Daily Writing

Monday, 1 May 2017

…which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? Colossians 2:22

“Which” is referring to the words, “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” of the previous verse. The error of those who attempt to reinsert the prescriptions of the Law of Moses, or some other group who would mandate their own traditions or customs which are contrary to the finished work of Christ, is that they fail to see that these “concern things which perish with the using.”

The words “with the using” come from the Greek words, té apochrésis. This word, apochrésis, found only here in the Bible, gives the idea of “using up,” and thus being consumed. Combined with the word “perish,” which gives the idea of corruption through decomposition, we are given the correct idea of what Paul is speaking of. When someone eats something, regardless of what it is, it breaks down into something else. The very eating of the thing destroys it. In other words, it is what Jesus was speaking of in Mark 7:18-23 –

So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”²⁰ And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²² thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. ²³ All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

Life application: The food regulations which are fulfilled in Christ, along with all of the law, are nullified. Any such teaching now is no longer of God, but is “according to the commandments and doctrines of men.” The New Covenant is now in place, and thus the Old is set aside. And so if anyone says to you concerning that tasty pork chop, “Don’t touch, don’t taste, don’t handle!” You can tell them, “Take a turn off the heresy highway, and onto the road of righteousness. I am purified not by my own deeds, but by the work of Christ.” And then go enjoy your dinner.

Heavenly Father, what a beautiful world You have given us. What wonderful tastes, smells, and sensations surround us! From moment to moment, if we will just look, we will always see some wonderful hint that You are there and tending to us. Help us not to be so consumed with the busyness of life that we miss the precious displays of Your care for us, and which tell us You really are concerned about us. Praises to You, our great Creator! Amen.

Sunday, 30 April 2017

“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” Colossians 2:21

The words here have no connecting particles. They are sent out in rapid-fire succession in order to show the urgency of the commands by those who would forbid another person from doing what they believe is wrong to do.

However, the first word translated as “touch,” and the last word translated as “handle,” should be switched. It should read, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” Both words are very close in meaning, but the last phrase means a less deliberate touch than the first. What is happening is the person doing the warning is making a climax of prohibitions. In essence, they are saying, “Don’t handle such a thing! No, don’t taste such a thing! And don’t EVEN TOUCH such a thing!”

This is referring to the Judaizers who would warn against something like eating pork, a meat considered unclean according to the Law of Moses. Here comes such a person into this group of Gentiles who have been sanctified by the blood of Christ which was shed in fulfillment of the law. And what do they do? They urgently reapply the precepts of that obsolete law to the lives of these already purified souls. “Hey, what are you doing? That’s bacon! That bacon comes from an unclean animal! Don’t handle such a thing! No, don’t taste such a thing! And don’t EVEN TOUCH such a thing.” Bam! Bam! Bam! They fire off their legalistic warnings.

But Paul tells them otherwise, and he will explain it more fully in his words to come. Not to leave the verse hanging though, if you smell that delightful waft of bacon, feel free to pick it up, snack on it, and enjoy it. It cannot make you any less saved, and it cannot defile you in any way. The law is fulfilled in Christ and it is finished. It is nailed to the cross. Thank God for the freedom we have in Him!

And as a side note, this set of prohibitions doesn’t just apply to the dislikes of the Jews, but of anyone who would come to you and say the same about any other tradition or teaching of man. As Paul says in Romans 14:14 –

“I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.”

Life application: If there is a food you find nummy, then nom nom away. You are free from guilt, even if you are not free from some type of stomach troubles because of how much you eat.

Lord God, the freedom which is found in Christ is so wonderful. For those in Him, there are no restrictions on the things we eat or the days we worship. We live in Him in Spirit and in truth, and have been freed from the constraints of the law. Those things are nailed to His cross where we died with Him. Now let us live to You through Him. Praise to You, O God, for our marvelous Lord Jesus. Amen.

Saturday, 29 April 2017

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— Colossians 2:20

The word “Therefore” is given to sum up his thoughts of the previous verses. However, it is lacking in many ancient manuscripts. Whether it belongs or not, the question he will ask still stands. And so he asks, “…if you died with Christ.” This is a rhetorical question which carries the intent of, “Because you died with Christ.” The idea of dying with Christ was explained in verses 11 and 12, but it finds a full explanation in Romans 6 (see verses 1-11).

Paul then notes that they have “died with Christ from the basic principles of the world.” This is speaking of the traditions and doctrines of men. It speaks of such principles which are earthly and not of Christ. Christ has fulfilled the law, therefore any ordinance of the law which He fulfilled would be included in this. And those things which were not even of the law, taught by supposed wise men of other cultures, don’t even have a starting point like the law did. If the law, which was once binding but is now annulled in Christ, is a part of what Paul is speaking of, how much more the things which were never even a part of the law!

Because of this, Paul asks, “Why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—” The single word translated as “submit yourselves to regulations” is unique to the Bible. It is more appropriately to be translated in the passive voice, and so it should read, “Why do you submit yourself to being dictated to?” In other words, these people are allowing someone else to come in among them and tell them what they should be doing when they are already freed from the very things they are being told to do because they are in Christ.

It would be like a person who had served his time in the military and had been honorably discharged, but then whenever an old superior that he served under comes to visit, he allows himself to get bullied around by that person. He has served, he has been discharged, and he is free from the constraints of his service, but he allows himself to be brought back under unauthorized authority. In this, he allows this person, without any true authority over him, to affect his relationship with his current employer. Who is being neglected then? The rightful, current employer! This is what happens when one places a principle of this world over the freedom found in Christ. Paul will give examples of this in the coming verse.

Life application: In having died with Christ, we are free from the bondage of the law, and from any other supposed spiritual principles of the world. We are to live in Christ, and for Christ. We are to trust in His grace which came at such a high cost.

Lord God, when considering the cross of Christ, it is right that we who accept that payment would then be willing to submit ourselves to what that payment signifies. We have been freed from the law, and so it is right that we serve the Lord who fulfilled it in our place, not trusting in our own deeds to please You, but being grateful for Christ who accomplished this for us. And so we do thank You, and we do praise You. Great are You, O God, and You are most worthy of our praise. Amen.

Friday, 28 April 2017

…and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Colossians 2:19

This verse is rather similar to what he said to the Ephesians –

“ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:15, 16

Paul is now bringing an indictment against such a person as mentioned in the preceding verse. It is the one who, as he stated, “is puffed up by his fleshly mind.” This person, as already described, is “not holding fast to the Head.” Christ is the Head, and this person intentionally severs himself from Him by observing things from an obsolete law, and then claiming that his directions came from angelic visions or some other sort of supposed authority.

But Paul notes that it is Christ “from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” There is one body which is attached to Christ, and that body is wholly interconnected. It is “nourished and knit together,” and everything works seamlessly because the Head directs it. If someone does not hold fast to Christ, then there is no interconnection, and thus there is no nourishment. And as there is no nourishment, there can be no “growth with the increase that is from God.”

Paul doesn’t say there is no growth at all, but the growth of someone who is not connected to Christ does not come from God. Anything not of God is of the devil. This is the warning that Paul makes in following such a person. He claims spiritual enlightenment, but there is rather spiritual darkness. He claims life and viability, but there is instead only a path which leads to sickness and death.

As a logical connection to what Paul is saying, we need to realize that Christ Jesus is not physically here with us, and neither are the apostles (meaning those who saw and learned directly from Jesus). As this is so, then the Bible – by default – must be our one source of staying connected to the Head. This is why there are no true visions today. This is why we don’t “have a word from the Lord” today. The word from the Lord is the word of the Lord, meaning the Bible. Instead of believing people who make claims about extra-biblical revelation, just think the matter through. What more do we need than what God has supplied us in Scripture?

As the wording used by Paul here is very close to that of Ephesians 4:15, 16, referring to that commentary will provide additional insights into his thoughts of this verse. In the end, the result of not being properly connected to the Head is to follow a sad path which leads to loss.

Life application: How many times, and in how many different ways, does the Bible need to warn us about following false teachers? And yet, countless numbers of people do just that. They may or may not be saved; but even if they are, their doctrine has them in bondage, and the people they follow will only continue to lead them down unhappy trails without any true connection to the Head of the faith.

Lord God, you have set before us a path which You ask us to follow. It is a path of trusting in the completed work of Christ. Anytime we divert from it, we quickly get swept up into crazy teachings which are completely disconnected from Him. We lose the proper nourishment we need, and our spiritual lives lose their true vigor. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus, and may we never attempt to earn what has already been freely offered through His work. Surely with this You will be pleased. Amen.

Thursday, 27 April 2017

Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, Colossians 2:18

Paul begins verse 18 in a manner similar to verse 16 – “So let no one judge you…” / “Let no one cheat you…” The two thoughts combine as stern warnings against troublemakers whose only intent is holding sway over others. The word “cheat” used by Paul is found only here in the New Testament. It refers to the act of discouraging or misleading believers by diverting them from their full potential in Christ. It is a word which would be used of a judge who makes a wrong call, and which in turn would deprive a person of their rightful prize.

Paul then explains how someone could so deprive a believer. He first says that it would be through “taking delight in false humility.” The word “false” is inserted here, but it gives the correct sense. Humility is thought of as a strong Christian trait, but false humility is something which is loathsome. The way that this false humility is made manifest is through “the worship of angels.” The two thoughts are tied together in a person who would claim that they were so humble as that they would never approach God directly, but would rather come through a mediator. Such false humility would then deprive the believer of their true right, which is to approach the throne of grace boldly (see Hebrews 4:16).

Because of Christ Jesus, we have full right to the throne of God, and we have full access to Him in our time of need. But those who would take delight in false humility would petition dead saints, Mary, or angels such as Michael or Gabriel, claiming that their prayers to such beings would be properly handled by them. It is the trap which Roman Catholicism teaches quite clearly, and those who follow in such teachings are deprived of their rightful use of God’s throne of grace. Jesus Christ is clearly shown to be greater than all angels in the book of Hebrews, and He is noted as the One and only Mediator between God and man in the book of 1 Timothy.

Paul continues to speak of such a person by saying that he is “intruding into those things which he has not seen.” The word “intruding” is another word unique to the New Testament. Paul’s use of it is probably referring to someone who claims to see heavenly visions, and then goes on to explain what their heavenly vision means. In turn, others will then be willing to follow them in their supposedly superior access to divine mysteries. This would cover countless supposed visions of the church age. The RCC is caught up in the visions of Fatima. The Seventh Day Adventists hold fast to the visions of Ellen G. White. The list of such people goes on and on.

They have, and continue to make to this day, claims of divine visions. Some claim to have been to heaven; some to hell; some have had angels stop by their office for coffee. Type in a search on You Tube, and a thousand false claims will come up. Charismatic churches make a million claims a year about divine dreams, visions, and prophesies. Countless books have been written about such things, and yet the Bible tells us that these things are false. All such claims are without merit. With the completion of Scripture, these things have passed away, and the Bible is our sole source of divine inspiration. The book is complete? What more could we use for our life’s doctrine and practice?

Paul warns that anyone who says they have had such a vision is “vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.” The idea of true humility is to make less of oneself. In essence, it is to shrink in size before another. But such a person is actually making himself larger. He is puffed up like a kernel of corn which pops from heat. The vanity of the person characterizes their false humility. It shows that they have been negatively affected in their minds. They are quacks who speak without any true substance. This is why Paul finishes by noting such a person’s “fleshly mind.” The flesh is that which is carnal, not spiritual. They claim that which is divine, but their claims are actually earthly and sensual. They are to be rejected.

Life application: No matter how true a claim sounds about a heavenly vision, an angelic vision, a trip to hell and back, or whatever else someone claims they have seen, it is always better to keep your money in your wallet, and to not listen to such a person. If their claim is true (which it is not) you haven’t lost anything by ignoring them. If their claim is not true, you have saved yourself from getting sucked in by someone the Bible has warned you about in the first place. Instead of watching their stupid hour-long video, try reading your Bible for an hour. Instead of buying and reading their book, try going to a decent Bible study. In the end, it all comes down to priorities. Don’t waste yours on such nonsense.

Lord God, we have Your word for our life’s doctrine and practice. Why would we need anything else to instruct us? Help us to stay away from people who make false claims about heavenly visions, meetings with angels, trips to hell and back, or any other extra-biblical stuff. Your word is complete, and it is all we need to know what You expect of us. May that be sufficient to us. Amen.