Proclaimer Blog
A word of exhortation: Notes on Colossians part 10
Colossians 2:6-7: The core appeal from Paul to the Colossians was ‘Remain true to your beginnings’.
‘The virtual identification of the tradition of the facts about Christ with the believer’s experience of the living Christ himself is here strikingly illustrated’ (Moule p.89).
(Reflect on 1 Cor 3:10f; 1 Cor 15:1,2).
2:8-23 Watch out for aspiring Kidnappers (8), Detractors (18) and Spiritual Snobs (18). All are committed Elitists. They itch to ‘capture’ your allegiance for their notions (philosophies), take you to task for neglecting their religious obligations, and pronounce you to be second class citizens of the Kingdom for lack of their alleged attainments. Contemporary applications are legion, and are the responsibility of the preacher, who knows the times in which he lives and the people he is called to serve and protect.
How Paul negates the influence of the Elitist is of value to Pastors:-
Reassurance (9-17)
IN CHRIST the Colossian Christians have already found spiritual ‘reality’. Union WITH CHRIST is theirs.
Rebuke (18,19)
Elitists are ever in danger of ‘inflation’, i.e. becoming spiritual swells. That the Corinthian Elitists were ‘puffed up’ is repeatedly recorded in 1 Corinthians. This term (largely limited to Christian literature, AG) is found otherwise only here Col 2:18.
Reminder (20-23)
As the Colossian believers have died to ‘religion’ why do they want to have anything more to do with ‘human piety, human self-justification, human conjecture’ (Barth)?