Warnings Against Errors
v.1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; (KJV)
“conflict” means 1) a fight or war 2) sharp disagreement, as of interests or ideas
I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. (NLT)
For I want you to know how great is my solicitude for you [how severe an inward struggle I am engaged in for you] and for those [believers] at Laodicea, and for all who [like yourselves] have never seen my face and known me personally. (AMPC)
v.2 That their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; (KJV)
“riches” means wealth (as fulness), money, possessions, or abundance, richness, valuable bestowment
(cf. Matthew 13:22, Mark 4:19, Luke 8:14, Romans 2:4, 9:23, 11:12 & 33, 2 Corinthians 8:2, Ephesians 1:7 & 18, 2:7, 3:8 & 16, Philippians 4:19, Colossians 1:27, 1 Timothy 6:17, Hebrews 11:26, James 5:2 and Revelation 5:12 & 18:17)
“full assurance” means entire confidence
(cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:5 and Hebrews 6:11 & 10:22)
“understanding” means a mental putting together, intelligence or the intellect
(cf. Luke 2:47, 1 Corinthians 1:19, Ephesians 3:4, Colossians 1:9 and 2 Timothy 2:7)
“acknowledgement” means recognition, full discernment
(cf. Romans 1:28, 10:2, Ephesians 1:17, 4:13, Colossians 1:9-10, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Timothy 2:25, 3:7, Titus 1:1, Hebrews 10:26 and 2 Peter 1:2-3)
I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. (NLT)
[For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One). (AMPC)
v.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (KJV)
“hid” means secret, treasured, kept secret
“treasures” means a deposit, wealth
“wisdom” means the ideas of infinite skill, insight, knowledge, purity
(cf. Romans 11:33, 1 Corinthians 1:21 & 24, Ephesians 1:8, 3:10, Revelation 5:12 & 7:12)
“knowledge” means doctrine, science
(cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14, 4:6, Daniel 1:4 and Malachi 2:7)
In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (NLT)
In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden. (AMPC)
v.4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. (KJV)
“beguile” means to misreckon, delude, deceive
“enticing” means persuasive language
I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. (NLT)
I say this in order that no one may mislead and delude you by plausible and persuasive and attractive arguments and beguiling speech. (AMPC)
v.5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. (KJV)
“absent” means to be away
(cf. 1 Corinthians 5:3, 2 Corinthians 10:1 & 11, 13:2 & 10, Philippians 1:27)
“joying” means to be cheerful, calmly happy or well-off
“beholding” means to look to, direct the mind upon, consider, take heed
(cf. Matthew 22:16, 1 Corinthians 1:26, 10:18, Philippians 3:2, Genesis 39:23, Psalms 37:37 and Isaiah 22:11)
“order” means regular arrangement, (in time) fixed succession (of rank or character), official dignity, well-regulated life
“stedfastness” means something established, confirmation (stability)
For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong. (NLT)
For though I am away from you in body, yet I am with you in spirit, delighted at the sight of your [standing shoulder to shoulder in such] orderly array and the firmness and the solid front and steadfastness of your faith in Christ [that leaning of the entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. (AMPC)
Freedom From Rules and New Life in Christ
v.6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: (KJV)
“received” means to receive near, associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation), to assume an office, to learn
(cf. Mark 7:4, John 1:11, 1 Corinthians 11:23, 15:1 & 3, Galatians 1:9 & 12, Philippians 4:9, Colossians 4:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13a, 4:1 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6)
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. (NLT)
As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. (AMPC)
v.7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (KJV)
“rooted” means become stable
“built up” means to build upon, to rear up
(cf. 1 Corinthians 3:10, 12, 14 and Ephesians 2:20)
“stablished” means to stabilitate, confirm
(cf. 1 Corinthians 1:8, 2 Corinthians 1:21, Hebrews 13:9, Psalms 41:13 & 119:28)
“taught” means to learn
“abounding” means to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (NLT)
Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. (AMPC)
v.8 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. (KJV)
“beware” means to look at, perceive, regard, take heed
“spoil” means to lead away as booty
“philosophy” means Jewish sophistry (misleading but clever reasoning)
“vain” means empty words, deceitful
(cf. Ephesians 5:6)
“deceit” means delusion
“tradition” means transmission, a precept, the Jewish traditionary law, ordinance
“rudiments” means something orderly in arrangement, a serial (basal, fundamental, initial) constituent, proposition, principle
(cf. Galatians 4:3 & 9)
“world” means orderly arrangement, decoration, regular disposition
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. (NLT)
See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the Messiah). (AMPC)
v.9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (KJV)
“dwelleth” means to house permanently, reside
“fulness” means repletion or completion, divine perfections
For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. (NLT)
For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]. (AMPC)
v.10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. (KJV)
“complete” means to fill, supply abundantly with something, impart richly, imbue with, to fill with joy
(cf. Acts 2:28, 13:52, 2 Timothy 1:4) and Luke 2:40, Romans 1:29, 15:13-14, 2 Corinthians 7:4, Ephesians 1:23, 3:19, 4:10, 5:18, Philippians 1:11, 4:18-19 and Colossians 1:9
“head” means (in the sense of seizing)
(cf. Ephesians 1:22, 4:15, 5:23 and Colossians 1:18)
“principality” means the princes or chiefs among angels
(cf. Ephesians 1:21 & 3:10)
“power” means the celestial and infernal powers, princes, potentates
(cf. Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, Colossians 1:16 and 1 Peter 3:22)
So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. (NLT)
And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead- Father, Son and Holy Spirit-and reach full spiritual nature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power]. (AMPC)
v.11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: (KJV)
When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised”, but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision- the cutting away of your sinful nature. (NLT)
In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts). (AMPC)
v.12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (KJV)
“buried” means to inter in company with, to assimilate spiritually (to Christ by a sepulture as to sin), bury with
(cf. Romans 6:4)
“baptism” means the baptism instituted by Jesus
(cf. Romans 6:4, Ephesians 4:5 and 1 Peter 3:21)
“risen” means justification
(cf. Romans 4:25 & 5:1)
“operation” means efficiency, energy, effectual working
“raised” means (through the idea of collecting one’s faculties), to waken, rouse (literal from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death, or obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence), awake
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (NLT)
[Thus you were circumcised when] you were buried with Him in [your] baptism, in which you were also raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God [as displayed] when He raised Him up from the dead. (AMPC)
v.13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (KJV)
“dead” means spiritually dead
(cf. Ephesians 2:1 & 5 and Revelation 3:1)
“sins” means deliberate transgressions
(cf. Romans 4:25, 5:15-18, 20, 11:11-12, 2 Corinthians 5:19, Ephesians 1:7, 2:1 & 5)
“quickened together” means to reanimate conjointly with
(cf. Ephesians 2:5)
“forgiven” means pardon or rescue
(cf. 2 Corinthians 2:7, 10, 12:13, Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 5:13)
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. (NLT)
And you who were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (your sensuality, your sinful carnal nature), [God] brought to life together with [Christ], having [freely] forgiven us all our transgressions, (AMPC)
v.14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (KJV)
“blotting” means to smear out, obliterate (erase tears, pardon sin), wipe away
“handwriting” means a manuscript (a legal document or band)
“ordinances” means of the Mosaic Law, external precepts
(cf. Ephesians 2:15, Daniel 2:13, 3:10, 6:8, 13 & 15)
“contrary” means under (covertly) contrary to, opposed or an opponent, adversary
“way” means middle, among, before them, between, forth, midst
“cross” means the structure on which Jesus hung
(cf. Matthew 27:40 & 42, Mark 15:30 & 32, John 19:19, 25, 31, Philippians 2:8 and Colossians 1:20)
He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. (NLT)
Having cancelled and blotted out and wiped away the handwriting of the note (bond) with its legal decrees and demands which was in force and stood against us (hostile to us). This [note with its regulations, decrees, and demands] He set aside and cleared completely out of our way by nailing it to [His] cross. (AMPC)
v.15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew openly, triumphing over them in it. (KJV)
“spoiled” means to divest wholly oneself, or (for oneself) despoil
“principalities” means among demons
(cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24 and Ephesians 6:12)
“triumphing” means to make an acclamatory procession, to conquer or to give victory
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (NLT)
[God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]. (AMPC)
v.16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of any holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (KJV)
“judge” means to have a negative opinion of a person or thing
(cf. John 7:24, 8:15, Romans 2:1, 3, 27, 14:3-4, 10, 13, 22, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 10:29 and James 4:11-12)
“meat” means eating
“respect” means (to get as a section or allotment), a division or share
“holyday” means a festival, feast
“new moon” means the festival of new moon
“sabbath” means day of weekly repose from secular avocations
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. (NLT)
Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. (AMPC)
v.17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body of Christ. (KJV)
“shadow” means shade, darkness of error or an adumbration
(cf. Matthew 4:16, Mark 4:32, Luke 1:79, Acts 5:15 and Hebrews 8:5 & 10:1)
For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. (NLT)
Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ. (AMPC)
v.18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (KJV)
“beguile” means to award the price against, to defraud (of salvation)
“voluntary” means to delight in anything
“worshipping” means ceremonial observance
“puffed” means sense of blowing, to inflate, make proud (haughty)
Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, (NLT)
Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit, (AMPC)
v.19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (KJV)
“joints” means a lightning (as fastening)
“bands” means a joint tie, ligament, uniting principle, control
“nourishment” means to furnish besides, fully supply, aid or contribute
“increaseth” means to grow, enlarge
and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. (NLT)
And not holding fast to the Head, from Whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by means of its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (AMPC)
Legalism
v.20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (KJV)
“rudiments” means the principles of life, philosophy and religion
“subject to ordinances” means to prescribe by statute, to submit to ceremonial rule
You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, (NLT)
If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world’s crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules and regulations? -such as] (AMPC)
v.21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; (KJV)
“touch” means in the Levitical sense
(cf. 2 Corinthians 6:17)
“taste” means to eat, to experience
“handle” means ascetic prohibitions
“Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? (NLT)
Do not handle [this], Do not taste [that], Do not even touch [them], (AMPC)
v.22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? (KJV)
“perish” means decay, ruin (spontaneous or inflicted), corruption, destroy
“using” means the act of using up, consumption
“commandments” means an injuction, religious precept, a mandate, ordinance
(cf. Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7, Job 23:11-12 and Isaiah 29:13)
“doctrines” means instruction (the function or the information), learning, teaching
Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. (NLT)
Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines. (AMPC)
v.23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh. (KJV)
“wisdom” means learned research and a knowledge of hidden things
(cf. Revelation 13:18 & 17:9)
These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. (NLT)
Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh]. (AMPC)