1 I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have never met me. 2 I do it to encourage them. Then as their hearts are joined together in love, they will be wonderfully blessed with complete understanding. And they will truly know Christ. Not only is he the key to God's mystery, 3 but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in him. 4 I tell you these things to keep you from being fooled by fancy talk. 5 Even though I am not with you, I keep thinking about you. I am glad to know that you are living as you should and your faith in Christ is strong.
Christ Brings Real Life
6 You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. 7 Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.
8 Don't let anyone fool you by using senseless arguments. These arguments may sound wise, but they are only human teachings. They come from the powers of this world and not from Christ.
9 God lives fully in Christ. 10 And you are fully grown because you belong to Christ, who is over every power and authority. 11 Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body. 12 And when you were baptized, it was the same as being buried with Christ. Then you were raised to life because you had faith in the power of God, who raised Christ from death. 13 You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.
14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross. 15 There Christ defeated all powers and forces. He let the whole world see them being led away as prisoners when he celebrated his victory.
16 Don't let anyone tell you what you must eat or drink. Don't let them say you must celebrate the New Moon festival, the Sabbath, or any other festival. 17 These things are only a shadow of what was to come. But Christ is real!
18 Don't be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble and who worship angels. They brag about seeing visions. But it is all nonsense, because their minds are filled with selfish desires. 19 They are no longer part of Christ, who is the head of the whole body. Christ gives the body its strength, and he uses its joints and muscles to hold it together, as it grows by the power of God.
Christ Brings New Life
20 You died with Christ. Now the forces of the universe don't have any power over you. Why do you live as if you had to obey such rules as, 21 “Don't handle this. Don't taste that. Don't touch this.”? 22 After these things are used, they are no longer good for anything. So why be bothered with the rules that humans have made up? 23 Obeying these rules may seem to be the smart thing to do. They appear to make you love God more and to be very humble and to have control over your body. But they don't really have any power over our desires.
1 وأُحِبّ أنْ تَعرِفوا كَمْ أنا أُجاهِدُ مِنْ أجلِكُم ومِنْ أجلِ الذينَ هُم في لاودِكِيّةَ ومِنْ أجلِ سائِرِ الذينَ ما رأَوا وجهي، 2 لِتَتَقوّى قُلوبُهُم وتَشتدّ رَوابِطُ المَحبّةِ بَينَهُم، فيكونَ لهُم كُلّ الغِنى النّاتِـجِ عَنِ الفَهمِ التّامّ الذي بِه يُدرِكونَ سِرّ اللهِ، أي المَسيحَ، 3 فهوَ الذي تَكمُنُ فيهِ جميعُ كُنوزِ الحِكمَةِ والمَعرفَةِ.
4 أقولُ هذا لِئَلاّ يَخدَعَكُم أحدٌ بالكَلامِ المَعسولِ. 5 فمعَ أنّي غائِبٌ عَنكُم بِجسَدي، فأنا مَعكُم بالرّوحِ، أفرَحُ بِما أرى فيكُم مِنْ نِظامٍ وثَباتٍ في الإِيمانِ بالمَسيحِ.
الحياة الجديدة في المسيح
6 فاَسلُكوا في الرّبّ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ كما قَبِلْتُموهُ، 7 مُتأصّلينَ راسِخينَ فيهِ، ثابِتينَ في الإيمانِ الذي تَعَلّمتُموهُ، شاكِرينَ كُلّ الشّكرِ.
8 واَنتَبِهوا لِئَلاّ يَسلُبَ أحدٌ عُقولَكُم بالكَلامِ الفَلْسَفِـيّ والغُرورِ الباطِلِ القائِمِ على تَقاليدِ البَشَرِ وقِوى الكونِ الأوّّلِـيّةِ، لا على المَسيحِ. 9 ففي المَسيحِ يَحِلّ مِلْءُ الألوهِيّةِ كُلّهُ حُلولاً جَسَدِيّا، 10 وفيهِ تَبلُغونَ الكَمالَ. هوَ رأْسُ كُلّ رِئاسَةٍ روحانِـيّةٍ وسُلطَةٍ.
11 وفي المَسيحِ كانَ خِتانُكُم خِتانًا، لا بالأيدي، بَلْ بِنَزعِ جِسمِ الخَطايا البَشَرِيّ، وهذا هوَ خِتانُ المَسيحِ. 12 فأنتُم عِندَما تَعَمّدتُم في المَسيحِ دُفِنتُم معَهُ وقُمتُم معَهُ أيضًا، لأنّكم آمَنتُم بِقُدرَةِ اللهِ الذي أقامَهُ مِنْ بَينِ الأمواتِ. 13 كُنتُم أمواتًا بِخطاياكُم وبكَونِكُم غَيرَ مَختونينَ في الجَسَدِ، فأحياكُمُ اللهُ معَ المَسيحِ وصفَحَ لنا عَنْ جميعِ خَطايانا. 14 ومَحا الصّكّ الذي علَينا لِلفرائِضِ وكانَ في غَيرِ صالِحِنا، وأزالَهُ مُسَمّرًا إيّاهُ على الصّليبِ، 15 وخلَعَ أصحابَ الرّئاسَةِ والسّلطَةِ وجَعَلَهُم عِبرَةً، وقادَهُم أسرى في مَوكِبِه الظّافِرِ.
16 لا يَحكُمْ علَيكُم أحَدٌ في المَأكولِ والمَشروبِ أو في الأعيادِ والأهِلّةِ والسّبوتِ، 17 فما هذِهِ كُلّها إلاّ ظِلّ الأُمورِ المُستَقبَلَةِ، أمّا الحَقيقَةُ فَهيَ في المَسيحِ. 18 ولا يَسلُبْكُم أحدٌ جَزاءَكُم بِما يَدعو إلَيهِ مِنَ التّواضُعِ وعِبادَةِ الملائِكَةِ وما يَرى مِنْ رُؤًى، مُنتَفِخًا مِنَ الكِبرياءِ بِتَفكيرِهِ البَشَرِيّ الباطِلِ، 19 غَيرَ مُتمَسّكٍ بالرّأْسِ، وهوَ الذي مِنهُ يتَقَوّى الجَسَدُ كُلّهُ ويَتَماسَكُ بالأوصالِ والمَفاصِلِ لِـيَنموَ كما يُريدُ اللهُ.
20 فإنْ كُنتُم مُتّم معَ المَسيحِ وتخَلّصتُم مِنْ قِوى الكَونِ الأوّلِـيّةِ، فكيفَ تَعيشونَ كأنّكُم تَنتَمونَ إلى هذا العالَمِ؟ لِماذا تَخضَعونَ لِمِثلِ هذِهِ الفَرائضِ: 21 «لا تَلمَسْ، لا تَذُقْ هذا، لا تُمسِكْ ذاكَ»، 22 وهِـيَ كُلّها أشياءُ تَزولُ بالاستِعمالِ؟ نعَمْ، هِيَ أحكامٌ وتَعاليمُ بشَرِيّةٌ، 23 لها ظَواهِرُ الحِكمَةِ لِما فيها مِنْ عِبادَةٍ خاصّةٍ وتَواضُعٍ وقَهرٍ لِلجَسَدِ، ولكِنْ لا قِـيمَةَ لها في ضَبطِ أهواءِ الجَسَدِ.
