The Gospel is Enough

Introduction/Recap:

We’ve talked about the importance of sound doctrine in the last couple of weeks and even took a deep dive into the Trinity a couple of weeks ago. But, today we’re going to really start diving into Paul’s purpose in writing to the Colossians—to warn them against false teaching.

The point of Paul’s message in this passage today is pretty simple— “Beware of false teaching. The gospel is enough. Cling to the gospel and grow in that and don’t be lead astray.”

But, in order to fully grasp the weight of the situation that was facing Paul and the Colossian church, we need to look first at the background of this passage. Then, we’ll take a closer look at how Paul says the gospel helps us to recognize and guard against false teaching.

Turn with me in your Bibles to...

Colossians 2:6–15 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 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. 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. 11 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. 13 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, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Prayer for Illumination

Transition:

The “Colossian Heresy”

Some commentators think that the Colossian church was plagued with heresy from within. But, most likely, this heresy had not fully infiltrated the church at Colossae, but was rather an external threat. Paul says these things to the church at Colossae:

Colossians 1:3–6 ESV

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

Colossians 1:23 ESV

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 2:5 ESV

5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Colossians 4:2 ESV

2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

So, what was the nature of the false teaching threatening the Colossians?

It seems likely that the false teaching (or teachings) that threatened the Colossian church were some kind of mix of Gnosticism, Judaizing belief, and/or Jewish mysticism.

It could be separate threats or one particular group that exhibited features of these teachings, scholars aren’t really sure and we don’t have enough to go on to precisely identify this false teaching.

Still, Paul gives us some good hints

Paul’s allusions to Gnosticism

Gnosticism from the Greek gnosis, “knowledge.”

There are a number of references to Gnosticism throughout the NT, and it is one of the main heresies that Paul and the Apostles had to deal with.

1 Timothy 6:20 ESV

20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”

“(the) philosophy” (tes philosophias)

Greek contains the article (“the”) which makes it likely that Paul may be referencing what these false teachers called their own beliefs—“the philosophy”

Paul isn’t rebuking all philosophy as evil, but makes it very clear that this particular philosophy is evil.

Gnosticism melded philosophy with paganism

“Elemental Spirits” (ta stoichea tou kosmou)

Commonly used to refer to spirits in pagan religions, magical texts, etc.

When Paul uses it, then, he is referring to evil spirits—demons.

“Fullness” (pleroma)

Most of the time it is used, it means “fulness” or “completeness” or “fulfill”

Paul uses the verb form of this word in Colossians 1:24 “24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,”

But, in Gnosticism, it referred to their polytheistic “godhead”

Gnostics believed there was one original “Unknown Father,” a high transcendent god who was unknowable. But, he had a female companion and produced a series of generations other gods, each generation being weaker than the previous. In total, there were 30 gods that constituted the Pleroma, the “fullness” of their Deity. They even had a tripartite division within their Pleroma, a type of “unholy trinity.”

One of the lower deities in the Pleroma, named “Wisdom,” is overcome with passion for trying to know the Unknown Father (a bad thing in Gnostic thought) and accidentally creates the cosmos and all matter.

Due to the evil origin of matter, matter is therefore inherently evil and entirely separate from the divine or spiritual.

Wisdom also causes the deity Jesus to be born of the virgin Mary. But, Gnostics made a distinction between Christ and Jesus—they were not considered the same. And, they also did not use the term “Lord” to refer to Jesus.

During his lifetime Jesus revealed all of this secret knowledge to certain chosen men who passed it on to later generations of good men (Gnostics).

At the crucifixion the heavenly deity departed from the earthly body in which he had lived, so that the deity Christ was not in fact crucified.

Summary of Gnostic teachings:

The Pleroma (fullness of the deity) consists of 30 divine beings

These 30 are divided up into groups of 8, 10, and 12—a type of “trinity”

Christ was not, in fact, crucified and killed but raptured up to heaven leaving the earthly Jesus behind.

The universe is a cosmic accident and matter is inherently evil.

Christ imparted secret knowledge (gnosis) to a few good men. Those who attain this secret knowledge reveal themselves to be spiritual beings.

Upon death, the spiritual beings are separated from their physical bodies and rejoin the Pleroma, so it does not matter what they do in their physical bodies. Morality is unnecessary for spiritual beings.

Other physical beings who don’t attain to spiritual status must work really hard and maybe they will get into a sort of “middle” status in eternity. They don’t get into the Pleroma. Most others, including most Christians, will be annihilated along with all other matter.

They commonly twisted Scripture around and pulled things out of context to support their views. (i.e., Jesus’ 30 years pre-ministry was when he revealed this gnosis to his followers, the parable of the laborers where the hours add up to 30, etc.)

Grow in the Gospel (vv. 6-7)

Know the source. (v. 6)

Colossians 2:6 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

The word “received” here refers to the handing down of doctrine from the apostles to the church

It doesn’t just mean inviting Jesus into your heart, which is why Paul puts such an emphasis on being “established in the faith, just as you were taught”

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

He uses this language a lot when he’s warning people about false doctrines:

2 Thessalonians 3:6 ESV

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 ESV

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Galatians 1:8–9 ESV

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Beware what you read online

Before you buy or read a book, look up the author

Ask your pastor, trusted teachers, etc.

There are all kinds of “secret knowledge” floating around out there—Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code, the so-called Gnostic Gospels (i.e., the Gospel of Thomas), etc.

We’re naturally drawn toward juicy gossip. We like to be “in the know,” or in the “inside circle.” This is what makes conspiracy theories thrive and sells books.

Yes, there are parts of Scripture that are difficult to understand. But, by and large, it’s quite plain. Even without all this background information I gave you today, you could get the basic point of this passage. Watch out for things like:

Books like “The Bible Code”—a book which claimed secret codes are hidden throughout Scripture that predicted 9/11 and other major world events.

Allegorical interpretations of Scripture which divorce the context and plain meaning from the text and attempt to give a “deeper (hidden) meaning”

New interpretations without any backing in Church history. If you’re the first person to come up with this interpretation in 2,000 years of Church history, it’s probably wrong!

Those who call themselves “prophets” or “apostles” and claim to have a special revelation from God that goes beyond what Scripture says. Everything you need to know about how to live a godly life and attain salvation is plainly revealed in Scripture.

2 Peter 1:3 ESV

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

Grow in THE source. (v. 7)

Colossians 2:6–7 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

One of the biggest tragedies in American Evangelicalism is the jettisoning of doctrine as irrelevant and inapplicable to daily life.

We send our kids to school five days a week, 7 hours a day to learn geometry, algebra, chemistry, biology, calculus, world history, American history, and sports.

But who’s teaching our churches about Church history? We discipline ourselves to play games, but what about spiritual disciplines?

1 Timothy 4:6–8 ESV

6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

“Pastor, I have to work my mind all week long in my job, at school, etc. I don’t want to have to think on Sunday. I just want to shut off my brain and be fed.”

I’m not here to be your spiritual life support. I’m here to be your coach, your personal trainer in godliness. And if you’re going to grow in godliness, you have to love God not just with your heart and soul, but with your mind as well.

Matthew 22:37 ESV

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

A lot of people think that learning about the Bible and theology makes your faith dull and less heartfelt. My experience has been the opposite. During my Bible classes at OBU and at seminary, I learned so many things about the Bible, Christianity, and God that I had never learned before, and my faith grew more in those few years than in all the rest of my life put together.

The more I used my mind to learn about God, the Bible, and our faith, the deeper my convictions grew and the more passionate I became about serving God.

So, if you’re one of those people that thinks theology and doctrine are boring and have a “doctrine-shmoctrine” kind of attitude, I hope you’ll repent of that attitude, because that’s not the attitude Jesus had and it’s not the attitude Paul had.

And when the “Doctors of Philosophy” start teaching your kids “the philosophy” of this world in college, you better hope that they’ve exercised their minds well enough in their faith to know that they don’t have to leave their brains at the door of the church. Christianity is a lot more than doctrine, but it’s not less than that.

The best vaccination against false teaching is a deep-seated trust in and understanding of the Gospel. (vv. 9-15)

Colossians 2:6 ESV

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

v. 6: Gnostics would not have been comfortable with the phrase “Christ Jesus the Lord.” They separated those three beings and did not see them as referring to one person—Jesus.

Colossians 2:7 ESV

7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

v. 7: Gnostics claimed to have special revelation, “secret knowledge,” but Paul rebukes them with the plain truths of the Gospel.

Colossians 2:9 ESV

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

v. 9: Gnostics believed that the “fullness of the deity” was comprised of 30 different deities, but Paul says “NO! the fullness of deity is in Christ!” Gnostics rejected the joining of the spiritual and the physical but Paul says “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Christ is both fully God and fully man.

Colossians 2:10 ESV

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

v. 10: Gnostics thought that most Christians were purely physical beings that would be annihilated but Paul says “you have been filled in him”

We’ve talked a lot about Gnosticism, but that wasn’t the only aspect of false teaching threatening the Church at Colossae. There were also some Judaizers—people who taught that Gentiles (everyone who’s not a Jew) had to first become Jews before they could be Christians (meaning men had to be circumcised).

Colossians 2:11 ESV

11 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,

v. 11: Judaizers taught that male Gentile Christians had to be circumcised first, but Paul said that faith in Christ accomplishes a “circumcision of the heart.”

Colossians 2:14–15 ESV

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

vv. 12-14 Gnostics taught that redemption was achieved through attaining secret knowledge, but Paul said it’s through faith in Christ and through what he accomplished for us. There is nothing that we can do to save ourselves—we “were dead in our trespasses” but “God made [us] alive together with him...”

The “record of debt” in v. 14 refers to a legal document which prescribed not only the debt that was owed but the penalties associated with it.

Our debt was infinitely high and the penalty was death and eternal separation from God.

Imagine standing before the judge of the universe as your sins are read aloud—every evil thought, every unkind word, every instance where you put some created thing before God, every time you chose to defy the Creator and do it your own way. And as that list goes on, and on, and on, you realize the crushing weight of your sin before a holy God. But then Jesus steps in and says, this one is Paid In Full. And he takes your debt, and nails it to the cross.

Colossians 2:15 ESV

15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

And here’s the kicker. When Paul says “rulers and authorities” in v. 15, these are words which refer to spiritual beings—demons. Gnostics thought that the highest divine being in their Pleroma was unknowable, they called him the “Uknown Father.” But, he also went by another name—“Proarche,” which literally means “First Ruler.” That’s right, in v. 15 when Paul says “He disarmed the rulers...” he uses that word, arche. Our heavenly Father has disarmed the gods of the Gnostics and “put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [Christ].”

Not only is is the Father knowable, he took the first step in revealing himself to us and securing our redemption.

Colossians 1:2 ESV

2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Colossians 1:12–14 ESV

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Conclusion:

God is enough. The Gospel is enough. Guard your heart against the teachings of demons and rest in the work of Christ on the cross. He has cancelled your debt, forgiven your sins, triumphed over the powers that would have enslaved you and dragged you to hell, and he offers you eternal life if you will submit your life to him and accept his pardon.