Colossians 2:11-23

We will make an attempt to finish Chapter 2 tomorrow. It is a bit of an "exposé" as Paul compares Jesus to religious "rule keeping". Spoiler Alert: it's not even close!

In this amazing section, we learn a couple of essential things. We learn quite a bit about the gracious benefits of relationship to Jesus. That relationship gives us a whole new life and identity. And when identity changes, behavior changes. More on that in Chapter 3.

So what is the value of religious tradition and ritual? I read a book a few years ago called "How to Quit Smoking the Easy Way" by Alan Carr -- not because I was a smoker but because I was studying about addiction. In his book he has a chapter called "The Benefits of Smoking". Catching my attention and curiosity, I turned to that chapter and guess what I found. A blank page! If Paul wrote a book about Jesus, his chapter on "The Benefit of Religious Rules" wouldn't be totally blank, but it would be very short. What value to religious rules and traditions have? Good question.

At the end of the day, Paul is unrestrained in his portrayal of the way religious "rule keeper" fails to address any real human need. People don't need religion.....they need Jesus. He does for us what religion is powerless to do! For the details....

....View and See!

Steve