Colossians 2
2
Christ, the Mystery of God
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and those in Laodicea* and all who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 so that their hearts may be encouraged, united in love, and that they may attain to all the riches that proceed from the full assurance of understanding, culminating in the knowledge of the mystery of God—Christ,* 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one may delude you with enticing speech. 5 For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet in spirit I am with you, rejoicing and seeing your orderly conduct* and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
The Fullness of the Deity Dwelling in Christ
6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with thanksgiving.*
8 See to it lest anyone take you captive* through philosophy and empty delusion, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world,* and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Deity in a bodily form.* 10 And in Him you have been brought to completeness, who is the head of all rule and authority, 11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And when you were dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us* all our* trespasses, 14 having wiped out the the certificate of indebtedness consisting of decrees** against us, which was adverse to us, and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, having triumphed over them in Him.*
Holding Fast to Christ
16 Therefore, do not let anyone judge you with respect to food and drink, or in regard to a feast or a new moon or a Sabbath,* 17 which are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality* is of Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, delving into meticulous details about what he has seen, vainly inflated by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head,* from whom the whole body, supplied and held together by joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that originates from God.*
20 If you have died with Christ to the basic principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” 22 (all of which apply to* things subject to destruction through use)—according to the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These* things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-directed piety and self-abasement and ascetic treatment of the body, but they are* of no value against the gratification of the flesh.
Notes
1 Some ancient manuscripts include the phrase and those in Hierapolis , likely as a scribal harmonisation with Col. 4: 13
2 Some ancient manuscripts read of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ
5 Greek order
7 Some ancient manuscripts read abounding in it with thanksgiving
8 Or seduce
8 Or elemental spiritual forces of the world. So also v. 20
9 Greek bodily
13 Some ancient manuscripts replace us with you
13 Greek the . Here, the Greek definite article functions pronominally, corresponding contextually to the English possessive our
14 Greek in the decrees
14 One ancient Greek manuscript omits [ consisting ] in the decrees
15 Or in it , that is, the cross
16 Greek Sabbaths
17 Greek body
19 Some ancient manuscripts include the phrase of Christ
19 Greek grows with the growth of God
22 The verb phrase apply to is contextually supplied to the text for the purpose of clarification
23 Greek which
23 The contrastive clause but they are is added here to clarify the text
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Colossians 2
2
Christ, the Mystery of God
1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and those in Laodicea* and all who have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 so that their hearts may be encouraged, united in love, and that they may attain to all the riches that proceed from the full assurance of understanding, culminating in the knowledge of the mystery of God—Christ,* 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one may delude you with enticing speech. 5 For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet in spirit I am with you, rejoicing and seeing your orderly conduct* and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
The Fullness of the Deity Dwelling in Christ
6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with thanksgiving.*
8 See to it lest anyone take you captive* through philosophy and empty delusion, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world,* and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Deity in a bodily form.* 10 And in Him you have been brought to completeness, who is the head of all rule and authority, 11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And when you were dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us* all our* trespasses, 14 having wiped out the the certificate of indebtedness consisting of decrees** against us, which was adverse to us, and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, having triumphed over them in Him.*
Holding Fast to Christ
16 Therefore, do not let anyone judge you with respect to food and drink, or in regard to a feast or a new moon or a Sabbath,* 17 which are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality* is of Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, delving into meticulous details about what he has seen, vainly inflated by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head,* from whom the whole body, supplied and held together by joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that originates from God.*
20 If you have died with Christ to the basic principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” 22 (all of which apply to* things subject to destruction through use)—according to the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These* things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-directed piety and self-abasement and ascetic treatment of the body, but they are* of no value against the gratification of the flesh.
Notes
1 Some ancient manuscripts include the phrase and those in Hierapolis , likely as a scribal harmonisation with Col. 4: 13
2 Some ancient manuscripts read of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ
5 Greek order
7 Some ancient manuscripts read abounding in it with thanksgiving
8 Or seduce
8 Or elemental spiritual forces of the world. So also v. 20
9 Greek bodily
13 Some ancient manuscripts replace us with you
13 Greek the . Here, the Greek definite article functions pronominally, corresponding contextually to the English possessive our
14 Greek in the decrees
14 One ancient Greek manuscript omits [ consisting ] in the decrees
15 Or in it , that is, the cross
16 Greek Sabbaths
17 Greek body
19 Some ancient manuscripts include the phrase of Christ
19 Greek grows with the growth of God
22 The verb phrase apply to is contextually supplied to the text for the purpose of clarification
23 Greek which
23 The contrastive clause but they are is added here to clarify the text
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).