COLOSSIANS 2:1

The Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostle Paul, and the Bible says in Colossians 2:1, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.” Paul said that he had a “conflict” for these Christians that he had not seen. The word that is translated “conflict” often refers to a mental anguish or agony. How unloving we are today compared to the Apostle Paul. We do not even love other Christians like that whom we do see. Paul’s “conflict” for them probably referred to his prayers for them. Prayer changes things. It says in James 1:16, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Paul expresses what his conflict for these believers was. He wrote in Colossians 2:2-3, “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The word that is translated “comforted” is the same word that Jesus used of the Holy Spirit when Jesus said that the Comforter would be sent to be with Christians. “To comfort” means to be called alongside of someone as a companion and a helper. Notice that the one thing that will cause Christians to be comforted by each other is “love.” Yes, we need to have pure doctrine. But even if we all have the purest doctrine, without love for each other we are nothing. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, that ye have love one for another.” The Bible says in First John 2:10-11, “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

It is interesting that Paul mentions love among Christians first and then mentions what these Christians understand about God secondly. In these last days many people are studying and learning, but they have failed to love one another as Jesus commanded. Many people are studying and learning things from the Bible. But are they learning what Paul said they need to be learning: “all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” I read recently where someone wrote, “The mystery of God is Christ.” That is a very inaccurate statement. Colossians 1:27 stated clearly that the mystery of God is “Christ in you.” Christ was not a mystery in the Old Testament. Christ was not a mystery in the ages past. The word “Christ” means Messiah. The people of God have always known that the Messiah would come to deliver them. The Messiah was promised as far back as the Garden of Eden when God said to Satan in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The seed of the woman, the Messiah (the Christ) will one day bruise the head of Satan: that is, bring a final and fatal blow to Satan. Many things were revealed about Christ in the Old Testament. So Christ was never a mystery. But “Christ in you” was a mystery in the Old Testament. The Old Testament did not reveal that Christ would come into each individual believer in a personal way. And the Old Testament did not reveal that the true worship of God would involve a close personal relationship between the Messiah and the believer. Jesus Christ said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Colossians 2:2-3 mentions how valuable it is to understand the mystery of God. The words “riches” and “treasure” are used. Jesus said, “Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.” Do you treasure the knowledge of the mystery? Colossians 2:2 also tells us the source of “full assurance.” It is amazing how many people claim to know Christ as Savior and yet who have no assurance. Do you have assurance that the Lord is your personal Savior and that you will go to heaven when you die? What you need is “full assurance.” This assurance is tied closely to understanding and knowledge. It is called in Colossians 2:2 “the full assurance of understanding.” If you have had a true salvation experience, and if you understand Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the cross of Calvary; then you will have full assurance. You will also have the opportunity to delve into “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Once you have learned sound doctrine and have started enjoying the blessings of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, there are still certain dangers that you must confront. There is the danger of false doctrine. It says in Colossians 2:4, “And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.” The phrase that is translated “enticing words” refers to words that are designed to persuade. Many false teachers are brilliant individuals: masters with words who choose their words carefully in order to persuade. And they persuade many. There are many who believe things that they ought not to believe simply because they heard those things from someone who knew how to use “enticing words.”

In the next three verses we are told several important things concerning how to avoid being led off into false doctrine. Colossians 2:5-7 says, “For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” These Christians in Colosse already had a certain stability. Paul spoke of their “order” and “steadfastness” of faith. But any man that thinks that he stands, should take heed lest he fall. They still had the potential to fall, just like all of us do. Even the Apostle Paul said about himself in First Corinthians 9:27, “But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Even though you already have a steadfastness of faith, you still need to be “rooted and built up” in Christ, and you need to be “stablished in the faith” even more. There have been Christians who have fallen away. There have been Christians who started well, but who did not finish the course. Why did this happen? One reason that it happened is that they stopped establishing themselves in the faith with sound teachings from the Word. If you neglect the Word and the teachings of the Word, your faith will grow weak and falter. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

In order to avoid being deceived by false teachers believers are told in Colossians 2:6, “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” When a person is first saved, that person “receives” Christ. At the moment of initial belief in Christ, Jesus is accepted. Jesus is received. Jesus is trusted in and believed on. At that initial moment of salvation, a believer is submissive to Christ. At that moment of salvation a believer has turned from sin and turned to Christ. A new believer loves Jesus, is centered on Jesus, and is willing to do anything for Jesus. A new believer knows that he is totally dependent upon Jesus Christ. He calls Jesus “Lord.” The way to keep from being led astray by a false teacher is to keep the same attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ that you had when you were first saved.

Some people fall away from Christ because they start realizing how much they have failed Jesus, how weak they are, and how much they have sinned recently. You were a great sinner when you first trusted Christ. What makes you think that anything will be different now? You are still no great person. You are still totally dependent upon His mercy and forgiveness. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.” Rely on His mercy every day the way that you did when you were first saved.

The last phrase of Colossians 2:7 says that we should be abounding “with thanksgiving.” In order to live by faith and walk with Jesus and avoid false doctrine we need to always be thankful. “In all things give thanks.” It says in Psalms 100:1-5, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Another warning is given in Colossians 2:8 about false ideas coming into the mind of a believer. It says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” The word that is translated “spoil” means literally “to carry captive.” Human beings are taken captive by words. These words have to do with “philosophy and vain deceit.” Not only do people become deceived, but they become deceived with “vain deceit.” The word “vain” means to be empty and of no value. The word “philosophy” means “the love of knowledge.” False doctrines are framed in such a way to be very interesting to the carnal human mind. The pride of man causes man to love thinking of himself as being wise and knowledgeable. The devil used this impulse in human nature to tempt Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Bible says in Genesis 3:4-5, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Some people are deceived by words. Other people are deceived “by the tradition of men.” The “tradition of men” is an interesting phrase. The word “tradition” means literally “a giving over” or “a transmission.” It refers to teachings that are transmitted to you by word or by writing or by some other means. Of course, the problem here is that we are referring to the traditions “of men.” Religious teachings either come from God or they come from men. If the teachings have their source in men, then they are false teachings. Jesus spoke against the “tradition of men.” Jesus said in Mark 7:7-9, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”

Colossians 2:8 says that Christians can be carried away from following Christ by the “rudiments of the world.” This phrase refers to the fundamental principles of the world’s humanistic system. This worldly system is centered on man instead of God. This worldly system emphasizes the short-term things of this life instead of eternity. This worldly system emphasizes pleasure, materialism, and self-interest instead of serving God. This worldly system accepts all kinds of sins and has no place for the holiness of God. It says in First John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

There are many things that can “spoil” a Christian. There is one important thing that will keep a Christian on the narrow way: to stay centered on Christ. Notice that the last phrase of Colossians 2:8 says, “and not after Christ.” We cannot overstate the importance for a Christian to think about Jesus Christ, to bow before Jesus Christ, to pray to Jesus, to love Jesus, and to be centered on Jesus in all things. A lack of a proper emphasis on Christ is a failure to follow Christ. The biggest failure of the Moslem religion is that it does not give the proper place to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All false religion makes that mistake. Some so-called Christian organizations make the same mistake when they talk about the Father without giving Jesus the proper place of preeminence, and that place of preeminence goes beyond the doctrinal statement. If you do not have the proper emphasis on the Lord Jesus Christ in all that you say, do, and think; then something terrible has happened to you. You have not been watchful enough of your own heart and mind. You have not obeyed Colossians 2:8. It says, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

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