Colossians 2:6-10
 
Col 2:6 (KJB)
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
 
So walk ye - Live or conduct oneself
 
The Colossians received Christ by grace. Upon the day someone becomes saved, they are given the faith to believe and so Paul is telling them that as they received Christ, they will continue to grow in Him in the same manner. When a baby is born, it is nourished with physical food from the time of its birth and it grows to adulthood in the same manner, by food. As we received Christ as new born babes, so we continue to walk in Him and thereby we will continue to grow by spiritual nourishment. (1 Pet 2:2 KJV) As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
 
Col 2:7 (KJB)
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
 
Rooted - Having been rooted
Built up - Building up in spiritual character or quality
Stablished - Confirmed, established, or stabilized
Abounding - To have an abundance or excel in
 
Here is a very encouraging verse for every Christian. First of all, the believer is rooted in Christ. Now the word “rooted” is actually “having been rooted” because the word is in the “perfect tense” which is the tense of completion but means that its effects are still in operation. For example, a person plants a tree in his back yard. How many times does he plant that tree? He plants it only once. This is the same effect for the Christian, we are rooted in Christ at the moment of salvation, which is a one time act but its effects are operational throughout our entire lives. Now the next three underlined words are in the present tense, which means a continuing action. First we are being built up, that is, as we continue to walk in Christ, we will see our spiritual quality continue to grow. We will desire more of Christ and less of the world plus we will be more spiritually minded, that is, we will concern ourselves with missions, training the next generation, evangelism, etc. Then we are stablished in the faith, that is, we are confirmed or established in the faith. This too is an ongoing process because as we continue to grow in Christ, we become more established in the faith. The world and all its entrapments are easily spotted by the Christian and they are avoided. (Prov 22:3 KJV) A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. As a result of being rooted and continually being established in the faith, we will experience an abundance of thanksgiving which is what should permeate all activities of the Christian.
 
Col 2:8 (KJB)
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
 
Beware - Watch or take heed
Spoil - To lead captive or rob
Vain - Empty
The rudiments - Elements or fundamental principles
 
Here Paul begins a main doctrinal part of this epistle. He was warning the Colossians to be very watchful because there was an assault upon their church. He warns them that they can be robbed or taken captive, not in the physical sense, but in the mental sense of the word. There was a Gnostic element at Colossae and Paul is specifically pointing this out. In the Greek, the word “the” precedes the word “philosophy” which means Paul had in mind a specific heresy, namely Gnosticism. In Colossians 2:3 we read that Christ had all the true knowledge and wisdom. Paul here is stating that the philosophy of the Gnostics are nothing but empty deceit. The wisdom of the Gnostics was not according to biblical knowledge but according to the traditions of men. It was man-centered philosophy and much could have been based on the Greek systems such as Plato or Aristotle. Paul then goes on warning about them being swept away with the rudiments of the world. This has to do with ceremonies and rites which were tied to the world system. All these ceremonies are not after Christ, because of the Mosaic system was in view here, then they would be denying what Christ had accomplished and are still attempting to please God by means of the law. The temple system ended when the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom on the day Christ was crucified. That began the era where the true believer no longer needed a priest to mediate for them but Christ became our High Priest and He now has the divine ministry of intercession.
 
Col 2:9 (KJB)
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
 
Dwelleth - Resides or inhabits
Fulness - That which fills or complete
Bodily - Bodily or in bodily form
 
The Gnostics had totally disbelieved that Christ was deity. They had believed that Christ came into being at His birth. Some Gnostics believed Christ was only pure Spirit and had a specter type body, not a physical one, this heresy was known as Docetism. The Gnostics basically believed that if a true being came from God, there was no way they could be overcome by the world and be killed as Christ was. They also believed that the resurrection of Christ was when His spirit left His body. In this verse Paul is stating that all the fullness of the Godhead, that is, all the attributes of deity are in Christ. When He was on this earth, He emptied himself of His glory but not His deity as evidenced by His miracles. He is the second person of the Godhead and never ceased to be God while on the earth and He continues to be God throughout all eternity.
 
NOTE
Much of the Gnostic influence can be found in the modern versions of the Bible such as the NIV, ESV, RSV, and others. Might I suggest a publication entitled “Gnosticism: The Doctrinal Foundations of the New Bible Versions.” It is available through “The Bible for Today,” it is publication #2732 by Mrs. Janet Moser. It can be purchased on line at: www.biblefortoday.org or by snail mail at: The Bible for Today - 900 Park Ave - Collingswood, NJ 08108-3235 - Their telephone number is 1-856-854-4452 - Please contact them for price.
 
Col 2:10 (KJB)
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
 
Complete - Having been complete
Principality - Rule or sphere of influence
Power - Authority
 
Since all the fullness of deity dwells in Christ, the believer is complete in Him. The word “complete” is in the perfect tense which means that we have become totally complete in Christ. Every single believer no matter how strong or how weak they are in body are complete in Christ. One way we know we are complete is that our souls have been qualified for Heaven, that is, eternal life. How much more complete can we get than to live eternally? Then Paul tells us that Christ is the head of rule and the head of all authority. This means that Christ is not only the head of the church, but He rules over all earthly kingdoms and kings.

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