Colossians 2 – NIV & CCBT

New International Version

Colossians 2:1-23

1I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces2:8 Or the basic principles; also in verse 20 of this world rather than on Christ.

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh2:11 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 13. was put off when you were circumcised by2:11 Or put off in the circumcision of Christ, 12having 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.

13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you2:13 Some manuscripts us alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.2:15 Or them in him

Freedom From Human Rules

16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

20Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)

歌羅西書 2:1-23

1我希望你們知道,為了你們和老底嘉人,以及許多從未和我見過面的人,我是怎樣努力奮鬥的, 2為要使你們眾人心受鼓勵,聯結在愛裡,有豐富篤定的真知灼見,可以認識上帝的奧祕。這奧祕就是基督, 3一切智慧和知識都蘊藏在祂裡面。 4我講這番話是為了防止有人用花言巧語迷惑你們。 5現在,我人雖不在你們那裡,心卻和你們在一起,看到你們生活井然有序,對基督堅信不移,我很喜樂。

生活以基督為中心

6你們既然接受了基督耶穌為主,就當繼續遵從祂, 7按照你們所受的教導在祂裡面扎根成長,信心堅固,滿懷感恩。

8你們要謹慎,免得有人用空洞虛假的哲學把你們擄去。這些哲學不是出於基督,而是出於人的傳統和世俗的玄學。 9因為上帝完全的神性有形有體地蘊藏在基督裡, 10你們在基督裡得到了豐盛的生命。祂是一切執政者和掌權者的元首。

11你們也在基督裡受了非人手所行的割禮,是基督為除掉你們的罪惡本性而行的割禮。 12你們接受洗禮時已經與基督一同埋葬了,並藉著相信上帝使基督從死裡復活的大能,與基督一同復活了。 13你們從前死在過犯和未被割除的罪惡本性中,但現在上帝卻使你們與基督一同活了過來。上帝赦免了我們一切的過犯, 14撤銷了指控我們違背律法的罪狀,將它和基督一同釘在了十字架上, 15打敗了一切在靈界執政、掌權的邪惡勢力,用基督在十字架上的勝利公開羞辱牠們。

16所以,不可讓人在飲食、節期、朔日2·16 朔日」即每月初一。或安息日的事上批評你們。 17這些都不過是將來之事的影子,那真實的本體是基督。 18有些人喜歡故作謙虛,敬拜天使,沉迷於所看見的幻象,你們不要因他們而失去得獎賞的資格。他們隨從墮落的思想無故自高自大, 19沒有與身體的頭——基督聯結。全身是靠關節和筋絡維繫,從基督得到供應,按上帝的旨意漸漸成長。

20你們既然和基督一同死了,擺脫了世俗的玄學,為什麼仍像活在世俗中, 21服從「不可拿、不可嚐、不可摸」之類的規條呢? 22這些規條不過是人的戒律和說教,經不起實踐的考驗, 23看似充滿智慧,其實只不過是自創的宗教、自表謙卑、苦待己身,對於克制邪情私慾毫無用處。