Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

2:4 that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. Paul warns the Colossians about the direct and dangerous threat in their midst. It is important to see that the threat comes from within the church and that what the teacher(s) are saying sounds reasonable and even persuasive.

2:5 I am with you in spirit. Because both the Colossians and Paul live "in Christ" and possess the Spirit of God, there is a sense in which Paul is, in fact, present with them (see also 1 Cor. 5:3-5). To express the stability that Paul wants to see continue in the Colossian church, he employs two military metaphors--good order and firmness. The Colossians should be like troops drawn up in battle formation, standing firm like soldiers resisting the enemy.

2:6-7 you received Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul calls the Colossians back to the foundational teaching passed on to them by Epaphras when they first became Christians. At the heart of this is the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord (1 Cor. 12:3). Paul uses the images of a tree (rooted) and a building (built up) to remind them of their firm foundation in what they have already been taught. The implication is, why should they now give a hearing to any rival teaching?

2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive (Gk. sylagōgeō, commonly used of the plundering of cargo from a ship). The false teacher(s) in Colossae pose a very real threat to the church. philosophy. The Greek for this word includes the article (tēs philosophias), suggesting that the ringleaders of the faction called their teaching "the philosophy." When Paul speaks of "filling" and "fullness" in this letter (see v. 10), he is clearly echoing the jargon of the erring teachers, and he may be doing the same here. The term "philosophy" was used much more broadly in the ancient world than it is today. Josephus, for instance, could call the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees "philosophies." Even a magician could be called a philosopher. Paul is not making a blanket condemnation of the traditional Greek philosophical schools (e.g., Platonism, Stoicism, Aristotelianism, etc.). His remarks are focused on the particular factional teaching being disseminated at Colossae. He makes the incisive claim that this teaching is not only empty deceit but that it has been inspired by the elemental spirits (Gk. stoicheia) of the world. Stoicheia is sometimes translated "the basic principles" of the world and then interpreted to be something like the fundamental principles of pagan religion. In the ancient world, however, the term stoicheia was widely used for spirits in Persian religious texts, magical papyri, astrological documents, and some Jewish texts. Paul is likely using it here to refer to demonic spirits; it is the equivalent of "rulers and authorities" (vv. 10, 15). Although the false teaching is handed down as human tradition, it can ultimately be traced to the influence of demonic forces. The fundamental problem with this philosophy is that it is not in accord with Jesus Christ and the gospel proclaimed by him and the apostle Paul.