Colossians 2:23 – Three Minute Bible

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025

Colossians 2:23e – The Enemy Within

Picture of the earth floating against a sky with a sunset in the background.

… but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Summary: Paul wraps up his thoughts about “rules” with a reference to restraining physical desires.

Finally, we come to the end of Paul’s treasure-packed paragraph! He has pointed out that we are dead with Christ “to the elemental spiritual forces of this world” (vs 20). Then he asks, if we are “dead” to this world, why do we still submit to its rules?

The “rules” Paul refers to are not the type of rules that keep us safe. They are, instead, rules made by people about God without the benefit of knowing God.

January 22, 2025January 22, 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.

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: