Biblion Bible Commentary
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Colossians 2:4-5
4 Now I say this that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. · WEB
Paul names the danger as persuasive speech, not bad logic — and pays the church a military compliment.
I say this that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. The noun describes a plausible argument, the kind that sounds right, and Paul's concern is not that the teaching is obviously absurd. It is that it is convincing.
That is why chapter 1 answered it with a description of Christ rather than a refutation. Against persuasive speech the letter sets a person, on the reasoning that someone who has seen the treasures are all in one place will not be moved by an offer of more.
Verse 5 concedes the distance and denies its effect: though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit. He had used the same construction of the Corinthians when passing judgment at a distance 1 Corinthians 5:3.
And what he claims to see is put in two military words: rejoicing to see your order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. The first is the term for troops drawn up in formation, the second for a solid front that holds. It is a compliment paid to a church under pressure and, so far, standing — which is worth noting before the warnings begin, since the letter is preventive rather than a response to collapse.
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