The Book of Colossians Pt. 28 Reject Any Who Add Something To Christ's Work.

The apostle Paul has gone to great lengths to help the believers at Colosse (and us, too) see the spiritual realities of our salvation and being in Christ.

He put all the glories and majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ on display for all of us to see and rejoice in. 

In Christ we received full deliverance from our sins and full forgiveness from the Father. We received full pardon and full atonement. We received a new heart, a new spirit and a new life to live. We received full adoption into the family of God and a brand new heavenly destination. 

Various people tried to add things to the work of Jesus Christ. Judaizers insisted that Gentiles must be circumcised and then they could be saved. 

They also demanded that Gentiles keep the sabbath day instead of the Lord's Day on Sunday. 

They said that Gentiles must refrain from eating certain things and that they must observe the Old Testament feasts. All of these things were in addition to Christ. 

Gnostics said that you must acquire secret knowledge that only they could give, in order to reach spiritual maturity. They too, added to the work of Christ.

Paul took on the heretics in order to strengthen the Colossians and ensure that spiritual error was exposed and confronted. Now the apostle is going to get into the specifics of false teachers at Colosse. 

Reject those who add something to faith in Christ. 

Colossians 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 

First, Paul made sure that the Christians understood that their liberty in Christ meant that they were no longer striving to gain God's favor by law keeping. 

Much of the ceremonies in the law of Moses consisted in the distinction of meats and days. It appears by Romans 14 that there were those who were for keeping up those distinctions: but here the apostle shows that since Christ has come, and has cancelled the ceremonial law, we ought not to keep it up. 

Eating meats offered to idols does not affect our standing with God.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6  As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. 5)  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6)  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. 

In the early church people did not have access to supermarkets and grocery stores like we take for granted today. Therefore, they went to the agora (marketplace) and often bought left over meat offered to idols. 

Believers who grew in their faith understood that idols were nothing, only the mere creations of men's imagination. Believers knew who the One, True, Living God of heaven was. 

Not all believers have this knowledge in them, and may be defiled.

1 Corinthians 8:7  Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 

However, mature believers who had this knowledge of God were often around believers who did not know that idols were nothing. Some new believers used to be idolaters before receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

When those saved from idolatry saw a mature believer eat meat that they knew came from a feast to an idol, this created crisis in their conscience. 

The Christian saved from idolatry may have harshly judged his brother for eating meat offered to idols. If he ate some of that meat, he may have felt defiled and that he had sinned against God. 

Let love for a weaker brother dictate our choices. 

1 Corinthians 8:8,9  But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse. 9)  But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.  

If they ate meat, that was fine and if they chose not to eat meat, that also was fine. Eating meat does not make us any more acceptable to God, nor does refraining from eating meat have any impact on our standing with God. It simply does not matter whether we eat meat or not. 

However, our Christian duty is that if our choice to eat meat causes a weaker brother or sister to stumble, then we must not allow our liberty to eat meat become an obstacle to their faith in Christ.

Judaizers sought to impose the law on Gentiles. 

Galatians 4:8-11  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 9)  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 10) Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11)  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.  

Paul confronted Judaizers who worked to overthrow the gospel of grace in the province of Galatian. He reminded the Gentiles that before Christ saved them, they used to be idolaters. 

After receiving Jesus Christ, why would they turn again to the dregs of idolatry? 

Those who were told to follow the Judaizers, Paul asked why would they try to be law keepers after finding out that Christ saved them from the condemnation of the law? 

Paul pictured their actions as going back into bondage or slavery that Christ freed them from.

The Law pointed to Christ and was fulfilled by Christ. 

Colossians 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Since Jesus Christ came, and cancelled the ceremonial law, we should not continue trying to observe it. In essence Paul said “Let no man impose those things upon you, for God has not imposed them. If Christ has made you free, don't become entangled in that yoke of bondage.” 

Why did Paul insist that the Judaizers be rejected? Because all of the ceremonial law containing commandments, mandatory feasts, purification regulations, observance of holy days and so on, came to an end. 

How so? All the parts of the law were shadows that point toward the works and Person of Jesus Christ. They were all perfectly and completely fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Therefore, there is no need for us to try to keep something that Jesus already fulfilled for us. 

Some false teachers promoted angel worship.

Colossians 2:18   Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 

Next, Paul turned his attention to a group of false teachers who promoted angel worship. They may have been aligned with the Gnostics who believed that the spiritual realm was pure and would have been amenable to worship of angels. 

He cautioned them to beware of those who introduced the worship of angels as mediators between God and them, as the Gnostics did. 

The words "beguile you of your reward" mean to be defrauded of your reward or prize. The Colossians would suffer if they allowed any false teacher to draw them away from Christ.  

It may have seemed to indicate humility by making use of the mediation of angels for we are unworthy of all that God in love, gives to us in Christ. 

However, this refers to a voluntary subjection of believers to angels as intermediaries that God did not command. Those who promoted this practice put honor upon angels that rightly belonged to Jesus Christ. 

Gnostics and philosophers claimed to have special spiritual insights and secret knowledge of God. Secret knowledge was the basis for promoting angel worship. 

Paul ripped off the mask of deceit and makes it clear that those people were intruding into things they have never seen. The word "intruding" means making a hostile incursion while attempting to scrutinize something minutely. 

Like most heresies and false teachers, promoting secret knowledge and angel worship, is the product of a mind that is full of vain thoughts and self conceit. Wicked imaginations spawn godless speculation. 

They pretended to describe the order of angels, and their respective ministries, which God has hidden from us. Though they advanced angel worship as a show of humility, they really did it to feed their pride. 

They wanted to be thought wiser than other people. Pride is at the bottom of a great many errors and corruptions.

False teachers are not connected to Christ and fall into error.

Colossians 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. 

How do false teachers and heretics devise false teaching and ungodly ideas? It is because they are not connected to Jesus Christ, the Head of the church. 

Jesus holds the church, His body, together. He nourishes us, ministers to us and knits us together as a living organism.

Thoughts to Ponder...

There are some simple lessons that we can take away from this post.

First, reject any teacher or pastor or religious system that adds anything to the work and Person of Jesus Christ.

Second, mature believers should not let their liberty in Christ become something that makes a new Christian to have a defiled conscience.

Third, reject any teacher, pastor or religious system that says there is another mediator between God and man, instead of Jesus Christ.

Fourth, keep reading, meditating on, thinking about and memorizing scripture. This is our great defense against false teaching.

Bob