Colossians – Three Minute Bible

January 22, 2025January 21, 2025

Colossians 2:23d – The Fourth Clue

Picture of Sherlock Holmes character looking at a clue.

… and their harsh treatment of the body …

Summary: Paul completes his list of examples of the characteristics of worldly rules.

So far, Paul has given us three clues to help us recognize worldly religious “rules.”

The first clue was that a religious rule would have the “appearance of wisdom.” This, we decided, would look like wisdom, but it would not be rooted in the fear of the Lord. By the same token, real wisdom brings with it knowledge and understanding. False wisdom, on the other hand, does not satisfy the intellect. Finally, real wisdom is “pleasant to your soul,” while the other kind leaves a bitter taste.

The second clue has to do with its influence on our worship of God. Like wisdom, true worship is rooted in God: specifically the love of God. Worldly religious rules do not generate true worship. Instead, the world’s rules rely on “self-imposed worship.”

The third clue points us to the kind of humility we see in those who promote the rules. The humility of Jesus testified to the authenticity of his message. The one who demands worldly rules relies on a fake, or “false humility.”

Finally, we arrive at the fourth clue. Paul tells us that worldly rules demand “harsh treatment of the body.”

What does this mean?

In one story about Jesus and his disciples, Jesus is asked why his disciples don’t fast like the Pharisees (Mark 2:18-20). Denying the body food, of course, is “harsh treatment of the body.”

Jesus replies:

“How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” (Mark 2:19-20)

In this simple statement, Jesus explains the difference between a religious fast and one motivated by our relationship with God.

God, himself, tells us this when he speaks through the prophet Hosea and says, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6)

Application: Take Paul’s clues to heart.

Food for Thought: How is the harsh treatment of the body connected to feeling self-righteous?

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

January 21, 2025January 21, 2025

Colossians 2:23c – Two Different Things

[Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with] … their false humility …

Summary: Three little words set us to wonder about the ways some people try to manipulate the beliefs of others.

Why would Paul rail against false humility?

Let’s take a second look at his sentence structure. He wants us to know the “appearance of wisdom” is created by things like “self-imposed worship” and “false humility.”

On its own, false humility is offensive. For one thing, it is pretentious. The fact that it is “false” humility means it is not real.

January 20, 2025January 20, 2025

Colossians 2:23b – The Invisible Line

Picture of ancient ruins of a temple in Ephesus.

… with their self-imposed worship …

Summary: In this passage, Paul provides us with another clue to the difference between true and false religion.

The Greek word Paul used for “self-imposed worship” is “ethelothrēskia.”* (Pronounced “eth-el-oth-race-ki’-ah,” the word is a mouthful in Greek and English.) It is a composite of two other words that describe a kind of worship ceremonial in nature and that originates in the human will. An example of this kind of worship is given in Acts, chapter nineteen.

In the story told in Acts, the people of Ephesus traditionally worshipped a statue of a goddess named Artemis. At one point in the story, the city clerk describes the religion this way:

January 18, 2025January 19, 2025

Colossians 2:23a – The Wisdom Test

Picture of a small boy taking a test in an old-style school room.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom …

Summary: Paul’s letter points us to a test for determining if a religious rule or regulation truly honors God.

If we are going to be able to recognize the kind of “rules” that Paul is talking about, we need to pay close attention to the clues Paul gives us. His first clue is that “Such regulations [aka ‘rules’] … have an appearance of wisdom …”

What does that mean?

Interestingly, the Bible has a lot to say about “wisdom.” The first thing to know about wisdom is this:

January 17, 2025January 17, 2025

Colossians 2:22 – What God Wants

Picture of a cross standing against a dramatic background of clouds and light.

These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.

Summary: It can be easy to lose sight of Paul’s message in the complexity of his words. But the heart of his message is simple: He wants us to understand what God wants from us.

In our last meditation, we discussed various kinds of rules. Some rules, obviously, are for our own good. “Don’t touch a hot stove” is an example of a “good rule.” Other rules are specific to Paul’s concerns for Christians.

In the next verse, Colossians 2:23, Paul provides hints about the kinds of rules he has in mind. Everything he lists has to do with external forms of worship. Of course, this is Paul’s point.

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025

Colossians 2:20c-21 – Rules About Rules

Picture of sign that reads "NO JUMPING OFF BRIDGE"

… why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”?

Summary: Understanding Paul’s writings often requires an understanding of the world Paul is writing about. We call this “context,” but even that concept has limits. Because God’s thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9) we have to stretch our minds to try and understand God’s.

Reading this passage without context is dangerous! It is very easy to look at Paul’s words and come away with the idea that Christians don’t have to follow any rules. Like most words in the English language, the word “rule” has many applications.

Paul is not talking about the “rules of the road.” Christians don’t get a free pass to ignore speed limits or drive toward oncoming traffic. We don’t get a “pass” when we go the wrong way on a “one way street.” Christians, like everyone else in the world, still have to follow the traffic rules.

January 15, 2025January 16, 2025

Colossians 2:20b – All or Nothing

[Since you died with Christ] to the elemental spiritual forces of this world …

Summary: “Life” and “death” from God’s perspective is very different from our own. What the world refuses to acknowledge is the truth that every human being is eternal. When we are with God, we have life. When we are apart from him, we are dead.

This is the second time the text of Paul’s letter refers to “elemental spiritual forces.” (See “Colossians 2:8c – Spiritual Dangers” for the first discussion on this topic.) Since we have already discussed the roots of this phrase, let’s talk about the application of Paul’s words.

The “elementary spiritual forces” could be a lot of things. Paul, in my opinion, is being intentionally vague for a reason. God understands that the words Paul is writing on his behalf are for the benefit of future generations. It would be a mistake to tie his point to a single threat.

January 14, 2025January 14, 2025

Colossians 2:20a – Signs of Life

Since you died with Christ …

Picture of a man standing in a doorway facing the light.

Summary: With five simple words, Paul opens the door to the mystery of salvation.

Is Paul writing his letter to dead people?

Considering the words Paul uses, you are right to wonder. To understand what Paul means by “Since you died with Christ,” we first have to understand life and death.

When I was a child, I thought “dead” meant you ceased to exist. It was a terrifying thought. I kept trying to measure how alive I was by how much “living” I could do. I discovered that my thirst for being alive was never satisfied by having “things” or doing “things.”

January 13, 2025January 13, 2025

Colossians 2:19b – In Search of a Body

A crowd of people in the style of a stained glass window. Each person is depicted with an aura around their head.

… from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Summary: The body Paul describes can seem elusive in a world marked by divisions in the church. Exploring the concept in more detail leads us to a place of hope and introspection.

Paul raises a very interesting question in this passage: Does the body grow from the head?

It seems like a silly thought, but then I’ve never seen how the body of a human (or anything else) begins life. The miracle of life always begins hidden away from sight.

However, if we use the body as a metaphor for an organization, then yes, it begins with the head. Jesus is not only the “head” of the church, he is also the heart and the soul.

January 11, 2025January 12, 2025

Colossians 2:19a – Losing Your Head

They have lost connection with the head …

Summary: History has many lessons for us. One of those lessons has to do with staying connected to your head, especially the one that you can’t see.

I’ve just finished reading a book on the history of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.*

The last part of the story is about the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth that took place after Lincoln was shot. At the end of the hunt, Booth was caught hiding in a barn in Virginia. The soldiers that had hunted him down had surrounded the barn, and since Booth was shut inside and refused to surrender, they lit the barn on fire.