Intro Catechism

Introduction/Scripture

Colossians 2:6–7 NIV

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Pray.

Hook.

My experience, no catechism.

This is the problem in the American church….

American beliefs:

When people are born, they are neither good nor evil; they make a choice between the two as they mature - 74%

The bible, the koran, and the book of mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths - 44%

Context:

The terms “catechesis” and “catechism” are often used in the Christian tradition for a comprehensive process of Christian instruction and formation. Our English word “catechesis” comes from the Greek katecheo, which is used multiple times in the NT. Two examples are Luke 1:4 and Acts 18:25. The word is used of Theophilus and what he has been taught, and of Apollos in Acts 18:25: “He had been instructed in the way of the Lord.”

The Didache is one of the oldest Christian documents outside the NT and functions catechetistically. In the 400s we see catechesis as a process initiating newer believers into the Christian faith with an overview of scripture, doctrine, prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the sacraments.

Augustine’s Enchiridion (meaning handbook) is meant to be a sort of catechism of basic Christianity. Augustine follows the rubric of the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. An explanation of the creed covers faith. Hope prays, and the Ten Commandments teach love. During the Middle Ages catechesis mostly waned, but it found new life in the Reformation and Post-Reformation eras. These catechisms also followed the pattern of creed, prayer, and the Ten Commandments (many added sacraments as well).

The Roman Catholic Church renewed its commitment to catechesis in response to the growth of Protestant churches (see Grounded in the Gospel for a summary of the history of catechesis in Christianity).

Catechism is a part of the church historical. It is important for many reasons.

Paul is going to make a case here for what happens after receiving Christ.

Receive Christ (and the mystery of faith)

Then be built up in the faith.

The Mystery of Faith

Paul in his mission says he is to pass on the mystery that is being revealed. Look at 25-26 again.

Colossians 1:25–26 NIV

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.

Three times in a a handful of verses Paul mentions this mystery. This word is used less than 30 times in the NT, most of them by Paul in Colossians, Ephesians, Romans, a few in Revelation, and a couple times by Jesus.

Mystery is not like your Sherlock Holmes adventure in the modern sense. Mystery here is about a deep truth, something that was obscured for a time but is not able to be seen. Like the grace proclaimed in my childhood and then heard later on.

Paul will talk about this all over the place, for example

Ephesians 1:8–10 NIV

that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

See it has particular importance to Paul because he gave his whole life to his Jewish faith. Was so zealous in his beliefs that he felt he needed to stomp out this Jesus following movement.

Jesus in talking to the disciples in Matthew and Mark acknowledges that there are things they understand and others dont.

Mark 4:11 NIV

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

Truth is our faith is mysterious.

It is a mystery that Adam and Eve would blunder what God gave them

It is a mystery that Sin brought on brokenness, evil, and separation from God.

It is a mystery that God chose to begin redemption through one single man named Abraham.

It is a mystery that God brought his people into a promised land and somehow established them as the people of God among other people

It is a mystery that God would dwell with his people in the Temple

It is a mystery that God would endure generations of bad kings and corrupt leaders

It is a mystery that God would come Himself in the flesh. Born of a virgin.

It is a mystery that God would come at that time and that place.

It is a mystery that this Jesus would become the second Adam, the human that would be obedient, so that the rest of Adam’s race might be joined with God again.

It is a mystery that the cross of Christ defeated death, sin, evil, hell,

It is a mystery that Jesus walked out of the grave after three days

It is a mystery that His resurrection means resurrection for all those in Christ

It is a mystery that these promises are available now.

It is a mystery that the mission of God to the Jew and the Gentile is now in our hands for the world.

It is a mystery that he will come again and all things will be made new.

It is a mystery. But this mystery has been revealed to you.

Stronger in Faith

So when Paul says that we are to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught....

He is talking about growing in understanding of our faith. A better translation might be that

“you would be stronger in your grasp of the faith.”

Putting down roots is about being launched into this mystery. FF. Bruce puts it this way, for those that have received Christ:

“They have not learned all there is to know when once they have come to Christ; that is only the beginning. He is indeed the embodiment of divine wisdom, but the exploration of the wisdom that resides in him is the task of a lifetime, and even so the most enlightened of mortals can only “know in part” (see 1 Corinthians 13:9). It is necessary, then, not only to preach the gospel but also, when people have believed the gospel, to “instruct everyone and teach everyone in all wisdom.” Bruce commentary, 86-87

Two things here:

Live a life of learning and growing

Receiving Christ is only the beginning. The work of the Spirit leads you deeper into this journey. It is for your benefit because it is for your maturity in the faith. Same as last week, I think about the person that refuses to be in community. Read a book about theology, doctrine, about the aspects of our faith instead of 10 hours of netflix every week. Also, as a challenge…put down the self-help christian books every now and then and read something of more substance. If you need help, come and see me.

Study with each other, get into a Sunday School, come on Wednesday nights!

Intro Wednesday nights: Rooted in Faith, staring March 19 at 6pm. There will also be daily devotionals starting next Monday sent out to you for the week. Thank Bryan.

2. Historic Faith

We grow in wisdom and understanding in consistency with the historic church. Lucas puts it this way:

As usual with Paul there is this great stress on the importance of teaching. Without the full truth, and a mature understanding of it, there cannot be a satisfying Christianity or a stable church. So, according to Paul, a hallmark of the Spirit’s work is an unquenchable thirst to learn.

But once more there is a balancing caution here that is quite unmistakeable. The new learning must be consistent with the old. The Christian who grows in knowledge can claim fuller enlightenment only in so far as he remains loyal to the saving gospel truths that first he was taught, and which led him to Christ.1

1 Lucas, R. C. (1980). Fullness & freedom: the message of Colossians & Philemon (p. 92). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Too often in our post modern enlightenment we like to reinvent things or let our own experiences convince us that we know better than 2000 years of church history. I could say a lot here but will chose to keep it simple. We anchor ourselves to the creeds and to the historic faith because it is right and good. When we dont then resurrection, for example, becomes a nice metaphor. Or we get rid of the Old Testament because we dont like things there. Or we ignore the parts of the bible that Jesus performs miracles or cast out demons because that makes us uncomfortable.

Jesus is the one we “proclaim.” The revelation of Christ has been revealed and it is an admonishing force in our life.

This is about maturity. What I love about Paul is that he did not want to simply look back and see people following him because he was convincing, or to look back and see people following Jesus, as good as that is, he wanted to look back see people following Jesus on to maturity. Same here my prayer is not for us to sit in the shallow end....

Closing:

Without proper doctrine, our love aims at the wrong thing.

Example: Agape love

Luke 11:43 NIV

“Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

We begin to misunderstand God….we can worship a distortion. It is how massive churches are built around maniacs or prosperity.

Meeting with families facing something painful…what did I do to bring God’s punishment?

We also make ethical decisions that are not instructed by our faith.

There are parts of our world and in the church that supports things like Abortion, capital punishment, assisted euthanasia, cruel immigration policies, etc etc without any faith instruction to speak into these things.

Hear me very clearly here: Abortion, capital punishment, immigration, assisted euthanasia…. the imago dei, image of God, doctrine must speak into the middle of this.

So….

What do you believe?

Trinity

sin

evil

atonement

Scripture

The Church

The return of Christ

Salvation, judgement

Heaven and Hell

Start now: Consider, even ask Jesus by the Spirit to show you what part of faith you have buried because it makes you uncomfortable.

Aim your love at the right thing….