1 For I want you to knowyPhil. 1:30 how great aw[See ch. 1:29 above] struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 thatzch. 4:8; Eph. 6:22 their hearts may be encouraged, beinga[ch. 3:14] knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge ofbSee ch. 1:27 God's mystery, which is Christ, 3 cIsa. 11:2; 45:3; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30; 2:6, 7; [Luke 11:49; Eph. 1:8] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in orderdRom. 16:18; [Eph. 5:6; 2 Pet. 2:3] that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 Fore1 Cor. 5:3 though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see yourf1 Cor. 14:40 good order andg1 Pet. 5:9 the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 hch. 1:10; 1 Thess. 4:1 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 iEph. 3:17 rooted andjActs 20:32; Eph. 2:20; See 1 Cor. 3:9 built up in him andkHeb. 13:9 established in the faith, justlEph. 4:21 as you were taught, aboundingmch. 4:2; Eph. 5:20 in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one takes you captive byn[1 Tim. 6:20] philosophy andoEph. 5:6 empty deceit, according topSee Matt. 15:2 human tradition, according to theqver. 20 elemental spirits1Or elementary principles; also verse 20 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 Forrch. 1:19; John 1:14 in him the whole fullness of deity dwellss[ver. 17] bodily, 10 andtEph. 3:19 you have been filled in him, who isuSee Eph. 1:21, 22 the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him alsov[Eph. 2:11]; See Rom. 2:29 you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, bywver. 15; ch. 3:9 putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 xRom. 6:4 having been buried with him in baptism, in whichych. 3:1; [Rom. 6:5] you were also raised with him through faith inz[1 Cor. 6:14]; See Acts 2:24; Eph. 1:19 the powerful working of God,z[1 Cor. 6:14]; See Acts 2:24; Eph. 1:19 who raised him from the dead. 13 aSee Eph. 2:1 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, GodbSee Eph. 2:5 made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 bycSee Acts 3:19 cancelingdSee Rom. 7:4 the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 w[See ver. 11 above] He disarmed the rulers and authorities ande[Gen. 3:15; Ps. 68:18; Isa. 53:12; Matt. 12:29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; 16:11; Eph. 4:8; Heb. 2:14] put them to open shame, byfEph. 2:16 triumphing over them in him.
16 Therefore let no onegRom. 14:3, 10, 13 pass judgment on youhRom. 14:17; Heb. 9:10; See Lev. 11:2 in questions of food and drink, or with regard toiLev. 23:2; Rom. 14:5 a festival orj[Mark 2:28]; See Num. 28:11 a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 kHeb. 8:5; 10:1 These are a shadow of the things to come, butl[ver. 2] the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no onem1 Cor. 9:24 disqualify you,nver. 23 insisting on asceticism and worship of angels,o[Ezek. 13:7; 1 Tim. 1:7] going on in detail about visions,1Or about the things he has seenp[Eph. 4:17] puffed up without reason byq[Rom. 8:7] his sensuous mind, 19 andrSee Eph. 4:15, 16 notsRev. 2:13; 3:11 holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20 If with ChristtSee Rom. 6:2 you died to theuver. 8 elemental spirits of the world,v[Gal. 4:9] why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 wver. 16; 1 Tim. 4:3 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch ” 22 (x1 Cor. 6:13 referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according toyIsa. 29:13; Matt. 15:9; [Titus 1:14] human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom inzver. 18 promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they area[1 Tim. 4:8] of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.