Colossians 2:6-10 AMP
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin], [7] having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him and [becoming increasingly more] established in your faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing in it with gratitude. [8] See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ. [9] For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. [10] And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].
I love the Amplified version of The Bible. It really tells us more of what was being said in the original text, though it takes a lot longer to read! We can get a lot of insight into God’s Word from the AMP. I often refer to it when I’m studying, and whenever I’m in church, Bible study, etc, my tablet or phone is opened to a parallel Bible with the AMP on one side and the NASB with immediate access to Strong’s and Thayers on the other. So now you know what I use to know The LORD and His Word more so that I can live my life by it via The Holy Spirit! As I break this passage down, you’ll see the AMP version for each section. Also in most if not all of my devos, the links to the Scriptures used are to the AMP version for better understanding by the reader! So, let’s move on to the text!
The first question that we need to ask ourselves, did we really receive Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior? If so, what's the proof? Let’s see what Paul tell us from this passage.
[6] Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin].
Paul tells us here that we’re to continue to live/walk in Christ. We aren’t the co-pilot, He’s totally in control. We allow Him to lead, guide and direct us in ALL we do so that our character reflects Him! We are to live our lives so radically different from the world that those who see us want the same life that we have, a life that leads others to Christ and away from sin. No matter what life throws at us, do we continue to live and walk out our lives for Him? (Psalm 23, 1 John 1:7)
[7a] having been deeply rooted [in Him] and now being continually built up in Him
How deep do we desire to be rooted in Christ? Are we just surface Christians or do the roots of what establishes the way we live/walk in this world deeply rooted and built up in Christ? What are the principles that govern and direct the way we live our life? When we dig down deep and find out what motivates ALL that we do, is it us, our family, or this world, or is it Christ? What do we spend most of our time doing? I realize that we all have things in our lives that we need to do, but I also know that we spend a lot of time doing extra things, especially things that can so easily become idols in our lives and things that can shape the core of who we are and how we live our lives. And often times we make choices that then enslave us and we’re stuck digging ourselves out of the pit we put ourselves in, such as chasing after things that cost time and money that we want and didn’t need!
What are the things that form our world view? Is it solely God’s Word or is it the world with things such as news casts, politics, social media, people’s unbiblical opinions, etc. Paul tells us that it’s Christ who is supposed to be what we use for the foundation of our lives and the standard by which we live by, and nothing in and of this world. (Psalm 40:8, Psalm 73:25, Matthew 23:11-12)
[7b] and [becoming increasingly more] established in your faith, just as you were taught,
We don’t just get saved and that’s it. Our life as a believer, follower, and disciple of Christ is a process we call sanctification. Sanctification is a noun that comes from the word sanctify, which is a verb that means set apart as or declare holy; consecrate. The verb tense of sanctify as used in Scripture about our lives as Christians has a definite start time/date, when we get saved. There is an end time/date of the process of sanctification, when we go to heaven that all Christians will experience, but we don’t know exactly when that will be. So, sanctification has a start and an end, but in between it’s a process that is ongoing and won’t be completed until we get to heaven! We need to actively get in God’s Word and obey all that The LORD teaches us with it so that via The Holy Spirit who lives in us, we can be more established in our faith. The Bible has EVERYTHING to say about how we live our life while we’re on this earth. Do we instead try to do what makes us feel good? Do we make excuses for what we do and believe? Do we do what others sway us into thinking is the truth? Or do we TOTALLY lean not on our own understanding but in ALL our ways acknowledge Jesus as The Way, The Truth, and The Life and rest in the knowledge of Him based on ALL that The Bible has to say about living our lives here on earth? (Proverbs 3:5-6, John 14:6)
[7c] and overflowing in it with gratitude.
God isn’t finished with us yet and are we thankful that He just doesn’t save us from hell, but rather wants to sanctify us to Him and use us for His purpose while we’re still on this earth? When The LORD allows people, circumstances, etc, to make the road bumpy, when things don't go our way, when life on this earth is what sin has made it, do we like a dog return to our vomit and retreat to our old way of thinking and living, or do we thank The LORD for what He is allowing us to go through and then put our trust and faith in Him, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that He will work ALL things out for our good when we love Him and do what He wants us to do, knowing that the trial/tribulation will continue to sanctify us, perfecting us into becoming more like Christ! (Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:20-22, James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12:1-2, Romans 8:28-29, John 17:16-17)
[8] See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception [pseudo-intellectual babble], according to the tradition [and musings] of mere men, following the elementary principles of this world, rather than following [the truth—the teachings of] Christ.
We only have two choices in what we believe, what we obey, what we use to be rooted and established in, what shapes our worldview, how we live our lives, etc. We either follow the things of this world or we follow Christ’s teachings. There is NO middle ground, no compromise, no other choice! Paul warns us here about following worldly philosophies with empty deceptions which is pseudo-intellectual babble. As a verb babble is defined on google as talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way. As a noun babble is defined as the sound of people talking quickly and in a way that is difficult or impossible to understand. The key to this word is incomprehensible or impossible to understand. Do you believe there is any correlation to worldly philosophies and them being difficult to understand? The Bible teaches us that, as with everything else of the world, worldly philosophies are directly from satan himself as he seeks to confuse and deceive us. I don’t doubt that some of those who follow and teach them may have good intentions, but without God’s Word and The Holy Spirit, it’s all just babble and meant to do just what satan wants to do to Christian’s lives, confuse and deceive us. I also realize that many “Christians” and “churches” not only allow these types of philosophies in their lives and churches, but they also regard them as a higher authority than God’s Word and ignore warnings such as this passage from The LORD written by Paul. They don’t believe in the sufficiency of Scripture or that it’s relevant for today’s culture and therefore make it totally acceptable to change God’s standards to fit into their lives, their thinking, and following the world. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3)
It amazes me to see how many people who call themselves Christians that I’ve known over the years, have changed what they believe God says about living on this earth and what is sin and what isn’t. They no longer think The Bible is relevant. They often twist Scripture and take it out of context in its setting and comparing it to the entirety of God’s Word thinking that God somehow either changed His mind for their benefit or that He flip flops on what He says depending on whatever! They deceive themselves into believing what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3-4) So many, have fallen away from the faith, and the number continues to grow! (1 Timothy 4:1-2) No one started out saying, let me just fall away, no it was a process over time that began with one seemingly simple deception, did God really say/mean and it dates all the way back 6000ish years ago to the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1) Usually this process begins with some sin we either want to participate in ourselves, or someone close in our lives is living in this sin and we can no longer believe it’s sin because then that would mean that either we or the person close to us is NOT a Christian and on their way to hell. We’d rather change our beliefs than to speak The Truth to them in love, even though what we’re really doing is loving them straight to hell! We can see how easily this world is quickly becoming what it is today when people, specifically Christians, look outside of The Word of God for total guidance on how to live our lives on this earth.
[9] For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God].
Jesus said He’s The Way, The TRUTH, and The Life! (John 14:6). Everything concerning God is in Him and is expressed in bodily form through Him. We lack absolutely nothing when we put our full faith and trust in Him and His ways, rather than ours!
[10] And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic and earthly power].
It is ONLY through Jesus that we are made complete and it is through all we go through on this earth that perfects us, making us more like Christ. (Romans 8:28-29, James 1:2-4) Since, as Paul pointed out here, Jesus is The Head, The Supreme Ruler, The Supreme Authority in ALL heaven and earth, why would we try to be yoked together with anyone or anything else? (2 Corinthians 6:14)
Yes, God knows exactly what we're going to do before we do it, but that doesn't mean that what we're doing is the right thing or that He didn't have a better way or plan for us. But somehow despite us and all the mistakes and choices that we've intentionally been making our entire lives, He still chooses to use us for His Glory and desires that we become more like Christ and will do so the moment we get back on track living according to His plan knowing that His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path! (Psalm 119:9, 89, 105, 114, 140, John 17:17)
When we choose to live our lives full out for Jesus in all we say and do, then that's real proof that The One and Only True Living God resides inside of us! (Joshua 24:15, Psalm 146:2, Galatians 2:20)
I pray that The LORD would help us to realize this today and every day and that we would not allow our past, our families, our friends, our circumstances, our culture, our world, etc, to dictate our future and instead we would press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. We've been called and now it's time to walk out that call in our lives! (Philippians 3:12-21, 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Ephesians 4:1-6)
Please don't take my word for it, search out the Scriptures in full context for yourself!
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions, prayer requests, etc. We'd love to pray with and for you and to the best of our ability answer any questions you may have soley using God's Word!
Love y’all and LORD Bless,
Curt & Mary Jo
