UP to this point in this letter Paul has been preparing the ground. Now he comes to the reason he felt compelled to write this letter to the church in Colosse. This section consists of all the rest of chapter 2, but I have divided it in half so that we can concentrate more on the details.

THE PROBLEM.

The problem in the church at Colosse was that Satan had introduced error into the faith and practice of the Christians. This is always Satan's action, and it is as prevalent in the church today as it ever was. Satan introduces error by suggesting that though faith in Christ is good, to have perfection then something must be added. This was the problem at Colosse.

We are not told specifically what the problem was but we can make some deductions. Because Paul makes his correction to the error in terms of 'circumcision', we can deduce that the act of circumcision was being pressed upon the Christians at Colosse as essential for the perfecting of their religion. From this we can see that the traditions of the Jews were being pressed as an essential addition to faith in Christ.

Here is the heart of the problem of error in the church. It is the pressing of church tradition as a necessary addition to faith in Christ. What happens is that faith in Christ from the heart is gradually replaced by dependence on outward ceremony and church tradition. Like the problem with the Pharisees, religion becomes the performance of religious duties and activities, and when these are performed, this is seen as meriting God's favour, without any regard to holiness of heart.

VERSE 6-7.

In these verses Paul tells the Colossians to continue in Christ is the same way as they had always done, and when they first believed. This is faith in Jesus as an all-sufficient Saviour, without any dependence on humans effort and works. He tells them that they must be 'rooted' in such faith. He tells them to build up their Christian life in faith in the teaching that they had received from Paul – they faith they were taught. Only in such faith will they be strengthened, and know overflowing thankfulness.

VERSE 8.

In this verse Paul warns the Colossians against the teachers that had come in who were suggesting that their faith in Christ needed to have additions to become perfect. He calls these deceptive philosophy because they depended on human tradition – that is human wisdom and were of the wisdom of the world. The fact is that much religion is effected, not by the Word of God which Paul taught, which is also what the bible teaches, but according to the ideas from earthly and human wisdom.

VERSES 9-12.

In these verses Paul seeks to show that in Christ and faith in him there is everything, and it needs no additions. In Christ is the fulness of God. Christ is the head of the Church and his authority is the only authority. His authority is the bible which He taught was all the revelation of God.

Circumcision is used by Paul as a reference to the new birth and new life which comes through faith in Christ. This new birth is the death of the 'sinful nature' which is what we inherit from Adam; and this not an outward action but the operation of God in the soul. It is achieved by the believer being united to Christ, so that the sinful nature was put to death with Christ on the cross, and a new nature was given because we are raised to new life in the resurrection of Jesus. This was achieved not by human effort, but by the power of God, which was the power which raised Jesus from the dead.

VERSES 13-15.

In these verses Paul describes the whole nature of Christian salvation in Christ.

Before we are saved through faith in Christ we are dead in our sins. This is the fact that we sin because we have a sinful nature, and therefore the life of God is not in us, and we are children of wrath – under the wrath of God. When we believed and were saved from this condition it was God working. God made us alive with Christ.