1 F or I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,

I want you to know how hard I have worked for you and for the Christians in the city of Laodicea and for those who have never seen me.

2 t hat their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

May their hearts be given comfort. May they be brought close together in Christian love. May they be rich in understanding and know God’s secret. It is Christ Himself.

3 i n whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

In Christ are hidden all the riches of wisdom and understanding.

4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.

I tell you this so no one will try to change your mind with big sounding talk.

5 F or even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.

Even if I am far away from you in body, I am with you in spirit. I am happy to learn how well you are getting along. It is good to hear that your faith is so strong in Christ.

6 T herefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step.

7 h aving been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him. Wisdom of the World Is Empty

8 S ee to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Be careful that no one changes your mind and faith by much learning and big sounding ideas. Those things are what men dream up. They are always trying to make new religions. These leave out Christ.

9 F or in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh.

10 a nd in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers.

11 a nd in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

When you became a Christian, you were set free from the sinful things of the world. This was not done by human hands. You were set free from the sins of your old self by what was done in Christ’s body.

12 h aving been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

When you were baptized, you were buried as Christ was buried. When you were raised up in baptism, you were raised as Christ was raised. You were raised to a new life by putting your trust in God. It was God Who raised Jesus from the dead.

13 W hen you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

When you were dead in your sins, you were not set free from the sinful things of the world. But God forgave your sins and gave you new life through Christ.

14 h aving canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross.

15 W hen He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

God took away the power of the leaders of this world and the powers of darkness. He showed them to the world. The battle was won over them through Christ. Watch for Those Who Want to Keep the Law

16 T herefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—

Do not let anyone tell you what you should or should not eat or drink. They have no right to say if it is right or wrong to eat certain foods or if you are to go to religious suppers. They have no right to say what you are to do at the time of the new moon or on the Day of Rest.

17 t hings which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

These things are a picture of what is coming. The important thing is Christ Himself.

18 L et no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

Do not let anyone rob you of your crown. They will try to get you to bow down in worship of angels. They think this shows you are not proud. They say they were told to do this in a dream. These people are proud because of their sinful minds.

19 a nd not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

Such people are not a part of Christ. Christ is the Head. We Christians make up His body. We are joined together as a body is held together. Our strength to grow comes from Christ.

20 I f you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,

You have died with Christ and become dead to those old ways. Then why do you follow the old ways of worship? Why do you obey man-made rules?

21 “ Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”

These rules say, “You must not put your hand on this.” “Do not put this into your mouth.” “You must not put your finger on that.”

22 ( which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

All these things come to an end when they are used. You are following only man-made rules.

23 T hese are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

It looks as if it is wise to follow these rules in an act of worship, because they are hard on the body. It looks as if they are done without pride, but they are worth nothing. They do not take away a man’s desire to sin.