Monthly Archive for July, 1996

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Colossians 2:8d

Published on July 21, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
 
There are three uses of the phrase “according to” in this verse. This is the first use.
 
"according to the tradition of men"
This is the first system of war used by the Devil to defeat Christians.
The word “according” means according to the standard or norm of something. Some Christians try to live by the standard of tradition.
The word “tradition” means something handed down. Many people do not evaluate what they believe for themselves. They believe it simply because their family believed it, “My mom told me so.” How you do know it is true? “I never question it.” A person without healthy skepticism is vulnerable to seduction. The test question is “Can it be substantiated by the Bible?”
“Tradition” was used of the teaching of the Rabbis which they made void by their life-styles in Matthew 15:2,3,6 ; Mark 7:3,5,8,9,13; Galatians 1:14; Colossians 2:8. It was used of apostolic teaching in 1 Corinthians+11:2,23, 15:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:15x(doctrine in general). In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 it is used of instructions for everyday conduct.
The emphasis is on the transmission of scruples. These people were precise about which cup to use while worshipping but careless about an unclean heart. Religion was a routine of superstitious ritual. By a series of postures and vain repetitions they observed their ceremonies.
PRINCIPLE:
 
Tradition is anything we pick up that is not biblical in the life of our soul.
APPLICATION:
 
The child picks up many values in the home. The school and social life add more evaluation of life. Everyone develops a culture of thinking. The culture firms up as we reach adulthood. We all have viewpoints on what is right and wrong. That, however, may be tradition. If we add religion into the mix, our culture becomes yet more complicated. A church may have its taboos. This person will not chew bubble gum and he won’t go with the girls who do!! All of this has nothing to do with God’s viewpoint on life. This is tradition handed down from people. Anything that is contrary to the Bible is error.
 
We say, “Well, my father and mother and grand father and mother all believed this. This has been our custom. This is our religion.” The main question is, “Is it true?” People answer this with “I never question my tradition.” The true question is, “can it be substantiated by the Bible?”
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Colossians 2:8c

Published on July 20, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
 
Paul turns his guns of polemic assault against a certain kind of philosophy, philosophy that carries religious assumptions.
 
"and empty deceit"
There is a philosophy that is hollow. The philosophy at Colosse was “empty” (hollow). This philosophy sets up its presuppositions against Christianity and makes it conclusions based on its own assumptions. This philosophy is false because it is prejudicial.
“Deceit” means to cheat, deceive, beguile. It is that which gives a false impression whether by appearance, statement or influence. Philosophy that connives misleads. It deceives or lies to people about what is true.
Matthew 13:22 uses the word “deceit” for the deception of riches, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
Hebrews 3:13 uses this word for the deceitfulness of sin, “but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
Ephesians 4:22 uses “deceit” for lusts excited by deceit; that is, deceit is the source of strength, not lusts deceitful in themselves, “That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”
2 Thessalonians 2:10 uses this word for all manner of unscrupulous communication and deeds, “And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
All these things subtly and insidiously lead us astray from Christ. The individual so weakened by deception says, “I just cannot believe that.” What happened? “I am taking sociology. I’ve ruled the Bible out of my life.”
PRINCIPLE:
 
Human religious philosophy is empty.
APPLICATION:
 
The Christian who follows the religious philosophies of the world operates on empty delusion. There are two areas of delusion:
 
1. False doctrine.
2. Idolatry of things (e.g., riches).
False philosophy can take on two levels, the level of ideas or the level of daily life. If we buy into belief systems contrary to God, it will result in disaster for the Christian life.
After Solomon sought fulfillment in pleasure, acquisition, women, power, etc., he proclaimed “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” The believer minus the Word of God will enter self-induced misery. If he loses his money, friends or success, he will come to a crash. Chasing the things of life never fulfills a person.
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Colossians 2:8b

Published on July 19, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
 
Paul turns his guns of polemic assault against a certain kind of philosophy, philosophy that carries religious assumptions.
 
through philosophy
Does the negative reference to philosophy here condemn all philosophy? Does the Bible disparage the study of Plato, Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza or Kant? The Bible nowhere condemns philosophy as such.
Paul uses “philosophy” here in the context of human viewpoint in religion. Philosophy here is a system of religion. The term here berates religious philosophy. The Bible challenges the pretensions of philosophy to address issues beyond the finite. Philosophy is limited to the faculty of the human mind. This is not a polemic against all philosophy but against philosophy that seeks to undermine Christianity. Philosophy that seeks to enable us to understand the world and the principles underlying it, is a noble exercise. The story of philosophy is a story of a pendulum whereby one philosophy contradicts another in perpetuity. It is a tale of discarded hypotheses. What philosophy cannot define, the Word of God makes clear. Apart from the Bible, no philosopher today knows any more about ultimate reality than the Greek philosophers before Christ.
This is the only occurrence of the word “philosophy” in the New Testament. It is noteworthy that there is only one occurrence in the New Testament since the Greeks viewed this as their highest pursuit. Plato used this word for the love of knowledge and wisdom. Greek thought used philosophy for the systematic treatment of a subject, investigation into life. In the New Testament it came to mean human wisdom in contrast to revealed truth (the Bible).
“Philosophy” is the battlefield for the turf of the Christian life. Philosophy pursues reality. Our philosophy of life determines our course of living. If we are off here, we are off everywhere. What we believe is our base of operation for our lives.
From what philosophy are you operating, the Devil’s or God’s? The Devil’s philosophy is humanism, postmodernism, subjectivism, rationalism, empiricism, naturalism, false religions, etc. The military handbook for God’s war on Satan is the Word of God. The Christian soldier must be well trained or he/she will become a casualty of war. We do not send people to war with two days training! We must understand the spiritual equivalent to field operations, the use of air support and how to retreat, for example. If we do not understand God’s system of war, we will suffer defeat in the spiritual war (Eph. 6:11-17). Human techniques will not sustain us in a war of spiritual forces. If we do not go with God’s system of operations, Satan will take us captive in spiritual war. Either we use God’s system or our own (or Satan’s).
Two systems of Gnostic philosophy challenged the Colossian Christians:
1) Stoicism: Stoicism seeks an indifferent attitude. No matter what situation a person may face, he detaches himself from it whether it is prosperity or poverty. He holds all desire in check. He is not elevated by good fortune or cast down by misfortune. Circumstances are irrelevant to this person. The person is greater than the situation.
2) Epicureanism: There is no certainty in truth. Life is capricious. There is no purpose. Therefore, it is useless to deny self. Their philosophy was “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
PRINCIPLE:
 
All philosophies of the world operate on assumptions (presuppositions; belief systems). 
 
APPLICATION:
 
Philosophy that presupposes a religious position is false philosophy. Most philosophers concede that they cannot find ultimate reality. All philosophies make assumptions about how to find reality. These assumptions are belief systems.
 
Christianity is no more a belief system than philosophy itself (rationalism) or even science (empiricism). Science operates with the assumption that all reality must root in the physical world. However, if there is something beyond the physical (metaphysical) then that assumption falls to the ground as an incomplete system. Christianity operates on a belief system (presupposition). That premise is God has spoken to us in a revelation (the Bible). Since it is impossible to understand all reality because of the finite human mind, we cannot find truth by finite means. We must find truth by infinite means–the Word of God.
 
The Christian is isolated on the battlefield of life. We are on our own. No one else can live the Christian life for us. Our pastor cannot live that life for us. Our closest friends cannot do it. It is up to us. The believer must draw resources from the Word of God he has placed into his mind to counteract assaults upon his faith.
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Colossians 2:8

Published on July 18, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
 
We now come to a major transition in the book of Colossians. After setting forth what the Christian needs to combat evil forces against them, he now turns to a polemic against the enemy that was threatening the church.
 
"Beware lest anyone cheat you"
“Beware”–be on guard against an attack. The Devil’s booby-traps are everywhere. He has land mines in places where we would not suspect.
The word “cheat” means to carry off as a spoil of war, lead captive. False teachers can carry the Colossians off as so much booty. Satan is about to carry them off as a captive in a spiritual war to false philosophy-theology. This philosophy was about to take complete control (captive) of the Colossians by human wisdom (philosophy). False teaching wanted to kidnap the Colossians from the truth. Our colloquialisms for this are “Don’t get conned,” “Don’t get sucked in,” “Don’t let someone sell you a bill of goods.”
The Devil seeks to maneuver the believer into a predicament where God will not bless his life. He always tries to suck us into some deal or proposition. If he can neutralize us, we will be of no good to God. An inert Christian is a trophy for the Devil. The Devil wants to maneuver us into a demilitarized zone where there is no fighting. There we do not fight the enemy; neither do we fight for God. He does not always lure us into gross sin. If he can paralyze the power of the Christian life, he wins.
PRINCIPLE:
 
The Devil takes prisoners of Christians on a regular basis.
 
APPLICATION:
 
Satan’s strategy is to so stymie, so handicap the believer that he/she will never amount to anything for God. The only way to keep from being captured by the Devil is to use God’s system of warfare. If we operate by using the promises of God we will become a walking defense perimeter.
 
Many Christians try to sustain their Christian lives by external mechanisms. If they go to church or are faithful to their small group, they feel this will protect them from the Devil taking them captive. That is an illusion. No life of incubation will protect the Christian from evil. There is no way to protect ourselves from temptation. A young couple coming home from a date in a car must carry in their souls God’s viewpoint and the willingness to apply that viewpoint to their lives. Their line of defense comes from within.
God sustains the Christian life from within. Paul is in Rome. He is not holding the hands of the Colossians. He has cut their apron string of dependence upon his person. He is not in Colosse personally. They need to apply the promises of God for themselves. The first line of defense against any assault upon the Christian life is fellowship with God through the Word of God. If we do not use the “sword of the Spirit” (the Word of God) we will become a spiritual casualty in the war against Satan.
Are you spiritually self sustaining? We cannot live our spiritual lives in an incubator, therefore, we need the power of God’s Word to face temptation.
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Colossians 2:7d

Published on July 17, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith,as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
 
Having made three statements about how God strengthens the believer, he makes a statement about how the believer should respond to what God has done.
 
"abounding in it with thanksgiving"
As we grow in stability, we must be careful to give God the thanks. He is the one who made the provision.
Note the emphasis of thanksgiving in Colossians (1:12 ; 2:7 ; 3:15,17 ; 4:2). Mature and stable Christians recognize the work of God’s grace in their hearts.
Note the word “abounding.” The word “abounding” means overflow. It is one thing to give thanks; it is another to give thanks abundantly
Gratefulness is a distinguishing mark of the mature believer. Gratefulness comes from experiencing the three previous qualities of stability that God gives.
PRINCIPLE:
 
Thanksgiving is a manifestation of a mature believer who recognizes what God has done in his or her life.
 
APPLICATION:
 
The capacity of thanksgiving means that we do not grumble and complain about our station in life. We cannot both criticize and be thankful at the same time. We cannot have it both ways.
 
Someone robbed the great Bible commentator, Dr. Matthew Henry, as he walked along a highway. Afterwards he told his friends there were four things for which he gave thanks. First, he was grateful that he had never been robbed before. After many years of life this was the first time he had been robbed and for that he was grateful. Second, he said, “Though they took all my money, I am glad they did not get very much.” That was something for which to be thankful. Third, he said, “Though they took my money, they did not take my life, and I am grateful for that.” Finally, he suggested, “I am thankful that it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed.” There was a man who learned how to “overflow with thankfulness!”
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Colossians 2:7c

Published on July 16, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
 
The third statement about how God strengthens our faith is “established in the faith.
 
“and established in the faith
The word “established” means to make firm or make secure, to cause something to be known as certain–to confirm, verify. God is the cause of our certainty. God makes Christ known in such a way as to confirm its truth.
This word comes to mean increase in inner strength, with the result of greater firmness of character or attitude. It means to receive more inner strength, to be strengthened in one’s heart.
The adjective means stable, fast, firm. The New Testament uses it of confirming a word (Mark 16:20), proving the promises reliable (Romans 15:8), the testimony of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:6). Our salvation was confirmed or guaranteed to us by the apostles (Hebrews 2:3). Our hearts are confirmed by grace (Hebrews 13:9).
The saints will be confirmed by the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8) and by God the Father (2 Corinthians 1:21).
The word in this verse means to be made firm. God confirms us in the faith. That is, God makes us faithful disciples by strengthening us in Christ’s provisions. When we come to grasp who and what Jesus Christ is all about, God will establish us as faithful disciples.
as you have been taught
Teaching is the foundation for stability (Colossians 1:27-28, 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:7,3:2; 2 Timothy 2:2, 23-26). Teaching produces the three characteristics in the previous part of the verse. Their pastor was faithful in teaching them sound doctrine so that they can have spiritual stability.
PRINCIPLE:
 
We need a firm faith established by God in Christ.  
 
APPLICATION:
 
Our repose is upon Christ; we are as unshakable as our Lord. Faith in God’s provisions in Christ is the cement for the building of our faith. That kind of faith can withstand any gale that may come. A strong Christian can withstand the shock of an enemy assault. In this case the assault is the false teaching of the Gnostics. When we establish our footings in Christ, God gives us fixity. Our repose is upon Christ; we are unshakable as our Lord. His love for us never wavers or fails.Since it is God who strengthens our faith, we can face our problems with a new power. Is your faith growing strong in your home, neighborhood and work? God will strengthen our faith in these tests.
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Colossians 2:7b

Published on July 15, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
 
When we walk daily by the same kind of faith with which we came to know Christ(verse 6), our lives will strengthen in the faith. A walk with God establishes a sound faith. Verse seven gives the basis for our faith.
 
and built up in Him
The second statement about how God strengthens our faith is we are “built up in Him.” The words “built up” means to build a house upon a specific location with an emphasis on the process. This is the second synonym for strength. As we grow in Christ, God makes us more able (“built up”) to live the Christian life.
This is the metaphor of a building. Its foundations go far into the ground and sit on firm footings. A mature Christian has a solid foundation. The foundation is Jesus Christ. Well-built buildings can withstand great earthquakes. When the Christian faces storms and earth shattering adversity, he stands firm. Christ himself is the binding force for the building of a strong faith.
The tense of this verb is ongoing. The building process for the Christian is ongoing. A Christian must be build block by block until God erects an edification construct in his soul.
Jude 20 says that we build strength into our lives by what we believe, ”But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
In Acts 20:32 and in this verse it means to build strength into the Christian life, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The grace-oriented Word of God will build us into God’s design for us.
Acts 9:31 uses this word for churches, “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” God strengthens churches as well as individuals.
PRINCIPLE:
 
When the process of becoming strong in Christ reaches a point of stability, the Christian becomes mature.
 
APPLICATION:
 
Not only do Christians need to grow deep but we need to grow up as well. After a person comes to Christ there must be development and progress. We erect buildings brick by brick. It requires an architect, plans, materials and workers. This is the picture of a Christian who is in the process of growing up spiritually.
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Colossians 2:7

Published on July 14, 1996 in Colossians. 2 Comments
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“rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
 
Paul mixes his metaphors in this verse — the metaphor of a tree and a building. Both metaphors convey the idea of stability.
 
Three statements about how our faith strengthen us show the stability of life in Christ.
 
rooted
The first statement as to how faith strengthens us is we are “rooted in him.” The word “root” means to cause to take root. The Greek indicates that it is God who causes us to take root. The first metaphor of stability in our Christian walk is that our faith is rooted like a tree by God.
“Rooted” is an idiom for strength with a focus upon the source for strength. The Greek indicates that the Christian who is strong in faith is made to strike roots deep in the ground. As a tree roots itself in the ground God causes us to take root in Christ.
We cannot stabilize our lives in Christ until by faith we recognize that our root is in him. A tree’s roots go deep into the soil and draws its nourishment from the ground.
The tense of the word “rooted” means that we were rooted in the past with the result that we remain rooted in the faith. Root may refer to our reception of Christ as Savior. This metaphor may refer to the idea that Christ provided salvation eternally for us. Once we come to know him, we are rooted in him forever.
PRINCIPLE:
 
Our faith cannot strengthen until we root ourselves deep into the person and work of Christ.
APPLICATION:
 
There are ongoing results from sound teaching about Christ. Christ is nourishment to the growing, vital tree of Christian living. A Christian must have deep roots in Christ if he is to produce fruit. The mature Chrisian roots deep in Christ like a tree in the ground. He is the source of our life and strength. Stability comes from Christ.
 
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Colossians 2:6c

Published on July 13, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him“
 
The “as” refers to the point when we received Christ as our Savior. The “so” refers to continued trust in the ongoing principles of Scripture for our daily walk with God. Spiritual life begins with faith and it continues by faith.
 
“so walk in Him”
The point of this verse revolves around two monosyllables — “as” and “so.” The point of the “as…so” clause is comparison. The “as” refers to the point when we received Christ as our Savior (John 1:11,12). The “as” refers to the truth that we receive Jesus Christ’s death for our sin by faith. The “so” refers to continued trust in the ongoing principles of Scripture for our daily walk with God. Spiritual life begins with faith and it continues on faith. The comparison between becoming a Christian and continuing as a Christian is faith.
“Walk” means live. It means the whole round of activities of the individual life. The word “walk” comes from two words, “to walk” and “around,” “to walk around.” This word conveys the idea to live as a course of life. We are to live the entire course of the Christian life by faith. Conduct must accord with the truths of our faith.
As we have received him by faith when we became a Christian, so we need to walk day by day by faith. II Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” The Christian life rotates around faith. That is how it begins; that is how it continues. By faith God delivers us day by day from the power of sin.
Faith, not feeling, is the basis of victory. Some folk verify their walk with God by feeling. We are a Christian as much when we do not feel like a Christian as when we do feel like it. We live the Christian life by faith whether we feel like it or not. Our feelings have nothing to do with it. I am still married whether I feel like it or not!
The Exodus generation in the Old Testament failed to mix the promises with faith (Heb. 3:7-4:16). We cannot live the Christian life if we do not claim the promises by which we live it. If we do not know the promises, how can we claim them? The Exodus generation had a great future, a land flowing with milk and honey. For forty years they wandered in the desert of carnality because they did not apply enough of God’s Word to seize the future God promised them.
Principle:
We utilize the same faith by which we became a Christian to live daily before God.
Application:
A growing faith staves off retrogression. Feelings are fickle. They can lead us astray. Some people say, “I read the Bible and I do not feel anything.” When we read a letter from a loved one, some things we may feel and others we may not. Some components of the letter may state simple fact. Other aspects of the letter may involve emotion. That does not mean that the parts of the letter that contain emotion are the only valid part of the letter. When we read the Bible, at times we may feel something and other times we may not. Feelings are not the issue. When we read the Bible we read a communication from our Heavenly Father. We welcome (“received”) what he wants us to know.
As we appropriate the provisions of God by faith, God’s Word becomes a part of us. It is through our choices about the Word that the Word assimilates into our lifestyle. The Christian grows one day at a time.
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Colossians 2:6b

Published on July 12, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him"

 

Titles of the Lord Jesus are very informative.  They reveal nuances the author intends in a given context.  This is what we find in this verse.

Christ Jesus the Lord

The Greek says, "the Christ Jesus, the Lord."  Note the two definite articles.  This is the full title of our Lord. 

Note the title "Lord."  When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we get more than a Savior; we get a Lord.  When we married our wife, we did not say, "I take you as my partner in business."  No, we took her as our wife.  Partnership in business may involve an aspect of marriage.  When we receive Christ, we get more than that for which we bargained.  We did not know much about our salvation when we began a Christ, but we need to find out that he is Lord as soon as possible. 

He is Lord (II Cor. 4:5).  That makes us a slave.  We need to learn that we are no longer our own.  Our Savior and Lord bought, ransomed and redeemed us. 

PRINCIPLE:  Jesus Christ is more than a Savior; he is our Lord.

APPLICATION: We need to recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives.  That recognition will change how we live.  Simple volition cannot execute the Christian life.  When we lose consciousness of willing to do something, we sin and fail.  Therefore, it is not will itself that delivers us, it is the object of our will that makes the difference, the Word of God that reveals Jesus the Lord. 

Is the Lord Jesus Christ the object of our choices?  If we appropriate the person and work of Christ to our lives by many choices, the sovereign Lord will strengthen us to execute the Christian life.  When we recognize the sovereign Lord as Lord, God will enable us to live the kind of life he wants for us.

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