7. Sink your roots in him and build on him. Be strengthened by the faith that you were taught, and overflow with thanksgiving.
8. Be careful not to let anyone rob you ⌊of this faith⌋ through a shallow and misleading philosophy. Such a person follows human traditions and the world’s way of doing things rather than following Christ.
9. All of God lives in Christ’s body,
10. and God has made you complete in Christ. Christ is in charge of every ruler and authority.
11. In him you were also circumcised. It was not a circumcision performed by human hands. But it was a removal of the corrupt nature in the circumcision performed by Christ.
12. This happened when you were placed in the tomb with Christ through baptism. In baptism you were also brought back to life with Christ through faith in the power of God, who brought him back to life.
13. You were once dead because of your failures and your uncircumcised corrupt nature. But God made you alive with Christ when he forgave all our failures.
14. He did this by erasing the charges that were brought against us by the written laws God had established. He took the charges away by nailing them to the cross.
15. He stripped the rulers and authorities ⌊of their power⌋ and made a public spectacle of them as he celebrated his victory in Christ.
16. Therefore, let no one judge you because of what you eat or drink or about the observance of annual holy days, New Moon Festivals, or weekly worship days.