As Christ followers we must stay focused on Christ, the Real Christ, the Christ of God’s Word, the One True and Living Way.
“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Colossians 2:8 NLT)
I am currently teaching a Valley Fellowship Christian Academy (VFCA) high school Bible class – New Testament Survey (NTS). As we continued our review of the Book of Colossians today in class, I was struck by how old heresies (false teachings) seem to return time and again. Paul was certainly concerned that the believers to which he wrote not fall prey to the enemy’s deception. Paul does not provide a formal definition of the false teaching to which he addresses much of the Book of Colossians, but we have some idea about the nature of the “Colossian Heresy.”
Robert Gundry, the author of our VFCA NTS textbook highlights aspects of the Colossian heresy.
The heresy:
- Diminishes the person of Christ, so that Paul stresses the preeminence of Christ (1:15–19)
- Emphasizes human philosophy, that is, human speculations divorced from divine revelation (2:8)
- Contains elements of Judaism, such as circumcision (2:11; 3:11), rabbinic tradition (2:8), dietary regulations and Sabbath and festival observances (2:16)
- Includes the worship of angels as intermediaries keeping the highest God (pure Spirit) unsullied through contact with the physical universe (a pagan feature, since although orthodox Jews have constructed a hierarchy of angels, they do not worship them or regard the materiality of the universe as evil [2:18])
- Flaunts an exclusivist air of secrecy and superiority, against which Paul stresses the all-inclusiveness and publicity of the gospel (1:20, 23, 28; 3:11).
The Colossian heresy, then, blends together Jewish legalism, Greek philosophic speculation, and oriental mysticism. (A Survey of the New Testament, 4th edition, pp.419-419)
I encourage you to read the first half of Colossians and let God’s Word sink into your spirit.
“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2 NASB)
After refocusing your thoughts on Christ, you might want to consider how heresy tries to creep into United States culture. For example, the new movie “Noah” is definitely not about the Noah of which the Book of Genesis expounds. I don’t know a lot about Dr. Brian Mattson, but his critique of “Noah” should open some eyes. Check out his journal post from yesterday titled “Sympathy For The Devil”.
