3/15/25 The Divine Pillars
Chapter 2 continues starting in V9 this wk. Paul has built a foundation as to who Jesus is because the church of Colossae has a problem with being influenced by smooth talking teachers who present a gospel that is not the truth, is not the true gospel and does not properly identify the significance of Messiah’s life, teaching, death and resurrection. With this misunderstanding, let’s consider how it affects those who are taking in the teaching and what it does to them. Without the proper understanding of who Messiah is, what he did, why he did it and how it affects your life there is an opportunity to assume erroneously of what engaging in this relationship is suppose to do for you and to you. In V8 last wk Paul warns us See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. Which tells us that if you are held captive, you are enslaved & imprisoned by the lure of religion and not a relationship. Rituals of verbal means, prayer confession chants singing, rituals of physical demonstration, attendance to a house of God, self-control for instance but no relationship demonstrate there is no relationship. The emphasis is that these rituals may somehow save you. But the truth is altogether different. Paul continues in V9
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
V9 cuts through the easily misunderstood issue of the hypostatic union of in a human being dwelt the Presence of God. But it was not a passing through like a hosting, no this is truly God himself wrapped in flesh. This is the real deal, not the momentary inhabiting or the short lived encounter. And V10 brings us a guarantee. This is a promise that when you are in him the completion will occur, phrased brought to fullness. So if we are not on that path without him that means that there is a process of going through. The work is not done and the destination is not met and further you cannot get to what you were intended to be without being in him. This means that he should be the one in the drivers seat everyday taking you through the highs and lows of life.
Then Paul takes a corner and makes a statement that seems to not follow the context. He is the head over every power and authority. Sadly, when believers see this they whip it out when those who are put above them in authority are out of hand, should it be the government or at work or in relationships. But that is not what this is. Power here is the same word as ruler. This is the GR word arche’ meaning beginning origin ruler authority principality & is the word that is used when listing the hierarchical levels of dealing with the spiritual warfare enemies we face that play themselves out in the physical in Ephesians 6:12 the first place, principality, rule, magistracy. Further it may sound redundant to have two words say authority, the 2nd word is exousia and while it means the same thing essentially, this ties into the authorities portion of Ephesians 6:12 the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates.
These terms are legal terms connotating who is in control over those who think they are or assert themselves to be. And ties this into the remainder of today’s study in V10.
11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self, ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Circumcision, a process of the Jewish to set themselves apart for God’s use. Is the topic. It was a legal requirement on the 8th day. Here, for the church it is not performed by human hands. It is a physical sign of belonging to YHWY and it states we are to be circumcised by Messiah additionally an outward sign of being his like baptism. But only if you notice the phrasing if you are in him. You are raised by your faith out of the dirt that is destined for us in death, which again is legal because if you are in him, than he is in you with Holy Ghost. Your body may sin, and it must be done away with. Hence why the penalty for sin is death which is again legal, and your raising is thru your faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead. This raising is the resurrection. Of Messiah.
So when you lay the foundation of faith in Jesus, You are building a dwelling place. He is that dwelling place and your faith in him is the foundation in which you dwell. We need to realize we are not what we were meant to be, jaded by the sin nature, indoctrinated by the culture and taught improperly because of bias prejudice and pride. But God while God has given you the foundation to dwell upon in the truth of Christ, the enemies are going to come out with hallow deceptive teaching. Then they have a charge against you in the heavenly courts. These charges are that you are not fit to be set apart for God’s purpose. But it is Jesus who circumcises you and raises you from the dirt of death because you are a new creation.
See the process is to the Divine pillars secure in the Divine Foundation that God Almighty is going to remake you for a greater purpose. This means you gotta be willing to change because if you are going to be something better you gotta change. If you are going to achieve great things you gotta change If you want higher opportunities you gotta change build on your faith that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus has overcome the world Has overcome your enemies has overcome death and he is going to bury the unfit portion of you in the ground and raise you up to be used for his purpose.
