Beware!! (Colossians 2:6-23)

Patrick Jacob

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Theme: Beware of false teaching and deceptions. Christ is enough!

Introduction

Deception has always been part of military strategy. The British put it to good use during World War II in North Africa against German forces led by General Erwin Rommel. They constructed pasteboard look-alikes of tanks and airplanes to deceive the Germans. From the air this fake equipment looked real enough to fool reconnaissance personnel, and it could be easily moved.

Satan, whom Jesus referred to as "the ruler of this world" (John 16:11), is a master deceiver. He was the driving force behind the teachers who were trying to persuade the Colossians to accept heresy as truth (Col 2:4-note, Col 2:8-note).

Followers of Christ today are in a similar battle. How do we defend ourselves against deceivers? Paul used military terms in his comments to the Colossians that can help us to know what to do. First, he commended them for their "good order," which refers to being battle-ready, disciplined soldiers. Second, he spoke of the "steadfastness" of their faith in Christ, which refers to having a solid front. They had an unshaken commitment to their Lord and the advance of His kingdom.

Don't be fooled by Satan's lies. Know the truth of God's Word, and be battle-ready through a disciplined life and an unswerving commitment to Jesus Christ. -- David C. Egner

The shield of faith protects us From Satan's fiery darts; And he cannot deceive us With God's Word in our hearts. --Sper

God's truth is the best protection against Satan's lies.

Source: https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_illustrations_2#colossians%202

Colossians 2 helps us to be on guard from deceptive philosphies and also religiosity. Either from being decieved by someone or turnign that into decieveing ourselves eventually. The only way this is possible is through God’s word and His Spirit. Amen! So let us look at how Paul teaches the Colossian church to “beware” of anything outside of Christ.

Beware of deception

Walk with Christ

Colossians 2:6–7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

In the previous chapter we finished by understanding the Jesus Christ is Lord, knowing that He is God and creator and standing firm against false teachers.

Now we begin by looking at what it means to be in union with Christ

Walking with Christ means to maintain a lifestyle patterned after His. (1 John 2:6 “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” )

Just like a tree that is planted in rich soil, we as believers have been rooted in Christ. That is to mean that Christ is the source of our spiritual nourishment, growth, and fruit. So as we walk in Him we are now being built up in Him. It is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. We become established in our faith.

Only when you are fully rooted in Christ and the word of God can you gurard yourself against false teaching and worldly wisdom.

Philosophy or Christ?

Colossians 2:8–10 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

The church in Colossae was in danger of being infiltrated by false teaching (what does this false teaching look like?)

It is the same with us today, We are to be careful not to be pulled into false teaching and this is why doctrine and the study of the word is important. Amen!

These are just a few words whose meanings have shifted in the culture over the years:

Truth – Ultimate truth does not exist. Truth is subjective and based on what you feel in your heart. There’s my truth and your truth.

Tolerance – Tolerance doesn’t mean being charitable with others, it means adopting their beliefs. You cannot impose your truth on me. All ideas are equal. If you say an idea is superior, you are a bigot.

Justice – Justice is not treating each equally and giving them what is due on the basis of what is right, it is ensuring all outcomes are equal (eg: reproductive justice, economic justice, environmental justice).

Love – Love doesn’t mean putting others needs above your own, it means acceptance. If you don’t approve of everything I do, you are not loving.

Christ has freed us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of light. Christ set us free from the yoke of slavery and we can easily slide back into it because of false teachings and worldly philosphy (Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” )

Being taken captive means similar to kidnap, or to carry off as booty or spoil of war. We were ransomed and redeemed adn should we be vulnerable and becuase of our ignorance become captive to false teaching ?

Paul is saying dont be taken captive by this empty deciet, philisophy of the world according to human tradition and the elemental spirits of the world. Anything not of Christ and in addition to Christ is false. Becuase all of our sufficient of wisdom truth and life remains in Christ fully. So. Paul says in v10 that in Christ the whole fulness of diety dwells bodily and we have been filled in Him. Amen! We have been made complete in Him becuase His fullness.

To follow the wisdom of the world is like being kidnapped by the emissaries of Satan and his false system and we will be left spiritually incomplete. When we come to Christ we are complete. Let us find our complete sufficiency in Christ rather than following human wisdom.

Complete in Christ

Colossians 2:11–15 “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” )

For us as Christians they physical act of circumcision is unnecessary becuase we already have been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. It is the removal of the body of flesh which refers to the sinful, fallen human nature dominating believers before being saved.

We have been cleansed of that and instead given a new nature created in righteousness. It is a spiritual transformation.

The question remains if that is the case, then why do Christians still sin? The answer to that is that we are still residing in un-redeemed flesh, in our humanness. It is not that Christians are now living perfect sinless lives, rather it is a new disposition which desires to do good and obey God even as we remain in this unredeemed flesh.

Becuase we have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God. We need to note that Paul is not intending to say that it is necessary to be baptised in order to be saved. If that was the intention that all we see happening here is that he is replacing one rite with another, and goes back to work being done for salvation.

Instead baptism pictures a believers union with Christ. We have been buried with Him in baptism and is a picture of our spiritual union with Christ at salvation (1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” ) Water baptism is only a picture of this reality and it is symbolic of our identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

You see, salvation stands apart from any religious ritual acts and not of any human works. We couldnt do anything to attain salvation becuase we were spiritually dead at one time. We were locked by the grasp of sin and unable to respond to God. We were dominatied by the world, by our flesh, by Satan, and living in the kingdom of darkness.

At this point of hopelessness, God gifted us this great salvtion. When we are spiritually dead we cannot make ourselved alive, so God does this for us out of His grace and mercy. we have now been forgiven of all our transgressions

Beware of being religious

Sources:

The Macarthur New Testament Commentary - Colossians & Philemon

https://www.therebelution.com/blog/2020/09/young-christian-beware-of-false-philosophies/