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 cancelled 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.
12:1 a Bak 1:29; 4:12 b Kub 1:11Njagala mumanye nga bwe nfuba ennyo okubasabira mmwe n’ab’omu Lawodikiya, era n’abo abatandabangako mu mubiri. 22:2 Bak 4:8Ekyo nkikola mbazzeemu amaanyi era bagattibwe wamu mu kwagalana, ne mu kutegeerera ddala obugagga bwonna obuli mu kumanya ekyama kya Katonda, ye Kristo. 32:3 Bar 11:33; 1Ko 1:24, 30Mu Kristo mwe mukwekeddwa eby’obugagga byonna eby’amagezi n’okumanya. 42:4 Bar 16:18Ebyo mbibategeeza waleme kubaawo n’omu ababuzaabuza. 52:5 a 1Bs 2:17 b 1Ko 14:40 c 1Pe 5:9Kubanga wadde siri wamu nammwe mu mubiri, naye mu mwoyo ndi wamu nammwe, era nsanyuka okumanya nti mutambula nga bwe muteekwa okutambula mu Kristo era nti n’okukkiriza kwammwe mu Kristo kunywevu.
Obulamu obujjuvu mu Kristo
62:6 Bak 1:10Nga bwe mwaweebwa Kristo Yesu Mukama waffe, mutambulirenga mu ye, 72:7 Bef 3:17nga musimbibwa era nga mukuzibwa mu ye, era nga munywezebwa mu kukkiriza nga bwe mwayigirizibwa, nga mujjudde okwebazanga.
82:8 a 1Ti 6:20 b Bag 4:3Mwekuumenga walemenga kubaawo n’omu ku mmwe abuzibwabuzibwa mu bufirosoofo ne mu by’obulimba ebitaliimu, okugobereranga obulombolombo obw’abantu n’ebiyigirizibwa abantu. Munywererenga ku biyigirizibwa ku Kristo. 9Kubanga mu Kristo okutuukiriza kwonna okw’Obwakabaka mwe kulabikira mu mubiri, 102:10 Bef 1:22era mmwe nga muli mu ye, mwatuukirira mu ye, oyo Kristo omutwe gw’obufuzi bwonna n’obuyinza bwonna. 112:11 a Bar 2:29; Baf 3:3 b Bag 5:24Mu ye mwakomolebwa, bwe mwaggibwako okwegomba kw’omubiri, naye si okukomolebwa okw’engalo z’abantu, wabula mu kukomolebwa okwa Kristo. 122:12 a Bar 6:5 b Bik 2:24Bwe mwabatizibwa, mwaziikibwa wamu naye, ate ne muzuukizibwa wamu naye olw’okukkiriza kwammwe mu maanyi ga Katonda eyamuzuukiza mu bafu.
132:13 Bef 2:1, 5Mwali mufudde olw’ebyonoono byammwe ne mu butakomolebwa bwammwe obw’okwegomba kw’omubiri. Katonda n’abafuula balamu wamu ne Kristo, ffenna bwe yatusonyiwa ebyonoono byaffe byonna. 142:14 a Bef 2:15 b 1Pe 2:24Bwe yasazaamu era n’aggyawo ebiragiro ebyawandiikibwa mu mateeka ebyatwolekeranga, n’abikomerera ku musaalaba, 152:15 a Bef 6:12 b Luk 10:18n’aggya ebyokulwanyisa ebyo ku bafuzi n’ab’obuyinza ab’omu bbanga, n’abaswaza mu lwatu, n’abawangulira ddala.
162:16 a Bar 14:3, 4 b Bar 14:17 c Bar 14:5 d 1By 23:31 e Bag 4:10Noolwekyo waleme kubaawo muntu n’omu abasalira musango ku bye mulya ne bye munywa, oba okubasalira omusango olw’embaga z’Ekiyudaaya oba ez’omwezi ogubonese wadde olwa Ssabbiiti. 172:17 Beb 8:5Kubanga ebyo kisiikirize eky’ebyo ebyali bigenda okujja, naye ekirimu ensa ye Kristo. 182:18 a nny 23 b Baf 3:14Omuntu yenna tabalimbalimbanga n’abanyagako ekirabo kye mwaweebwa, nga yeesigama ku kwewombeeka okw’obulimba n’okuwa bamalayika ekitiibwa ekingi, ng’anywerera mu bintu bye yalaba, nga yeenyumiririza mu butaliimu obw’amagezi ag’omubiri gwe. 192:19 a Bef 1:22 b Bef 4:16Ab’engeri eyo baba tebakyali mu Kristo, omutwe gw’omubiri gwonna. Omubiri ogwo gugattibwa mu nnyingo ne mu binywa era ne gugattibwa wamu nga gukula, Katonda nga y’agukuza.
202:20 a Bag 4:3, 9 b nny 14, 16Obanga mwafiira wamu ne Kristo ne musumululwa okuva mu magezi ag’ebintu ebyangu eby’ensi, lwaki mufugibwa ebiragiro ng’ab’omu nsi? 21Bino bye bimu ku biragiro ab’omu nsi bye bawa: Tolya kino, tokwata ku kiri oba nti tokomba ku kino. 222:22 a 1Ko 6:13 b Is 29:13; Mat 15:9; Tit 1:14Ebyo byonna ku nkomerero biriggwaawo kubanga biriba tebikyalina mugaso. 23Birabika ng’eby’amagezi mu ngeri ey’okusinza, abantu gye beegunjirawo bokka mu kwewombeeka ne mu kubonyaabonya omubiri, songa tebiriiko kye bigasa n’akatono mu kufuga okwegomba kw’omubiri.
