But because Paul did not know the Colossian believers and because he needed to write to them about some specific doctrinal issues, he identified himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent.” Because Paul was not one of the original twelve disciples (who were called apostles after Jesus’ resurrection), some doubted his credentials; yet Jesus had appeared to Paul personally and had commissioned him (Acts 9:1-6; 26:12-18).The Colossians needed to be filled with spiritual wisdom and knowledge, leaving no room for any other type of false “knowledge” advocated by Gnostic heretics. Wisdom and understanding refer to discretion and discernment. When believers possess those, they will be able to discern the truth from false teaching.
Paul exhorted these Colossian believers to live always to honor and please the Lord. Their behavior should match their status as God’s holy people. They ought to be following God closely—their lives being transformed to Christlikeness. A Christian must be active in order to grow spiritually and to live worthy of the Lord.
Paul continued his prayer for the believers, asking God that they be strengthened with his glorious power. Paul wanted the Colossian believers to be strengthened with God’s power so they would not be pulled away from their faith and their witness to the world.
The evil of false teaching was all around them. Paul wanted these Colossians to stand firm against this evil. This power of God that he was praying for them to live by would give them all the patience and endurance they would need. Patience is the ability to stand firm against opposition without giving up; it is often used in describing one’s dealings with difficult people. Endurance is the ability to continue toward a goal regardless of the obstacles.
Jesus referred to the kingdom of darkness at his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:53), describing the forces of evil that he had to combat in his final hours. In Scripture, “darkness” is a metaphor for evil; it is the dominion of those who are without God. True believers, however, have been transferred from darkness to light, from slavery to freedom, from guilt to forgiveness, and from the power of Satan to the power of God. We have been rescued from a rebel kingdom to serve the true King.
The false teachers had been arguing that God would not have come to earth as a true human being in bodily form. Paul stated that Christ is the image—the exact likeness—of God and is himself God, and yet he died on the cross as a human being. Theses false teachers believed that God did not create the world because he would not have created evil. Paul proclaimed that Jesus Christ, who was also God in the flesh, participated in the creation of the universe.
They said that Christ was not the unique Son of God but rather one of many intermediaries between God and people. Paul explained that Christ existed before anything else and is the firstborn of those resurrected. The false teachers refused to see Christ as the source of salvation, insisting that people could find God only through special and secret knowledge. In contrast Paul openly proclaimed the way of salvation to be through Christ alone. Paul continued to bring the argument back to Christ. Sounds like so many false religions today. The Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, Christian Sciencetologists and on on on. What do they all have in common? They lower the Deity of Jesus.
Make no doubt about it. Anyone who lowers the Deity of Jesus is doing the work of Satan, the great deceiver. Satan's goal has always been to lead people astray. False religions get close to Christianity in many ways, but in the essentials, they all come up short - proclaiming another way to eternal life than through Christ and Christ alone.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
How can you spot a cult or false religion? Three ways. You need to ask three questions.
Question#1. Who is the HERO of their faith? Christianity says Jesus. Not Mary. John 8:58 says, "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am! " In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No man gets to the Father in Heaven but my me."
Islam = Muhammad, 622 BC, prophet, vision from angel, preached to Mecca and Medina
Buddhism = Siddatha Gautama, 525 BC, monk who reached enlightenment, “I am Buddha”- the enlightened one
Mormonism = Joseph Smith, 1820 God appeared to him, no church correct, God appointed him to restore the true church, an angel showed gold plated tablets, translated into Book Mormon
Jehovah’s Witnesses = Charles Taze Russell; late 1800s, early 1900s; studied Bible and Egyptian pyramids, Watchtower Society.
Question #2: What writings do they HOLD onto? Christianity holds onto the Bible. We believe it is God's very own words to us. God breathed these words and they are inerrant and infallible. (meaning without error and without fault)
Islam = Koran (vision to Muhammad)
Buddhism = Bible per say, teachings of Buddha and followers of Buddha
Mormonism = Book of Mormon (2200 changes), their version of the Bible, Doctrines and Covenants, Pearl of Great Faith, Doctrine of Living Prophet (1843-1890 polygamy; 1978 African-Americans)
Jehovah’s Witnesses = Bible as translated by Watchtower Society.
Question #3: How do they get to HEAVEN?
Islam = faith in Allah (“there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”), prayer: 5 times daily, giving alms, pilgrimage, die for Allah, leave all decisions up to Allah.
Buddhism = Eight fold path: right view of noble truths, right thought, right speech, right actions, right living (reincarnation), right effort, right thinking, right meditation = reincarnation = nirvana, enlightenment.
Mormonism = Faith in Joseph Smith, faith in God, , adherence to Book Mormon, good works.
Jehovah’s Witnesses = Faith in Jehovah, faith that Christ died for Adam’s sins, be one of 144,00 by good works (over 4 million world-wide).
Christianity = Faith in Christ and Christ alone.. Romans 10:9,10. Acts 4:12.
Galatians 2:16 says, "We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
John 10:7-9 says, "Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture."
Galatians 1:8 says, "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!"
Matthew 7:15 says, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
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