Colossians 2:20
Verse
Context
Alive with Christ
19He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.20If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations:21“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”?
Sermons
Compilations
Zac Poonen
Chuck Smith
C.H. SpurgeonC.H. Spurgeon
C.I. ScofieldSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
If ye be dead with Christ - See the notes on Rom 6:3, Rom 6:5 (note). From the rudiments of the world - Ye have renounced all hope of salvation from the observance of Jewish rites and ceremonies, which were only rudiments, first elements, or the alphabet, out of which the whole science of Christianity was composed. We have often seen that the world and this world signify the Jewish dispensation, or the rites, ceremonies, and services performed under it. Why, as though living in the world - Why, as if ye were still under the same dispensation from which you have been already freed, are ye subject to its ordinances, performing them as if expecting salvation from this performance?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Wherefore--The oldest manuscripts omit "Wherefore." if ye be dead--Greek, "if ye died (so as to be freed) from," &c. (compare Rom 6:2; Rom 7:2-3; Gal 2:19). rudiments of the world-- (Col 2:8). Carnal, outward, worldly, legal ordinances. as though living--as though you were not dead to the world like your crucified Lord, into whose death ye were buried (Gal 6:14; Pe1 4:1-2). are ye subject to ordinances--By do ye submit to be made subject to ordinances? Referring to Col 2:14 : you are again being made subject to "ordinances," the "handwriting" of which had been "blotted out" (Col 2:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ,.... Or "seeing ye are dead with Christ"; for these words do not signify any doubt about it, but suppose it, and press what is taken for granted. They were dead with Christ by virtue of union to him; they being one with him, and considered in him as their head and representative, died in him, and with him; they were crucified with him, as they are said to be buried with him, and risen with him; they were dead with him, by having communion with him in his death; they partook of the benefits of it, as redemption, pardon, justification, and reconciliation; and they were planted together with him in the likeness of his death, not merely partakers of his sufferings, or suffered with him, and were conformable unto his death, by undergoing such like things as he did, but as he died unto sin, and lived unto God, so did they; and through the virtue and efficacy of his death were dead to sin, so as that it was not imputed to them, so as to be freed and discharged from it, that it could not damn and destroy them; yea, so as that itself was crucified with him, and destroyed by him: and also to the law, to the moral law; not but that they lived according to it, as in the hands of Christ, in their walk and conversation, but did not seek for life, righteousness, and salvation by it; they were dead unto it as to justification by it, and even to obedience to it in a rigorous and compulsive way; and to all its terrors and threatenings, being moved to a regard to it from a principle of love to Christ; and to all its accusations and charges, its curses and condemnation, and as a ministration of death, fearing neither a corporeal, nor an eternal one: they were dead also to the ceremonial law, and were free from the rudiments, or "elements" of the world: the ordinances of a worldly sanctuary, the rites and ceremonies of the world, or state of the Jews, in opposition to, and distinction from, the Gospel dispensation, or times of the Messiah, called, and that by them, , "the world to come": these were like letters to a language, or like the grammar, which contains the rudiments of it; these were the first principles of the oracles of God, which led to Christ, and had their accomplishment and end in him; and so believers were dead unto them, and delivered from them, as they were also to the world, the Jewish state, and were entered into the world to come; and even to this present evil world, and to the men and things of it, being by Christ crucified to it, and that to them: upon all which the apostle thus reasons, why, as though living in the world; since ye are dead unto it, and from the rudiments of it, why should ye be as though ye lived in it? his meaning is not, that they should not live in the world, nor among the men of it, for then they must needs go out of the world; saints may live in the world, though they are not of it, and among the inhabitants of it, though they do not belong to them, but to another and better country: nor does he suggest, that they lived according to the course of the world, as they did in their unregenerate state; but what he seems to blame them for, and reason with them about, was, that they acted as if they sought for life and righteousness in the rudiments of the world, or by their obedience to ceremonial rites, or human inventions: for he adds, are ye subject to ordinances? not civil and political ones, which are for the better and more orderly government of kingdoms, states, and cities, for these the saints ought to be subject to, both for the Lord's sake, and conscience sake; nor Gospel ordinances, as baptism, and the Lord's supper, for such all believers ought to submit unto; but either legal ones, the weak and beggarly elements, the yoke of bondage, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, the handwriting of ordinances, which some were desirous of conforming to; or rather the ordinances and appointments of the Jewish fathers, the traditions of the elders, their constitutions and decrees, which are collected together, and make up their Misna, or oral law; and so the argument is from the one to the other, from the greater to the less, that if they were delivered by Christ from the burdensome rites of the ceremonial law, which were originally appointed by God, it must be great weakness in them to be subject to the ordinances of men; or both the institutions of the ceremonial law, and the decrees of the Jewish doctors about them, which were devised by them, and added to them, and imposed as necessary to be observed, may be intended; of which the apostle gives some particulars in Col 2:21.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:20 You have died with Christ: Christ’s death on the cross marked his victory over the spiritual powers (2:15), so we who participate in his death have likewise been set free from the evil spiritual powers of this world (see 2:8).
Colossians 2:20
Alive with Christ
19He has lost connection to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God causes it to grow.20If you have died with Christ to the spiritual forces of the world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its regulations:21“Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”?
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Crucified With Christ (Compilation)
By Compilations2.2K04:43CompilationROM 6:6GAL 2:20COL 2:20In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that God, for the sake of his Son, will release the life and power of Jesus into believers during times of temptation, enabling them to have victory. The preacher shares his personal experience of drawing up a contract, declaring that he is crucified with Christ and no longer controlled by his sinful nature. He then recounts a revelation he received at a conference, where he learned that many Christians struggle to live the Christian life because they have only focused on receiving forgiveness and salvation through Christ's sacrifice, but have not fully embraced the power of the cross in their daily lives. The preacher encourages listeners to imagine themselves at the foot of the cross, realizing that Christ not only died for them but also died as them, providing the power to live a victorious Christian life.
(Through the Bible) Colossians
By Zac Poonen66354:26COL 1:27COL 2:9COL 2:20
This sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding the theme of Christ in you, focusing on the fullness of God dwelling in bodily form through Jesus and now in believers. It addresses the dangers of false teachings that focus on extreme forms of asceticism or indulgence, highlighting the need to recognize the practical relevance of Jesus being fully God and fully man. The sermon also stresses the significance of dying with Christ to attain holiness, being led by the peace of Christ as a referee in our hearts, and fulfilling the specific ministries God has entrusted to each individual.
A Review of Israel's Rebellions
By Chuck Smith66025:05IsraelDEU 9:6DEU 9:11PSA 116:12EPH 4:15COL 1:10COL 2:202PE 1:3In this sermon, Pastor Chuck Smith reviews the rebellions of the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness. He emphasizes the importance of walking in the ways of God and fearing Him. Pastor Chuck explains that through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are able to live according to God's commandments and will. He also highlights the significance of loving God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, as well as loving our neighbors as ourselves. The sermon draws parallels between the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land and the Christian's journey in the life of the Spirit.
The Best Beloved
By C.H. Spurgeon0LUK 9:23ROM 6:14GAL 1:10EPH 5:10COL 2:20The preacher delves into the dangers of legalism and asceticism, emphasizing the futility of seeking spirituality through man-made rules and extreme self-denial. Paul warns against the folly of trying to achieve holiness through ascetic practices, which are based on worldly principles and fail to address the root of sin. The sermon highlights the importance of understanding our position in Christ, being free from the bondage of human regulations, and walking in the Spirit rather than in self-effort.
Stay Free!
By C.H. Spurgeon0LegalismFreedom in ChristGAL 5:1COL 2:20C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the dangers of legalism and Pharisaic tendencies that infiltrate the church, warning against the imposition of unnecessary rules and regulations that can overshadow the true gospel. He highlights the importance of maintaining the freedom that Christ provides, urging believers to reject any yoke of bondage that seeks to bind them with human traditions and doctrines not found in Scripture. Spurgeon calls for a return to the pure doctrine of grace, reminding the church that they are complete in Christ and should not allow any additions to His perfect law of liberty.
Being More Exceedingly Zealous of the Traditions of My Fathers.
By Martin Luther01CO 10:31GAL 1:13GAL 5:1PHP 3:5COL 2:20Martin Luther speaks about his past life as a zealous follower of the Mosaic Law and the papistical laws and traditions of the fathers, striving to uphold them with great fervor and dedication. He emphasizes his strict adherence to these laws, even surpassing those who now oppose him, and his deep commitment to honoring God through his actions. Luther warns the Galatians against deceivers who overly exalt the Law, using his own experience as an example of how such legalism can be misleading and dangerous.
Notes on Colossians
By C.I. Scofield0COL 1:1COL 2:8COL 2:16COL 2:20COL 3:1COL 3:5COL 3:12COL 3:16COL 4:2C.I. Scofield preaches about the Epistle to the Colossians, highlighting the establishment of churches in Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis, and the challenges faced by the believers due to errors in doctrine. The Epistle addresses the dangers of legalism and false philosophies, particularly Gnosticism, emphasizing the supremacy and work of Christ. Paul urges believers to focus on heavenly things, mortify earthly desires, and live in the newness of life in Christ, rejecting man-made traditions and ascetic practices. The Epistle concludes with practical instructions on living a life pleasing to God, emphasizing love, thankfulness, and the importance of prayer.
Turning Back the Clock
By Ernest O'Neill0ROM 6:42CO 5:17COL 2:20REV 13:8Ernest O'Neill preaches about the desire to turn back the clock and erase past mistakes, habits, and character flaws that hinder us from living fully. He explores the longing to be innocent again, free from cynicism and negative attitudes, and the struggle to break free from procrastination, indecisiveness, and addictions. O'Neill delves into the concept of time and eternity, emphasizing the transformative power of Jesus' crucifixion in 29 A.D. as a way to eliminate the past's effects on our present selves and start anew.
The Cross and the World
By Paris Reidhead0The CrossDetachment from the WorldGAL 6:14COL 2:20Paris Reidhead emphasizes the significance of the Cross in relation to the world, arguing that true freedom comes from being crucified to the world and the world to us. He critiques the Gnostic belief that matter is inherently evil, asserting that God created the world and declared it good. Reidhead encourages believers to detach their identity and happiness from worldly possessions and status, advocating for a relationship with the world that is based on appreciation rather than dependence. He highlights that the essence of sin lies in self-pleasing and urges Christians to live in a way that prioritizes their relationship with God over worldly desires. Ultimately, he calls for a personal reckoning with the Cross to experience true liberty as children of God.
Death to Sin
By L.S. Chafer0Union with ChristNewness of LifeROM 6:1ROM 8:13GAL 2:20GAL 5:24GAL 6:14COL 2:20COL 3:3L.S. Chafer emphasizes that believers are positionally dead to sin through their union with Christ's death, as outlined in several New Testament passages. He clarifies that this state of being dead to sin is not an experiential reality but a judicial fact accomplished once for all through Christ. Believers are called to reckon themselves dead, yielding to the Spirit's power to mortify the deeds of the body. The sermon highlights the importance of living in the newness of life that God provides, urging believers to embrace their identity in Christ and fulfill their responsibilities in light of this truth. Ultimately, the divine objective is for believers to walk in newness of life, reflecting the transformative power of Christ's sacrifice.
Sans Effort
By Miles J. Stanford0ROM 4:41CO 15:57COL 2:20Miles J. Stanford emphasizes the importance of faith in receiving the Lord Jesus for life, highlighting that there is no self-effort required in manifesting His life through us, from re-birth to maturity. He contrasts true grace with counterfeit victories over sin, stating that any victory obtained through self-effort is false. Stanford explains that our freedom from sin's power comes solely through Christ's work, not through our own efforts, and that we are as dependent on Jesus' work for deliverance as we are for forgiveness.
Marriage of Clergy
By J.H. Newman0MAT 19:11MRK 7:7ACT 15:281CO 7:25COL 2:201TI 3:2J.H. Newman preaches about the lack of command by God's law for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons to vow the estate of single life or abstain from marriage. The observance of clerical celibacy is based on the Church's rule or vow, not on God's law. The English Church allows clergy to marry at their discretion, recognizing the wisdom in granting them this choice. The Church has the authority to alter ecclesiastical decrees and orders for just cause, as exemplified by Christ and the Apostles in changing certain practices. Newman emphasizes the importance of not being bound to man-made orders or decrees in religion, but having the authority to change them when necessary.
Walking in the Spirit - Part 2 (Don't Sow to the Flesh)
By Robert Wurtz II0PRO 4:23ROM 8:21CO 10:13GAL 5:16EPH 5:3PHP 4:8COL 2:20HEB 12:1JAS 3:6Robert Wurtz II preaches on the importance of walking in the Spirit rather than relying solely on the 'law' to live righteously. He emphasizes the need to die to the 'law of sin' in order to truly be free from the law and walk in the Spirit. Through genuine repentance and submission to God, believers are born again and empowered to fulfill the law by walking with Christ in His resurrection power. Wurtz also addresses obstacles to walking in the Spirit, cautioning against making provisions for the flesh and encouraging believers to lay aside every weight and exercise their senses to discern good from evil.
Heavenly Ground
By J.B. Stoney0EXO 15:23JOS 5:2ROM 6:1COL 2:20J.B. Stoney emphasizes the importance of not giving up on Paul, representing heavenly truth and the essence of the gospel. He delves into the significance of transitioning from the old to the new, symbolized by crossing over Jordan into Gilgal, where one must completely let go of the past. Stoney highlights the need to be consciously grounded in heavenly realities to fully grasp the mysteries of God and to reject worldly temptations. He stresses the necessity of embracing the new spiritual place and leaving behind all attachments to the old ways, akin to a recruit shedding civilian life for military service.
"Order" (Ordenung) That Is Out of Order (Disguised Rebellion)
By Merle Weaver0ECC 5:6COL 2:20HEB 10:24HEB 13:131PE 5:3Merle Weaver addresses the issue of churches creating rules not found in the Bible, leading to unjust excommunications and divisions among believers. He emphasizes the importance of not building fences on God's property but instead walking in the ways of the New Covenant, provoking one another to love and good works. Weaver warns against legalism and the danger of excluding fellow believers based on man-made standards, urging repentance and alignment with God's Word.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
If ye be dead with Christ - See the notes on Rom 6:3, Rom 6:5 (note). From the rudiments of the world - Ye have renounced all hope of salvation from the observance of Jewish rites and ceremonies, which were only rudiments, first elements, or the alphabet, out of which the whole science of Christianity was composed. We have often seen that the world and this world signify the Jewish dispensation, or the rites, ceremonies, and services performed under it. Why, as though living in the world - Why, as if ye were still under the same dispensation from which you have been already freed, are ye subject to its ordinances, performing them as if expecting salvation from this performance?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Wherefore--The oldest manuscripts omit "Wherefore." if ye be dead--Greek, "if ye died (so as to be freed) from," &c. (compare Rom 6:2; Rom 7:2-3; Gal 2:19). rudiments of the world-- (Col 2:8). Carnal, outward, worldly, legal ordinances. as though living--as though you were not dead to the world like your crucified Lord, into whose death ye were buried (Gal 6:14; Pe1 4:1-2). are ye subject to ordinances--By do ye submit to be made subject to ordinances? Referring to Col 2:14 : you are again being made subject to "ordinances," the "handwriting" of which had been "blotted out" (Col 2:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ,.... Or "seeing ye are dead with Christ"; for these words do not signify any doubt about it, but suppose it, and press what is taken for granted. They were dead with Christ by virtue of union to him; they being one with him, and considered in him as their head and representative, died in him, and with him; they were crucified with him, as they are said to be buried with him, and risen with him; they were dead with him, by having communion with him in his death; they partook of the benefits of it, as redemption, pardon, justification, and reconciliation; and they were planted together with him in the likeness of his death, not merely partakers of his sufferings, or suffered with him, and were conformable unto his death, by undergoing such like things as he did, but as he died unto sin, and lived unto God, so did they; and through the virtue and efficacy of his death were dead to sin, so as that it was not imputed to them, so as to be freed and discharged from it, that it could not damn and destroy them; yea, so as that itself was crucified with him, and destroyed by him: and also to the law, to the moral law; not but that they lived according to it, as in the hands of Christ, in their walk and conversation, but did not seek for life, righteousness, and salvation by it; they were dead unto it as to justification by it, and even to obedience to it in a rigorous and compulsive way; and to all its terrors and threatenings, being moved to a regard to it from a principle of love to Christ; and to all its accusations and charges, its curses and condemnation, and as a ministration of death, fearing neither a corporeal, nor an eternal one: they were dead also to the ceremonial law, and were free from the rudiments, or "elements" of the world: the ordinances of a worldly sanctuary, the rites and ceremonies of the world, or state of the Jews, in opposition to, and distinction from, the Gospel dispensation, or times of the Messiah, called, and that by them, , "the world to come": these were like letters to a language, or like the grammar, which contains the rudiments of it; these were the first principles of the oracles of God, which led to Christ, and had their accomplishment and end in him; and so believers were dead unto them, and delivered from them, as they were also to the world, the Jewish state, and were entered into the world to come; and even to this present evil world, and to the men and things of it, being by Christ crucified to it, and that to them: upon all which the apostle thus reasons, why, as though living in the world; since ye are dead unto it, and from the rudiments of it, why should ye be as though ye lived in it? his meaning is not, that they should not live in the world, nor among the men of it, for then they must needs go out of the world; saints may live in the world, though they are not of it, and among the inhabitants of it, though they do not belong to them, but to another and better country: nor does he suggest, that they lived according to the course of the world, as they did in their unregenerate state; but what he seems to blame them for, and reason with them about, was, that they acted as if they sought for life and righteousness in the rudiments of the world, or by their obedience to ceremonial rites, or human inventions: for he adds, are ye subject to ordinances? not civil and political ones, which are for the better and more orderly government of kingdoms, states, and cities, for these the saints ought to be subject to, both for the Lord's sake, and conscience sake; nor Gospel ordinances, as baptism, and the Lord's supper, for such all believers ought to submit unto; but either legal ones, the weak and beggarly elements, the yoke of bondage, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, the handwriting of ordinances, which some were desirous of conforming to; or rather the ordinances and appointments of the Jewish fathers, the traditions of the elders, their constitutions and decrees, which are collected together, and make up their Misna, or oral law; and so the argument is from the one to the other, from the greater to the less, that if they were delivered by Christ from the burdensome rites of the ceremonial law, which were originally appointed by God, it must be great weakness in them to be subject to the ordinances of men; or both the institutions of the ceremonial law, and the decrees of the Jewish doctors about them, which were devised by them, and added to them, and imposed as necessary to be observed, may be intended; of which the apostle gives some particulars in Col 2:21.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
2:20 You have died with Christ: Christ’s death on the cross marked his victory over the spiritual powers (2:15), so we who participate in his death have likewise been set free from the evil spiritual powers of this world (see 2:8).