Colossians 2 — Legacy Standard Bible

Alive with Christ

2For I want you to understand how great a ^astruggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at ^bLaodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh, ²so that their ^ahearts may be encouraged, having been ^bheld together in love, even unto all ^cthe wealth of the full assurance of understanding, unto the ^dfull knowledge of ^eGod’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³in whom are hidden all ^athe treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴^aI say this so that no one will delude you with ^bpersuasive argument. ⁵For even though I am ^aabsent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ¹to see your ^bgood order and the ^cstability of your faith in Christ.

⁶Therefore as you received ^aChrist Jesus the Lord, so ¹^,^bwalk in Him, ⁷having been firmly ^arooted and being ^bbuilt up in Him, and having been ^cestablished ¹in your faith—just as you ^dwere instructed—and abounding ²with thanksgiving.

⁸^aSee to it that no one takes you captive through ^bphilosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the ^celementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹For in Him all the ^afullness of Deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰and in Him you have been ^afilled, ^bwho is the head ¹over all ^crule and authority; ¹¹in whom ^ayou were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of ^bthe body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, ¹²having been ^aburied with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^braised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^craised Him from the dead. ¹³And you being ^adead ¹in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^bmade you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. ¹⁴Having canceled out ^athe certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, ^bHe also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵Having ¹^,^adisarmed the ^brulers and authorities, He ^cmade a public display of them, having ^dtriumphed over them in ²Him.

¹⁶Therefore, no one is to ^ajudge you in ^bfood and ^cdrink, or in respect to a ^dfestival or a ^enew moon or a ^fSabbath ¹day— ¹⁷things which are only a ^ashadow of what is to come; but the ¹substance ²belongs to Christ. ¹⁸Let no one keep ¹^,^adefrauding you of your prize by ^bdelighting in ²self-abasement and the worship of the angels, going into detail about visions he has seen, ^cbeing puffed up for nothing by his ^dfleshly mind, ¹⁹and not holding fast to ^athe head, from whom ^bthe entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ¹ligaments, grows with a growth ²that is from God.

²⁰^aIf you have died with Christ ¹to the ^belementary principles of the world, ^cwhy, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^ddecrees: ²¹“Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”? ²²Which ¹deal with everything ^adestined to perish ²with use, which are in accordance with the ^bcommands and teachings of men; ²³which are matters having, to be sure, a ¹word of wisdom in ²^,^aself-made religion and self-abasement and ^bsevere treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^cfleshly indulgence.