6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as LORD, continue to live your lives in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through your faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ~ Colossians 2:6-12
In this passage, Paul urges all believers to stay firmly rooted in their faith in Christ, encouraging them to grow in Him and overflow with gratitude, while cautioning against deceptive philosophies grounded in human traditions rather than in Christ’s truth. Like preaching that Jesus was out of order 85% of the time. Or preaching a message of racism and bigotry.
He highlights that Christ embodies the fullness of deity in human form, meaning that all the attributes, power, and essence of God—His wisdom, authority, and divine nature—are perfectly and completely present in Jesus, even as He walked the earth as a man, bridging the divine and human in a way that reveals God fully to us.
We reject any religion that displaces Jesus from His rightful place as the second member of the Godhead. Likewise, we do not embrace any belief system—even one professing to be Christian—that diminishes Jesus’ divine role as Creator God to merely a human figure, or that elevates His earthly mother or His followers to the status of deity.
We keep our religion pure by not being polluted by the philosophies of this world, as James advised us to do (James 1:27). Paul goes on to use vivid imagery like spiritual circumcision and baptism to show how faith in Christ transforms believers, stripping away our sinful nature and uniting us with His death and resurrection, securing victory over sin and death through His supreme authority over all powers.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep The Faith Pure.