Empty Deceit
Read: Colossians 2:6-8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit. (v. 8) The philosophers I know don’t like Colossians 2:8. It seems to give their entire field a bad name. Like preachers, teachers, and lawyers, philosophers use words as their greatest tool. And they are good at it! […]
Standing Firm
Read: Colossians 2:4-5 I say this in order that no one may delude you. (v. 4) The gospel was not the only game in town. That was true everywhere in the ancient world. Across Paul’s thirteen letters, we see him again and again battling with false teachers. Some false teachers followed Paul around and would […]
Riches of Understanding
Read: Colossians 2:1-3 . . . to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ. (v. 2) Paul did not plant the church in Colossae and did not know those believers personally. We discovered earlier that it was a man name Epaphras who had brought […]
Mature
Read: Colossians 1:28-29 . . . that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (v. 28) Yesterday we reviewed a fact that we cannot rehearse often enough: Jesus did it all. We cannot add one single thing to our salvation. We cannot earn it. We cannot help it along. This is a gospel fact we […]
Rejoicing in Suffering
Read: Colossians 1:24-27 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. (v. 24) Every once in a while the Bible causes us to say, “Huh?” That’s OK. Scripture is rich and deep. We should expect it will furrow our spiritual brows eventually. So in verse 24, Paul said he suffers for the sake of […]
Reconciled
Read: Colossians 1:21-23 He has now reconciled [you] in his body of flesh by his death. (v. 22) Paul told the Colossians that at one time they had been hostile to God. They had done “evil deeds.” Whoa! Seems a little harsh. Shouldn’t Paul save that kind of language for mass murderers and such? Were […]
Held Together
Read: Colossians 1:17-18 In him all things hold together. (v. 17) “Everything seems to be falling apart!” All through history, and certainly in more recent times, people have found cause to make such a dire observation. It does not matter if it’s in the realm of domestic politics, international relations, or even within our families, […]
All Creation!
Read: Colossians 1:15-16 All things were created through him and for him. (v. 16) With today’s verses, Paul began one of the most breathtaking portions of the whole Bible. In fact, Colossians 1:15-20 constitutes one long sentence in the original Greek. Paul is nearly breathless here! It’s like he could not get the words out […]
The Light
Read: Colossians 1:10-14 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness. (v. 13) “Well, when you put it that way . . . ” We have all used this common little expression. Maybe you are tempted to skip a program involving your niece at her school some afternoon. “It’s not that big a deal,” […]