Hope you went to bed early last night.
We skipped this study yesterday because I had to rush to the office. Today calls for another hurry but I insist it mustn't be skipped a second day in a row.
So let's dive right into it.
The second part of Colossians 2 where we stopped last time.
starting from verse 12, may I say that the baptism Paul was referring to here is not the water baptism we know. No, far from it. Remember that physical activities do not perfect spiritual accomplishments. Far from it, what Paul was referring to here is the baptism into Christ. The putting on of Christ. See Gal.3:27.
When you become born again and accepted Christ you were baptised into Christ. (Dipped into Christ) The Greek word Baptizo which Paul used paid no respect to water. It in a general sense means to dip into or to immerse into. So Paul saying we were immersed in Christ could not be mistaken as a dipping into water.
If we are immersed in Christ when he died on the cross, hence we resurrected with him with a new life when he resurrected 3 days later.
Verse 13, being dead in sins and uncircumcision of flesh. Bible scholars have debated why Paul who had been an advocate of the circumcision of the heart in supremacy over the flesh would come here to say this. Also remember what I once told you about the incidence where Paul had to circumcise Timothy. So this presents a valid theological debate.
For me I see this as Paul giving a cheeky reminder to these set of gentiles that they were once godless and without any prior contact with God which can be seen as the lowest state of spiritual awareness.
Now Paul brings the big show in verses 14-15.
He tells the full implication of the passion of Christ to our Christian life. He took all handwritten accusations of the devil which was contrary to us. Note that the Greek word hupenantios was used for contrary. It means opposed, adversary or against. It meant that those handwritings were opposing us, against us. They were not, as most preachers like to say, false handwritings. That would be a wrong interpretation which would make the sufferings of Jesus a bogus and unnecessary exercise.
the open defeat and humiliation of the devil referred to in verse 15 takes one back to Gen.3;15.
Let no one hence judge us on things of tradition or human rules and observations which were a shadow or shade or a better word is adumbration of things to come.
This is the pain of Christianity today. We subject ourselves and our fellow believers to shadows while we lose sight of the light. We hence hide ourselves from the grace and love of Christ because we have created a massive shadow of works.
Verse 18 warns against worship of angels. Even till today, some of us think of it as humility to ask angels or Mary to help us out. It is a beclouded pride. It means discounting Christ and his sufferings on the cross as no effect and rather preferring the mediation of angels. it means failing to recognize Christ as the head.
So if we are dead with Christ, we should not be alive to the world and its ordinances. Rather we should be alive only to God and his grace.
verses 20-22 calls us back to the prophecy by Isaiah in Isa.29:13 where God says men have fashioned their relationship and worship of Him not after His own way but by their erratic perception of God. So we say to ourselves, to please God we must do this, do that etc and often forget what God himself has said on how to please him. John 3:16, Heb.1:6 etc. We fail to believe and have faith in the power of his grace and love but we expect that as long as we don't eat or touch certain things we automatically please God.
this message Paul also shared with his protégé, Timothy saying in ITi.4:8 that bodily exercise profits little but godliness is supreme (I paraphrase).
May God bless your understanding as you read this.
Amen.
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