Colossians – Page 2 – Three Minute Bible

January 10, 2025January 10, 2025

Colossians 2:18d – The Blind Tour Guide

… they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

Summary: In this passage, Paul returns to the basic principle of spiritual life: We have to be born again by the power of Jesus Christ to have any hope of understanding spiritual things.

As we begin this meditation, we should review where we are.

Most of chapter two has been about the dangers of false teachings. Paul wants us to remain focused on the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and not be distracted by anything.

January 9, 2025January 10, 2025

Colossians 2:18c – Monkey See, Monkey Do

A picture of Paul the Apostle speaking and in the background is a monkey watching him.

Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen …

Summary: Whether we are kids in grade school or adults at work, we all crave attention. Everyone wants to be popular. When a “new kid” comes to town, they seem to upset the balance of power and suddenly everyone is vying for attention.

Here is an interesting thought: How does going into “great detail” impact a story?

Does adding detail add to the story, or is the purpose of “great detail” to add credibility to the storyteller?

As I ponder Paul’s words in this passage I find myself reflecting on what people say and how they say it. Paul is pointing out a characteristic of a certain type of people. These are not ordinary, every-day people, but these are people who have a mission to corrupt the faith of believers.

January 8, 2025January 8, 2025

Colossians 2:18b – Detour

[Do not let] … the worship of angels disqualify you.

Old road/running trail marked by a sign that reads "Detour."

Summary: This passage is a lot deeper than it looks. As we dive into the topic we discover surprising truths about the spiritual realm and about our own hope for salvation.

As we look at this passage, several questions come to mind.

Why would anyone promote the idea of worshiping angels?
What does the Bible say about worshiping angels?
What does Paul mean by being disqualified?

The first question is impossible to answer because we can’t go back and ask whoever was doing it. Even if we could, the answer we got from them might not be the truth. We can guess, but it is only a guess, and in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

January 7, 2025January 7, 2025

Colossians 2:18a – True or False?

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility …

the arrogant pharisee and the humble tax collector in Luke 18:9-14

Summary: Paul’s warning about people who “delight” in “false humility” sounds rather general but is actually quite specific.

It is nice of Paul to warn us against people who “delight” in “false humility,” but how do we know who that is? In short, who is Paul talking about?

In Paul’s day, the church was a new thing. People had the Old Testament writings for reference, but the New Testament was still being written. The Gospel message about believing in Jesus was spreading fast. Unfortunately, there were a lot of people who tried to add their own rules to the Gospel.

The problem facing the Colossians in Paul’s day still faces us today: How do we tell who is speaking the truth?

January 6, 2025January 7, 2025

Colossians 2:17 – Things to Come

These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Summary: God’s Word is full of surprises. Paul’s use of the word “shadow” offers a unique insight into the relationship between the Old Testament and the New.

“A shadow of things to come” is an evocative phrase. Oddly, it is also evasive. The “shadow” is a real thing, but it does not have any real value.

When Paul says we are not to let anyone judge us by what we eat or drink or whether or not we follow the old customs of Jewish festivals and Sabbath days (verse 16), he is pointing to the “shadow.”

January 4, 2025January 5, 2025

Colossians 2:16b – The Risk of Rules

… by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

young man sitting in church, wearing a hat, drinking coffee and sporting tattoos.

Summary: In this passage, Paul gives us a rule about rules.

Let’s review the entire verse before we start our meditation:

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”

Paul begins with “Therefore…” referring to his prior statement that God made us “alive in Christ” (Col 2:13) and has canceled our “legal indebtedness” (Col 2:14) by means of the cross, “do not let anyone judge you by legalistic requirements.“

This is not a mysterious statement or a confusing metaphor. Paul is speaking as plainly as humanly possible here. There is no chance that anyone would or could misunderstand his point.

Except we do.

January 3, 2025January 3, 2025

Colossians 2:16a – Only Jesus

Therefore do not let anyone judge you …

Summary: Paul continues to explain what it means to be a believer in Jesus. Human rules count for nothing. All that matters is faith in our Savior.

As I sat down to write this meditation, I was debating with myself about whether or not I should tackle the whole verse. The more I stared at it, the more the first seven words cried out for special attention. So … before you judge me, know that I at least thought about including the whole verses before I chopped it up.

When Paul says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you …” I tend to think to myself, “Yeah, right.” How does Paul expect us to stop people from judging us? On top of this is a larger question: How is the church supposed to function if people are not to judge?

January 2, 2025January 2, 2025

Colossians 2:15b – Forced to Choose

… he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Summary: The world and our Lord will always have different priorities. God’s way is the way to Light and Life. The world’s way leads to death.

When it comes to finding contenders for “The Most Counter-Intuitive Statement Ever,” this passage might take the cake.

The whole idea of the cross, as far as the Romans were concerned, was to humiliate and torture a person so badly that no one would ever “cross” the Roman authorities again. Think of the cross as a giant billboard reading, “THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!”

Getting nailed to a cross was not considered a sign of triumph.

January 1, 2025January 1, 2025

Colossians 2:15a – Standing With Jesus

And having disarmed the powers and authorities …

Summary: Understanding Paul’s reference to “powers and authorities” requires that we understand the difference between the spirit and the flesh.

I find this particular passage very intriguing. In the context of the larger passage, Paul has just stated that Jesus took our “legal indebtedness” and nailed it to the cross. Then he turns around and says that, by doing that, he has “disarmed the powers and authorities…”

Who is he talking about?

He didn’t disarm the Romans. The Pharisees and Sadducees were still in power when Jesus died. Who did Jesus “disarm”?

December 31, 2024January 1, 2025

Colossians 2:14b – Fixing a Boo-Boo

… which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Cross with small notes (representing sins) nailed to it.

Summary: The concept of having our sins nailed to the cross is hard to understand. Looked at through the lens of the Old Testament, it begins to make more sense.

Paul is working very hard to explain Jesus to us. He begins with Jesus is the “fullness of the Deity … in bodily form” (v 9). Theologians have a lot of fancy words to describe what this means, but they know less than Paul did because Paul had actually met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).

Notice Paul’s careful wording: “For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives …” Jesus describes it this way: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). We are not supposed to understand how this works. Instead, we are expected to believe Jesus and Paul and take them at their word.

So, God himself becomes man in the form of Jesus. What then?