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“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” (Colossians 2:1-5 NASB1995)
It was Paul’s desire that the believers in Christ had full understanding of who Jesus Christ is, of what he did for us in his death on that cross, and what it means to be a Christian and a follower of Christ. So if you go back and read chapter 1 it helps with the context of chapter 2 in understanding where he was going with all of this. For there were Judaizers who were trying to convince the believers in Christ that they had to still hold on to some of the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws.
And some of that is still going on in our world today. We have modern day Judaizers who go around from “church to church” giving presentations to Christians to try to convince them that they should add on to their salvation, more as an enhancement, I believe, some of the Jewish customs, as though that is going to somehow improve their relationship with Jesus. But we are not called of God to be like the Jews of the Old Covenant. We are called of God to be like Jesus Christ of the New Covenant God has with his people.
And in chapter 1 we read that Paul’s prayer for the Christians was:
“That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:9-14 NASB1995)
Paul taught them the truth of the gospel of our salvation so they would know that faith in Jesus Christ is not a religion with religious rituals, but it is death to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and it is a change of heart and mind away from living in sin to now desiring to live for the Lord in obedience to his commands and in holy living, by the grace of God, and in the power of God. For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ we are rescued from the control of sin over our lives so we now walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing spiritual fruit in every good work.
For Paul did not want that they should have anyone delude them with persuasive argument, but that he should be able to continue to rejoice in seeing their good discipline and the stability of their in faith in Christ (as described in chapter 1). And we must guard against those today who are deluding the masses with a cheapened and diluted “gospel” message which is of the flesh of humans, and not of God, which makes no requirements of believers for death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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Let No One Mislead You
An Original Work / November 24, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
