounder, because we know whom they have believed. According to legalists, there are certain things we cannot do, certain foods we cannot eat, certain festivities we should not celebrate..., but we take orders from our King; He will tell us what we should and should not do. (7f) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth -- This verse goes with verse 18. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2-18,19 (25i) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >> Someone stealing from you – We stand to miss the joy of growing with God by listening to fraudulent people. There is a counterfeit spirit that people without substance offer, and these liars want to silence true believers, because we are an affliction to their conscience. Instead of repenting of their sins and modeling after those who are faithful in Christ, they seek to persuade us to side with them and give up our faith in God. They would deceive us in delighting in the lowest form of behavior as a basement is the lowest level of a house, and they live there and want us to join them in their darkness and breathe their musty air. They worship fallen angels in the absence of sunlight instead of worshipping God. They try to convince us to worship their idols with them, which is strictly forbidden in both the old and New Testaments. Their so-called angels give them visions, and because the people are fleshly-minded they compound their guilt by their wild imagination. They do all these things for the simple reason that they don’t want to repent of their unbelief. (108d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith is the balance between freedom and law (131ja) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Many members but one body >> Many people but one wife of the Lamb (137a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church -- These verses go with verse 10 (140g) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Christ builds the temple from the bricks of the Church (196c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping angels – Some people want us to help them believe in their own ideas, claiming to have seen visions of angels, and assume to be authorities on the subject and want us to follow them, but we are by no means obligated to helping those who fail to hold Jesus in their hearts but cling to their visions instead, trying to put us in bondage to their religion. Col 2-18 (5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course -- This verse goes with verses 20-23. If they cannot talk us into their philosophies and empty deceptions (v8), then they will try to place us in bondage to their legalism (v16); and if that fails, they will attempt to defraud us by delighting in masochistic self-afflictions. The term self-abasement is picturesque of locking one's self in a basement or dungeon, self-induced bondage that they call love. To a sadist worshipper of deities ask him this question: ‘If you love God so much, then why don’t you just do what He says in His word that promises to please Him?’ These people are not interested in obedience but in determining their own manner of worship. That is, they are just as much in rebellion against God as the atheist, who doesn't even believe God exists. Paul also accused these people of worshipping angels, which is idolatry. They would say that worshipping angels is to worship God, but this is not what the Bible says, exposing their self-determinant worship. Satan is an angel and tempted Jesus to worship him in the wilderness, promising Him the world if He did, but Jesus reminded him that it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Mat 4,8-10). Rom 1-25 also says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever, Amen.” Worshipping angels is just as great an insult as self-worship, trying to show how much they love God by abusing themselves, which is to hold the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in contempt. If they are seeking severe treatment of the body, then why don't they preach the gospel of Christ until they are physically persecuted, as happened to Paul. See also: Idolatry; Col 3,5-9; 90f (7f) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the truth -- This verse goes with verse 4 (15k) Servant >> Angels >> Limitations of angels (117i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing visions (160d) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Led by the devil to suppress the word of God >> Suppressing the truth with false doctrine (181i) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Deception >> Self deception >> Imaginary perception of self >> Pretending to be someone you’re not – The world practices sin as a lifestyle and revels in it. For this reason repentance for some people who worship demons is their definition of blasphemy, in that to repent is to redefine their identity, and that is not easy. They think it would be evil of God to require them to repent, indicating just how far off-track they have regressed. On the contrary, it is not evil of God to want to convert sinners. (190d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God -- This verse goes with verses 20-23 Col 2-19 (78h) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind by the word of God >> Be of one mind, his mind -- This verse goes with verse 10 (229d) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> God causes the growth >> Kingdom grows according to the will of God – God has a different plan for us instead of listening to liars; He wants us to follow the Holy Spirit. Paul commanded us to avoid those who would defraud us of our prize, which is the reward of faithfulness toward Christ, playing our part in causing the growth of His Church. When we contribute our gift, God works through us to mature the body. The gift itself has come to us from heaven at great cost to us, being very valuable and therefore highly necessary for the Church’s growth. God is able to take our gift that we contribute and convert it to a work of God, just as He worked in us who contributed it. This is the opposite of listening to deceivers with their message of deception. If we listen to them, we will do more to tear down the body of Christ than to construct it. (232j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Embrace (Jesus during the storm) >> God embraces us (245a) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm is imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Manifesting the body of Christ KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2,20-23 (1l) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God >> Carrying a false burden >> Taking on responsibilities that are not yours – This passage is like Rom 14-14, which essentially states that we should not consider something unclean if it isn’t, because it only adds to the list of things that are off limits. Christ has set us free, through we are to avoid sin, and so we shouldn't needlessly add to the list if refraining from them does not make us better people. (5c) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Disciples finish the course – These verses go with verse 8. If they cannot talk us out of the existence of God, nor condemn us for our freedom in Christ, or place us under bondage to penance and idolatry, then they have run through their short list of devices to enslave us, and we have escaped their trap. (161k) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried away by religion -- These verses go with verse 8 (164g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan’s system of authority >> His elementary principles of the world -- These verses go with verses 8-10 (166c) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Man’s wisdom excuses his sinful nature >> Man’s wisdom wants to earn his ticket to heaven – On TV we have seen people from third-world countries performing rituals, parading down the street whipping their own backs until they became bloody and scarred. Whoever whips himself the hardest and draws the most blood is the winner. Of course this was part of a religious ceremony, and so there was theology behind it, and they also got the prettiest girl in the tribe. In terms of their religion, they believed that bloodying themselves would bring them closer to God. There was obviously a matter of physical trauma involved, which no doubt put them in an unusual mental state. During an actual distress, those are the times we call on God, and He helps us, and we feel His presence a little closer, but when we create the distress artificially in hope of appealing to Him, He is unimpressed. Beyond achieving the approval of men, their only reward was to reach the end of the ceremony and stop whipping themselves. (170f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Temporary >> Whatever is temporary will perish (171g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Outward appearance >> Decorating the outside to simulate the inside >> Playing the part to be accepted by God (173f) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Unholy sacrifice >> Offering sacrifice without God’s approval >> Sacrifice against the word of God – Jesus’ obedience to His Father meant far more to Him than had Jesus come on His own initiative. Obedience means something to God; it means we have subjected our will to His authority, and whatever suffering we may endure under His authority He honors, but if we walk in our own authority and suffer it, He will not honor us for that. For us to willingly submit to Him and do His will is better than giving Him something He doesn’t want. Our greatest gift to Him is to submit to His sovereignty authority, for rebellion is only for a moment. Our greatest showing of submission is to obey His specific will. Most Christians don't even believe there is such a thing as God's specific will; instead, they say we have God’s favor because we believe in a specific set of doctrines. We believe in His sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and by that we are in His favor. It took only a couple moments to get saved, so now what do we do with the rest of our lives? We talk about being good and kind and bearing the fruit of the Spirit; this is the general will of God for every person, but there is also His specific will that Jesus wants us to follow, called the "narrow way". It seems people don’t believe in the specific will of God, for it is hardly mentioned anywhere, though it is written in the Scriptures everywhere. See also: calling; 174d (174d) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Self righteousness >> Trying to please God by your own good works – How many times have we heard people say they wished they knew their calling from God? It seems the only people who know their calling are pastors, and not all of them should be in the pulpit. To discover our calling and fulfill is our purpose for being born, yet many don’t know what God wants them to do, and so they pick something apparently at random. What is our calling? Many Christians stumble through life not knowing, and at the end of their lives when they meet God, He will tell them what He wanted them to do and contrast that with what they did. What they did bore some fruit, but what God wanted them to do would have been far more fruitful and beneficial to far more people. It would have been a perfect fit for them. The Christian will say, ‘I asked you to reveal my calling and I never got an answer.’ In the same way, what should we do when we get lost in the woods, continue aimlessly wandering, getting more lost? No, the advice is to sit down. Don’t go anywhere until either someone finds us or until we perceive the direction we should go. Wandering in the woods is no different from picking up the nearest good work and passing it off as God’s specific will. See also: calling; 173f (185a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Abusing the grace of God >> Dragging God’s Grace Through The Mud >> Operating His grace through religion (190d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Self-afflictions that are against the will of God -- These verses go with verse 18 (195b) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Serving two masters >> You can only serve one at a time (197c) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Spiritual laziness >> Rebelling against where God wants you to go >> Refuse to walk in freedom KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Col 2-23 (159e) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit godliness >> Counterfeit repentance – People throughout the ages have come to the misconception that penance is appealing to God, but penance communicates to God that we think He hates us, to think that He would be pleased with our pain and suffering. God is not impressed with our self-imposed afflictions and sacrifices for one crucial reason: it is not based on obedience. Offering sacrifices that we dictate to God instead of those He dictates to us is an insult to His expectation of us. If someone tells us what he wants for his birthday, and we get him something else, we are communicating that he doesn't know what he wants, and if we do that to God, what are the chances He doesn't know what He wants? The Bible tells us what God wants of us, and if we obey Him, He will tell us more of His will. More people like to give surprises than those who like to receive them. In the same way, if we ask God what He wants us to do and then do it, we are are sure to receive His approval, as it is written, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1Samuel 15-22). (173e) Unholy Sacrifice (Key verse) See next page