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becoming united to Boaz, that mighty man of wealth and

resource.

So in Colossians the greatness of Christ as Head is powerfully

emphasized. And also it is worthy of note that both in

Colossians and in Ephesians the headship of Christ is brought

in in immediate relation to dangers which were facing the

saints. The Colossians—and the footnote helps as to this—

were, according to verse 8 of chapter 2, in imminent danger.

We might not have thought so. Paul says in Colossians 1 that

the glad tidings had come to them and were “bearing fruit and

growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard

them”.

He says, “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord

Jesus Christ continually when praying for you”. We would say,

‘Things are going well. The ship is set on its course with fair

weather ahead; all is prosperous and assured’. But Paul, with

his far-seeing eye and the discernment which the Lord gave

him, saw there was real imminent danger facing them, and

that danger was “philosophy and vain deceit”.

Now, dear brethren, these things are not far from us.

Philosophy is the working of my mind independently of Christ

and the Holy Spirit, and vain deceit is my natural, inherent

pride. Philosophy and vain deceit are a terrible and dangerous

combination—“according to the teaching of men, according to

the elements of the world, and not according to Christ”. The

assembly, the body, is an area where the teaching of men and

the elements of the world are to have no place, and may we all

be resolved that they must be excluded. They cause damage

and disaster as they come in. In any case we have no need of

them because we have so glorious a Head in Christ. Paul

says, and the language is profound, “in him dwells all the

fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete [or filled

full] in him”. May the words themselves of Scripture register

with us in great encouragement—“In him dwells all the fulness

of the Godhead bodily”—in a Man and therefore available to