Colossians Chapter 2 Verses 6-10

Col. 2:6 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 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. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” 

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:” The activity of receiving something depends on the context in which it is written.  Oftentimes the person receiving something is passive in their receipt.  Receiving something is not to be confused with accepting something.  I have a rural mailbox and it receives mail on most days.  However, it has never had to accept the mail placed in it.  The context of this passage is that the ones who received Christ Jesus the Lord received an understanding of who he is and what he has done for them.  The context of the previous verses speaks of their understanding, wisdom and knowledge of the mystery of the gospel.  Now Paul urges those who have received Christ Jesus the Lord to walk in him that is live their lives in accord with their belief. 

“Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”  In encouraging the disciples to be rooted and built up in Christ, Paul is using an analogy of a plant that has its root in the ground and derives its nourishment from the ground and as a result grows from the nourishment it receives from the ground.  Likewise, the disciples of Christ are to be rooted in Christ deriving their nourishment from what Christ provides for them in His word.  The parable of the sower is applicable here.  The one “that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matt. 13:23).  Next, to be established in the faith is contingent upon having been taught.  This certainly teaches us the importance of attending to the preaching and teaching of the word of God and applying ourselves in the study of God’s word.  In addition, Paul exhorts the disciples to abound in the faith.  Thus we are to be more than just bystanders.  We are to be actively involved in the faith.  And while we are actively involved in the faith we should do so with thanksgiving. 

“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.”  Websters dictionary defines philosophy as all learning exclusive of technical precepts and practical arts.  Paul issues a warning to the saints at Colosse to beware of being spoiled by worldly learning.  The knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of God’s word is far preferable than the theories of worldly learning.  Moreover, Paul warns the saints to beware of vain deceit.  There are a multitude of deceivers in the world who for worldly gain or pride will seek to deceive the saints into believing and acting on things that are false.  While there are good traditions set forth in the word of God, yet these are not to be confused with the traditions of men.  The traditions of men should never come before the worship and service of God.  The rudiments of the world refer to the orderly arrangements of the world.  The order we need is set forth in the word of God and is not the orderly arrangements set forth by the wicked world in which we live. 

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”  The Godhead is defined for us in 1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”  The Lord told Philip in John 14:8 “Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”  The Lord possesses all the attributes, characteristics and qualities of each person in the Godhead.  All these things dwelleth in Christ bodily.  

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” To be complete is to have no part lacking.  In Christ we are complete both as individuals and as a local church body.  In Christ we are not lacking for any necessary thing.  Moreover, Christ is the head of all principality and power.  All authority or ability ranks under Christ and is answerable to Christ.  As an application to the local churches such as the church at Colosse Christ is the head over the church and the individuals who make up the church.  This, likewise, applies to the local church bodies today and the members who make up the local churches.