Circumcision of Christ; Buried and Raised With Him; the Bond Nailed to the Cross (Colossians 2:11–15)

Col. 2:11, 12. In Whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism.

The Apostle said: and you are filled in the Lord Jesus with all spiritual blessings which God was pleased to unite in Him for us. Now he specifically indicates what blessings they became partakers of. The most necessary blessing for us is deliverance from sins and renewal of our corrupted nature. It is the foundation of all other blessings, adoption, graceful indwelling of God, future glorification. Without it, nothing else can be obtained, even if God Himself wished to give something: for there would be no way to receive it and nothing to apply it to. Of this fundamental and source blessing the Apostle now speaks: having put off, he says, the body of sin, buried with the Lord by baptism, you were also raised together in Him. This is the same as: you died to sin and came alive to new life according to God, you were renewed. The last blessing from God the Apostle expresses in one word: “you were raised together” (Col. 2:12); but the first he expresses in various ways: by “burial” with Christ the Lord, by “putting off” the body of sin, by “circumcision not made with hands.” It must be supposed that all such expressions were needed in opposition to the reasonings of the philosopher-seducers,—all, and not just one: “circumcision not made with hands.” It is evident that they held to circumcision; but they did not cover their deception with it alone, but with many other things, against which it was necessary to set both the putting off the body of sin and burial with the Lord. And about circumcision they reasoned not from respect for the Law (about the Law there is no mention throughout the Epistle in holy Paul), but according to some philosophical views. It is not surprising that they attributed to it some mystical significance apart from that given it in the Law,—the same as the eating and drinking, feasts, new moons and Sabbaths mentioned below.

“In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands.” In the Epistle to the Romans this circumcision not made with hands is called “circumcision of the heart by the Spirit” (Rom. 2:29). Those, he says, propose circumcision; but you have already received the higher and more perfect circumcision. Their circumcision is circumcision of the flesh, but that which you have received is circumcision of the heart; theirs is made with hands, and yours is not made with hands; theirs is accomplished with a knife, and yours by the Spirit in Christ Jesus. Blessed Theodoret writes: “The Apostle points out the difference of circumcision and says: your circumcision is not fleshly, but spiritual, not made with hands, but divine, not the cutting away of a small part of the body, but the freeing from all corruption.” Oecumenius adds: “not the hand of man, but the Holy Spirit circumcised you of your sins,”—which he borrowed from holy Chrysostom, who says: “now circumcision is not from a knife, but from Christ Himself; not a hand, as there, accomplishes this circumcision, but the Spirit; not a part is circumcised, but the whole man.”

In what does this circumcision not made with hands consist? “In the putting off the body of the flesh of sins,” τοῦ σώματος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκός,—the body of the sins of the flesh, or—sins proceeding from the sin dwelling in us, called also the flesh. The casting off the body (corpus, mass) of such sins is repentance, which gives remission of sins or removal of their guilt. But the circumcision not made with hands or the circumcision of the heart means more than the forgiveness of sinful desire itself. Therefore in “the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh,” as an expression explaining the circumcision of the heart, one must see the putting off of sinful desire itself, or the sin dwelling in us, which is sometimes called simply—the flesh. Others read only: in the putting off the flesh of the body, which more closely expresses the needed sense: for such expression directly points to the putting off of fleshly nature, or fleshly reasoning and desire. Below (Col. 3:9) the Apostle called this same putting off “the old self with its deeds,” that is not just the mass of sins, but the very producer of them.

To clarify to some extent in what the spiritual circumcision consists, one must take into account how matters proceed in a fallen man. In him sin reigns, and reigns with the pleasure of sin. On this pleasure the fallen is so greedy—that, only lured by it, he at once runs after it. Sin displays pleasure, and in the fallen there is the passion for this pleasure. By this passion, as by a leash, sin, luring with pleasure, takes hold of the fallen and leads him to its deeds. It is evident that as long as the passion for the pleasure of sin is not taken away, sin will not cease to reign in the fallen, and there is no possibility for him, poor one, to be freed from the tyranny of sin otherwise than through the cutting off in himself the greedy appetite for sinful pleasure. The grace that saves the fallen first has this cutting off as its work and accomplishes it by giving the fallen to feel all the bitterness of sin and to taste the inexpressible sweetness of life according to God. When this is accomplished in the heart of the fallen, thereafter, no matter how much sin reminds of its pleasure, in the heart is aroused not the passion for it, but the memory of its bitterness and of the sweetness of life according to God, with the corresponding feelings. As a result, the will naturally rejects sin and rushes toward the opposite. Thus each time. The tyrannical power of sin is evidently cut off, and cut off because that leash has been severed, by which it always pulled the fallen to its deeds. This is the true sense of the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. Expressing this, the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans says to those who have received grace: “Sin will not have dominion over you… reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God” (Rom. 6:14, 11). Think of yourselves thus: you are dead to sin and alive to God. And this is not a deceptive thought, but the essence of the work of salvation in Christ Jesus. Therefore the Apostle called such circumcision the circumcision of Christ, as such circumcision which is accomplished according to the economy of salvation, accomplished by Christ the Lord. It can be said differently: here is Christian circumcision,—the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in which man casts off from himself the tyranny of sin.

Where and how is this Christian circumcision accomplished? In the font of baptism. You were circumcised, he says, with the circumcision of Christ,—“buried with Him in baptism” (Rom. 2:12): when you were baptized, you then cast off the body of sin, then you were circumcised. All these actions were accomplished in one moment. The blood of the Lord, bathing you through the baptismal water, washed away all the uncleanness of sin from you and opened the entrance of the grace of the Holy Spirit into your nature, Who, coming, cut off that by which sin held you in its power, and the body of sin fell away from you. Behold the power of baptism! You are buried with Him in it; for you mystically receive the redemptive power of the blood and death of Christ and at the same time die to sin. Death to sin is the establishment in the heart of hatred and aversion to it, on account of the feeling of its bitterness and destructiveness, accompanied by the feeling of the inexpressible sweetness of life according to God. Both are reborn in the believer before baptism, at the time when he is inclined to faith. But these are only predispositions and presentiments. In the sacrament of baptism grace descends upon them and gives them the divine power of unchangeableness and strength for all time, as it remains on their side and the will.

Col. 2:12. In Whom also you are risen through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead.

“You were raised together” there, where you were also buried, that is in holy baptism. “Baptism is not a grave only, but look at what he says: ‘and you were raised together’” (holy Chrysostom). But as the burial was spiritual, so also the rising is spiritual. That is death to sin, and this—revival to life according to God,—to walk “in newness of life,” as holy Paul says in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 6:4). “In which,” ἐν ᾧ,—can refer both to baptism and to the Lord Saviour. Wherever it is referred, the thought does not change; but the flow of speech requires referring it to the Lord, because everything is spoken about Him. “You were raised together”—blessed Theodoret and Oecumenius refer to the resurrection from the dead, and blessed Theophylact to both, that is both to rising in the spirit and to the future resurrection. The first writes: “The Apostle proclaims resurrection, since we still have mortal nature.” The same Oecumenius: “believing that God is able to raise from the dead, you also were raised. For in baptism we are raised, though only in possibility, not in actuality.” Here are the words of blessed Theophylact: “We rose in two ways in the Lord: both by the hope of resurrection, so certain that we seem already to have obtained it, though it is yet to come; and spiritually, casting off the deadness of sin and receiving vivification by the Spirit.” According to the flow of speech it is more direct to understand spiritual resurrection here, or the reception of the power to live according to God in renewed life. For afterwards (Col. 2:13) it is said that God “made you alive” with Christ, evidently because He vivified them for life opposed to sin.

“Through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead.” If in: “you were raised together”—we see the future glorious resurrection, received by certain hope; then it will be: “by faith in the working of God,”—in the omnipotence of God, that He is able to raise, as He showed by the example of the resurrection of the Lord Saviour. Thus blessed Theodoret: “believing in God’s power, we await the resurrection, having as a pledge for ourselves the resurrection of Master Christ.” The same blessed Theophylact repeats. But if in: “you were raised together”—we see resurrection by the Spirit, or vivification for life according to God, then it will be: you were raised together, by reason of your faith, by the working of God, Who raised Christ Saviour from the dead. You were raised spiritually by the divine working, received by faith; and this working is the same as that by which Christ the Lord rose from the dead. Holy Paul compared them also in the Epistle to the Romans: “We are buried with Him in baptism to death, that just as Christ rose from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). Thus in part Ambrosiaster understands this.

Blessed Theophylact makes the observation here that although the resurrection of Christ is attributed to God the Father, nevertheless it is also the action of the Lord Jesus Himself: “Christ, says the Apostle, having received bodily death, was vivified by the Father; and he says this not because Christ the Lord Himself was weak to vivify Himself, but to refer all to the one source. And that the resurrection of the Lord is also His own action, about this He Himself says: ‘In three days I will raise it up’”—the church of His body (Jn. 2:19). And in Acts it is said that after suffering He Himself set Himself alive (Acts 1:3). — And our spiritual resurrection is not accomplished by the action of God the Father alone, but “according to the good pleasure of God the Father, in the holiness of the Spirit, in obedience and by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:2). Oecumenius, explaining spiritual circumcision, makes an observation about the action of the Most Holy Trinity in it.

Col. 2:13. And you, being dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all trespasses.

It was already said before: “you were raised together”; why is it said again: “He made you alive”? The Apostle here brings to attention a circumstance that strengthens the proposed conviction—not to listen to those urging circumcision. He said: you have no need of circumcision of the flesh, because you already have the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, which fleshly circumcision serves only as a sign. This spiritual circumcision was accomplished in the baptismal font, where you died to sin and lived for life according to God. Descending into the font, you descended into the death of Christ, died with Him to sin; and ascending from the font, you clothed yourselves in the risen Lord, rose together with Him for life according to God. God made you alive with Him. This death and vivification are not attributed to you only in name, but truly work in you, you feel them and truly display them. Now I ask you: in order to be deemed worthy of such grace, was circumcision of the flesh proposed to you as a necessary condition? Did God, through those who baptized you, declare to you that if you were not circumcised, you would not receive grace vivifying the spirit, and would not even be admitted before baptism? Nothing of the sort happened. God even in your uncircumcision made you alive with Christ the Lord. Your uncircumcision did not prevent the life-giving grace of the Holy Spirit from descending into you in holy baptism and vivifying you, dead in sins. The words: “and the uncircumcision of your flesh”—must be joined with: “He made you alive,”—in this sense: and in your uncircumcision, and in spite of your uncircumcision He made you alive. And the word: “in your trespasses”—must be referred to: “being dead,”—in the usual sense, as all people are dead in sins, both ancestral and their own: for the wages of sin is death; and after these expressions place a stop; and between: “the uncircumcision of your flesh”—and: “He made you alive”—not place a stop, so as clearly to show which expression refers where.

Those who refer the words: “the uncircumcision of your flesh”—to: “being dead,”—are forced to give them a figurative meaning, because uncircumcision does not make one dead, but sin, and namely they understand by it uncircumcision of the heart, or sinful lust, the source of all sins. No other interpretation can be admitted in such case.

Our commentators speak thus of this place, so that their words can give thought of both correlations of these words. Blessed Theodoret understands by uncircumcision of the flesh sinfulness in general. But the thought of the Apostle he expresses thus: “The Apostle teaches that bodily uncircumcision does not harm those who have it, but uncircumcision of the soul harms both body and soul; and by this proves that bodily circumcision brings no benefit to those circumcised, but the removal of sinfulness brings true salvation.” Oecumenius thus renders the Apostle’s thought: “you, who are dead in sins, on account of passivity or immobility toward good, and uncircumcised, God circumcised in spirit and made alive, making you alive together with Christ.”

“Having forgiven us all our trespasses.” This determines not the manner of vivification, but the path to it. The vivifying grace of the Spirit has no access to those on whom the guilt of sin rests. But when the guilt is removed and sins are forgiven, then grace, having gained access, enters the soul and vivifies it. This the Apostle points to here. “Having forgiven trespasses”—means: “having granted us the remission of sins” (blessed Theodoret). Before the Apostle said: “you,”—now: “us.” Perhaps this had no special significance with the Apostle. He wished perhaps to say only: us with you, that is generally all people. Not for you alone does the path to spiritual vivification lie through the forgiveness of sins, but for all. And forgiveness of sins is obtained by repentance with faith in the Lord, Who offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Repentance both precedes baptism and for its sake sins are washed away in the font with faith. At the same time vivification is also given by grace. One act accomplishes two works: removes sins and gives new life.

Col. 2:14. Having blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.

Having mentioned the remission of sins, he continues to explain how it was granted. As above (Col. 2:11, 12) he explained the removal of the power of the sin dwelling in us, calling it now a circumcision not made with hands, now a putting off the body of sin, now a burial and rising together with Christ in baptism; so here he explains in various ways the arrangement of the remission of sins by the cross death of Christ the Saviour, calling this the blotting out of the handwriting, its removal from the midst and the nailing it to the cross or tearing it up. Both he does so that, presenting the same subject from different sides, he may depict it more clearly and impress it more deeply on the attention. From this we understand also that the arrangement of the remission of sins is a special work in the economy of salvation, equivalent to the arrangement of the circumcision of the heart and graceful vivification.

“Having wiped out the handwriting against us.” “Having wiped out,” ἐξαλείψας,—blotting out, as is blotted out traces of something on sand, wax and similar, as letters written in some way on something are blotted out. There is a handwriting against us. God blotted it out by the cross death of Christ. What is this handwriting? A handwriting, properly, is an autograph debt note. What are our debts? Sins, as we read in the Lord’s Prayer: “forgive us our debts.” So by the cross death of Christ God blotted out our sins, blotted out the original sin, blotted out all the sins of each man from the beginning of the world and to its end. Such is the power of the death of the Lord. Each has his own handwriting of sins, and it lies upon him and itself demands satisfaction, like the cry from Sodom for the vengeance of sins. God’s justice suffered, suffers and will suffer each one, being satisfied by the redemptive and intercessory death of Christ. But through this, each one’s handwriting does not lose its power. If it is not blotted out and torn up, then in its time payment will be required for it. How then is the blotting out and tearing up of this handwriting achieved? They repent with faith in the cross death of the Lord, and when they then descend into the baptismal font, the baptismal water or rather the graceful power of baptism blots out the sins, and the handwriting presents one clean page on which nothing remains written. This is what the Apostle says: God forgave us our sins, blotting out the handwriting of our sins. Holy Chrysostom says: “and what then? Did He permit them to remain? No; He destroyed them; not only forgave, but completely destroyed them, so that they never appear again.” The same blessed Theophylact writes: “since he said that God ‘forgave us our trespasses’; so that you do not think that He left them to exist somewhere and to be visible, he says: no, not so; He completely blotted them out, wiped them away.” All who are baptized are deemed worthy of this; and if no one sinned after baptism, then no such handwriting would be on anyone. But as they do sin, the paper is written over with sins again and can be blotted out only by the tears of repentance. But the power blotting out all is one—the cross death of the Lord. In the death of the Lord the handwritings of all people were blotted out, which the Apostle unites and presents as one handwriting of all mankind. In effect it is so; but in reality each one’s handwriting is blotted out in holy baptism or repentance by faith in the Lord Who died for us by cross death.

Therefore the Apostle added: “by ordinances,” δόγμασιν. Our commentators all understand by this word faith. Holy Chrysostom says: “‘by ordinances,’ he says. What ordinances? Faith. Therefore it is enough to believe. Paul does not blot out the works of the law through works, but blots them out through faith.” Blessed Theodoret writes: “God the Word (instead of the Old Testament ways of cleansing from sins) gave us evangelical dogmas, and for keeping them promised us salvation.” Oecumenius: “δόγμασιν,—that is, by faith or by the dogmas of our piety (Christian faith). And namely the handwriting is blotted out in baptism.” The same in Theophylact. — And it is evident that “by ordinances” stands with the Apostle as an indication of the manner or form of blotting out the handwriting. Therefore every interpretation by which “by ordinances” would be joined with “handwriting” must be considered improper here.

“Which was contrary to us.” The handwriting was against us, condemned us, demanded satisfaction. Where was it? Somewhere in the midst. Where in the midst? In the midst of all that exists. All creatures—both earthly and heavenly, both material and spiritual—saw this handwriting which was against us, agreed that it was righteous to require from us payment of the debts according to this handwriting, and, consequently, were also against us. And God’s justice required the same—even more. Meanwhile we could present nothing in payment,—and extreme calamity lay upon us. What did the many-compassionate God, Who resolved to save us, do? “He took it away from the midst”—He took our handwriting out of sight, so that no one any longer saw it. “He took it,” ἦρκεν,—from: αἴρω. The meaning of this word is precisely expressed by our usual phrase: take or receive this away, out of sight. So our handwriting was taken from the midst and no longer caught anyone’s eye. “Taken from the midst means—made so it could not be seen” (blessed Theophylact). Where did the God mercifully saving us put it? “He took it from the midst, but perhaps hid it somewhere else. Therefore fear takes hold, lest He sometime demand payment from us according to this handwriting. Now He forgave, but how if He repents that He forgave, and begins to demand payment: the handwriting is whole. The Apostle removes this fear, saying: ‘having nailed it to the cross.’ Taking it from the midst, God did not set it aside for safekeeping, but tore it up: the tearing up is signified by the nailing to the cross” (paraphrase from Oecumenius). “Taking it from the midst, He neither gave it to us nor kept it for Himself, but, having nailed it to the cross, tore it up” (blessed Theophylact). This is a metaphorical expression. Its meaning is this: “since all of us were under sin and punishment; He, having endured punishment, freed us from both sin and punishment. And He endured punishment on the cross. There He took the handwriting and nailed it with Himself, and later, as having authority, completely tore it up” (holy Chrysostom). “By this holy Paul expressed the certainty of forgiveness and the irrevocability (of demand)” (Oecumenius). All who are sheltered by faith under the shadow of the cross are safe from demand for sins according to God’s justice. The blood of Christ cleanses them from every sin. And they are anointed with this cleansing blood in baptism and repentance.

Col. 2:15. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in Himself.

Holy Paul began from verse 10 to depict what fullness is received from the Lord Saviour by those who believe in Him. He showed first that by His grace the sin dwelling in us is cut off (Col. 2:11, 12); then he depicted, under the image of the tearing up of the handwriting, the granting of forgiveness of sins (Col. 2:13, 14). Is everything exhausted? Not yet. There are still leaders of sin—Satan with his host of demons. If to leave them in power; then there will be no end to sin, and the indicated gifts from the treasury of the fullness of Christ—will amount to nothing. And He destroyed their power, taking from them all authority over us: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities.” “The Apostle speaks of the powers of the devil, because human nature was as if clothed in them” (holy Chrysostom). By means of sin and passions demons cling to the soul, and it, while in sin, is encumbered with them and appears as if clothed in them. Such a garment, sewn from demons, the Lord removed from our nature. How? Already by the very fact that the sin dwelling in us is cut off and new life is granted to us, the points of contact or adhesion of demons to us are taken away and, on the contrary, power resisting them is poured in. Leeches stick to a living body and suck living blood from it; but if the body is bathed with salt water, the leeches at once fall off. So the Lord salted our nature with the salt of the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the demons had to leap away from it, struck by divine power and the light of faith with love of holiness. And here, it can be supposed, the Apostle speaks of the same thing. Blessed Theodoret writes: “since by means of bodily passions demons had dominion over us, but Christ, clothed in a body, became the conqueror of sin; He crushed the dominion of the adversaries and showed to all men the evident weakness of them, by His own body giving to all of us victory over them.” We also read in Oecumenius: “the enemy had many bridles and bonds, leashes and holds, by means of which he dominated over us. This began with Adam’s transgression, and then was increased because of our own sins. The Only-Begotten Son of God, becoming man, removed from our nature all these bridles and holds (understanding passions) and freed us from such bonds. Bound tight with chains of our sins, we served the enemy. But the Lord, forgiving us our sins, freed us both from these bonds and from the tyranny of the wicked one.”

The last words of Oecumenius lead also to the thought that the metaphor: “He disarmed the rulers and authorities”—means that the Lord deprived the unclean powers of authority over us, and precisely by nailing to the cross the handwriting of our sins and tearing it up. The demons presented their claims upon us, holding in their hands the handwriting of our sins, made by their suggestion, and pointing to this handwriting wherever it was. It signified that we ourselves voluntarily acknowledged the authority of demons over us, because every sin is the fruit of obedience to them and disobedience to God. The enemies pointed to the handwriting, saying as if: look, they are ours, they do our will. When the handwriting was torn up and destroyed, they had nothing more on which to base their authority; by the tearing up of the handwriting it was taken from them.

Thus both by cutting off the sin dwelling in us with the granting of new life and by the remission of sins or tearing up of the handwriting, about which the Apostle reasoned above, the dark forces cloaking us were cast down and their authority over us was taken away. But the words following show that they themselves were disgraced and struck down by the cross. “He made a public example of them, triumphing over them.” — “Made a public example of them,” ἐδειγμάτισεν,—which word means: to expose someone before all to disgrace. “Triumphing over them,” ἐν παρρησίᾳ,—boldly, openly, right—dominantly. It means, on the cross the dark forces were exposed to shame and disgrace. They provoked the Jews against the Lord Saviour and brought it about that He was delivered to a shameful death. They thought that, subjecting Him to such disgrace, they would turn all away from Him, the work of salvation would be frustrated and their authority would remain in force as before. But everything turned out opposite. On the cross it was not the Lord Who was disgraced, but they, and it was not His work that was destroyed, but their kingdom was destroyed.

That the Lord was not disgraced but glorified on the cross was evident to all: the sun was darkened, the church veil was torn, the earth quaked, stones were split and many bodies of dead saints rose. Those who had eyes could not help but see from this that the cross is not shame but a throne of glory. But even those who did not have them were opened, and what was accomplished on Golgotha made them confess: “Truly this was the Son of God” (Mt. 27:54). This was already disgrace: they expected one thing, but something quite different came about; the cross does not repel, but attracts. This is visible, but more significant is the invisible disgrace, namely that they themselves set up the cross, yet the cross destroyed their kingdom: they themselves with the cross undermined the foundations of their own kingdom. For by the cross heaven and earth were reconciled, the Spirit of grace was brought down for the sanctification of all and for clothing all with the power to tread upon all the strength of the enemy. Therefore demons cannot look upon the cross since then; at the very sight of it they flee as before the face of wind. The sign of the cross is a protection of believers and a victorious weapon against invisible enemies.

The Apostle also expresses this yet more powerfully by the words: having celebrated a triumph of victory over them in it, that is on the cross. In Slavonic this reads: “having exposed them in Himself.” This is an inaccurate translation of the words of the original: θριαμβεύσας αὐτοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ. Therefore a parenthetical translation is added: “having triumphed over them on it.” Θριαμβεύειν—means to celebrate or receive a triumph of victory. From this the thought in the Apostle will be thus: the Saviour on the cross celebrated the triumph of victory over the spirits of wickedness, or received the solemn glory of such a victory. — The cross was a solemn chariot, similar to that on which victors were carried, glorifying them for their victory. But it was also the power of victory and the sign of victory. It was that by which, as foretold in paradise, the seed of woman crushed the head of the serpent-deceiver. And the Lord, approaching cross death, said: “Now the ruler of this world will be driven out” (Jn. 12:31), that is, cast down from his throne and deprived of power. — The Lord descended from the cross into hell and destroyed hell, bringing out those held in it; and to those on earth by the power of cross death He gave authority over the spirits of wickedness, not only the power to ward them off, but authority to domineer over them and subject them to oneself, as slaves. Holy Chrysostom says: “the devil hoped to seize Christ, but lost even those whom he had. At the time when the body of Christ was nailed to the cross, the dead rose. Then the devil suffered defeat, receiving a mortal blow from a dead body. As a wrestler, counting his opponent overcome, receives a mortal wound from him; so Christ showed that to die with boldness and dominantly—means to disgrace the devil.”

By this is concluded the general admonition, whose thought is this: whatever the seducers promise you, do not listen to them. You already have everything—both forgiveness of sins, and new life, and authority over unclean forces. What more do you desire?

cc) Admonitions against definite deviations from the truth (Col. 2:16–23)

There are three: α) not to agree to certain Jewish customs (Col. 2:16, 17); β) not to be deceived by the false humility of false teachers and the worship of Angels (Col. 2:18, 19); γ) not to be carried away by some teaching of men about unreasonable abstinence (Col. 2:20–23).