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unspiritual super-spiritual

Colossians 2:6-23 (JDV)

Colossians 2:6 So then, in the manner that you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,

Colossians 2:7 being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.

Colossians 2:9 You see, the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,

Colossians 2:10 and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every priority and authority.

Colossians 2:11 You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

Colossians 2:12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the achieving energy [1] of God, who raised him from the dead.

Colossians 2:13 And when you were dead in violations [2] and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses.

Colossians 2:14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:15 He disarmed the priorities and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

Colossians 2:16 Therefore, don’t let anyone condemn you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.

Colossians 2:17 These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is Christ.

Colossians 2:18 Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind.

Colossians 2:19 He doesn’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.

Colossians 2:20 If you died with Christ to the elements of this world, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations:

Colossians 2:21 “Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch”?

Colossians 2:22 All these regulations refer to what is destined to perish by being used up; they are human commands and doctrines.

Colossians 2:23 Although these have a reputation for wisdom by promoting self-made religion, false humility, and severe treatment of the body, they are not of any value in curbing self-indulgence.

unspiritual super-spiritual

Colossae had its own version of the “super‑spiritual”—people who carried themselves as if they had discovered a higher tier of holiness, a deeper secret, a more elite path. They measured everyone else by their own standards and inevitably found the “ordinary” believers lacking. Their spirituality was performative, competitive, and ultimately hollow. Paul doesn’t flatter them or dignify their claims. He calls them what they are: unspiritual. Not because they lacked intensity, but because they lacked Christ. Their confidence rested in human rules, mystical trends, and self‑made religion rather than in the finished work of Jesus.

Paul’s response to this problem is beautifully simple. He reminds the Colossian believers that they already possess everything they need in Christ. They are not spiritually deficient. They are not waiting for some secret upgrade. They are not missing a hidden ingredient. In Christ, they have fullness, forgiveness, and freedom. Anyone who tries to add requirements—dietary rules, ritual observances, visionary experiences, or ascetic practices—is only piling on temporary things that cannot survive the arrival of God’s kingdom. These man‑made regulations wear out, fade away, and ultimately perish because they are rooted in human effort rather than divine grace.

Paul wants the Colossians to see the contrast clearly. The false teachers offer a spirituality that looks impressive but produces anxiety, pride, and division. Christ offers a holiness that is rooted in grace, grounded in his cross, and sustained by his Spirit. The false teachers demand more and more from believers. Christ gives himself fully and freely. The false teachers point people back to themselves. Christ points people to the Father. Paul’s message is not merely theological; it is pastoral. He wants these believers to rest in the wholeness they already have, not chase shadows that cannot satisfy.

And that message still matters. Every generation of Christians faces its own versions of “super‑spiritual” voices—those who insist that real holiness requires some extra step, some new insight, some special discipline. Paul’s reminder cuts through all of that: Christ is enough. His grace is enough. His work is enough. We are complete in him.

Thank you, Lord, for our wholeness and holiness in Christ.

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[1] ἐνέργεια = energy.
[2] παράπτωμα = violation.