Christ Preeminence is Detailed to the Colossians Volume 18

Paul Reminds these Colossian Believers they are Complete in Christ

Colossians 2:8-10 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: KJV

Paul continues his language from the previous verses warning these Colossian believers against the errors and lies being spread about in their land and other places by the Judaizing teachers attempting to mix the law of Moses in with the Gospel of Christ. Paul warns them to be active in guarding against those who would teach that their must be added rituals, rules, or requirements needed or necessary to please God outside of simple faith in Christ. Paul uses the English word 'spoil' which is translated by the Greek word sulagogeo (the one time only this word is used in the New Testament) meaning to strip or to rob; to lead away or to seduce. Paul uses the English word 'philosiphy' which is translated by the Greek word philosophia meaning one who is fond of wise things; Jewish sophistry. Paul uses in this first half of this verse the English phrase 'vain deceit' simply meaning empty delusions, guile, and trickery. Therefore, in other words, Paul wants them and us today to be on guard against those who would attempt to lead us away from following after Christ as we find and see Him in the Scripture robbing us through the use of wise sophisticated words into and after empty deceptions that are only intended to draw us away from Christ to then follow after human and worldly wisdom ("after the tradition of men") as Paul calls it, which is nothing worth anything as Paul said to the Corinthian believers with these words, "For it is written: " I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:19-24) (NKJV).

Paul's warning to these Colossian believers by saying 'beware' is akin to someone calling out to a person walking down the street looking down or away from their path unaware that he or she is about to walk into a pole or a street sign and someone calls out to them 'look out!', this is the very alert the Apostle Paul is trying to relay here to these Colossian believers and we believers today and every believ er of every era. Paul wants these believers in Colosse well informed as to who Christ Jesus the Lord truly is and not have them seeking after other knowlegde or wisdom that is outside of Him, therefore, he says to them, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9) (KJV). This is perhaps the most profound statement Paul has made and declared in any of his letters to the Churches, for in this one sentence we see God in human flesh. Paul uses the English word 'dwelleth' or in our American English 'dwells' which is translated by the Greek word katoikeo meaning to house permanently, that is, reside (literally or figuratively): - dwell, inhabitant.  In other words, to put it plainly and simply, in the Body of Jesus Christ lived God (YAHWEH) and all that He is which is far from our understanding. To deny this fact, reality, and truth is to reject God and to resist salvation.

After saying all of these things about our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ in the previous two verses, Paul now wants them and us to be planted and grounded in these truths understanding that in Him (Christ) we have everything we need right now and for eternity as the Apostle Peter  declared with these words, "Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:1-4) (NKJV). Paul then is now relaying this same message the Apostle Peter gave using these different words when he says to them now, "And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:" (Colossians 2:10) (KJV). The completion in Christ means to be filled up to the full, satisfied, made perfect and supplied with everything needed as the Apostle John declared with these words concerning Christ and us, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." (John 1:16) (NKJV). Everything that was lacking in the first covenant of ceremonial laws was completely and fully manifested in the Gopspel of Jesus Christ and this second covenant is far greater than the first as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians with these words, "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6) (NKJV).

"Christ is the yardstick by which to measure philosophy and all phases of human knowledge. The Gnostics were measuring Christ by their philosophy as many men are doing today. They have it backwards. Christ is the measure for all human knowledge since He is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe." Robertson's Word Pictures

"For in Him  dwelleth - Inhabiteth, continually abideth, all the fulness of the Godhead. Believers are 'filled with all the fulness of God,' Ephesians 3:19. But in Christ dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead; the most full Godhead; not only divine powers, but divine nature, Colossians 1:19. Bodily - Personally, really, substantially. The very substance of God, if one might so speak, dwells in Christ in the most full sense." John Wesley

"It was the Son of God who came in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7). Paul here disposes of the Docetic theory (The heretical doctrine (associated with the Gnostics) that Jesus had no human body and His sufferings and death on the Cross were apparent rather than real) that Jesus had no human body as well as the Cerinthian separation between the man Jesus and the aeon Christ. He asserts plainly the deity and the humanity of Jesus Christ in corporeal form." Robertson's Word Pictures

"The Jews governed themselves by the traditions of their elders and the rudiments or elements of the world, the rites and observances which were only preparatory and introductory to the Gospel state; the Gentiles mixed their maxims of philosophy with their Christian principles; and both alienated their minds from Christ. Those who pin their faith on other men's sleeves, and walk in the way of the world, have turned away from following after Christ. The deceivers were especially the Jewish teachers, who endeavoured to keep up the law of Moses in conjunction with the Gospel of Christ, but really in competition with it and contradiction to it." Matthew Henry

"The Apostle Paul so loved to see every new beleiver in Jesus Christ grow in grace and knowledge of Him alone and at the same time he hated when he saw the Judaizing teachers coming in and diluting, that is, corrupting, debasing, or making impure the Gospel of Grace by adding a foreign or inferior substance of works righteousness by virtue of continuing to keep the Jewish ceremonial laws and replacing the believers freedom in Christ  which is superior with that which is inferior and so Paul would plead with beleivers to rebuke such nonsense as he did with Brother Timothy with these words, "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:20) (NKJV)." Clifford D. Tate, Sr. 

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…