Center of My Belief
Colossians 2:8-23
Welcome to the digital age.
Information is just a mouse click away. Google religious beliefs and you will instantly find 15.4 million results. A search for God pulls 1.97 billion results. The problem is not finding information; it’s sifting through the overwhelming results to get to the core of what matters and understanding what to do with the information you find. Although the Colossians did not have billions of sources for information on God, local beliefs led them away from the fullness of the gospel.
This is the heart of Paul’s letter: See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit (v. 9). Paul used a word here which appears nowhere else in the New Testament: sulagogeo, meaning “to carry off as booty/take captive.” Paul exposed the philosophy and empty deceit as hollow shams, seductive with no real content. Paul warned the Colossians not to be carried from truth to the slavery to error.
Paul reminded them of the centrality of Christ in their beliefs. In Christ, the fullness of the deity dwells bodily (v. 9); Christians have been filled (v. 10), circumcised (v. 11), buried and raised (v. 12), and made alive (v. 13); and the rulers and authorities have been disarmed (v. 15). Paul calls us to choose the fullness of Christ (everything there is to know about the deity) over the emptiness of vain philosophies. Furthermore, Paul warned the Colossians not to be enslaved to the religious observances and practices being touted by the false teachers (vv. 16-19).
These appeals to asceticism were shadows compared to the substance of Christ. Legalistic observances or mystical experiences are not what guide Christians to a fuller experience with God. Only Christ offers the real nourishment, unity, and growth that come from God.
Paul ended this section by reminding the Colossians that it was their relationship with Christ that gave them freedom from the bonds of pretentious religious practices. These rules were not from God and do nothing to help them grow closer to Christ. The Message captures Paul’s condemnation of such efforts:
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they’re just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important (v. 23).
Christ is the center and source of our beliefs.
Scudder– Lessons in the BSL series for the winter quarter are being written by Steve Scudder, former DOM for Savannah River Association.