See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
In Him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands.
And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.
When you were dead in your trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.
He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us.
He took it away, nailing it to the cross!
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Fullness, Circumcision, and the Cross
Paul issues a strong warning: “See to it that no one takes you captive.” The danger is not brute force but intellectual seduction—philosophy and empty deceit that rest on human tradition and worldly spiritual powers, not on Christ. These teachings may appear wise or ancient, but they are hollow. The test of all teaching is this: Does it align with the person and work of Christ? (cf. 1 Corinthians 1; Galatians 1)
Why is Christ sufficient? Because in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily. This is not poetic exaggeration; it is theological precision. Jesus is not part divine—He is the embodied fullness of God (cf. John 1; Colossians 1). The glory that once filled the temple now lives bodily in the risen Lord. And because we are in Him, Paul declares: “You have been made complete.” There is nothing lacking in Christ, and nothing lacking in the believer who is joined to Him.
Paul now turns to circumcision—not the physical rite of the Old Covenant, but a spiritual reality performed by Christ. “In Him you were also circumcised… with a circumcision not done by hands.” This is the cutting away of the sinful nature, not of foreskin but of the old self (cf. Romans 2). This is New Covenant circumcision, foretold in Deuteronomy and fulfilled in Christ (cf. Deuteronomy 30).
This circumcision is paired with baptism, another sign not of mere water but of union with Christ’s death and resurrection. The believer is buried with Him and raised with Him, not by ritual but through faith in the power of God. This is what baptism pictures: not cleansing by water but union with the crucified and risen Savior (cf. Romans 6).
Then Paul unveils the gospel in breathtaking clarity: “When you were dead… God made you alive with Christ.” This is regeneration—new life, not reform. And what accompanies this resurrection life? Total forgiveness. God canceled the record of debt—the legal code that condemned us. He nailed it to the cross, where Christ bore its judgment on our behalf. The Law stood against us, but Christ stood in our place (cf. Hebrews 10).
In that same act, Christ disarmed the powers and authorities—demonic rulers, spiritual forces, and legal accusers. What appeared to be weakness—His crucifixion—was actually a triumph. The cross is the throne from which He conquered.
This passage is a New Covenant anthem. It declares that in Christ we are complete, forgiven, circumcised of heart, baptized into life, and freed from every condemning power. The shadows of religion—rites, rules, and rituals—have passed. The substance belongs to Christ.
Moe Bergeron 
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