1 Jo es gribu, lai jūs zinātu, cik karsti es cīnos par jums un tiem, kas dzīvo Lāodikejā, kā arī par visiem citiem, kas manu miesīgo vaigu nav redzējuši. 2 Viņu sirdīm jātop stiprinātām ar mīlestības pilnu pamācību, lai viņi bagātīgi iegūtu atziņas pilnību un izprastu Dieva noslēpumu, proti, Kristu, 3 kurā apslēptas visas gudrības un atziņas bagātības. 4 To es saku, lai neviens jūs nemaldinātu skaistiem vārdiem, 5 jo kaut gan es miesīgi esmu tālu, tomēr garā es esmu pie jums un ar prieku redzu, kādā vienībā un kādā spēkā jūs stāvat ticībā uz Kristu. 6 Tad nu Kristu Jēzu pieņēmuši, dzīvojiet Viņā, 7 sakņodamies Viņā, augdami Viņā, stipri kļūdami ticībā, kurā esat mācīti, pāri plūzdami savā pateicībā! 8 Uzmaniet, ka neviens jūs nesagūsta ar savu filozofiju un tukšu maldināšanu, kas balstās uz cilvēku mācībām un pasaules pirmspēkiem, bet ne uz Kristu. 9 Viņā mājo visa Dieva pilnība miesā, 10 un Viņā arī jūs esat kļuvuši pilnīgi, jo Viņš ir galva visām varām un spēkiem; 11 Viņā jūs arī esat apgraizīti, ne cilvēku rokām, bet Kristū apgraizīti, un tā tikuši vaļā no savas grēcīgās dabas, 12 kristībā līdz ar Viņu aprakti un Viņā līdzi uzmodināti, ticēdami Dieva spēkam, kas Viņu uzmodinājis no miroņiem. 13 Jūs, kas bijāt miruši savos pārkāpumos un savā neapgraizīšanā, Viņš līdz ar to darījis dzīvus, piedodams mums mūsu pārkāpumus; 14 Viņš izdeldējis pret mums vērsto parādu rakstu ar visām tā prasībām un paņēmis to no mūsu vidus, pienaglodams pie krusta. 15 Tā Viņš atbruņojis visas pretvaras, tās atklāti kaunā likdams un Kristū uzvaru svinēdams pār viņām. 16 Tāpēc lai neviens jūs netiesā ēdienu un dzērienu dēļ vai sakarā ar svētkiem, jauno mēnesi vai sabatu. 17 Šīs lietas ir nākamo lietu ēna, bet miesa pieder Kristum. 18 Nevienam nav tiesības atņemt jums jūsu balvu, kaut arī tas atrod patiku pazemīgā kalpošanā eņģeļiem un kaut arī tas lepojas ar parādībām, ko viņš redzējis. Tāds bez pamata kļūst iedomīgs savā miesas prātā 19 un neturas pie galvas, no kuras ar saišu un dzīslu palīdzību visa miesa tiek vienota un kopā saturēta un aug Dieva augumā. 20 Ja nu jūs esat ar Kristu nomiruši pasaules pirmspēkiem, ko tad jūs, it kā vēl dzīvodami pasaulē, uzņematies priekšrakstu jūgu, cilvēku baušļus un mācības, 21 kā piemēram: tev nebūs aizskart, tev nebūs baudīt, tev nebūs pieskarties! - 22 Visas šīs lietas ir lemtas iznīcībai, tās tērējot. 23 Tām gan ir gudrības slava tur, kur ir pašizdomāta dievkalpošana, pašpazemošanās un miesas mērdēšana; bet patiesībā tām nav nekādas vērtības, jo tās dod apmierinājumu vienīgi miesai.
1 Let me tell you how hard I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally. 2 I do this in order that they may be filled with courage and may be drawn together in love, and so have the full wealth of assurance which true understanding brings. In this way they will know God's secret, which is Christ himself. 3 He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge.
4 I tell you, then, do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments, no matter how good they seem to be. 5 For even though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, and I am glad as I see the resolute firmness with which you stand together in your faith in Christ.
Fullness of Life in Christ
6 Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. 7 Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.
8 See to it, then, that no one enslaves you by means of the worthless deceit of human wisdom, which comes from the teachings handed down by human beings and from the ruling spirits of the universe, and not from Christ. 9 For the full content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, 10 and you have been given full life in union with him. He is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority.
11 In union with Christ you were circumcised, not with the circumcision that is made by human beings, but with the circumcision made by Christ, which consists of being freed from the power of this sinful self. 12 For when you were baptized, you were buried with Christ, and in baptism you were also raised with Christ through your faith in the active power of God, who raised him from death. 13 You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; 14 he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. 15 And on that cross Christ freed himself from the power of the spiritual rulers and authorities; he made a public spectacle of them by leading them as captives in his victory procession.
16 So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath. 17 All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ. 18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking 19 and have stopped holding on to Christ, who is the head of the body. Under Christ's control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.
Dying and Living with Christ
20 You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as 21 “Don't handle this,” “Don't taste that,” “Don't touch the other”? 22 All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings. 23 Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.
