Colossians-Introduction-Occasion and Purpose
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday December 7, 2014
Colossians: Introduction-Occasion and Purpose
Lesson # 3
The contents of Colossians reveal that Paul’s purpose for writing to the Colossians was to protect them from doctrinal error or false doctrine and consequently to prevent ungodly conduct which is the result of doctrinal error or false doctrine.
The apostle sent Tychicus along with Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave to deliver the letter to the Colossians (4:7-9) because he wanted Epaphras to stay with him (4:12-13; Phlm. 23).
Epaphras visited Paul during his first Roman imprisonment (Phlm. 23).
He informed the apostle of the spiritual state of the Colossian church (Col. 1:3-8; 2:5) which was predominately Gentile (1:27; 2:13).
He communicated to the apostle a two-fold danger facing this church.
First Epaphras was concerned that the people of this church would return to their old pre-conversion pagan ways of thinking and acting (3:5-11).
Secondly, he feared that they were being deceived by false teaching (1:23; 2:1-23).
Therefore, Paul’s epistle to the Colossians was dispatched for the express purpose of dealing with these two issues confronting this church.
Paul addresses the Colossian church with particular concern for false teachers that have sprung up among them (Colossians 2:8–23).
The precise origin and philosophy of these false teachers is debated among scholars.
Since Paul does not give a thorough description of the heretical teaching, it can only be guessed from relevant historical possibilities.
These possibilities are (Dunn, Colossians and Philemon, 26–29): (1) Hellenistic or pre-Gnostic syncretism from local religions and/or secular philosophy, (2) Jewish teachings (3) A combination of the two.
I also believe strongly that the nature of the false teaching in Colossae was Jewish.
In fact, it appears that Paul was dealing with the Essene branch of Judaism with a tinge of an incipient form of Gnosticism that was found in Essene Judaism.
The Essenes lived on the shores of the Dead Sea and were very well-known in the first century for their ascetic practices, one of which was abstaining from marriage.
Asceticism is the idea that abstinence from physical things like food or sex is essential for spiritual purity.
This Essene Judaism which had confronted the Colossian church in Paul’s day also had a Gnostic tendency.
In fact, it appears that it contained an incipient form of Gnosticism.
Gnosticism is a heretical system of thought, at once subtle, speculative and elaborate, it endeavored to introduce into Christianity a so-called higher knowledge, which was grounded partly on the philosophic creed in which Greeks and Romans.
The fact that Paul emphasizes the supremacy of Christ in relation to the false teachers indicates that the false teachers did not have a high Christology.
They appear to have simply viewed Christ as a beginning.
Paul’s emphasis upon the fact that Christ is God and the creator as well as the reconciler of all things to God indicates that the false teachers in Colossae did not adhere to the apostolic teaching of Christ.
Also, the false teachers argued for strict adherence to rules and regulations which is in line with the Judaizers who insisted that the Christian must keep the Mosaic Law in order to grow to spiritual maturity.
The apostle speaks of “philosophy and empty deception” (Col. 2:8).
The opponents appear to have been involved with asceticism which is in line with some aspects of Judaism such as the Essenes who were ascetics.
The phrases “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” (Col. 2:21) and “self-made religion” (Colossians 2:23) reflect the asceticism of the false teachers as does “self-abasement” and “severe treatment of the body” (2:23).
The references to circumcision (Col. 2:11; 3:11) and human tradition (Col. 2:8) strongly suggest that the false teachers were Jewish.
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their adherence to their own rabbinical traditions rather than the Word of God (Mark 7).
Furthermore the references to Sabbath observance (Col. 2:16), religious festivals and new-moon celebrations and food regulations (Col. 2:16, 21) clearly reflect there was a problem with the teaching of Judaism.
Also, Colossians 2:14 affirms Christ delivered the Colossians from the condemnation they incurred from breaking the Law.
Although the Law itself is not explicitly mentioned by Paul in this verse, it is clearly implied.
In this verse, the expression “the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us,” echoes an expression in Ephesians 2:15, namely “by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.”
Ephesians 2:15 explicitly mentions the Law whereas Colossians 2:14 does not but does imply it since sinners are all legally indebted to the Law whether the Jews in regards to the Mosaic Law or the Gentiles with the Law in their conscience (Romans 2:14-15).
The Law condemned both Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:18-3:23).
Christ’s death on the cross paid the sinner’s sin debt which was incurred from breaking the Law.
The reference to worshipping angels might at first glance appear to refute the idea that the opponents were Jewish (2:18).
However, they did have a significant interest in them since Jewish writings reflect speculation about angels.
The precise nature of this angelic worship is debated among scholars since some believe angels weren’t actually worshiped but were simply thought of as guiding spirits and intermediators by which men thought they could worship or contact God.
Whatever the case may be, there seems to be little doubt that in some way, these false teachers in Colossae were advocating occult experiences with these angelic beings or guiding spirits or ascended masters as they are sometimes called in the New Age movement.
The goal appears to be of having an experience of some kind of religious fullness and gain contact with God.
The fact Paul is writing to the Colossians to protect them from an incipient form of Gnosticism in the Essene branch of Judaism is indicated by several factors in the Colossian epistle.
First of all, Paul employs the language of the false teachers.
He uses the noun σοφία, “wisdom” which appears six times in the Colossian epistle (1:9, 28; 2:3, 23; 3:16; 4:5).
Paul also uses the noun σύνεσις, “understanding, intelligence” which appears twice in Colossians (1:9; 2:2).
The apostle also employs the noun γνῶσις, “knowledge” which appears in Colossians 2:3.
He also uses ἐπίγνωσις, “true knowledge” which appears in Colossians 2:2 and 3:10.
Paul countered this exclusivity by proclaiming the public and universal nature of the gospel which offers a salvation to all who would believe through faith in Christ in Colossians 1:20, 23, 28 and 3:11.
He then went on to affirm that all believers are complete in Christ who was Himself not only the fullness of deity in bodily form, but the fullness of salvation through whom all believers are reconciled to God (Colossians 1:19-20; 2:9-10).
The apostle also uses πλήρωμα, “fullness” which occurs in Colossians 1:19 and 2:9.
In both instances Paul uses the word in relation to the deity of Jesus Christ declaring that all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form in the person of Jesus Christ.
He does this it appears to refute these false teachers.
Dr. Dan Wallace writes “One of the difficulties in trying to reconstruct the heresy which plagued the Colossian church is that we only have Paul’s response to it; that is, we do not have a record of Epaphroditus’ report. The difficulty in determining what the heresy looked like is akin to listening to one half of a telephone conversation—or worse, reading someone else’s mail when that person is writing a response. Consequently, any reconstruction must be quite tentative—and for this reason to deny apostolic authorship on the basis of what the heresy must have looked like is going far beyond the data. In spite of this, we can see traces of several tenets of this heresy in Paul’s response: (1) a defective Christology, especially in denying his humanity (a docetic tendency) (cf. 2:9), but apparently not subscribing to his full deity either (cf. 1:15ff.); (2) its philosophic character (“fullness,” “knowledge” etc. are terms which seem to be used in Colossians as buzz words—i.e., to reveal its nature) (cf. 1:19; 2:3); (3) its Jewishness, with an emphasis on circumcision (2:11; 3:11) and traditions (2:8); (4) its asceticism (2:21-23). All of these data suggest that ‘the heresy was of [a] syncretistic Jewish-Gnosticizing type.’ From this it certainly cannot be concluded that the heresy was full-blown gnosticism, such as is found in the second century. Further, in light of its strong Jewish element (which is not surprising given the large Jewish population in the Lycus Valley), ‘it seems undeniable that the heresy in question is closer to Essenism than to developed second-century Gnosticism’ —or, in the least, some form of Jewish asceticism wedded to Greek (Stoic?) philosophy.”