The Preeminence Of Christ
                  DEFENDED

Text:  Colossians 2:1-10

                Introduction

Colossians 2:1-23

     1.  Beware of empty of philosophies   2:1-10 
     2.  Beware of religious legalism -- 2:11-17 
     3.  Beware of man-made disciplines -- 2:18-23 
 
     A good study of the apostle Paul can be outlined
as: Paul the persecutor, Paul the preacher, and Paul
the prisoner.  In this epistle we see Paul in prison
suffering and striving for the saints at Colossae. 
 
     v.1  Here is a poignant glimpse into the heart of
Paul.  Paul is going through a struggle for these
Christians whom he had never seen, but whom he
loved. 
 
     The word "conflict" means "struggle", and
comes from the Greek word "agon" from which we
get our word "agony".  Paul is fighting a hard
battle for his friends.  It was a struggle in prayer,
and against false teachers who would wrestle these
faithful brethren away from the truth and into
philosophical error and legalism (Col. 2). 
 
       The Marks of the Faithful Church  2:2-7 
 
     1.  It should be a church of "courageous" hearts
(v.2a).  Paul prays that their hearts might be
"comforted" or "encouraged".  One of the Greek
historians uses this word is a most interesting way. 
There was a Greek regiment which had lost heart,
lost courage, and which was utterly dejected.  The
general sent a leader to talk to that regiment, and
he talked to it in a way that courage was reborn,
and a body of dispirited men became a body of
men fit again for heroic action. It is Paul's prayer
that the Colossian church may be filled with that
courage which can cope with any situation. 
 
     2.  It should be a church in which the members
are "knit together in love" (v. 2).   Where love for
Christ and the brethren abound, you'll find a strong
church. 

 
     3.  It should be a church "equipped with every
kind of wisdom."  Paul uses three words for
wisdom. 
 
          a.  In v.2 he uses a word which is
translated "understanding" which speaks of the
ability to apply practical knowledge of what to do
whenever action is called for. 
 
          b.  He says that in Jesus are hid all the
treasures of "wisdom" and "knowledge".  Wisdom
here is "sophia" and knowledge is "gnosis".  These
two words do not simply repeat each other, there is
a difference between them.  "Gnosis" is the power
to grasp the truth when we see or hear it.  "Sophia"
is the power to support, confirm, and present it to
others with wise and intelligent arguments. 
 
     Paul says that all this wisdom is "hidden" in
Christ (hidden from the common gaze).  The very
words that Paul uses in this section attack the false
teachers known as "Gnostics" who believed in
secret, elaborate knowledge, and "inside"
information. 

 
     4.  The faithful church must have the "power to
resist seductive teaching" (v.4).  The Greek word
for "enticing words" belongs to the law-courts and
was used for the persuasive power of a lawyer who
could make the worse criminal appear as a good
man and whose words enabled the criminal to
escape the just punishment he deserved.  Such
"enticing words" meant the power to sway a jury,
or entire assembly, into mistaken ways or course of
action. 
 
     The Lord's church is to have such a grip of the
truth that it can recognize false and seductive
arguments. 

 
     5.  The faithful church must be "steadfast". 
Several vivid word are used by Paul to describe
and picture the church's stability. 
 
          a.  "Like and army" (v.5).  The words
"order" and "steadfastness" are military terms and
describe an army that is solidly united against the
enemy.  "Order" describes the arrangement of the
army in ranks, with each soldier in his proper
place.  "Steadfastness" pictures the soldiers in
battle formation, presenting a solid front to the
enemy.  Christians are to be a picture of discipline
and obedience just like soldiers on the battlefield. 
 
          b.  "The Pilgrim" (v.5)  The Christian life
is compared to a pilgrimage in which we must
learn to walk.  Paul had already encouraged his
readers to "walk worthy of the Lord" (1:10), and
later he uses this image again (3:7; 4:5).  In the
book of Ephesians, the companion letter to the
book of Colossians, Paul used the image at least
seven times. 
 
     Paul says "You started with Christ and you
must continue with Christ."  This is the only way
to make spiritual progress. 
 
          c.  "The tree  (v.7a).  "Rooted" and an
agricultural word.  Christians are not to be
tumbleweeds that have no roots and are blown
about by "every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). 
Roots draw up nourishment so that the tree can
grow and roots give strength and stability. 
 
          d.  "The building"  (v.7b).  "Built up" is
an architectural term.  It is in the present tense,
"being built up."   When we "build" our lives on
Christ we are building on a sure foundation.  Paul
frequently uses the word "edify" which simply
means "to build up" and speaks of the continued
spiritual progress every Christian should be
making in his daily life. 
 
          e.  "The school"  (v.7c).  We should
always be grateful for the Word of God which we
have been "taught" and remain faithful to our
teaching.  False teachers seek to undermine the
doctrine given by Christ and His apostles. 
Christians must "study" the Word to become
established in the faith.  Satan has a difficult time
deceiving "Bible-taught" disciples. 
 
          f.  "The river"  (v.7d).  The word
"abounding" is another word often used by Paul. 
It suggests the picture of a river overflowing its
banks.   Jesus speaks of the water of life abounding
from an artesian well (John 4:10-14), and it
becomes a "river of living water" (John 7:37-39)
that grows deeper and wider. Sad to say, many of
us are making no progress-- our lives are shallow
trickles instead of mighty rivers. 
 
 
     
Watch Out For Spiritual Perils   (2:8-10)


 
     Paul continued the military image with this
warning: "Beware lest any man carry you off as a
captive" (literal translation).  The false teachers
didn't just go out and win the lost to their
doctrines, but they "kidnaped" converts from Paul
and the preachers of the Gospel. 
 
     The philosophy of these false teachers is
"hollow and deceptive" (v.8, NIV) for several
reasons.  First it was the tradition of men and not
the truth of God's Word.  The word "tradition"
means "that which is handed down"; and there is a
true Christian tradition (2 Thes. 2:15; 3:6; 2 Tim.
2:2; 1 Cor. 15:3ff).  The important thing about any
teaching is its origin:  did it come from God or
from man?  The religious leaders of Jesus' day
were very zealous for their man-made traditions
(Matt. 15:1-20; Gal. 1:14). 
 
     Secondly the false teacher's traditions were vain
and deceitful because they involved "the rudiments
of the world" (v.8).  In ancient Greece this word
meant the spirits or gods that influenced the
heavenly bodies (planets and stars).  It was one of
the words in the vocabulary of the religious
astrology of that day. 
 
     The Gnostics believed that "angels" (spirit
beings or lesser-gods) controlled the heavenly
bodies and influenced people's lives.  Paul's
warning to the Colossians about "new moon"  and
other superstitious practices determined by the
calendar (2:16) may be related to this Gnostic
teaching. 
 
     The fact that this teaching is not after Christ is
sufficient to warn us against horoscopes, astral
charts, Ouija boards, and other spiritualistic
practices.  Astrology and the zodiac system is
contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.  The
Christian who dabbles in mysticism and the occult
is only asking for trouble. 

 
     Why follow empty philosophy when we have all
fullness in Christ?  This is like turning away from
the satisfying river of life to drink at the dirty
cisterns of the world (Jer. 2:13).  Of course, the
false teachers did not ask the Christians at
Colossae  to forsake Christ, they just asked them to
make Christ a "part" of the complex human
tradition.  But this would only remove Christ from
His rightful place of preeminence. 

 
     Paul affirms in verse 9 that Jesus Christ is the
fullness of God.  The word "fullness" means "the
sum total of all that God is, all of His being and
attributes".  And that fullness dwells in Christ
"bodily". 
 
     Paul further declares in verse 10 that in Christ
we are complete; that is, we need nothing more. 
And Christ is preeminent, head over all forces,
whether they be angelic and demonic spirits, or
human governments and powers. 

 
     In chapter 1 
Paul "declares" Christ's preeminence, 
     In chapter 2 
Paul "defends" the Lord's preeminence.