(A)As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (B)rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding [a]in it with thanksgiving.

Beware lest anyone [b]cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to (C)the tradition of men, according to the (D)basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For (E)in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead [c]bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the (F)head of all [d]principality and power.

Not Legalism but Christ

11 In Him you were also (G)circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by (H)putting off the body [e]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 (I)buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through (J)faith in the working of God, (K)who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 (L)having wiped out the [f]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 (M)Having disarmed (N)principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:7 NU omits in it
  2. Colossians 2:8 Lit. plunder you or take you captive
  3. Colossians 2:9 in bodily form
  4. Colossians 2:10 rule and authority
  5. Colossians 2:11 NU omits of the sins
  6. Colossians 2:14 certificate of debt with its

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,(A) continue to live your lives in him, rooted(B) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,(C) and overflowing with thankfulness.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,(D) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world(E) rather than on Christ.

For in Christ all the fullness(F) of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head(G) over every power and authority.(H) 11 In him you were also circumcised(I) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh[b](J) was put off when you were circumcised by[c] Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism,(K) in which you were also raised with him(L) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.(M)

13 When you were dead in your sins(N) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive(O) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,(P) 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,(Q) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.(R) 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities,(S) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them(T) by the cross.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20
  2. Colossians 2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13.
  3. Colossians 2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of
  4. Colossians 2:13 Some manuscripts us
  5. Colossians 2:15 Or them in him