1我希望你们知道，为了你们和老底嘉人，以及许多从未和我见过面的人，我是怎样努力奋斗的， 2为要使你们众人心受鼓励，联结在爱里，有丰富笃定的真知灼见，可以认识上帝的奥秘。这奥秘就是基督， 3一切智慧和知识都蕴藏在祂里面。 4我讲这番话是为了防止有人用花言巧语迷惑你们。 5现在，我人虽不在你们那里，心却和你们在一起，看到你们生活井然有序，对基督坚信不移，我很喜乐。
生活以基督为中心
6你们既然接受了基督耶稣为主，就当继续遵从祂， 7按照你们所受的教导在祂里面扎根成长，信心坚固，满怀感恩。
8你们要谨慎，免得有人用空洞虚假的哲学把你们掳去。这些哲学不是出于基督，而是出于人的传统和世俗的玄学。 9因为上帝完全的神性有形有体地蕴藏在基督里， 10你们在基督里得到了丰盛的生命。祂是一切执政者和掌权者的元首。
11你们也在基督里受了非人手所行的割礼，是基督为除掉你们的罪恶本性而行的割礼。 12你们接受洗礼时已经与基督一同埋葬了，并借着相信上帝使基督从死里复活的大能，与基督一同复活了。 13你们从前死在过犯和未被割除的罪恶本性中，但现在上帝却使你们与基督一同活了过来。上帝赦免了我们一切的过犯， 14撤销了指控我们违背律法的罪状，将它和基督一同钉在了十字架上， 15打败了一切在灵界执政、掌权的邪恶势力，用基督在十字架上的胜利公开羞辱它们。
16所以，不可让人在饮食、节期、朔日2:16 “朔日”即每月初一。或安息日的事上批评你们。 17这些都不过是将来之事的影子，那真实的本体是基督。 18有些人喜欢故作谦虚，敬拜天使，沉迷于所看见的幻象，你们不要因他们而失去得奖赏的资格。他们随从堕落的思想无故自高自大， 19没有与身体的头——基督联结。全身是靠关节和筋络维系，从基督得到供应，按上帝的旨意渐渐成长。
20你们既然和基督一同死了，摆脱了世俗的玄学，为什么仍像活在世俗中， 21服从“不可拿、不可尝、不可摸”之类的规条呢？ 22这些规条不过是人的戒律和说教，经不起实践的考验， 23看似充满智慧，其实只不过是自创的宗教、自表谦卑、苦待己身，对于克制邪情私欲毫无用处。
1I want you to know how hard I am working for you. I’m concerned for those who are in Laodicea. I’m also concerned for everyone who has not met me in person. 2My goal is that their hearts may be encouraged and strengthened. I want them to be joined together in love. Then their understanding will be rich and complete. They will know the mystery of God. That mystery is Christ. 3All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him. 4But I don’t want anyone to fool you with words that only sound good. 5So even though I am away from you in body, I am with you in spirit. And I am glad to see that you are controlling yourselves. I am happy that your faith in Christ is so strong.
Having All Things in Christ
6You received Christ Jesus as Lord. So keep on living your lives in him. 7Have your roots in him. Build yourselves up in him. Grow strong in what you believe, just as you were taught. Be more thankful than ever before.
8Make sure no one controls you. They will try to control you by using false reasoning that has no meaning. Their ideas depend on human teachings. They also depend on the basic spiritual powers of this world. They don’t depend on Christ.
9God’s whole nature is living in Christ in human form. 10Because you belong to Christ, you have been made complete. He is the ruler over every power and authority. 11When you received Christ, your circumcision was not done by human hands. Instead, your circumcision was done by Christ. He put away the person you used to be. At that time, sin’s power ruled over you. 12When you were baptized, you were buried together with Christ. And you were raised to life together with him when you were baptized. You were raised to life by believing in God’s work. God himself raised Jesus from the dead.
13At one time you were dead in your sins. Your desires controlled by sin were not circumcised. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave us all our sins. 14He wiped out what the law said that we owed. The law stood against us. It judged us. But he has taken it away and nailed it to the cross. 15He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross.
Freedom From Human Rules
16So don’t let anyone judge you because of what you eat or drink. Don’t let anyone judge you about holy days. I’m talking about special feasts and New Moons and Sabbath days. 17They are only a shadow of the things to come. But what is real is found in Christ. 18Some people enjoy pretending they aren’t proud. They worship angels. But don’t let people like that judge you. These people tell you every little thing about what they have seen. They are proud of their useless ideas. That’s because their minds are not guided by the Holy Spirit. 19They aren’t connected anymore to the head, who is Christ. But the whole body grows from the head. The muscles and tendons hold the body together. And God causes it to grow.
20Some people still follow the basic spiritual powers of the world. But you died with Christ as far as these powers are concerned. So why do you act as if you still belong to the world? Here are the rules you follow. 21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22Rules like these are about things that will pass away soon. They are based on merely human rules and teachings. 23It is true that these rules seem wise. Because of them, people give themselves over to their own kind of worship. They pretend they are humble. They treat their bodies very badly. But rules like these don’t help. They don’t stop people from chasing after sinful pleasures.
