“For I want you to know what a great conflict [struggle] I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.” Colossians 2:1-4.
While this post will only be concerned with Colossians 2:2b-4 this entire passage has been included for context, 2b to 3 are shown below.
“…attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2b-3.
Remember this; riches are not always measured in silver and gold. In fact many a rich man has lived a life of misery because he did not have the riches of Christ.
Riches in Christ can include a new house, car, good paying job, nice clothes, and plenty of food; true riches are in peace of mind, confidence in times of trouble, wisdom with your spouse, children, or at work, to name a few.
A person with these riches will become known as trustworthy, truthful, focused, hard working, and a good counselor.
The world notices such people because it is already full of untrustworthy liars who cannot remain focused on anything for long, whose work is slovenly, and their advice flawed and self-centered.
These riches are shown as.
“…the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:2b-3.
The full assurance of understanding is mentioned because certain men had come into the church and told them that they were not complete in Christ alone.
They also needed to study philosophy to understand the deep things of God, or to keep the Jewish law, or to worship or venerate angels, or through asceticism they must mortify the body through certain rites like fastings, dietary rules, displaying through self-denial a false humility, which is nothing more than pride in disguise.
But the true full assurance of understanding is Christ alone nothing has to be added to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the believer is complete in Him.
Once the Scriptures have become a habit for you there is nothing outside of them that will enhance your understanding or Christian walk.
Truth is what the world seeks, and it always seeks it elsewhere. But once again truth is defined as: “The revelation of all things as they really are, from God Himself.” William Kelley. This truth is only found in the Bible.
Man is blinded by sin and can never, by reasoning, find the true nature of things. Even with the explosion of knowledge today, men are still.
“…always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7.
The reason for this inability to learn is simply stated as follows.
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4.
But the true, truth, so to speak, is in Scripture.
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31b-32.
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” John 16:13.
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17.
“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus…” Ephesians 4:17-21.
Finally, the full assurance of understanding means.
“…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19.
With the full assurance of understanding comes the riches of “…the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ”.
Though the commentaries seem to interpret this mystery differently, it is my feeling that it is a reference to the mystery mentioned in chapter one.
“…the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27b.
“Christ in you,” full stop, to the Christian with understanding, there is no need to seek outside knowledge about God from mystery religions, astrology, occult practices, and contact with aliens, angels, or the dead through séances.
Nor by pondering numerous ancient writings, or using reason to make sense of the apparent chaos which has existed from the beginning of time.
All of these things lead away from God and confuse the seeker. It is only from the wisdom of Christ in the believer in the form of the Holy Spirit who directs us through Scripture, that we will be able to make sense of God’s hand on creation.
Remember as you consider these things that the Bible tells us everything that we need to know, not everything there is to know.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
“… [Christ] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3.
The apostle now goes on to make the expansive statement, in whom are all, think of that, all wisdom and knowledge. Ponder this thought for a moment, if Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, would He not know all things?
But we tend to think of creation on terms of stars, planets, earth, grass, water, and so on, things we can see, feel, hear, smell, or taste, but that is not all that was created.
God also created the physical laws that govern creation and hold it together. One must think of these things as laws that cannot be broken, can be used, but cannot normally be seen or felt.
If we have the physical creation and physical laws, is it not possible then that there are non-physical laws?
Morality is often seen as something invented by men since it is almost universal, though mostly ignored.
If then there are moral laws and they differ to some degree between societies, then there is no real need to go by them.
It is with this reasoning that people could say that there are no moral absolutes and go off doing what each individual feels is right. Such is the demonic lie that the world languishes in today.
But what if there are non-physical laws governing morality? They would have been set in motion by God Himself and the morality that we find throughout the world has been passed down through the ages in their social structures and verified as true by the consciences given to everyone by God.
“…for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things contained in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them…” Romans 2:14-15.
These moral laws established by God can actually be summed up in the Ten Commandments.
But to clarify the matters consider sexual immorality which has the consequences of disease, illegitimate pregnancy, and death by abortion, or jealous husband.
People ignore the law of sexual immorality because it is enjoyable and the consequences, unlike gravity’s sudden drop and quick stop, do not always come immediately, but they will come.
The law of retribution is ignored because one may get very rich cheating others, and riches are a defense against the cries of those impoverished, unlike the instant judgment exacted when a body at maximum velocity is interrupted by a tree.
One may use or abuse children, widows or the helpless because there is no one to help them. And if one is careful, seemingly, they may never be brought to justice, unlike violating the laws of oxygen exchange when one has a weight tied around their neck and is cast into the deepest sea.
There are moral laws set up by God and unlike physical laws, a person can get away with breaking them, seemingly, but God is not mocked, and He does not forget.
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7.
“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’…” Romans 2:5-6.
People who defy God’s moral laws will reap the consequences. We watch gangsters live a long healthy life and then die peacefully. And we say “Oh kay God, I don’t see this reaping and sowing stuff working here.”
However, you do not know what this person’s life has been like, you were not with them all the time, nor do you know their heart. This disqualifies us from making a judgment against God’s laws.
Did this gangster’s beloved wife or child die early on? Was his or his family’s life in constant peril during his last fifty years? Were there lingering health problems no one knew of?
There is so much divine retribution going on behind the scenes that it is impossible to know what is happening.
“Behold, these are the ungodly, who are always at ease; they increase in riches.” Psalm 73:12.
“Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors [death and the pit].” Psalm 73:18.
And then there is hell the destination of all evildoers, let us not forget that.
However, even knowing these things, like so many others, I often think, “Please Father break this man’s hold on the innocent people under him, rid us of him!”
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20.
I am making a case here for the hidden “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” by showing that there are laws that we all break daily without realizing why we are reaping the consequences that come upon us.
It is through the Holy Spirit in the believer that a Christian can access these treasures and avoid problems that crop up without our knowing why we are having them.
In the same manner too it will be possible to figure out why we are having some of the problems we are going through.
Just as you have an operator’s manual for your car, so the Bible is a manual for living your life. And the manual is written by our Creator who also created all the laws of wisdom and knowledge.
God’s word gives us right wisdom and knowledge, not speculation on the nature of things written by sinful men.
By studying books like Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament, and doing them, it may be possible to lengthen your life, preserve your good health, protect your family, and bring peace to your household.
That sounds like a sales pitch, but the product is free and all you have to do is invest a little time everyday in studying God’s word.
Paul wrote this phrase, “…in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” to warn the Colossians that there is no other wisdom.
Whether in philosophy, which he speaks against here, Jewish teachers, angels, or in self-denial of the body, there is none other than in Christ Jesus.
“Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.” Colossians 2:4.
Truly, that is what they come in with, persuasive words. They are the same as Satan used in the garden.
“And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”’ “…And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1b and 4-5.
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.
The Apostle John gives these three temptations, or doors to sin, in the same order.
“For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh [good for food], the lust of the eyes [a desire to have], and the pride of life [desirable to make one wise] – is not of the Father but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16.
The lust of the flesh is a craving for sensual gratification. In Eve’s case it looked good for food, and it can be food, or music, drugs or liquor, sex, which would include adultery, rape, incest, or pedophilia.
Perhaps for the Colossians it was self-denial which would be a form of gratification, in that, unlike those around them, they abstained from certain foods, kept certain rituals, and reveled in their false humility.
The lust of the eyes is a greedy longing for things. For Eve it was a desire to have the fruit, which she then took. This covetousness can be for the neighbor’s wife, his car, his house, or for riches, more than once this longing for things has led to adultery, theft, or murder.
Perhaps for the Colossians it was a desire to know and have the secret things of the angels or the occult.
The pride of life is a desire to be. For Eve it was the desire to be wise and know the things of God. The pride of life is to be independent of God.
Witches and sorcerers attempt to be independent of God through spells, potions and poisons to control their own destinies.
Atheists, through humanism, communism and socialism, all deny God and worship man as god.
Perhaps for the Colossians this independence would come through Greek philosophy, or mysticism, another avenue to being like God.
“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8.
Satan never sleeps and his followers are ever ready to defile and corrupt.
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4.
Be ever watchful.
Colossians 2:2b-4 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 1-4-14, updated on 3-18-20.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.