The Danger Of Heresy

INTRO

Paul began to talk in Colossians 3 about the practical applications of the doctrine he presented in chapter 2. For us, that is a big part of why we are doing this school—so we can apply things we’re learning from Scripture. I am taken back to King Josiah in 2 Kings 22—23. Josiah found the laws of the Lord and told the Israelites they needed to get back to those teachings. We are calling our people back to walk faithfully in what the Word says. I hope and pray we can apply these things to our lives.

Wiersbe wrote, “We must keep in mind that the pagan religions of Paul’s day said little or nothing about personal morality. A worshipper could bow before an idol, put his offering on the altar, and go back to live the same old life of sin. What a person believed had no direct relationship with how he behaved, and no one would condemn a person for their behavior.”¹ As Christians, our faith defines how we conduct ourselves.

The previous chapters were written to correct the heresy of Gnosticism, a Greek philosophy that said everything created was inherently evil. Only “spiritual” realities were good. So, they did not believe God created the world or Christ came in a physical body. Paul corrected this by stating clearly that Christ is the creator and sustainer of all, the supreme head over the church and over all authorities.

Gnosticism affected a person’s morality in one of two ways:

Gnostics indulge. Since the body is evil and the spirit is good, nothing done in the body could harm the spirit. They gave into every sensual desire and denied themselves nothing. Because they had God’s grace, they could do whatever they wanted with their bodies. We see that today!

Asceticism reasoned that because the body is bad it should be denied every pleasure. They hoped denial of the body would elevate the spirit. Paul’s opponents at Colosse were ascetics. The strict Jewish laws meshed with their harsh, self-denial rituals. Paul warned that such rituals were useless and had no spiritual value (Colossians 2:20–23).

Their rejection of the deity of Christ led them to seek salvation through their intellect or through the abuse of their bodies. This is the backdrop of what Paul was dealing with in Colosse. Paul stressed that it’s not about philosophy, legalism, or carnality. It is about Christ.

TEACHING

Colossians 3:1-2: “So if” in verse one means “Since then.” Because the Colossians knew Christ and had “been raised with the Messiah”, they were to “seek what is above” (v. 1). Paul encouraged the church to focus their minds on the eternal realities of heaven because of their relationship with Christ. The word used for “set your affection” emphasized this was an ongoing decision.²

Colossians 3:3–4: Paul emphasized that the Colossians old life was dead. The work of the cross was not just to forgive the Colossians from their sin so they could go to heaven. The work of the cross made them a new creation and compelled them to live differently from the way they lived before. Because of their faith in Christ, the Colossians “life is hidden with the Messiah in God” (v. 3). The grammar of the word hidden meant it was something God accomplished in the past that had a present reality. Now Jesus “is your life” (v. 4). Paul emphasized this point in Galatians 2:19b–20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When the Colossians understood that Christ lived in them, it would be a game-changer for how they lived their everyday lives. Jesus said He was the light of the world (John 8:12), but He also told His disciples they were the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). How could both be true? Because Christ indwells believers, His light can shine through us as we live out the reality of Christ in us. We don’t have to strive to be light; rather we can simply let His light shine through us.

Paul stated Christ would one day be “revealed.” One day Jesus will be seen in His full glory. In the same way, we “will be revealed with Him in glory”(v. 4). Paul seems to be asking, “Why would you want to live for anything else? Jesus has provided us with so much more than we could ever want to live for!”

Colossians 3:5–9: Because of the gnostic heresy the Colossian church encountered, Paul outlined practices that belonged “to your worldly nature” (v. 5). None of the practices outlined in verse 5 were to characterize the life of the believer. In the event they did, Paul called the Colossians to repent and return to living biblically faithful lives because Jesus had better things for them to walk in. Ephesians 5:3 admonished believers that “sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints.”

Colossians 3:10–11: Paul told his readers to release past habits. The “new self” Christ gave believers bore “the image of your Creator” while the old self was only flesh. This change happened through “knowledge according to the image of your Creator” (v. 10). Ephesians 1:17 says, “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.”

Colossians 3:12–17: Paul said old habits were to be replaced with new ones. As “God’s chosen ones,”believers are holy and loved. In light of the salvation they received, the Colossians were to live out their relationship with Jesus. Their lives would be marked by characteristics that marked Jesus’ life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love (vv. 12–14). Love was to be the highest expression of Christlikeness. All of these characteristics worked themselves out as believers devoted themselves to “teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom . . . singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God” (v. 16).

Nelson’s Commentary says God’s peace “rules in our hearts when we are completely surrendered to God’s will, and thus our whole being is unified in obedience to Him.”³

CLOSING

You have been given everything you need as a follower of Jesus to walk in victory and to live a life worthy of the calling Jesus placed on your life. You don’t have to fall back into the old nature. You can walk in your new nature in victory. When Christ is revealed, it will all be worth it!