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Our Lord and the New Testament writers warn of deceivers who will try to dupe those who are followers of Christ. The first century was full of charlatans, quacks, and religious schemers who shrewdly manipulated to gain the mastery over unsuspecting Christians. At the heart of such schemes was their insistence that Jesus Christ was neither totally sufficient in his person as Redeemer nor sufficient in his saving work.
Jesus warned of many claiming to come in his name whose work would be to mislead many (Matt. 24:5). Paul called a group of antagonists in Corinth "false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ" (II Cor. 11:13). He also warned the Ephesians of being undermined in doctrine "by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming" (Eph. 4:14). To the Thessalonians who were rattled in their grasp of the return of Christ due to contrary teaching, he warns, "Let no one in any way deceive you" (II Thes. 2:3). Paul warned Titus, who served on the island of Crete, that there were many among the Jews whom Paul called "empty talkers and deceivers," that were seeking to influence the young believers of Crete (Titus 1:10). Peter described false prophets as those who revel "in their deceptions" (II Pet. 1:13). John offers this warning: "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist" (II John 7). Jude explains that these false teachers "crept in unnoticed" and infected the church with their heresies (Jude 4).
The passing of centuries has not changed the deceptive intentions of scheming men. Wherever we turn we can find a teaching, a program, an organization, or an ideology that attempts to substitute for the sufficiency of Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Lord. None of these things will announce their false teachings. Deceivers can deceive only when they have the ability to blend into the orthodox surroundings of Christianity. Therefore, the Christian must be alert to spiritual dangers through being anchored on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ. It is not enough to just be able to pick out false teachers. We must press forward in a right understanding and lifestyle in Christ.
How are we to face the certain dangers confronting our own spiritual lives? Let us consider again the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
I. A warning of imminent danger
Through the centuries it seems that the role of prophets in the Old Testament and pastors and teachers in the New Testament, has been that of warning the body of Christ concerning dangers. It is not that Christians are to develop a mentality of fearing each new step in life. But since there is active opposition to the gospel by our Adversary, we can expect dangers to be part of our existence. The approach of the biblical writers is to expose the danger, then focus our attention upon the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.
1. Spiritual kidnapping
Few things can shake a parent's thoughts like that of fearing their child has been kidnapped. While it is a horrible event that happens each day, it is one of those things we carefully hide in the back of our minds. Paul uses a strong term that expresses his grave concern that their intruders might kidnap the Colossians. "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception." The word was used in Greek literature to describe a priest's daughter who was kidnapped into slavery and of soldiers carrying booty from their prey. The idea is to carry someone away from the truth of the gospel into a slavery of error. It is accomplished by seductive means with some mal-intent undermining the purity of the gospel or unity of the church.
No Christian ever intends to be deceived. There are countless records of genuine believers being caught off-guard and swept into grievous error. When I was a seminary student, I taught a class on cults in the church we attended. I was somewhat stunned when the wife of one of my professors asked to talk with me about cults. Her husband had two earned doctorates, one from Oxford. He was well known as a scholar and author. What she confided in me was that their two sons had joined the Unification Church or "Moonies." Her husband would not talk about it so she asked me to research all I could on the subject to help her in the anguishing battle of freeing her sons. She understood what it meant to have her sons kidnapped by strange teachings.
What constitutes something being error or heresy? Certainly we are not talking about minor disagreements on secondary issues of Christian doctrine. What Paul had in mind clearly refers to doctrines related to the person and work of Jesus Christ. There was something awry about the teaching of the Colossian intruders. He explains that you can recognize it by taking a good look at its source or foundation. "See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception." The use of "philosophy" is not a denigration of all philosophy. The term simply means "a love of wisdom." Paul himself was certainly considered a philosopher due to his abilities in critical thinking upon God and the world about him.
The Hellenistic world used the term philosophy quite broadly. "In the ancient world 'philosophy' was applied to anything that had to do with theories about God, the world, and the meaning of life" [Curtis Vaughan, Study Guide Commentary-Colossians, 70]. It might refer to the teaching of everything from Pharisees or Sadducees to those who claimed to possess hidden powers through magic and spells to those who claimed to have special prophetic powers.
Paul explains what he meant by the use of one article in the Greek for both "philosophy and empty deception." It might read, "See to it that no one kidnaps you through philosophy which is characterized by empty deception." It was a philosophy about God that had no biblical base. Instead it was probably more the personality of the intruders and their ability to manipulate others that caught the attention of the Colossians. The use of appealing means, shrewd techniques, and rhetorical "mumbo-jumbo" is normally what traps Christians. Rarely is it that deceivers convince Christians of their teaching. Critical thinking upon what someone teaches will usually stop false teaching dead in its tracks. But those who are emotionally manipulated consistently fail to discern false teaching.
Notice how this is done: "according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ." First Paul speaks of "the tradition of men" which puts the emphasis on the experiential being passed along as authoritative. Its basis is what others have said and passed along to someone else. The authority is in its popularity or perhaps even its antiquity, not in Scripture. We see this over and over in some of the outlandish claims of the Roman church, particularly in its insistence of praying to Mary as a mediator or to the saints.
The second term, "the elementary principles of the world," probably points to the claim of the Colossian intruders that they understood how to have power over angels and demons. They were obsessed with talk of demons and angels, bringing them into every conversation (cf. 2:10 "head over all rule and authority"; 2:18 "worship of angels"). Maybe they found "a demon in every bush" and spent their time telling the weak Colossian believers they needed to know how to cast out these demons in their lives. Or perhaps they were telling them that they needed more angelic help in their daily lives, so they insisted that the mysteries they understood would bring on the angels.
The examples in our day of similar teachings abound. For instance, why would anyone with even a modest understanding of the Bible want to join a group who has regular outbursts of barking like a dog, braying like a donkey, strutting like a chicken, and jumping up and down like a child on a pogo-stick, and all of it claims to be Holy Spirit generated? Is there any biblical warrant for Christians having such experiences and claiming that they are the work of the Spirit? We know quite clearly that the Bible speaks of the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of genuine faith (Gal. 5:22-23). We search in vain through the New Testament for any similarities to what has been claimed by thousands to be a latter day work of the Holy Spirit. Yet, literally hundreds of thousands of professing believers have traveled to Toronto and Pensacola to witness such extreme manifestations and more, trying to "catch the fire" as they call it. Many more have attended "Catch the Fire" conferences to tell them how to have the same experiences. How does such non-biblical practices gain widespread attention? The emotional door is opened through repetitive use of music, choruses, and a crowd swaying to the beat. Experiential testimonies with an occasional smattering of some supposed biblical link pluck the heartstrings. The pulsating calls for an immediate response joined with the herd mentality work to capture the crowd. Before long you have hundreds falling in line without any sense of biblical discernment. A movement that will leave thousands with a bad experience of Christianity and thus numbed to biblical truth kidnaps them.
2. Spiritual benchmark
When teaching in the name of Christianity has anything as its central message other than Jesus Christ, then we are to recognize its danger. For Paul instructs us that we are not to be taken captive through the philosophical or demonically oriented teaching of others, regardless of how convincing it sounds. Our benchmark is to be "according to Christ." What did Paul mean?
If we keep in mind the theme of Colossians being "the sufficiency of Christ," we can grasp what the Apostle meant. He focuses upon the person and work of Christ as being the central message of Christianity (cf. 2:20; 3:1-4, 11, 15, 16, 23-24). When we have anything as a substitute for Christ, then we come up empty. We may say a lot of words, have lots of experiences, and make great claims for our spirituality. But if Jesus Christ and Him crucified and raised from the dead do not fill our hearts and minds, then we have bought into deceptive teaching. With this in mind, the Apostle turns to the sure foundation upon which our lives are to be established.
II. Reminders for a Sure Foundation
Paul keeps pointing back to Jesus Christ. He can do no other. There is no other goal for him than that of knowing Christ in his fullness. There is no other foundation laid for his life than Jesus Christ. There is no other treasure than Christ as the pearl of great price. There is no other passion than his passion for Christ. Jesus Christ is the life, joy, and delight of the child of God. To be sidetracked from our passion and growth in the knowledge of Christ is to face spiritual kidnap. So how do we prevent this? We are instructed to never stray from the sure foundation, Jesus Christ the Lord.
1. Fullness of deity
The Colossian intruders could only infuse their false teaching through denigrating Jesus Christ. They painted a picture that Christ was okay, but there was more; there were secrets and mysteries awaiting all who would follow through into the initiation of their teachings. It was all right to be saved, but there was surely much more than merely being saved. So Paul counters with the powerful statement of the all-sufficiency of the person of Jesus Christ: "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Do not think of Paul as a broken record, who keeps saying the same things over and over. Yes, he does repeat truths concerning Christ. But for him, it was dipping once again into the infinite well of Christ's person. Every dip of his cup into the limitless ocean of Christ would satisfy his thirst, so that he only wanted to go back for more, knowing that his satisfaction was in Christ alone.
When he speaks of "all the fullness of Deity" Paul means all of God. All that God is in his character, attributes, power, and being, this is who Jesus is. When we think of the infinite nature of divine mercy, grace, and love, it is found in all its fullness in Christ. Or if we consider the divine wrath, justice, and righteousness, it is found without limit in Christ.
Paul states that, "all the fullness of Deity dwells" in Christ. The word "dwell" means to settle down in or to live in or to reside in. The present tense of the verb tells us that this dwelling of the fullness of Deity is never changing. That even at this very moment in heaven, all the fullness of deity is dwelling in bodily form in Christ. Edward Payson captured what Paul meant by such a statement. "If all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus Christ, then in Jesus Christ alone can God be found." Then he gives this example: "Now if we wish to find a man who is always in one place, we must go to that place, go to his residence. It is vain to seek him or to expect to find him anywhere else. So, since the whole Godhead resides in Jesus Christ, as in a permanent habitation, we must repair to Jesus Christ, if we would find God" [The Complete Works of Edward Payson, vol. II, 360]. Man cannot know God unless he finds God in Christ. For Jesus Christ alone reveals God to sinful men. And Jesus Christ alone has mediated the way to God for us. It is to Jesus Christ we run if we desire to know God and to receive the forgiveness that he alone can grant.
2. Fullness of humanity
The fullness of Deity dwells in Christ "in bodily form" or "corporeally" as opposed to what might be called shadowy or figuratively. The Apostle's use of this term strikes at the heart of the Gnostic type heresy so prevalent in the 1st century. For many could accept that God had come down to men. They had heard of such ideas in Greek mythology for many years. But to say that God in all his fullness dwelt bodily in Christ was something they rejected. The Gnostics taught that all matter was evil, thus a body would be evil. They said that it was impossible for God to indwell in permanent fashion a human body. But it is upon this truth that the entire gospel rests. We claim loudly and authoritatively that Jesus Christ is fully God. Yet in the same breath, we must claim with equal authority that he is fully man. This truth was a battleground for major fights in the first four centuries of the church.
Some of this same Gnostic influence still affects us. One of my students this week said that he heard a man teach that Jesus was carried by Mary in the womb, but that he did not share any of her blood, as though there was a mystical transference of the sin nature in the blood. Such an idea supposes that Jesus was conceived in Mary but He was not of Mary. What the Holy Spirit produced was alien to Mary, of no part of the substance of her body. In this case, Mary was merely an incubator through which Christ passed without assuming any of her substance. Such teaching fails to grasp what the Apostle is declaring, that the fullness of deity dwells in a humanity of the same substance as all of us!
The writer of Hebrews states, "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things [lit. "in all respects"], that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17). Peter Lewis comments, "How could God take upon Himself all human suffering and the penalty for sin in human experience without entering human physiology and human psychology and human spirituality? It was a human penalty He had to bear; therefore it was a human nature He had to acquire. The sin-bearer must be a true member of the race that fell" [The Glory of Christ, 141].
3. Full salvation
The intimidating language of the Colossian intruders suggested that there was something missing in the experience of these Christians. Christ was not enough. There must be something else added in order to have a full experience with God. To this Paul wrote, "And in Him you have been made complete." In union with Christ there is nothing else to add, Paul was saying.
The word "complete" is stated in a Greek tense that implies a permanent, lasting work. We might paraphrase it, "And in union with Him you are completely complete!" Does this mean that we have no room to grow or no need for increasing in knowledge? Certainly that was not at all what Paul meant. Instead, he is demonstrating "that in union with Jesus Christ our every spiritual need is fully met. Possessing Him we possess all. There is no need, therefore, for the Christian to turn to any other source for spiritual help" [Curtis Vaughan, 73].
Let me put it simply. You can do no better than Christ! If he cannot satisfy you, then no other experience or religion or ideology can meet your need. For no one else can compare to the person of Christ. Nor can anything compare with the finished work of Christ on behalf of sinners.
There is another thought found in Paul's statement, "And in Him you have been made complete." The intruders were not intimating that the Colossians did not need Christ, they were just saying that Christ was not enough. So the Apostle is pointing to Christ as the limitless ocean from which we continually drink from his fullness. We need not run to another experience. You are in union with Christ who is the fullness of Deity in bodily form, so drink from this fullness. Find the deepest satisfaction of your soul in him. Do you need mercy for forgiveness of sins? Then find it in the fullness of Christ through faith in him. Do you need strength to resist temptations? Then drink from the fullness of Christ's all-sufficiency to find that strength. Do you need comfort in the heartaches of life? Then go to Christ, in whom all fullness dwells, receiving consolation, which bathes your soul. Is this not what Jesus Christ called us to do? "If any man is thirsty, then let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37). "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). [See Payson, 362-364 for an encouraging treatment of this truth]
4. Full Authority
What about all the angels and demons being talked about in Colossae? The intruders spouted their language of 'spiritual authority' and communication with angels through visions (2:18). They acted as though they had some unique and powerful sort of religion due to their claims. Paul tells the Colossians to look again at the Sure Foundation in Christ: "and He is the head over all rule and authority." Those terms, "all rule and authority," in typical Pauline fashion, refer to the spirit realm. It can point to both the angelic realm and the demonic realm. Why did they need to get so excited about angels and demons when they are in union with Christ, who is "the head over all rule and authority"?
This is an important reminder in our own day. It seems that we are inundated with talk of angels. Go into a bookstore and you will find sometimes dozens of books on angels, experiences with angels, angelic visions, etc. For that matter, you can also find dozens of books that have an obsession with the demonic. One man over the past seven or eight years has sold thousands of books that major on dealing with the demons in your life. For both of these emphases, Paul would say, "Scrap it! Look to Christ!" If you are in union with Christ then you have conquered the demons of your life through him. If you are in Christ, then why go to a lesser being in angels for some kind of satisfaction to your needs. Look to Christ, in whom all the fullness of deity dwells bodily!
Conclusion
Have you found Jesus Christ to be all-sufficient in your life? If not, perhaps you have based your faith and thoughts upon an inadequate view of Christ. Maybe your thoughts have been shaped by traditions handed down rather than upon the solid rock of biblical truth. Let me exhort you to look again at Jesus Christ. See who he is. See what he has done at the cross and in the resurrection. Then run to him. Drink deeply from the ocean of his fullness. Be satisfied, and then drink more and more.
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