[:en]There was a heresy with the Colossian church which insisted that important secret knowledge was hidden from most believers. They taught that the body was evil and Christ only seemed to be human. But Paul said that Christ provides all knowledge we need and countered that God Himself live in a body and Jesus was fully human and fully God.
FREEDOM FROM HUMAN REGULATIONS THROUGH LIFE WITH CHRIST (vs. 6-23)
After receiving Christ as your Savior, you must continue to live in Him, rooted in Him, build up in Him, strengthened in faith and overflowing with thankfulness (v. 7). We must not be deceived by hollow philosophy which depends upon human traditions and the basic principles of this world rather than in Christ (v. 8)
“In Christ, the fullness of God lives in a human body” means that God is in Christ’s human body. When we have Christ, we have everything we need for salvation and right living. The death of Christ negates the necessity of circumcision because our commitment to God is written in our hearts not on our body. God has set us free from evil desires through a spiritual operation, not a bodily one. He removes the old nature and gives us a new nature.
Baptism signifies the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. When we baptize, our old sinful life is burried with Christ. We are to live a new life in Christ. We are no longer slaves to our sinful nature but are free to live for Christ.
Paul told the Colossian Christians not to let anyone criticize their diet or their religious ceremonies. They should focus on faith in Christ alone. False teachers were proud of their humility which brought praise and attention to themselves rather than God. True humility is God-centered. False humility is self-centered. The false teachers taught the people to worship angels in order to reach God. The Bible teaches that angels are God’s servant and we are not to worship them. (Exo. 20:3-4; Re. 22:8-9)
The false teachers were not connected to Christ. That is why they taught false doctrines. They followed the “ruler of the world” which are the beliefs of pagans. They believe that by keeping the laws, observing rituals or practising religion, they can earn salvation. Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink. (v. 16) Human commands and teachings have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of their body but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (v. 23). They cannot change a person’s heart. Only the Holy Spirit can do it.[:]