Colossian Heresy. Christian Controversy.
It is a great privilege to begin the letter to the Colossians with you this morning. I know many of you have been waiting patiently for us to begin this expositional study. It will be a great opportunity for us to learn the Supremacy of Christ Together, and understand Christ-centered everything.
What better time to enter into the study of this letter than right after celebrating the resurrection. May we all continue our celebration of the resurrection throughout the weeks ahead.
False teaching is dangerous and heresy can destroy any chance of saving faith.
That’s what makes false teaching and heresy so life threatening. It keeps people from the true life in Christ and never allows them to understand the complete gospel.
There was a famous Libyan priest named Arius who had difficulties in 318 when he clashed with Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria. Alexander believed in the co-eternality of the Word of God while Arius taught that the Word was created by God. Because Alexander understood this as a dangerous threat to the church, he publicly condemned Arius’ teaching and removed him from all church posts.
However, Arius refused to accept Alexander’s judgments and appealed to the people of the city and to other eastern bishops. In this way the dispute spread and became a severe threat to church unity. Seeing this danger, and wishing to avert division within his empire, Roman Emperor Constantine called the first Christian council: the Council of Nicaea.
At the council, Arius’ teaching was formally condemned. The council produced an initial form of the Nicaean Creed which explicitly affirmed the “begotten” position, which we find in Colossians, and condemned Arianism. All but two of the attendees voted in its favor, and those two, along with Arius, were excommunicated and banished. All of Arius’ writings were ordered confiscated and burned.
After being in exile for a decade, Arius sought to be restored to the church, and appealed directly to the emperor. Constantine became convinced of Arius’ return to orthodoxy and soon ordered Alexander, the patriarch of Constantinople, to reinstate him. Alexander was wary of letting Arius back into the church and, according to a letter by Athanasius, He prayed that God would somehow prevent it. Very soon after this prayer, before Arius could be reinstated, he died.
One scholar (Nathan Busenitz) summarizes Arius’ impact in this way: “In ancient times, Arius’ teachings presented the foremost threat to orthodox Christianity—which is why historians have labeled him ‘the greatest heretic of antiquity’.” His false teaching, coming as it did in the church’s infancy, truly did represent a grave threat. This heresy hurt the church and was a dire threat to Christianity.
This was just another way to keep the truth of Christ out of the reach of people.
The death of Arius was not the end of his teaching. The damage had been done and we see the effects of Arianism in the world today. There are cults and schisms all over the world that perpetuate the lie that Jesus was not fully God, but was the first born of all creation. One of which you likely know of, called the Jehovah’s witnesses.
They are not friends of God, they are enemies of Christ, and anyone, or any system that does not have a proper understanding of Christ needs the true gospel, to fight against the counterfeit gospel that they believe.
This is the whole point of the letter to the Colossians. This is why Paul lays out the importance of understanding the supremacy of Christ, or to say another way, there is nothing greater than Christ.
Together, we are going to observe the Apostle Paul’s fight against heretics and false teaching. He gives us a great warning to false teachers and the remedy, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today we will observe the:
Colossian Heresy. Christian Controversy.
Context
Caution
Correction
Christian
The Context-What information is surrounding the letter to the Colossians? Let’s provide the setting and situation of Paul and the Colossians.
The Caution-The warning about false teachers and heretics
The Correction- The remedy is always the truth of Christ and His gospel
The Christian- The Christian is someone who is saved by grace through faith and has a complete understanding of who Christ is and His gospel.
Are you a heretic? Is there something that you believe that is contrary to sound doctrine? Do you believe something that is not biblical? Many people do and don’t even realize it. Whether a distorted view on the image of God, or a heresy such as modalism, which is the belief that the persons of the Trinity represent only three modes or aspects of the divine revelation, not distinct and coexisting persons in the divine nature.
This is why we want to observe the Colossians Heresy and fight the false teaching of the age. The same issues of heresy that the Colossian church was falling into are the issues we see today. Just as Solomon so carefully articulates for us in Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing new under the sun.” So, we want to combat false doctrine and learn the truth and all that is biblically sound.
To do that we want to explore The Context and the history surrounding this letter written by the Apostle Paul, which is considered a prison epistle.
Let’s dive into Colossians.
Colossians 1:1–2 ESV
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul begins this letter to fight heresy in the most fitting way. He begins by stating his authority and his credentials. This letter isn’t from Paul the Pharisee, or Paul the tentmaker, it comes with the full authority of God, from Paul the apostle of Christ.
Who better to fight false doctrine than by one who is sent by God? The Greek word ἀπόστολος means messenger with extraordinary status, as one who is sent. What a distinction! This is no normal messenger, this is one who is sent by God.
Paul is coming as an ambassador of the gospel with the full authority of Jesus Christ. But how is Paul an Apostle? He was not one of the original 12. How does he have any authority at all?
Scripture confirms for us Paul’s amazing conversion. Paul tells of his appointment as an apostle to King Agrippa when he was on trial before the King.
Paul says, I was going to Damascus with the authority of the chief priests and I left my encounter with Christ with the authority of an apostle.
Acts 26:12–18 ESV
12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you
18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
Paul had this incredible encounter with the living Christ and his life was changed forever. At this moment Paul was sent by Christ. He was given a mission to carry the gospel and to open the eyes of the unbelieving, so when Paul understands the false doctrine of the Colossians he can relate, and he remembers his calling. He remembers when Christ intervened and moved him to ministry.
Yet Paul further proves his authority.
Colossians 1:1 ESV
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Paul declares, not only is he an apostle, but that his authority is by the will of God. God has appointed Paul to be the ambassador and guide for the gentile churches. Here we see Paul starting his letter with all his influence.
He is simply saying, Listen up, this is going to be important. You are going to want to pay attention to this, for this message is from God.
Then Paul adds this little phrase, “and Timothy our brother.” This little distinction is so important, and here is the reason why. Paul was in prison.
This is a letter written while Paul was in his first Roman imprisonment, along with Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon. It is called his first Roman imprisonment because he would later be jailed in Rome before his final execution. There he would write his final letter 2 Timothy.
However, during this first imprisonment, we can see the pastoral tone of Paul as one who is suffering for Christ.
When we examine the four prison epistles together, we can see that Paul uses the phrase, “in my imprisonment,” often, and he closes our letter with...
Colossians 4:18 ESV
18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Paul was a prisoner, as he explains in the letter to Philemon, he is a prisoner of Christ Jesus (v1, v9), and in “imprisonment for the gospel” (Philemon 1:13).
So why was Paul in prison? We find the answer in Acts.
Acts 21:27–28 ESV
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
Paul was preaching the gospel to everyone, everywhere. He was presenting the truth that God has offered salvation to the Greeks. In addition, Paul was traveling with Greek men and to the Jewish mind this was offensive. We must remember that the Jewish people had a great disdain for the gentiles and deemed them a cursed people. Jewish people wanted nothing to do with gentiles and to think that a Jewish teacher was advocating for the gentiles was enough to make the Jewish crowds in Jerusalem to literally start a frenzy.
Acts 21:29–31 ESV
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
It was this great stir of the city that put Paul in chains. He was arrested by the Roman authorities and once he was before the authorities he appealed to the Emperor, the Caesar. By his right as a Roman citizen he could appeal his case before the Caesar and that’s what Paul did. So he was arrested and transported to Rome. The book of Acts covers every exciting detail, However, for our study we want to know why he was arrested, which is for preaching the gospel and offering salvation to the gentiles.
Next we want to understand the conditions of his imprisonment.
Paul was in chains for Christ and a prisoner, yet we must define what this imprisonment looks like. Although Paul had been in the stocks where his feet where shackled together before this first Roman imprisonment is different. This is not the typical jail cell which was dark and dungeon-like.
Luke tells us in the book of Acts what Paul’s imprisonment was like.
Acts 28:30–31 ESV
30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,
31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
Paul was a prisoner, yet he was on house arrest. He was able to live in a rented home for two years, but there was one condition. There was always a soldier with him, who guarded him.
Acts 28:16 ESV
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Paul was shackled to a guard at all times. In fact, he was chained to the elite Imperial Guard and his impact amongst the Roman soldiers is incredible. To think that Paul was arrested for preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, then sent to Rome nearly 2000 miles away. He was kept under guard by the elite Roman soldiers 24-hours a day and was allowed to have visitors and teach and preach the gospel.
So God allowed the most powerful voice, Paul the Apostle, to go to the heart of the most powerful empire, The Roman Empire, to have a captive audience with the most powerful soldiers in the entire world, the Imperial Guard. The providence and sovereignty of God are on full display here.
God knows exactly what He is doing and when he wants to advance the Gospel in ancient times He sends Paul to Rome and gives him audience to some of the most influential men in the world.
You might be thinking this sounds too good to be true. However, Scripture captures for us the result of this Master Plan for Evangelism. Paul gives a final greeting at the end of the prison epistle to the Philippians.
Philippians 4:22 ESV
22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
What! The saints in Caesar’s household. Paul had two years on house arrest and God used him to have a great impact on the soldiers who were watching over him. It appears that he had won some to Christ and the influence of the gospel was inside Caesar’s own family.
What an amazing God we serve. All of this provides the context of the letter to the Colossians.
Now let’s observe the Caution to the Colossians.
While Paul was under house arrest he had recieved word that the church in Colossae had begun to come under attack of false teaching. Epaphras the pastor of the church had come to visit Paul and gave him word of the condition of the church. He tells Paul of their faith and their response to the true gospel, but Epaphras also tells them about the pressure upon the church from false doctrine. They had begun to be impacted by false teaching and heresy.
Paul sends them a letter and he fights back against the false teaching. He writes both Colossians and the letter to Philemon at the same time. So we are going to study the first two chapters of Colossians then study the brief letter to Philemon, then finish up the last two chapters of Colossians. Together, these two letters will give us a great understanding of the gospel and the power of Christ.
What exactly was Paul cautioning against?
To put it simply and plainly. Heresy. Paul wanted to fight against a belief that would take the Colossians away from the true gospel.
What is heresy?
1. a religious belief that is at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine of a church.-Heresy is a belief that is outside of the truth. For example, a heretical belief found here in Colossians is that Angels should be worshipped. The truth is that angels should not be worshipped, only God is worshipped. Angel worship is heresy.
2. the maintaining of such a belief or doctrine.
3. the willful and persistent rejection of any belief that is part of church doctrine.
Meaning of Heresy
Heresy is not the same as error.
Heresy is the choice to abandon the biblically proven teaching on an essential doctrine and embrace one’s own view.
Heresy is to “preach another gospel”, as Paul stated in Galatians 1:9: "As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed."
Technically speaking something is not a heresy just because the church deemed it so. It is heretical because it is a teaching which has abandoned the “pattern of sound teaching”.
When talking about heresy we must understand all heresy is not the same. There is some that takes people out of saving faith, like believing that Jesus was just a man. That kind of heresy would hinder someone from being saved and some heresy is a heaven and hell issue. However, there are other heresies that are not heaven and hell issues. For example, the belief that women can be pastors is a heresy as it is against the orthodox position of the church. However, that is not a heaven or hell issue.
If someone were to believe the heresy found in the Colossian church and made public by Arius, that Jesus was a created being, that would take someone outside the gospel. Heresies like this are threatening to true spiritual life and if someone where to believe these heresies they would be considered a heretic and an apostate. An apostate is someone who has abandoned the faith and followed after error. An apostate is someone who has fallen away from the truth.
This error is so powerful that the person would not be considered a Christian. So Paul here is writing to fight for the true faith and contend for the Colossians.
Paul gives an answer to fight all the heresy of the Colossian church. They were a terrible mess of beliefs. They had a hodge-podge of false doctrine that they added to the gospel and Paul wanted to make things right. We are going to observe all of these in great detail when we get to chapter 2, but here is an overview of what they believed.
Here is their first heresy.
Christ cannot be both human and divine. You can see the roots of Arianism starting here in the church at Colossae.
Paul responds that Christ is God in the flesh that He is the eternal one. He is 100% man and 100% God.
They believed that spirit was good and matter was bad, that is spiritual things alone where good and the physical was evil.
To that Paul says that God created the heavens and the earth for His glory.
The Colossian controversy continues with their legalism and their belief that one must follow ceremonies, rituals and restrictions in order to be saved or perfected.
To that Paul tells them the law cannot save you and all you need is Christ to be saved. You cannot add anything to the law of grace.
The Colossians also believed in asceticism, which is the belief that you must deny the body everything and follow strict rules about food and what you can eat.
To that Paul tells them that, not all rules are bad, rather keeping rules or laws will not bring about salvation. Man-made religions focus on man’s work, but Paul reminds the Colossians to rely on the finished work of Christ.
The Colossian Controversy was stirred up by the belief in gnosticism, which means that in order to be saved one must obtain “secret knowledge.” This secret knowledge is not available to everyone and only the spiritually elite get this special revelation.
To those who fall into the heresy of gnosticism Paul says. The mystery of God is Christ Himself, and He has been revealed to all.
What the Colossians believed was a simmering stew of heresy and there are even more ingredients in this wicked potion.
They also believed that angels must be worshipped. Paul’s response is that angels are not to be worshipped, but Christ alone is worthy of our worship.
They Colossians also sprinkled in some human wisdom, philosophy and mysticism.
Paul’s response is that we should follow Christ’s words as our ultimate authority.
Finally, there is the belief amongst the Colossians that it is best to combine the aspects of a few different religions. This places the Colossian heresy in religious syncretism, which is a kind of blending together of several elements, a sort of hodgepodge of heresy. [1]
Here the Colossians are taking a little bit of angel worship, mixed with legalism and come up with the conclusion that there is a deep mystery that is only shown to the truly spiritual.
The Colossian Controversy was a puddle of heresy that can be best described as one, giant mess.
It is a remarkable fact that all the heresies which have arisen in the Christian Church have had a decided tendency to 'dishonor God and to flatter man.'
- Charles Spurgeon
That’s exactly what heresy does, it takes the focus off of God and puts it on man. You might be thinking, yes it’s sad that the Colossian church had so many problems, but what does that have to do with us? I’m glad you asked.
Nearly every heresy in this letter can be traced to a heresy that is active today. Whether the mystic belief of a higher power or the new gnostic wave of “secret knowledge,” nearly every heresy can be seen today. The most common heresy can be seen started here, carried and magnified by Arius and is fully active today in the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
They believe that Jesus was a created being that He is not God, but that he was the firstborn of all creation. In fact, they use Colossians as their proof text.
Has anyone ever encounter Jehovah’s witnesses? I’ve been blessed with several opportunities to witness to the witnesses. Every time it has been a great blessing. I really mean it, it has been a blessing each time.
My first experience was in Pennsylvania, when two men came to my house. When they started sharing I invited them in and we sat at my table for two hours. Every time they would bring something up, I would say, the Bible doesn’t say that. Their response would be, well our Bible does.
I would ask, “What translation are you using.” Oh it’s our Jehovah Witness, New World Translation. Let me tell you that translation is dangerous, and you can see why they believe what they believe because of a faulty translation.
Well at the end of the meeting they said, do you mind if we come back next week, you can talk to one of the elders. I said that would be great.
So when they showed up the next week with four people they probably thought that they had me. We kind of talked about some of the same things as before and I mentioned that their translation was very different. I asked them if their translation was created from the original languages and they said yes.
I told them that was great news, lets look at your translation and the original languages together. They said they are written in Hebrew and Greek and we don’t read Hebrew or Greek. I said that’s ok, because I do and I can translate for you what the original text says for you.
The remainder of the conversation didn’t last very long. When I began to share with them that they were in sin and believed a false gospel they began to gather their things quite quickly. When I told them that the original Greek tells of Jesus Christ being preeminent, eternal and the sustainer of all creation, they had no rebuttal, yet they refused to believe the truth.
And that’s the problem with heresy. You can get so close to the truth, yet remain in sin and outside of the grace of the true gospel. What you believe truly matters and that’s what the Apostle Paul is trying to get across to the Colossians.
Your view of Jesus Christ will impact every area of your life (2x).
Paul is saying don’t fall for the trap. Don’t take the bait. Don’t believe the lie, but pursue the truth. We must remember the words of the Apostle Peter.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We must remember that the devil is the father of all lies and he uses deception, trickery, manipulation and lies to lure people into the world and away from Christ, the Scriptures are full of warnings and principles of caution.
Paul gives another caution about false teachers in...
2 Corinthians 11:13–15 ESV
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
In Scripture there are many cautions given, like road signs that announce danger, Paul is telling the believers to be careful. If they continue on this path they must exercise caution and be careful not to stray to the left or to the right, but to focus on the prize of the upward calling of Jesus Christ. While Paul gives a note of caution, he also provides the correction which is our third point, and he lays the foundation for the correction in the introduction to this letter.
Colossians 1:2 ESV
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul gives three distinctions for their character.
He calls them saints, which are holy ones, those who are set apart.
He calls them faithful brothers, meaning they were trustworthy, proven and true.
Finally, he says they are in Christ. He recognizes that they are true Christians. Paul begins this letter with his authority and who he is, but he also tells them who they are. They are in Christ.
Here, Paul writes the Colossian church and you would think he would start the letter, don’t believe the lies. Don’t fall for the falsehood, don’t accept the counterfeit. These are all appropriate responses. Although there are some undertones of these warnings later in the letter, Paul takes another approach. Paul cautions the Colossians not to fall for the trap, and he offers the correction, by telling them who they are in Christ.
He says, you are a Christian and later in the letter he will remind them of the beauty of Christ. He will show them the radiance of His glory. He will show them the power of the gospel. Paul wants to help correct their thinking. He says, when you understand Christ, you will realize that no heresy compares to the truth of His glory. The correction to any false teaching is always Christ.
One writer says (-Walter J. Chantry) Failure to see Jesus Christ as the final revelation of truth is a major error that will open the door of the church to a multitude of heresies, taught in the name of truth. Every true movement initiated by the Spirit of God leads men back to the words of Christ which were inscripturated by His own inspiration.
You will never accept the counterfeit of heresy when you know the fullness of Christ. (2x). That’s the whole point of this letter and this is the drive for our study through the book of Colossians. Let us know the fullness of Christ and fight against every counterfeit claim with the truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you want to know Christ more intimately?
Do you desire to be so connected to Christ that nothing will ever draw you away from Him?
Do you want to strengthen your passion for the beauty of Christ?
If you answered yes to those questions, then our study through Colossians is going to be life-changing for you and your view of Christ is going to be magnified over these next few months.
We are going to learn what Christ has done in the first two chapters and what Christians do in the second two chapters.
The first half of the Book of Colossians is a theological treatise that includes one of the most profound presentations of Christology, or the study of Christ, anywhere in the New Testament.
The second half is a mini-ethics course, addressing nearly every area of Christian life. Paul progresses from the individual life to the home and family, from work to the way we should treat others.
Paul writes in his typical fashion, first addressing doctrine and then declaring the duty or response of the Christian. Paul’s methodology is simply this. Here is what the Word of God says, so here is how you must live.
You want to fight heresy, live for Christ. You want to overcome controversy, live for Christ. Which brings us to the final point.
The Christian.
This letter gives the caution to heresy, it gives the correction in Christ and provides the way to live as a Christian.
The theme of this book is the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His sufficiency in meeting our needs in every area of Life, where people can live for Christ (2x).
Why is this the theme?
It is because The Lordship of Jesus Christ shatters every chain of heretical belief.
If there is false teaching, there is one sure way to fight it, and that is with the truth Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. That is why it is so important to draw closer to Christ as you draw every breath. The closer you get to Christ the harder it is to be fooled to believe a lie and conversely the opposite is true. The further away from Christ you are, the easier it is to believe a lie.
The overview of this letter is that Christ has paid for sin, that Christ reconciled us to God, and that Christ gives us the pattern and the power to grow spiritually. When we understand Christ rightly we will be able to fight against false teaching and errors in the church.
Knowing the truth about the power of the gospel and the person of Christ is the believer’s best protection against deception. When we cling to the cross and rely on the power of the gospel we will live as Christians as defined in this letter from Paul.
Colossians 1:2 ESV
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul tells the Colossians they are Christians and he gives them a blessing that confirms who they are in Christ.
Grace to You and peace from God the Father.
Those who are Christians receive these gifts from God.
Grace and Peace. Grace is the means of salvation and peace is the result. The grace of God gives you peace with God and when you accept the gift of grace you receive the peace that transcends all understanding. Both of these are components to the Christian life.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians A. Greeting (vv. 1–2)
God’s grace and peace in a person’s life come from knowing the power of the gospel.
Paul writes to combat the Colossian Heresy, but he also writes to to help us fight our own Christian controversy. When we understand the context of this letter we will see all the elements that make it so important to study. We can see why Paul offers many words of caution to fight against the heresy brought into the church. We can also see that the correction to heresy is always the remedy found in Jesus Christ. Finally, when we properly know Christ and have recieved His glorious gospel we will have peace with God through the grace of God and know that we are Christians.
As Christ is the end of the Law and the Gospel and has within Himself all the treasures of wisdom and understanding, so also is He the mark at which all heretics aim and direct their arrows.
- John Calvin
Christ will be the target of every heresy, of every false teaching, because He is the standard and the truth. Just as he is the target for every false teaching we should ensure that He is the target for our lives, for when we pursue a Christ-centered life we will never fall into heresy. The Christian controversy would be eliminated if we all would pursue Christ with all our lives where we live for Him and His glory. This should be the desire for each of us and the cry of our hearts should eternally be.
Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus!
Pray with me!
[1] Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 288.