Jump Start # 129

Colossians 2:18 “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.”

  Paul is concerned about what is happening to the Colossians. They were being influenced. They were being led away from the message of Christ. It is thought by many scholars that Paul has in mind the early stages of the Gnostic doctrines. That doesn’t mean much to us today, but it was huge in the early days of Christianity. The Gnostics were philosophers that believed knowledge was a secret passage way to new mysteries. The Greek word for knowledge is very similar to the word “Gnostic.” Some of these became connected with the Christians. In their later teachings, especially as John deals with them in 1 John, they claimed that the body was evil. God being all pure could never be in human flesh. This led to two radical conclusions: first, Jesus was not the son of God; secondly; what a person did in the body did not affect the soul. You find Paul and John dealing with those things throughout their writings.

  Here, the Gnostics claimed to have seen visions. They are encouraging worshipping angels. They are abusing the physical body (thinking it was evil). Some of the Gnostics would later become the Monastic’s—those who built monasteries and removed themselves from everyone else and the world. They lived in bird cages, and defiled the body, thinking that was pleasing to God.

  These Gnostics are wrong. God alone is to be worshipped. Jesus said that to Satan in the wilderness temptations. We are not to worship apostles, preachers, angels, Mary or any one or any thing other than God alone. The ten commandments emphasized that strongly.

  What I want us to see are Paul’s strong words here, “Let no keep defrauding you…” The Colossians had responsibility here. Who were they listening to? Who were they letting into their heart?  It is God that we cling to. Any message, from any person that takes us from God must be rejected. The noble Bereans searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things they heard were true (Acts 17:11). We must do the same.

  Well intentioned, but misguided people have caused many to give up what they believe. Some will take the voice of a preacher without any thought or consideration. Paul said, “Let no one…” How does a person keep that from happening?

  First, by realizing God’s word is true and consistent and does not contain errors or contradictions. It was the word that was preached everywhere. Secondly, when someone says something contrary to Scriptures, demand proof. Who says so? God has said all that He is going to say (2 Pet 1:3). Many will claim, “God said…” when in reality “they said, not God.” Thirdly, if it is not in the Bible, refuse it. Don’t be a part of it. Walk away, better yet, run away from that. Finally, keep yourself engaged, engrossed, and committed to the word of God. You have responsibility for knowing the message and the will of God. Look at it. Read it. Know it. Follow it. Teach it. And above all, don’t move from it.

Roger