Colossians 2

Chapter 2

You Are Built Up in Christ

¹For I want you to know how great a ^astruggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at ^bLaodicea, and for all those who have not ¹personally seen my face,

²that their ^ahearts may be encouraged, having been ^bknit together in love, and attaining to all ^cthe wealth ¹that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^dtrue knowledge of ^eGod’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

³in whom are hidden all ^athe treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

^4aI say this so that no one will delude you with ^bpersuasive argument.

⁵For even though I am ^aabsent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ¹to see ²your ^bgood discipline and the ^cstability of your faith in Christ.

⁶Therefore as you have received ^aChrist Jesus the Lord, so ^1bwalk in Him,

⁷having been firmly ^arooted and now being ^bbuilt up in Him and ^cestablished ¹in your faith, just as you ^dwere instructed, and overflowing ²with gratitude.

^8aSee to it that no one takes you captive through ^bphilosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the ^celementary principles of the world, ¹rather than according to Christ.

⁹For in Him all the ^afullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

¹⁰and in Him you have been ^amade ¹complete, and ^bHe is the head ²over all ^crule and authority;

¹¹and in Him ^ayou were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of ^bthe body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

¹²having been ^aburied with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^braised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^craised Him from the dead.

¹³When you were ^adead ¹in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^bmade you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

¹⁴having canceled out ^athe certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and ^bHe has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

¹⁵When He had ^1adisarmed the ^brulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having ^ctriumphed over them through ²Him.

¹⁶Therefore no one is to ^1aact as your judge in regard to ^bfood or drink or in respect to a ^cfestival or a ^dnew moon or a ^eSabbath ²day—

¹⁷things which are ^aa mere shadow of what is to come; but the ¹substance ²belongs to Christ.

¹⁸Let no one keep ^1adefrauding you of your prize by ^bdelighting in ²self-abasement and the worship of the angels, ³taking his stand on visions he has seen, ^4cinflated without cause by his ^dfleshly mind,

¹⁹and not holding fast to ^athe head, from whom ^bthe entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ¹ligaments, grows with a growth ²which is from God.

^20aIf you have died with Christ ¹to the ^belementary principles of the world, ^cwhy, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^ddecrees, such as,

²¹“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

²²(which all refer ^ato things destined to perish ¹with use)—in accordance with the ^bcommandments and teachings of men?

²³These are matters which have, to be sure, the ¹appearance of wisdom in ^2aself-made religion and self-abasement and ^bsevere treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^cfleshly indulgence.