1 F or I wish you to know how great a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,

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 comforted, being united in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the secret of the God and Father, and of the Christ,

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 all the treasures of the wisdom and the knowledge hid,

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

4 a nd this I say, that no one may beguile you in enticing words,

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

5 f or if even in the flesh I am absent -- yet in the spirit I am with you, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in regard to 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 a s, then, ye did receive Christ Jesus the Lord, in him walk ye,

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 b eing rooted and built up in him, and confirmed in the faith, as ye were taught -- abounding in it in thanksgiving.

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 that no one shall be carrying you away as spoil through the philosophy and vain deceit, according to the deliverance of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not 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 b ecause in him doth tabernacle all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,

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

10 a nd ye are in him made full, who is the head of all principality and authority,

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

11 i n whom also ye were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh in the circumcision of the 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 b eing buried with him in the baptism, in which also ye rose with through the faith of the working of God, who did raise him out of 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 A nd you -- being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh -- He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,

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 blotted out the handwriting in the ordinances that is against us, that was contrary to us, and he hath 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 h aving stripped the principalities and the authorities, he made a shew of them openly -- having triumphed over them in it.

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 L et no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,

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 w hich are a shadow of the coming things, and the body of the Christ;

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

18 l et no one beguile you of your prize, delighting in humble-mindedness and worship of the messengers, intruding into the things he hath not seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,

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 the head, from which all the body -- through the joints and bands gathering supply, and being knit together -- may increase with the increase of 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, then, ye did die with the Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?

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 - - thou mayest not touch, nor taste, nor handle --

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 w hich are all for destruction with the using, after the commands and teachings of men,

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

23 w hich are, indeed, having a matter of wisdom in will-worship, and humble-mindedness, and neglecting of body -- not in any honour, unto a satisfying of the flesh.

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.