1. Col.2:8 Danger: taken captive (1:13; Ga.5:1) Means: –Philosophy – vain speculation –Empty deceit – worthless deception Sources: human tradition Agents: elemental spirits of world Element: world (Ga.4:3, 9). –Faith + secret knowledge, human rules (circumcision, food, festivals...) Disaster: not according to Christ

2. Explanation, Col.2:9-13 (1/3) CAUSE: Christ, fullness of God, 9 STATE: You are complete in Him, 10 METHOD: When / how our ‘complete- ness’ (10) took place (11) EXPLANATION: Connection between spiritual circumcision and baptism, 12

3. Explanation, cont’d. (Col.2:9-13) (2/3) Baptism is not the circumcision, but the means of it God performs spir. circumcision (11) –Dead in uncircumcision, 13 –Circumcision of Christ made alive, forgave, 13 –Occurred in baptism, 12 Cf. Ro.6:4-6 – buried w. Him through baptism…that body of sin might be done away with (Col.2:11-12)

4. Explanation, cont’d. (Col.2:9-13) (3/3) What was the problem? –Dead in uncircumcision, 13 What did Christ do? –Made alive, 13…by circumcision, 11 What did they become? –Complete in Him, 10 –Circumcision, 11 –Buried, raised, made alive w. Him, 12f

5. Weekly Sabbath…? (Col.2:14) Handwriting of ordinances –Christ blotted it out –Christ took it out of the way –Christ nailed it to the cross 16 identifies ordinances (Law of Moses) –Since ordinances are removed, they are no ground for approval or condemnation (Gal.5:1-6) –Plural form includes every ‘Sabbath’

6. Shadow and Reality (Col.2:17) OT Manna Passover Sabbath NT Bread of life, Jn.6 Christ, 1 Co.5:7 Eternal, Hb.4 “…who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle…” – Hb.8:5 “...For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things…” – Hb.10:1