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Welcome to the Well Soul Podcast, where we pause to drink in Scripture, reflect and pray. I am your host, Seana Scott, and sometimes life leaves our souls feeling parched, so come to the well of living water that never runs dry.
Last episode, we meditated on Colossians 2: 6–10 about not being taken captive by a fine sounding—but unsound—philosophy. In other words, to be careful what we believe and what we feed our minds and souls. Today we will continue with the same passage.
Paul encouraged his readers to be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith through the teaching they received. Imagine ourselves like a tree in this metaphor from Paul.
If your spiritual life was a tree, what are you rooted in?
Are you rooted in your church tradition or the opinion of others or anything else?
Are you really rooted in the gospel, the teaching of God's word?
Because when we are rooted in the teaching of God's word, when we know it and memorize it, we will not be led captive by other beliefs and ideas about the physical and spiritual world—or even about religion.
As we move on in the passage, Paul uses another metaphor to talk about the Christian life. He refers to the practice of Jewish circumcision. He says those who put their faith in Christ were circumcised—but not with a circumcision done by human hands, like the practice of Jewish circumcision, but the circumcision we have is the circumcision of Christ.
Paul is using the physical picture of physical circumcision to describe what happens when we come to faith in Christ. Our sinful life (what Paul describes as flesh) is put off when we are circumcised by Christ through faith, demonstrated in the ritual of baptism.
Depending on your faith tradition, the modern practice of baptism is approached in different ways.
In the time of Paul's writing, baptism was when a person turned toward Christ in faith and repentance—and was buried in water (like being buried with Christ) and was raised out of the water (like being resurrected with Christ).
Paul also talks about being transferred from the Kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light.
Remember that the Colossian believers were in a cultural community that practiced mystical religions and were very much aware of spiritual forces. So, Paul is calling them out of these hollow and deceptive beliefs—these deceptive philosophies based on elemental spiritual forces.
And now we meditate on our passage.
Before I read, take a deep breath, and set aside anything else that is on your mind to be fully present with God's word.
Come Holy Spirit, come wash us in your word.
Colossians 2:13-15.
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken 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.
What did you hear?
Dwell on it for a moment.
Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities triumphing over them on the cross. Demonic powers and authorities are not weak. They can possess, mislead, and destroy—but we in Christ are set free from all these powers because Jesus triumphed over them by the cross.
As we continue with drinking in scripture, I will read the passage again.
Try to listen instead of think, as I read.
Colossians 2:13-15
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken 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.
What did the spirit highlight for you? Meditate on this for a moment.
Now take a moment to pray.
Ask the Lord to reveal anything you believe that is based on anything contrary to the truth of Jesus Christ.
We all have thoughts and beliefs that aren't always aligned with the truth of God's word the Holy Spirit can reveal to us—or pray about anything else the Spirit brings to mind.
Let's pray.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit one and only true God, we worship You. Thank You for Your Word today that reminds us that we were considered dead in our sins, but You forgive us of our sins. You canceled our debt on the cross. Help us, oh Lord, to be alert and aware of the powers behind what we hear and what we are told to believe about ourselves and this world—anything that is not in line with truth. Lead us in pure teaching and pure truth. In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank you for joining me today on the Well Soul Podcast for our journey in the book of Colossians. Subscribe to the well soul community and receive encouragement and resources to live with a well soul directly in your inbox. See the link in the show notes to join for free.
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I would also like to thank Dr. Sandra Glenn for her Colossians Bible study that I am using in preparation for these episodes. You can purchase yours at the link in the show notes.
God bless you and I pray that you will have a well soul.