我希望你们知道,为了你们和老底嘉人,以及许多从未和我见过面的人,我是怎样努力奋斗的, 为要使你们众人心受鼓励,联结在爱里,有丰富笃定的真知灼见,可以认识上帝的奥秘。这奥秘就是基督, 一切智慧和知识都蕴藏在祂里面。 我讲这番话是为了防止有人用花言巧语迷惑你们。 现在,我人虽不在你们那里,心却和你们在一起,看到你们生活井然有序,对基督坚信不移,我很喜乐。

生活以基督为中心

你们既然接受了基督耶稣为主,就当继续遵从祂, 按照你们所受的教导在祂里面扎根成长,信心坚固,满怀感恩。

你们要谨慎,免得有人用空洞虚假的哲学把你们掳去。这些哲学不是出于基督,而是出于人的传统和世俗的玄学。 因为上帝完全的神性有形有体地蕴藏在基督里, 10 你们在基督里得到了丰盛的生命。祂是一切执政者和掌权者的元首。

11 你们也在基督里受了非人手所行的割礼,是基督为除掉你们的罪恶本性而行的割礼。 12 你们接受洗礼时已经与基督一同埋葬了,并借着相信上帝使基督从死里复活的大能,与基督一同复活了。 13 你们从前死在过犯和未被割除的罪恶本性中,但现在上帝却使你们与基督一同活了过来。上帝赦免了我们一切的过犯, 14 撤销了指控我们违背律法的罪状,将它和基督一同钉在了十字架上, 15 打败了一切在灵界执政、掌权的邪恶势力,用基督在十字架上的胜利公开羞辱它们。

16 所以,不可让人在饮食、节期、朔日[a]或安息日的事上批评你们。 17 这些都不过是将来之事的影子,那真实的本体是基督。 18 有些人喜欢故作谦虚,敬拜天使,沉迷于所看见的幻象,你们不要因他们而失去得奖赏的资格。他们随从堕落的思想无故自高自大, 19 没有与身体的头——基督联结。全身是靠关节和筋络维系,从基督得到供应,按上帝的旨意渐渐成长。

20 你们既然和基督一同死了,摆脱了世俗的玄学,为什么仍像活在世俗中, 21 服从“不可拿、不可尝、不可摸”之类的规条呢? 22 这些规条不过是人的戒律和说教,经不起实践的考验, 23 看似充满智慧,其实只不过是自创的宗教、自表谦卑、苦待己身,对于克制邪情私欲毫无用处。

Footnotes

  1. 2:16 朔日”即每月初一。

我希望你們知道,為了你們和老底嘉人,以及許多從未和我見過面的人,我是怎樣努力奮鬥的, 為要使你們眾人心受鼓勵,聯結在愛裡,有豐富篤定的真知灼見,可以認識上帝的奧祕。這奧祕就是基督, 一切智慧和知識都蘊藏在祂裡面。 我講這番話是為了防止有人用花言巧語迷惑你們。 現在,我人雖不在你們那裡,心卻和你們在一起,看到你們生活井然有序,對基督堅信不移,我很喜樂。

生活以基督為中心

你們既然接受了基督耶穌為主,就當繼續遵從祂, 按照你們所受的教導在祂裡面扎根成長,信心堅固,滿懷感恩。

你們要謹慎,免得有人用空洞虛假的哲學把你們擄去。這些哲學不是出於基督,而是出於人的傳統和世俗的玄學。 因為上帝完全的神性有形有體地蘊藏在基督裡, 10 你們在基督裡得到了豐盛的生命。祂是一切執政者和掌權者的元首。

11 你們也在基督裡受了非人手所行的割禮,是基督為除掉你們的罪惡本性而行的割禮。 12 你們接受洗禮時已經與基督一同埋葬了,並藉著相信上帝使基督從死裡復活的大能,與基督一同復活了。 13 你們從前死在過犯和未被割除的罪惡本性中,但現在上帝卻使你們與基督一同活了過來。上帝赦免了我們一切的過犯, 14 撤銷了指控我們違背律法的罪狀,將它和基督一同釘在了十字架上, 15 打敗了一切在靈界執政、掌權的邪惡勢力,用基督在十字架上的勝利公開羞辱牠們。

16 所以,不可讓人在飲食、節期、朔日[a]或安息日的事上批評你們。 17 這些都不過是將來之事的影子,那真實的本體是基督。 18 有些人喜歡故作謙虛,敬拜天使,沉迷於所看見的幻象,你們不要因他們而失去得獎賞的資格。他們隨從墮落的思想無故自高自大, 19 沒有與身體的頭——基督聯結。全身是靠關節和筋絡維繫,從基督得到供應,按上帝的旨意漸漸成長。

20 你們既然和基督一同死了,擺脫了世俗的玄學,為什麼仍像活在世俗中, 21 服從「不可拿、不可嚐、不可摸」之類的規條呢? 22 這些規條不過是人的戒律和說教,經不起實踐的考驗, 23 看似充滿智慧,其實只不過是自創的宗教、自表謙卑、苦待己身,對於克制邪情私慾毫無用處。

Footnotes

  1. 2·16 朔日」即每月初一。

For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling(A) for you, for those in Laodicea,(B) and for all who have not seen me in person. I want their hearts to be encouraged(C) and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery(D)—Christ.[a](E) In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom(F) and knowledge.(G)

Christ versus the Colossian Heresy

I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit,(H) rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.

So then, just as you have received(I) Christ Jesus as Lord,(J) continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him(K) and established in the faith, just as you were taught,(L) and overflowing with gratitude.

Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition,(M) based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.(N) For the entire fullness(O) of God’s nature dwells bodily[b] in Christ, 10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head(P) over every ruler and authority. 11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh,(Q) in the circumcision of Christ,(R) 12 when you were buried with him(S) in baptism, in which you were also raised with him(T) through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.(U) 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.(V) 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.[c](W)

16 Therefore, don’t let anyone judge(X) you in regard to food and drink(Y) or in the matter of a festival or a new moon(Z) or a Sabbath day.[d] 17 These are a shadow(AA) of what was to come;(AB) the substance is[e] Christ.(AC) 18 Let no one condemn[f] you(AD) by delighting in ascetic practices(AE) and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated(AF) by empty notions of their unspiritual[g] mind. 19 They don’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body,(AG) nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

20 If you died with Christ(AH) to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations: 21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”? 22 All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines. 23 Although these have a reputation for wisdom(AI) by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.[h](AJ)

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Other mss read mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ; other ms variations exist on this v.
  2. 2:9 Or nature lives in a human body
  3. 2:15 Or them through it
  4. 2:16 Or or sabbaths
  5. 2:17 Or substance belongs to
  6. 2:18 Or disqualify
  7. 2:18 Lit fleshly
  8. 2:23 Lit value against indulgence of the flesh