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Colossians 2 Commentary

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Colossians 2:1-3

Paul is working hard to proclaim the mystery of God to the people of Colossae and the surrounding region because it is right and because it is in their best interest.

The unity of spirit binds all believers across all geography and time. Paul is fighting from a distance to help ensure the loud and present voices of the day do not drown out the unifying work of Christ and His Gospel.

Colossians 2:6-8

Paul encourages the believers to remember and stand firm in their established faith. The deceptions of the world can easily distract us from the true path.

Colossians 2:9-12

The supremacy of Christ is the foundation for all things. There are many practices and traditions meant to reflect this reality. Paul implores the Colossians not to confuse the traditions with the supreme foundation.

Colossians 2:13-15

The incredible work of Jesus on the cross transformed the physical and spiritual world.

Colossians 2:16-19

Paul warns the Colossians about confusing the means for the ends, worshiping shadows rather than the Light to which they belong.

Colossians 2:20-23

Paul shows the separation and inconsistency of claiming to follow Jesus but remaining tied to the principles of this world.

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Chapter Context

In the second chapter of the letter to the Colossians, Paul works to convince these believers to follow the supremacy of Christ.

Building off of the foundation of Chapter One, wherein Paul establishes the beauty and value of Christ and His mission throughout the world, Chapter Two talks about the two paths a believer can choose after they make a commitment to follow Christ. The first option is to choose to live in accordance with Christ, to act, think, and communicate according to the supremacy of Christ. This is the choice Paul desires the Colossian believers to make. The other is to live according to worldly ideas of wisdom, dependent on human control. This is the choice that leads to destruction, and Paul warns his children in the faith to avoid this path.

Paul is writing to a Colossian community steeped in the Greek way of thinking. There is also the controversy of circumcisions that is dividing believers (do non-Jewish people need to adopt Jewish customs in order to become followers of Christ?).

Paul, writing from afar, has to combat false teaching, deceptions and manipulations, and the pull of the flesh on the Colossian hearts.

Will the Colossians allow themselves to be deceived? Will they, at least in practice, forget the working of God and try to live according to worldly wisdom? Will they allow the good disciplines of faith to be manipulated into obligatory rules, upon which one’s righteousness depends?

Paul hopes not, and writes fervently to keep them on the right path. After all, the beauty of the gospel and the supremacy of Christ is that it is both true and is the best path for our greatest fulfillment. Paul makes his case.