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COL 2:6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

   It seems best to take these two verses as a kind of summary appeal made in light of the preceding discussion–an appeal for the readers to remain true to Christ as Lord.

I like this word continue. It assumes that the reader and listener to this passage is walking with Jesus.  I suppose I make the same assumption here, I assume most of you are in relationship with Jesus and on a journey of getting to know Him more and more. The interesting part is the use of the terms rooted and built up. Continue to be rooted and built up AND continue to be strengthened in the faith.  

I don’t know much about plants but I do know that roots keep growing while the plant keeps growing. But buildings don’t keep getting built. Remember though that the metaphor is being used to give us a picture of Christian life and the picture is that our life is like a building being built when we are finished we will be in heaven. So the picture is valid. No matter what you age, no matter how long you have been a Christian, while you are here, you are extending your roots and being built. Some of us maybe at the foundation level of building others may be having a final coat of paint –but we are all still in the process. 

From these verses I get some expectations of all of us.

1. We keep learning
2. We keep praying
3. We keep journeying with Jesus.

So we will keep on learning – and look at Paul’s warnings. 

COL 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 

Now this is a verse that has had a number of interpretations. Everything from putting down the traditions of other denominations, to condemning those who study philosophy at university (which was basically everyone in the medieval times) to criticizing everyone of another christian denomination.

But if we look back at what Paul was communicating to his readers we can get a slightly different understanding.

Paul and he Colossians lived in a time when philosophy was like a sport. It was spectator centred. Even people who could not read or write knew the rules of Ancient rhetoric. How to debate and talk in public. They even used it in haggling at the shops and markets. The topics that were debated were philosophy and religion. After work they would wonder down to the market square and watch a debate. Kind of like ancient TV. The idea of the debate was that the person who was most convincing won. Now a good debater might not actually tell the truth. So, he would convince people by what he said and how he said it. The debater may have a different set of life standards and be convincing.

Paul is saying – listen to what they say and evaluate it by what is true not by how good the speaker is. This was and is a vital lesson. It goes back to knowing what you believe and evaluating the newspaper, the novels you read, the TV shows you watch by what you know to be biblical truth.

It is also true of Christian material and Christian books and Music. Just because some has written a book doesn’t make it right. The bible is God’s word. Books by Christian authors are helpful but not necessarily always right. We need to read with a capacity to evaluate.

I was reading something the other day by a respected theologian – John Stott. And as I was reading I thought hang on – I don’t agree with that. It was about the essence of the church. I realized that he is coming from a different perspective. – Remember he is Anglican and has an Anglican theology – we are allowed to disagree. I still respect him as an author, and will continue to read his stuff, But I don’t have to agree. But let me explain theology.

Theology is the study of God things.

We all have a theology – even atheists have a theology.

Theology is flexible. You can be have an Anglican theology, a catholic theology, a charismatic theology, I am a Baptist by theology.

It changes, in fact, I hope your theology changes as you get to know Jesus more – your theology should grow.

Doctrine is a different matter. Doctrine is the things that we stand our ground on. As Baptist we have the doctrine of full immersion baptism. We don’t change on that. The doctrine of Scripture being God’s word is another one. Different denominations have different doctrine but mostly evangelicals are pretty similar.

Then there is dogma. The unchangeable stuff. Jesus died and rose again. If you don’t believe that you really can’t be a Christian. So got that.

What that got to do with me?? You have to decide what is not negotiable. Can you accept someone as a Christian if they don’t believe in the resurrection?

What about our tolerance for those with differing opinions and theologies?

Know what you believe to be able to evaluate things that could lead you astray.

Paul now gives us some doctrine and dogma.

COL 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 

Notice it says –

1. Jesus is God
2. We have a fullness in Christ
3. Jesus is head and top authority
4. We were made part of the kingdom by Jesus
5. Baptism is important
6. Jesus has power over death.

If you notice in most of Paul’s writing – He raises an issue then gives us a way to deal with it. Same here – The issue is not being lead astray by fast talkers then gives us our foundational beliefs. 

He continues the process in v16-19    COL 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 

Notice it says the reality, however, is found in Christ. The relationship to Jesus isn’t about ritual or how we do church but is found in who Jesus is. It is really important that we come to grips with this. There is no right formula to do church. But there is a right formula to being right with Jesus. Accepting who He is and how that impacts our life. He is God and knowing Him as Lord of our life and Saviour from our issues with God is the reality we need to get to.

Paul continues on:

COL 2:20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. 

This passage is asking us why we link ourselves to do things, even things in church, the way the world wants us to or expects us to. Just to make this point and finish up let me tell you a bizarre piece of history.

Back at the time of the disciples the Jewish community used instruments in their worship. The harp was one of those instrument. 100 years later, one of the early church writers decided that because the pagans used the harp – the harp must be evil. So the harp was banned from being used in worship services in

Now we view the harp as the instrument of angels.

You see in different eras And at different times we do things differently.

But what doesn’t change and hasn’t changed is the amazing truth of Jesus. We worship differently than 1000years ago – that’s ok, but who we worship is still the one.

That is what Paul wants us to get into our heads.  We need to live in Jesus as he says.   We need to know what we believe so we don’t get lead astray, we need to work through what we believe and Why we believe it so we don’t get fooled by smart talkers, we need to understand how our beliefs affect the way we live. But more a

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 4:56 pm and is filed under Sermons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.