From Pastor Perry

Colossians 2:6–15 (ESV)

Alive in Christ

⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Let no one lead you astray.  It is so easy to get distracted and to have people, interests, or the ways of the world… to derail your faith.  This is Paul’s warning… even roughly 2,000 years ago.  Paul states: “⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”  We have been circumcised through Christ.  It has been replaced by baptism. Our sins have been forgiven.  An interesting point is that baptism is a gift from God, not something we do for God.  When were you to circumcise an infant?  On the 8^th day!  Not at the “age of accountability”.  The infant had no choice.  In today’s passage, we see that circumcision has been replace with baptism. 

I pray: O Lord, help me to keep my focus on you and to not be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit, human traditions, or elemental spirits of the world… but on Jesus Christ.  Amen.