2I 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.G1063G2309G5209G1492G2245G73G2192G4012G5216G2532G1722G2993G2532G3745G3708G3756G3708G3450G4383G1722G45612I 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.G2443G846G2588G3870G4822G1722G26G2532G1519G3956G4149G4136G4907G1519G1922G3466G2316G2532G3962G2532G55473In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.G1722G3739G1526G614G3956G2344G4678G2532G11084I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.G1161G5124G3004G3363G5100G3884G5209G1722G40865For 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.G1063G1499G548G4561G235G1510G4862G5213G4151G5463G2532G991G5216G5010G2532G4733G5216G4102G1519G5547
Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ
6And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.G5613G3880G3767G3880G5547G2424G2962G4043G1722G8467Let 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.G4492G2532G2026G1722G846G2532G950G1722G4102G2531G1321G4052G1722G846G1722G21698Don'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.G991G3361G5100G2071G4812G5209G1223G5385G2532G2756G539G2596G3862G444G2596G4747G2889G2532G3756G2596G55479For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.G3754G1722G846G2730G3956G4138G2320G498510So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.G2532G2075G4137G1722G846G3739G2076G2776G3956G746G2532G184911When 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.G1722G3739G2532G4059G4061G886G1722G555G4983G266G4561G1722G4061G554712For 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.G4916G846G1722G908G1722G3739G2532G4891G1223G4102G1753G2316G3588G1453G846G1537G349813You 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.G2532G5209G5607G3498G1722G3900G2532G203G5216G4561G4806G4862G846G5483G5213G3956G390014He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.G1813G5498G1378G2596G2257G3739G2258G5227G2254G2532G142G846G1537G3319G4338G846G471615In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.G554G746G2532G1849G1165G1722G3954G2358G846G1722G84616So 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.G2919G3361G5100G3767G2919G5209G1722G1035G2228G1722G4213G2228G1722G3313G1859G2228G3561G2228G452117For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.G3739G2076G4639G3195G1161G4983G554718Don'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,G2603G3367G2603G5209G2603G1722G2309G5012G2532G2356G32G1687G3739G3708G3361G3708G1500G5448G5259G846G4561G356319and 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.G2532G3756G2902G2776G1537G3739G3956G4983G1223G860G2532G4886G2023G2532G4822G837G838G231620You 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,G3767G1487G599G4862G5547G575G4747G2889G5101G5613G2198G1722G2889G137921"Don't handle! Don't taste! Don't touch!"?G680G3361G1089G3366G2345G336622Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them.G3739G3956G2076G1519G5356G671G2596G1778G2532G1319G44423These 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.G3748G2192G3303G2076G3056G4678G1722G1479G2532G5012G2532G857G4983G3756G1722G5100G5092G4314G4140G4561