Author: Charlie Garrett

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.

Wednesday, 26 April 2017

…which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:17

This verse clearly explains what the items mentioned in verse 16 were… mere shadows. Each looked forward to Christ in a unique way, and each found its fulfillment in Christ. The word skia, or shadow, means “the shadow of a looming presence.” Figuratively, it looks to a spiritual reality relating to God’s light or spiritual darkness. The foods prescribed or forbidden under the law, the feast days of the Lord, the New Moon celebrations, and the Sabbath days all only looked forward as shadows, “but the substance is of Christ.” The word substance, or soma, means a physical body. Christ embodies what these things only looked forward to.

Paul is saying that if we have the reality of what these things only pictured, then why would we fall back on the pictures? Why would anyone mandate Sabbath observance, when Christ is our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:3)? The author of Hebrews repeats this idea of shadow verses substance as well –

For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. ⁴ For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; ⁵ who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Hebrews 8:3-6

&

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1

We are being told time and again that we are to put out trust in Christ, and to not fall back on the law, a law which could save no one. It is plain, it is clear, and it is not complicated.

Life application: If you are following a teacher or preacher who reintroduce things from the law as necessary requirements for being saved, you are following a heretic. The law is fulfilled in Christ. Get away from that guy. Run, don’t walk.

Heavenly Father, gracious God, thank You for our ability to pursue knowledge, and to seek out understanding of things. It is always a delight to learn more. And yet, help us to apply our knowledge rightly by seeking out how to correctly apply it towards a proper fear of You, pursuing You because of what we know. Help us to be people of faith, growing in faith, and drawing nearer to You moment by moment. Amen.

Tuesday, 25 April 2017

So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, Colossians 2:16

Colossians 2:16-19 are instructional, and they are so plain and simple to understand that it is almost impossible to believe people that some people can’t get them right. This is especially so with verses 16 & 17. But the modern Hebrew Roots movement, along with countless theologians, and even whole denominations from the past and present, simply ignore what Paul says, and they go about mandating things which are as clearly set aside in Christ as anything else He came to accomplish.

Having just shown in the preceding verses that the Law of Moses is annulled, completely and entirely, he now explains what that means in regards to observances mandated under that same law. This list is not speaking of Gentile observance, but of those things found in the Law of Moses itself. They are complete, they are fulfilled, and they are no longer required. To say otherwise is a heresy because it is then saying that Christ did not fulfill the law, which He did – in fact – fulfill. Don’t be a heretic; instead pay attention to Paul’s words.

“So let no one…” This is referring to each individual’s personal standard of life and practice in Christ. What Paul is warning against is that each person is to not be swayed by the false judgments of anyone else in relation to himself. He wants no one to “judge you.” One stands or falls based on where they put their hopes. If one places their hope in the work of Christ Jesus alone, then that person is to not let another person judge them based on anything else but that finished work of Christ.

The words, “in food or drink” refer solely to the dietary restrictions of the Jews as mandated under the Law of Moses. There is now no such dietary restriction in relation to this law because the law is annulled in Christ. Because it is annulled, the command to not eat pork died with the annulling of the law. The command to not eat shellfish died with that same annulment. This is true for every single dietary restriction found in the Law of Moses. They no longer exist because the Law of Moses is superseded by the New Covenant. A Christian is to not let anyone judge them for eating whatever they wish. This is plain, clear, and not difficult to understand.

He next says, “or regarding a festival.” The Greek word is heorté, and it refers to a feast day, such as the feasts of the Lord found in Leviticus 23. Any mandated feast day of the Law of Moses is done; it is completed in Christ; and it is obsolete. A Christian is to not let anyone judge them for not observing such a feast day. This is plain, clear, and not difficult to understand.

Paul next says, “or a new moon.” The New Moon is the first day of each month of the Hebrew calendar. This note from Paul is referring to observing this day as a type of celebratory feast under the Law of Moses. It is referred to over 20 times in the Old Testament, and it is an observance which the Jewish people faithfully adhered to. A Christian is to not let anyone judge them for not observing a New Moon. This is plain, clear, and not difficult to understand.

Finally for verse 16, Paul mentions “sabbaths.” The word in Greek is plural, and it is referring specifically to the weekly Sabbath Day requirement of the Old Testament. The plural is noted because it was a weekly feast day, and thus there were many sabbaths each year. It is also inclusive of any special Sabbaths which were mandated under the law. The same plural terminology is found in the Old Testament concerning the weekly Sabbath over 100 times. Exodus 31:31 for example, while speaking of the weekly Sabbaths, refers to them in the plural. The Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:3 says that we rest in Him now. Therefore, a Christian is to not let anyone judge them for not observing a Sabbath Day. This is plain, clear, and not difficult to understand.

As a point of doctrine: There is no such thing as a Sunday Sabbath. The Sabbath is a Saturday, and only a Saturday. Christian tradition eventually started to claim that worshiping on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) had replaced the Saturday Sabbath. The claim is that this day of worship was now the “Sunday Sabbath.” This is incorrect. There is one Sabbath, and it is a Saturday. It is fulfilled in Christ. He is our Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:3).

In support of what is stated here, the following verses are given –

“But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? ¹⁰ You observe days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹ I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.” Galatians 4:9-11

Paul calls such observances, “weak and beggarly elements,” and he calls them “bondage.” Don’t pursue that which is weak and beggarly, and do not be brought into another’s bondage.

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶ He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Romans 14:5-6

Paul is clear that whatever day a person observes or does not observe is totally up to the individual. Whatever a person eats or does not eat is also completely up to that individual. There are no such requirements levied on the follower of Christ.

“I will also cause all her mirth to cease,
Her feast days,
Her New Moons,
Her Sabbaths—
All her appointed feasts.” Hosea 2:11

Here in Colossians, Paul uses the same form as that of Hosea 2:11. It shows us that the things he is talking about in this verse – “feast days, New Moons, and Sabbaths” – are the same as which were required under the Law of Moses. They are now fulfilled in Christ; their being mandated for God’s people is annulled, and a new dispensation has been introduced which has set aside the previous one. To reintroduce these as requirements is to say that what Christ did was insufficient to save. It is to set aside His grace and attempt to merit God’s favor on one’s own merits. It is a self-condemning act. It is heresy. Do not be a heretic.

Life application: Either Paul’s words (which are plain and clear) are our doctrine for the Gentile-led church age, or they are not. If they are not, then Christ’s fulfillment of the law is useless to you. Go back and observe those rites which you feel will make God happy with you. But be advised that all you are actually doing is building a diving board for an eternal swim in the Lake of Fire.

Lord God, thank you ever so much for those faithful believers in Christ who we can stand with. Together we can ward off the forces of deceit and wickedness which come against us. And thank You for Your word which allows us to unite in this way. We have sure directions concerning what You would desire of us. In using them, and in doing so together as a unified body, we are ready to face those who would challenge us to depart from what is right, holy, and decent. Thank You for this source of encouragement and strength which is there for us. Amen.

Monday, 24 April 2017

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15

This commentary will be a bit long, but it it is hoped that you will receive it gladly, despite the length.

The first word of this verse in the Greek has brought about innumerable commentaries of great length and of endless speculation as to its true meaning. It is apekduomai. It comes from two separate words, joined together by Paul, to make a new word. Apo means “away from,” and ekdyo means “go down and completely away from.” Thus it means “to strip oneself.” HELPS Word Studies notes that, “The double prefixes (apo, ek) strongly emphasize the depth of the renouncing. This ‘renunciation (stripping right off) is very emphatic.’” Paul uses this word which he coined one more time in the New Testament, in Colossians 3:9. In that verse, there is little disagreement as to its intended translation –

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,”

Because of the context of the words of this verse, scholars and translators alike have tried to come up with words which agree with their presuppositions about what Paul must be saying. As it is in the middle voice, it is to be taken as meaning “from,” not “for.” In other words, it would not mean, “He stripped for Himself something,” but rather “He stripped from Himself something.” The Pulpit Commentary notes that Paul employs compounds of dyo in the middle voice seventeen times elsewhere, and they are always in the sense of “putting off [or ‘on’] from one’s self.”

As noted, there are a long list of ideas as to the meaning of the first clause because of this unusual word. Some see this as having “put off the body of His flesh.” This would mean that He put off His physical body, and in the process He disarmed the principalities and powers which held sway over the physical body. This then would closely align with the thought of Colossians 3:9 above where the old man is stripped away. However, Christ did not possess “the old man” in His flesh. He is the new Man. The context cannot be speaking of this.

Others see this as having stripped away the angelic hosts through which the law was given. This would stand against the false teaching of the Judaizers. Others see this as Christ having divested the armor of the “infernal powers of darkness” (Gill). But this would not suit with the middle voice of the verb. On and on commentators have gone, attempting to translate this verb in order for it to make sense. Charles Ellicott gives one possible translation as, “…having unclothed Himself, He made a show of principalities and powers.” After saying this, he goes on to say that there is want of a connection to the phrase except to define it as “putting off the flesh” as was noted above. But, as we have shown, this makes no sense. Christ was sinless.

What needs to be done is to take the verb in its obvious, simple form. This is what Ellicott has done, except he then made an incorrect supposition as to what is “stripped.” It should thus be translated as, “Having stripped Himself, He made a show of principalities and powers.” With this translation, there is no need to then allegorize the action by saying it must be referring to the flesh of His body. Instead, it should be taken exactly as one would expect – He stripped Himself, and was thus naked. Instead of there being a want of a connection, the connection is perfectly obvious if aligned with the fall of man in the first place –

“And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” Genesis 2:25

This lack of shame was because of their state of innocence in regard to sin. But after the fall, this was no longer the case –

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Genesis 3:6-11

Immediately after the giving of the law, these words were spoken by the Lord to Moses –

“Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.” Exodus 20:26

In this verse of Exodus 20, it is not speaking of mere physical nakedness, but of what that nakedness implies, based on what occurred in Genesis 3. Shame of nakedness is how sin first manifested itself. And it was the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life by which that sin came about. Man wanted to be like God, rising to His level. The earthen altar of Exodus 20 was to be without steps because man cannot rise to the level of God.

The higher the altar, the greater the sin is revealed, and thus the more nakedness is exposed. God instead made it known that He would condescend to become a Man and meet us on our own level. In Revelation 3, as Jesus speaks to the churches, He says this –

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.” Revelation 3:18

The nakedness of the body only pictures our revealed sin. Christ came to take that away and to cover us with His righteousness. It was He who hung naked on Calvary’s cross so that we could be covered by Him. This is what Paul is referring to here. It is a literal stripping of Himself, exposing the innocence of the Lamb of God who bore no sin. In this He did make a show of “principalities and powers.”

Christ’s sinless nature, seen in His exposed flesh, thus exposed the darkness of these forces for what they truly are. In so doing, “He made a public spectacle of them.” What Adam and Eve had attempted to hide, and what the priests of Israel were commanded to keep hidden from the presence of an infinitely holy God, is the sin-nature of man. What Christ demonstrated was a sinless nature, proving He is God. His naked, body, there on the cross, demonstrated this to them. He publically shamed those powers and thus in stripping Himself, He stripped them, “triumphing over them in it.”

The final words of this verse in Greek are en auto. They are translated one of two ways, “in it,” or “in Him.” “It” would refer to the cross itself; “Him” would refer to Christ. As God is the subject throughout the passage, it is certainly referring to Christ, and it should be translated as “in Him.” God made a public spectacle of the principalities and powers, triumphing over them in Christ. The Seed of the woman, promised just a few verses after the account of the hiding of the nakedness of Adam and Eve, had done exactly what the Lord had promised. The head of the serpent was crushed, sin was defeated, Christ had prevailed. This then is the correct translation and interpretation of what is otherwise a wholly misunderstood verse –

“Having stripped Himself, He made a show of principalities and powers; He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in Him.”

Life application: Isn’t the word great! It tells us of the marvelous work of Jesus, promised since the beginning of time. And He came right on time to do what was promised. Take time today to thank the Lord for this marvelous gift we call the Bible which in turn tells us of the most marvelous gift of all – our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord God, at the very fall of man, You promised that You would send the Messiah to come and restore all that we had so terribly fouled up. It was our disobedience which brought about all of the pain and suffering since then. But in Christ, that is now over. We have an eternal hope of dwelling with You in a paradise once again. Hallelujah for what You have done. Great things lie ahead for Your redeemed. Thank You, O God, for our Lord Jesus Christ who makes all things new! Amen.