The Power of God

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS

THE POWER OF GOD

Col 2:8-12

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

NIV

We think we could spend the whole of this pondering on verse 8 alone, but it appears it requires the rest of the thought in order to have context. The traditions of men that Paul is referring to here include that of circumcision of the flesh. It was a command of God to the Jews as a sign of the covenant he made with them, but they took it far past far covenant and turned what was meant as a spiritual condition into a religion of traditions. What happened historically to the Jewish people, in fact, was recorded by historians such as Josephus. Having been taken into captivity many times and living under the rules of so many different kingdoms, all pagan, polytheistic cultures, the Jews took on many of the traditions from their captures and ruling authorities. The purity of the Jewish people had been polluted by the traditions of men. This may be also true in the church today. The difference between the purity of faith and the traditions of men is, the standards of God or the purity of faith remain constant, while the traditions of men are forever changing, and evolving based on hollow and deceptive philosophies. As an example, the church once frowned on certain behaviors that have pretty much gone by the wayside, such as dancing, going to movies, or roller rinks. Some still sort of frown on drinking, smoking, and dancing, although they are not preached from the pulpit. We have to be careful not to get caught up in these traditions of men but remain in the purity of our faith in Christ Jesus and his teaching. As an example, when did Jesus ever teach a believer should never dance or go to the movies? When did Jesus teach a believer should not drink? If fact, he made the best wine at the wedding of Cana. This does not mean we can go about living as we wish, that too would be living polluted by the world and its traditions. Simply put, we need to remain in Jesus. What this all means is that through our faith in Christ we allow him to circumcise our hearts. Without being crude, physical circumcision removes a covering over the most sensitive portion of the male body. When Jesus circumcises our hearts, he removes the covering of darkness over it and makes it sensitive to him. Our heart is the most sensitive portion of our inner self. In paraphrase, as a man thinks, so is he, and our heart represents our thoughts, our thinking or attitudes, and our behaviors. We should remember, the early believers did not have the whole of the scriptures to memorize or use as a tool of study to learn how to be a “Good Christian”. What they had was the message of the gospel, that Jesus is the fullness of the deity in bodily form and they have been given the fullness of Christ. This is what we have as well. We have the fullness of Christ, we have followed him in the baptism of water, buried and raised a new creature through our faith in the power of God. God raised Jesus from the dead, and God has raised us from the dead as well. We were dead in our sin, and now we are alive in Christ, through our faith in the power of God.