Colossians 2:1-7
From its inception, the church has been under attack from various sources for preaching the Gospel and calling people to submission to Jesus Christ. Many of these attacks can be traced to evil people and/or satanic forces bent on destroying the work of God. A careful study of the letters written by the Apostle Paul shows that much of what he addressed in them dealt with things that were actively and/or potentially undermining the churches to which he wrote.
The powers of evil have always feared the church as a threat to their control over people’s lives and destinies. As a means of maintaining their control, they will utilize every available means to undermine the work of God in order to hold onto their power and possession of people’s souls. From persecution to internal strife, empty formalism, misguided leadership, false teaching, secular philosophy, pseudo science, tolerated sinfulness, as well as a myriad of other things have served their purpose in trying to diminish the effectiveness of Christ’s church in our world. If Satan can’t have your soul then he wants to hinder you from converting other souls to Christ, as well as enjoying the blessings you have in Christ.
Look at the churches in the Revelation to whom John wrote from the isle of Patmos (Revelation 2-3). In almost every case you see the drift that had taken place in the different congregations over a period of just 60 or 70 years. From tolerating false doctrine to service without love for Christ, to excluding Christ altogether from His own church, these churches were under attack from the evil one and he often found willing parties within the churches to cooperate with him in his destructive deeds.
Today we see attacks against God’s church, as well, just as they saw in the first century. I believe that organizations like the ACLU are among the most visible instruments trying to purge all mention of God from the public consciousness. And, while it may seem to some that they are great defenders of the Constitution, what is actually happening is a concerted effort by unseen forces to marginalize the church and restrict her right to freedom of speech.
The attacks also come from false doctrine and teachers that present their convoluted messages broadcast around the world to be swallowed up by people looking for nothing more than another motivational high. And, because our churches are filled with so many professing Christians that have very little knowledge of the Truth or the desire to learn the Truth, they are gullible to the persuasive speech of charismatic leaders propagating erroneous teaching.
These and many other attacks are occurring even while we sit here in our own church today, contemplating the truth of God...and it should cause our hearts to ache within us. Actually, this whole scenario of attacks on God’s church should drive us to pray that He might give us the boldness to stand true to Christ and be fully grounded in the truth so as not to be blown about by every wind of doctrine.
The Colossian church and the other churches in the Lycas River Valley were under attack as Paul wrote this letter. And, though he had never personally met them, he was agonizing over them (2:1) that they might stand strong in the face of theological compromise. On this occasion, the attack came from false teachers espousing doctrine that diminished the person of Christ and His fullness in believers’ lives. Thankfully, at the moment of this writing, the Colossian church as a whole was standing firm (2:5) against the attack. But, his great concern was that they would eventually yield to the destructive tactics and teaching of the errorists.
Paul lists several things that were necessary for believers to turn back the attack of Satan against them...things that are still necessary for us to resist compromise in our day.
He said they needed...
1. Spiritual Encouragement. (2:2A)
Paul desired that the hearts of these believers would be encouraged by His ministry and that of others, as well.
When we speak of the “heart” in our language we have to carefully define what we mean. The “heart” is sometimes viewed as the seat of our emotions, but it is so much more than that alone. It is the innermost part of a person that includes his mind and will (“the vital center” - Beck’s “Outlines of Biblical Psychology”).
The “encouragement” Paul wants believers to experience is the kind that does more than just bring a person into an emotional high...it is about changing the way he/she thinks and acts. Emotions respond to what and how the mind perceives a matter. Consequently, to control your emotions you have to affect the way the mind thinks. That is the kind of encouragement that Paul wants these Christian to experience. He wants them to be fundamentally changed in the way they reason so they will operate on the basis of sound judgment and not raw emotion. It’s easy to lose heart in the face of battles, if you think wrongly about matters of eternal/scriptural importance. That’s why the BIble teaches…
2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)
Spiritual encouragement is vitally important for followers of Jesus, especially when facing the dangers of opposition, difficulty and compromise. What was going on in Colossae was both discouraging and unsettling (cf. 1:23; 2:18; 3:15). They needed to hear clear voices speaking the truth to them in love so that they would not abandon the pathway Christ had called them to follow. Paul was praying for them to experience the kind of encouragement that would bolster their faith and cause them to stay the course.
“Encouraged” is one of Paul’s favorite words and it has a wide range of meaning, depending on the context where it is used. It literally means “to call to one's side” and was used as a metaphor for the Roman legal system. In that context it conveyed the idea of a defense lawyer. It can be translated, “to address,” “exhort” (Titus 1:9), “to encourage,” “comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:4), “to beseech” (Ephesians 4:1), or “plead” (2 Cor. 6:1). In our present context it lends itself to the idea of being strengthened against the forces of evil and error by someone who comes alongside to help.
Author William Barclay gives an example of how this word was used in ancient times. Citing a Greek historian he writes, “There was a Greek regiment which had lost heart and was utterly dejected. The general sent a leader to talk to it to such purpose that courage was reborn and a body of dispirited men became fit again for heroic action. That is what parakalein [encouraged] means here. It is Paul’s prayer that the church may be filled with that courage which can cope with any situation.” (Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., p. 150). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.)
It reminds me of a football team that struggled the entire first half of the game and was down twenty-one to nothing at halftime. During those few minutes together the team listened to their coach as he encouraged them to remember that what they had practiced could succeed in making up the deficit in the score and bringing them to victory. But, they had to believe that they were as good as the other team and had to play hard to the very last second of the game. By the time halftime was over the team was re-energized and charged out to play with new energy and confidence that the game was not over.
God wants to strengthen His team through you and me as we encourage each other to believe what God says is true and to trust His strength to bring us to victory. The Colossians were in danger of succumbing to heretical teaching from vocal errorists and they needed encouragement not to give up what they had been taught about Jesus. They also needed encouragement to draw from the riches of Christ (2:2) and not abandon them for the empty promises of false teachers.
Our English word “comfort” (one of the possible translations of the Greek word for “encourage”) comes from a Latin word that means, “to encourage to action, not console in misfortune.” Though both ideas can be found in Paul’s letters, here he wants to strengthen those that were losing heart in the face of the doctrinal confusion around them. He wanted to give them “new heart” to go on in what they had been taught about Christ. Encouragement always seeks to bring out the best in people!
They also needed...
2. Loving Community (2:2B)
Paul not only wanted the hearts of the Colossians to be “encouraged,” he also wanted them to be “knit together in love.”
This phrase literally refers to being united together and suggests being “compacted, welded into genuine unity.” (Vaughan, C. (1981). Colossians. (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.)The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Strengthening that enables a person to stand against attacks and compromise should take place in the context of a loving community. Unity and solidarity of heart serve to strengthen believers! By its very nature, erroneous teaching is divisive. Left to yourself, without a community of support, you are much more vulnerable to apostasy than those within a cohesive unit.
The very idea that we are to be “knit together” (united) implies that we must be joined with other believers in community. Christianity was never intended to be lived in isolation from others believers. God’s plan has always been that we should come together so we can encourage and build up one another.
It’s impossible to say that you need Christ, but you don’t need His church. The church is imperfect and messy, at times. But, it is through the church (the community of believers) that God is doing His greatest work in our world. Neither can you say that you love Christ, if you don’t love His bride (Ephesians 5:32).
It’s become popular to say, “Christianity is about a relationship, not a religion.” Well, that all depends on what you mean by “a religion.” If you are referring to dead orthodoxy characterized by empty and meaningless rituals, then it might be possible to affirm such a statement. However, if by “a religion” you mean an organized body of believers committed to the propagation of the Gospel and the maturing of disciples in faithful submission to Christ...then you need both “a relationship” and “a religion.”
And, love is to be the context (sphere) in which the community of believers gather. Christ’s love for us, as well as our love for Christ and other believers are what should characterize every congregation of believers. It is the “super-glue” that holds us together in unity with one another. Where there is no love and selfishness prevails...there can be no unity.
William Barclay writes, “Without love, there is no real church. Methods of church government and ritual are not what matter. These things change from time to time and from place to place. The one mark which distinguishes a true church is love for God and for one another in community. When love dies, the church dies. (Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., p. 150). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.)
Paul’s point here is simple...encouragement of heart should take place within the context of communities of faith that are united together in love. Patterns of church government and styles of worship inevitably vary. And, people invariably hold to different preferences wherever they gather, even at the church. However, what should distinguish the church from other gatherings is how differently the people love each other (1 John 4:7). Love makes people one, even when there are differences.
Robert Gromacki writes, “Organizational unity and conformity without love...are like lifeless bones joined together in a skeleton. The Colossians had to be connected to each other ‘in love.’ Love is the blood stream of the body; it is ‘the bond of perfectness’ which holds everything in place (3:14)...[the] Defense of the truth without love produces hardness. (Revelation 2:2–4).” (Gromacki, R. (2002). Stand Perfect in Wisdom: An Exposition of Colossians and Philemon (pp. 91–92). The Woodlands, TX: Kress Christian Publications.)
Apart from love there can be no unity (“united in love”) in the fellowship. And according to the late Francis Shaeffer, “unity is the final apologetic to the world.” (The Mark of the Christian [Downers Grove, Ill.; Intervarsity, 1970], p. 15)
There is no place in the body of Christ for divisive tactics and selfish pursuits. All gossip, slander, jealousy, envy, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, backbiting, etc., must be put away and never practiced among God’s people. Loving communities of faith are to be places where people’s hearts can be encouraged to face life’s challenges and battles in the context of love for one another.
Conclusion:
Ephesians 4:1-3
- Have you spiritually encouraged someone today? Or, are you a stumbling block?
- Do you hinder the church’s unity among the body of believers?
- Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker?
