COLOSSIANS 2:8-15 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) JULY 5, 2017

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1 BEHIND THE BOOK Connecting to the Bible (Observation) COLOSSIANS 2:8-15 (READ VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS) JULY 5, 2017 Be Complete by Warren Wiersbe (my 3-point preaching outline comes from this book) The Complete Christian by Matthias Media Colossians by John MacArthur (MacArthur series of commentaries) Colossians by Peter O Brien (Word Biblical Commentary) Colossians by Douglas Moo (Pillar New Testament Commentary Series) Colossians by FF. Bruce (New International Commentary on the New Testament) Colossians by David E. Garland (The NIV Application Commentary) The Message of Colossians by John Stott (The Bible Speaks Today Commentary Series) Philosophy = GR / phileo = to love & sophia = wisdom. Philosophy is the love (and pursuit) of wisdom. Because every human being possesses a worldview a way of looking at the world (materialism, spiritualism, Democrat, Independent, Republican, Palestinian, Israeli), everyone has a philosophy of the world, even though the majority of people don t specialize in the academic discipline of philosophy. The Greek philosopher, Thales, a contemporary of Jeremiah, is generally regarded as the first academic philosopher. Humanity cannot begin with itself and arrive at ultimate reality. Humanity is finite and fallen. Whatever we discover in our search for ultimate reality will be determined by that finiteness and fallenness, most often, a reflection of our own desires. Instead, the apostle Paul claims that ultimate reality is beyond our senses and independent knowing. 1 Corinthians 2:9 - What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him 1

2 Ultimate realty can only be revealed, not discovered. 1 Corinthians 2:10 - these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit ILL Nietzsche is the father of the God is dead movement. But For Nietzsche to be consistent, he needed to become his own superman, but his views were overwhelming even for himself. In the impossibility of this situation, he wrote Alas, grant me madness. Sadly, his prayer was answered. In 1889, at the age of 44, Friederich Nietzsche endured the complete loss of his mental faculties and remained in the care of his mother, then sister, until his death. Romans 1: For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, Colossae has its own philosophers and Paul responded to them in 2:8-23. This false teaching was comprised of a) Philosophy 2:8-15 b) Legalism 2:16-17 c) Mysticism 2:18-19 d) Asceticism 2:20-23 Rather than naming and combatting the various heresies that effected the Colossian church, Paul exalted Christ as the answer to any and all false teaching. 2:3-4 - in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 2: See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits [a] of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. First: The Deficiency of Philosophy 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. Galatians 5:1 - For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. See to it = blepo = present, imperative (continual command). Acts 20: I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to 2

3 draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. that no one takes you captive takes you captive = sulagogeo = sule = booty ago = to carry off It means to kidnap or to carry off as booty, or spoils of war 2 Timothy 3:6 - For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions One of the primary duties of church leaders is to guard the flock against false doctrine and teachers who attempt to kidnap church members Acts 20: Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. by philosophy and empty deceit Philosophia appears only here in the NT. apates = deception = a fraud, a deceit or a trick human tradition = paradosis that which is given from one to another. Most philosophers have built on the work of previous philosophes, either to refine their system, or to refute it. Mark 7:5 - And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands? Mark 7:8-9 - You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men. 9 And he said to them, You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! 3

4 1 Peter 1: you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. according to the elemental spirits = stoicheia = letters of the alphabet. It literally means things in a row. The idea is that elemental spirits are infantile teachings of an immature religion, based not on advanced thinking and wisdom but on silly and childish thoughts (JM). 1 Corinthians 1: For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach [a] to save those who believe. Second: The Sufficiency of Christ 2:9-10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. Pleroma = fullness Katoikeo = dwells = to settle down and be at home / present tense = Deity continually abides in Christ 10b - who is the head of all rule and authority = Jesus is not one of a series of lesser beings emanating from God. He is God himself. The practical application of God being who he is is that we 10a - have been filled in him / are complete in him. Pepleromenoi = a form of the verb pleroo. Christ is the pleroma of God. It is, again, in the present tense. We are eternally filled with Christ. At salvation, Christians become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness 4

5 Third: The Complete(d) Salvation In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. Every Jewish boy was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (Lev 12:2-3). It was the sign that he belonged to the convent community (Gen 17:10-14). But circumcision never saved. Romans 4: Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12 and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. In Genesis 15:6, it is recorded that the Lord credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. This was before Ishmael was born. Then when Abraham, his whole household and Ishmael were circumcised, Ishmael was thirteen years old according to Genesis 17:25. So Abraham was counted righteous at least thirteen years before his circumcision. We have been circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands.by the circumcision of Christ. It is a spiritual, not a physical circumcision. Philippians 3:3 - For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God [b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh Baptism is also useless for our salvation. Just like circumcision was a sign of Abraham s faith, so baptism is a sign/symbol of our faith in Christ V 12 - having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. the powerful working of God = energia = God s active power. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Romans 10:9 - if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 5

6 Fourth: the Complete(d) Forgiveness And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. In verses Paul emphasized that salvation is complete apart from any religious ritual. In these verses, he emphasizes a complete salvation apart from any human work. The Colossians could not have contributed to their salvation because they were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of flesh To be spiritually dead means to be devoid of any sense, unable to respond to spiritual stimuli, just as to be physically dead means to be unable to respond to physical stimuli. These Gentiles were also uncircumcised. Ephesians 2: Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Our only hope is that God made [us] alive together with him He did this by: a) Having forgiven us all our trespasses b) By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands canceling = exaleipho = in the past tense / to wipe off, like erasing a blackboard. He did this by: c) Nailing it to the cross V 15 - He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. disarmed = stripping The imagery here is like that of a triumphant Roman general, parading his defeated captives through the streets of Rome. Christ s victory on the cross halted the demons in their attempts to stop his redemptive work and stripped Satan of his powers. 6

7 Hebrews 2: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Conclusion: No wonder Paul exclaimed, Galatians 6: But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Small Group Questions: 1 Why is impossible for humanity to define itself? We are finite and fallen. We can t reason our way to infinity. Any reasoning is tainted by our fallenness. 2 Why is see to it in verse 8 in the present tense? 3 What imagery does Paul employ for being taken captive? 4 In verse 9, what verb does Paul use to describe God s fullness? 5 What does Paul mean by saying that Jesus is the head of all rule and authority? 6 Was Abraham justified by faith before or after his circumcision? What does this tell us about circumcision? 7 How did God forgive us? By cancelling our debt. 8 How did God cancel our debt? By nailing it to the cross. 9 What does this mean? It means the debt was only cancelled because it was paid in full by Jesus on the cross. 10 What did the cross do in connection with Satan? Behind the Book is only one aspect of Heritage s teaching ministry which seeks to employ our church s mission statement: Connecting to God, Growing with Others and Impacting the world: (CGI - a Christ-generated image ). 7

8 On Wednesday evenings, we connect to Sunday morning s Bible passage and discover what it says through in-depth Bible study. Sunday morning in corporate worship (9:30am) we grow from the passage by learning what it means for our daily living. In Community Groups (10:45am) we practically apply the text, being impacted by it and learning to impact the world with it. CGI provides a balanced approach to life and Bible study; an upward look (Connect), an inward look (Grow) and an outward look (Impact) ensuring that our mission fulfils our vision to be a God-centered, Great Commission congregation. It s a well-known and beneficial way to approach the Bible Connect/Observation, Grow/Interpretation, Impact/Application. This approach to Scripture also reminds us about who our God is and how he is unique among all the religions of the world as we Connect to the Father, Grow in Christ and are impacted and impact the world by the Spirit. 8