See to
it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not
according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and
you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off
the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with
him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of
God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave
us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal
demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and
authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
Therefore
do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing
festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come,
but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you,
insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed
up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head,
from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and
sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
If with
Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if
you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, ‘Do not
handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’? All these regulations refer to things that
perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have
indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and
severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking
self-indulgence. (Col. 1: 8-23).
In face of the threat posed by
false teachers, the Colossians are admonished to adhere to the gospel as it was
first preached to them, steeping themselves in it with grateful hearts. Paul
calls them to reject religious teachings originating in any source except the
gospel because in Christ alone will they have access to God, the deity. Christ has
so fully enlightened them that they need no other source of religious knowledge
or virtue. By their baptism their whole being has been affected by Christ by
the forgiveness of sin and resurrection to a new life in Christ, he eliminated
the law that human beings could not observe—and that could not save them. He
forgave sins against the law and exposed as false and misleading all other
powers that purport to offer salvation. Therefore, the Colossians are not to
accept judgments from such teachers on food and drink or to keep certain
religious festivals or engage in certain cultic practices for the Colossians
would thereby risk severing themselves from Christ. If, when they accepted the
gospel, they believed in Christ as their savior, they must be convinced that
their salvation cannot be achieved by appeasing ruling spirits through dietary
practices or through a wisdom gained simply by means of harsh asceticism.
Let us pray: O God, who by the glorious resurrection of
your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light:
Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and
rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom,
with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMIDNERS
WAM (Worship Arts & Music
Ministry) from Memorial Baptist Church in Spring, Texas, will be joining us
this Sunday and sharing with us their talents.
Please welcome the children!
The Share Your Faith Dinner was
a wonderful time of fellowship! Thank
you to the Taylors for their wonderful hospitality.
Please remember everyone on our
Prayer List!
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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