Men read the Letter to the Colossians, and they turn it into an academic argument about Christology. They get their intellectual knives out and debate the "supremacy of Christ," using it to prop up their man-made doctrines of the Trinity. They focus on the lists of rules at the end and think it's about being a better husband or wife. They are completely lost in the weeds, arguing about the nature of the cure while dying of the disease.
The letter to the Colossians is a direct and surgical assault on the spiritual ego. The "Colossian heresy" was not just a set of bad ideas; it was the timeless temptation of the ego to add to the simple truth, to make spirituality complicated, esoteric, and self-aggrandizing.
1. The Seduction of "Spiritual" Complexity
The problem in Colossae was a spirituality of addition. The people were being "taken captive" by "hollow and deceptive philosophy" (Colossians 2:8). They were dabbling in:
- Angel worship: Looking for intermediaries, for powers outside of themselves.
- Asceticism: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" (Colossians 2:21). This is the ego trying to achieve holiness through self-denial. It has the "appearance of wisdom" but is utterly worthless because it's still the ego running the show.
- Secret Knowledge: A belief that there's some hidden information or deeper philosophy you need to grasp to be truly spiritual.
This is the ego's playground. The ego loves rules, rituals, and secret knowledge because it makes the ego feel special, accomplished, and in control. It's the project of trying to become worthy. Paul sees this for what it is: a complete desertion of the truth.
2. The Antidote: Fullness, Not Addition
Paul’s response is not a counter-philosophy. He doesn't offer a better, more complex system. He demolishes the entire premise of spiritual seeking with two devastating verses:
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness." (Colossians 2:9-10).
This is the whole message. The "fullness of the Deity" was perfectly expressed in the Son of God, Jesus. But the critical part is the second clause: You are already full. The spiritual project is not about adding anything to yourself, not more knowledge, not more discipline, not more piety. It is about realizing the fullness you already possess in the Spirit. The ego is a liar that tells you that you are empty and need to be filled. Paul is telling you that you are already complete. The only "work" is to shed the illusion that you are not.
3. The Reality is Internal
All the external stuff the Colossians were chasing, of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:17).
The shadow is the external form. The reality is the internal substance. And where is that reality? Paul reveals the "mystery" that was hidden for ages: "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27).
The entire system of religion is a shadow. The Bible is a shadow. The rituals are shadows. They point to a reality, but they are not the reality itself. The reality is the living presence of the Spirit of God within your own consciousness. To worship angels, to follow religious rules, to seek esoteric knowledge is to prefer playing with shadows over living in the light.
Colossians is a demand to stop playing spiritual games. It is a call to abandon the ego's endless and exhausting project of self-improvement and to stand firm in the reality that you are already complete in the Spirit. Stop adding. Start realizing.