Beware of False Teachings!

Transcription

1 Colossians Lesson 1 Commentary Beware of False Teachings! Colossians is a book written with a specific purpose to correct errors in thinking which were infiltrating the church and threatening to weaken or destroy the faith of the believers in the church at Colossae. Paul wrote this letter of encouragement and exhortation when Epaphras brought him disturbing news about the danger that faced the Colossian church. The exact nature of the false teaching remains a matter of speculation, for Paul chose to fight the specific error by emphasizing the universal truths of Christianity. Thus the book is particularly well-suited for ministry to believers during any period of church history when error is seeping insidiously into the church through the thinking or teaching of pastors, teachers, or even well-meaning lay men and women. THINK ABOUT how, even though Paul s method of combating error leaves the identification of the error addressed a matter of conjecture, it is an effective method well worth emulating. He believed the best defense was a good offense. Might you and I be more effective in our efforts to contend for the faith (Jude 3) if we concentrated on eliminating the negative by accentuating the positive? Perhaps Colossians will provide sufficient truth to enable us to do that. Why not approach the book with that goal in mind? I. Background A City in Decline The little city of Colossae was on its way to becoming a ghost town when Paul wrote the letter we know as Colossians to a young church there. Not many years before, Colossae had been a thriving center of commerce. Present-day southcentral Turkey had been dominated by the power and influence of Colossae, which was the hub of the weaving and textile industry in the Lycus Valley. The wool from the region was prized for its fine quality. But at the time of Paul s writing, Laodicea and Hierapolis were leaving Colossae in the commercial dust. A massive earthquake had devastated the entire area around AD The other two cities were quickly rebuilt, but Colossae never recovered. Its former glory and power were gone permanently. This situation would have had an enormous impact on the citizens of Colossae. Economic disasters tend to change a people s outlook on life and their view of the future. Religious truths are often questioned, and many people will swing between cynicism and fatalism in an attempt to deal with the unknown, insecure future Community Bible Study

2 2 COLOSSIANS LESSON 1 COMMENTARY Compare Colossae with any major city in America; the problems they have in common are obvious: economic uncertainty, high unemployment, rising international competition, the burden of heavy taxation. Into such a setting came the message of hope about the Lord Jesus Christ from Paul the apostle. A Culture at Crossroads For over 200 years, there had been a large Jewish population in Colossae. The commercial opportunities had attracted many who sought to escape the depressed economy that was left in the wake of the Maccabean wars in Israel. As the Jews settled in the new land, they took on many of the customs and attitudes of the Gentiles among whom they lived. Their reputation throughout the Jewish world was smudged, because they had compromised with Hellenistic thought. These transplanted Jews left behind much of the tradition that gave definition to life in Israel when they moved to Colossae in search of the good life. THINK ABOUT how today many people who move to large cities in search of the good life find it easy to leave their religious and moral traditions on the farm or in the little country church where they were raised. They are much more open to godless thought and its corresponding moral compromises in the life of the big city than they ever would have been back home. Far from the constraints of extended family and small community, too many people begin to take baby steps away from God. The same psychology can influence people as they move from one large city to another, leaving home and home church behind, as they climb the corporate ladder to success. These baby steps can quickly become giant leaps that lead to big trouble. Ours is a transient society we too often feel rootless. Particularly if you have moved recently, do a little introspective checkup to see if that move has brought you closer to God. Or are you walking in the wrong direction? Paganism flourished in the warm climate of Colossae. The area was known for its participation in the various Greek mystery religions with their bizarre and immoral practices. Gnosticism, which would not emerge as a well-defined religious system for another 100 years, was well on its way to capturing the minds of the Colossians. All of this was already having a profound effect upon the early church in Colossae. The deterioration of their belief system was producing degeneration of lifestyle. THINK ABOUT how what we believe does affect what we do. No one acts out of a vacuum. Although we are not always conscious of the reasons behind our actions, they certainly rise out of our convictions. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7, KJV).

3 COMMENTARY COLOSSIANS LESSON 1 3 The Gnostics would later teach that physical matter was evil and spirit was good, which necessitated a belief that God had no direct involvement in creating this wicked world. If you believe that matter is evil and in direct conflict with the spirit, the natural result is either to practice ascetic denial of natural physical desires or wanton indulgence of them. But there is an even greater theological significance of the divorce of matter and spirit: flesh and spirit could not be combined in Jesus, the unique God/man; it would be impossible for such a man to be the Savior, for he would himself have flesh and thus a sinful nature. So the Gnostics taught that Jesus was a distant cousin of God, by no means equal to God. In order to protect God s reputation from being tainted by the presence of evil in the world, Gnostics taught that Jesus became divine at His baptism, and then the nature of God left Him at His crucifixion when He cried out, It is finished. All these special insights into religious truth were given to the special few who were the knowing ones hence the name Gnostics, from the Greek word gnosis, to know. Christianity in Colossae was at a crossroads. They faced two clear options: to follow nascent Gnosticism with its belief in a distant, disinterested deity to follow Christianity, which offered a relationship with a personal, loving God who was intimately involved with His creation and His people The book of Colossians forms Paul s most eloquent statement concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is introduced as the fullness of the Godhead in physical form. It is impossible to conceive of a clearer statement as to the equality of Jesus with God the Father or of the uniqueness of Jesus as the Son of God, who was truly God and truly man and yet absolutely without sin! A Church in Crisis It seems likely that Epaphras was serving as pastor of the Colossian church when the pressures of Judaic legalism and pagan mysticism prompted him to appeal to the apostle Paul for guidance and help. Epaphras had grave concerns for the church s spiritual health. There were the super Christians, whose rules and ceremonies distinguished them as a cut above the common people; and then there were the contemporary Christians, who incorporated astrology, horoscopes, and angel worship into their faith. If these were not enough for a struggling church to deal with, there were the enlightened Christians, who felt they had some special knowledge because of a mystical experience they claimed to have had. All this left the rest of the church members as frustrated Christians, who were probably wondering if it might be time to reevaluate their commitment to Christ.

4 4 COLOSSIANS LESSON 1 COMMENTARY On many town squares in New England, the steeples of the churches facing each other across the park graphically illustrate this ancient conflict. The steeples tell the story of what the people believe. One is topped by a cross, the other by a weathervane divine truth found in Jesus Christ versus human philosophy and the changing winds of reason. The message from God contained in the book of Colossians was needed in Colossae in the 1 st century, and it is needed in our country in this century. II. Date of Writing There is some question as to the exact date and place from which Paul wrote Colossians. The traditional view holds that the letter was written during Paul s house arrest in Rome while he waited for his case to come before the Emperor (Acts 28). This would place the time of writing between ad A second view dates the book between ad and presents a case for being written from Ephesus. This view is based on the fact that it would have been easy and natural for Epaphras to travel the 80 miles between Colossae and Ephesus to enlist Paul s help. Paul had ministered in the area for over two years and may well have sent Epaphras to start the church in Colossae. He would have had a special interest in its health. Furthermore, the destruction of Colossae in the earthquake is not mentioned in Colossians, or in Philemon, which is a companion book written to a leading member of the Colossian church. It seems unlikely that such devastation and the ensuing suffering would have gone without comment or words of concern or comfort and encouragement from the apostle. Along the same line, it would have been natural for Onesimus, the runaway slave mentioned in Philemon, to flee to the big city of Ephesus. It is unlikely that he would have traveled the 1,200 miles to Rome as a slave without money or papers. The final note worth considering is the plan which Paul makes known to Philemon to come for a visit soon, which would not have been possible if Paul were under house arrest in Rome. However, in chapter 4, Paul refers to being in chains (Colossians 4:3, 18) and also to fellow prisoners (Colossians 4:10). Whichever view on dating the book one takes, it is evident that Paul loved these believers and wrote this letter to gently encourage them to stand firm in their belief that Christ Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God! III. The Author Paul is the primary author of Colossians, though he credits Timothy as co-author. Paul introduces himself simply as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Students familiar with the Bible will quickly fill in the blanks. His was an incredible intellect; his contribution to the New Testament writing towers above that of the other authors. He wrote 13 of the 27 New Testament books; some scholars credit him with authoring Hebrews, and thus 14 books.

5 COMMENTARY COLOSSIANS LESSON 1 5 But Paul had more than the mind of a great theologian; he had the heart of a great pastor. Furthermore, his background combined the three great racial and cultural groups of his day: born of Jewish parents and trained under the respected rabbi Gamaliel a Roman citizen from birth by inheritance from his father born in Tarsus, a center of Greek culture and home of one of only three great universities of the period Paul was a man uniquely qualified and sovereignly chosen by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Timothy was his son in the faith and often traveled and ministered with him. Together they produced a book which exhorts believers to stand firm in their faith, to live lives that are worthy of the Lord, and to please Him in every way (Colossians 1:10). Why should we do that? For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves (Colossians 1:13).

6 6 COLOSSIANS LESSON 1 COMMENTARY PERSONALIZE this lesson. There is little in life to compare with the great joy and excitement experienced at the birth of a baby. Showers, letters, and phone calls of congratulations, visits from friends and family, advice from everyone, and a father who may even hate the smell of smoke, passing out cigars to total strangers. Such joy the birth of a baby brings! But there is a great deal of pain in the heart of a parent whose child fails to realize his or her potential or chooses to rebel against the authority of God or man and refuses to come to maturity. Those who love that child are left with unfulfilled hopes and dreams, as well. When a person is born into God s family by faith in Jesus Christ, heaven is filled with joy unspeakable. That new child of God is filled with potential for greatness. But what a tragedy when that believer fails to grow and mature! What a great sadness such a child brings to the heart of the Father in heaven. The apostle Paul had been instrumental in founding the young church at Colossae six years earlier. It was his concern for the Christian babies of the ancient town of Colossae that prompted him to write the letter we are studying. His concern is seen in the key verses of the book: Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7). John Wooden, the great former college basketball coach of UCLA, used to tell his players: Success is becoming the very best that you can become. Pray that this book of Colossians will help us achieve that kind of success. May our study in this book, which is truly one of the great treasures of the church, cause us to grow into maturity and give joy to our heavenly Father as we become all that we can be in and for Him! May it help us to know the person of Christ so that we can better tell others about Him! Review: Beware of False Teachings! 1. From the Commentary or teaching time, what new information or insight did you get about the book of Colossians? 2. What stimulated you to apply/act on something you heard or read?