Be
On Your Guard!
R.
B. Shiflet
One
of the strongest appeals that the Apostle Paul makes to believers is
that found in Colossians 2:4-23, in which he warns us against letting
Satan capture our minds. This section of the epistle is bounded on
either side by the word “hid,” and its key message is the fulness of
Christ as the only answer to the emptiness of human reasoning. Note how
in verse 3 he refers to Christ, “in whom are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge,” and in chapter 3, verse 3, he says to us as
believers, “ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Between these passages that tell us that all true wisdom and knowledge
are hidden in Christ and that our own lives are also hidden in Him, he
calls attention to (1) The Purpose of our Enemy, (2) The Plan of our
Enemy, and (3) The Protection Against our Enemy.
The Purpose of Our Enemy
The
aim of our foe is stated in Colossians 2:8: “Beware lest any man spoil
you.” The term “spoil” means to “rob,” or to “make a prey” of, or to
take one captive. It is obvious that a loose hold on the truth of our
fulness in Christ will make one an easy victim to this method of
deception. Just as surely as the truth makes free, error genders to
bondage. One who fails to see the truth of our completeness in Christ
and His fulness does not have a balanced view of truth and can be easily
led astray.
It
is interesting to note the bait that Satan uses to reason aside the
weak brother that he takes into captivity. For the carnal believer, such
as those at Corinth, he uses the coarse appeals of the flesh with all
of its lusts. But for the “spiritual” Christian who still has an
unbalanced view of truth, he may use a “spiritual” bait—as is suggested
in Colossians 2:18. This may come in the form of “visions,” superior
claims to holy living, or any effort to attain spiritual progress
through fleshly efforts or wisdom.
The Plan of Our Enemy
The
enemy usually lures us aside through an emphasis on an empty, deceitful
kind of wisdom. He bases this, according to our chapter in Colossians,
on three things:
First,
he uses man-made teachings, or the traditions of men. Bible teachers
tell us that the word “tradition” as used here is found thirteen times
in the New Testament, and it is usually used in a bad sense. Note, for
example, where the Pharisees were charged with making the Word of God of
none effect through their traditions (Mark 7:2-7). How much of the
church programs of today are nothing more than traditions of men, with
no Scriptural basis!
Second,
Satan would lead us astray by keeping us in the elements, or rudiments
of the world. The term “rudiments” means “first steps.” The Hebrews were
told that these rudiments or elements belonged to childhood, and the
mature believer was charged to leave them and go on (Hebrews 5:12-6:3).
The Galatians were told that these rudiments would only gender bondage
(Galatians 4:3). In Colossians 2:20, the believer is told that he is
dead with Christ to these rudiments, and that he therefore should not be
subject to carnal ordinances. By way of contrast, he is told to set his
affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Believers who
live in the shadow days of external ordinances miss the joy of the
reality, who is Christ; those who feel that they can worship only with
these worldly elements fail to see that we are citizens of heaven and in
the sight of God are “seated with Christ” in heavenly places even now.
Third,
if Satan cannot lure us through traditions of men and rudimentary
ordinances, he will make the intellectual appeal. He will reason us
aside through wisdom of words, making the cross of Christ ineffective (1
Cor. 1:17); he will try to get us so involved in the wisdom of this
world that we will fail to see that it is only foolishness to God (1
Cor. 3:19); he will lead us into fleshly wisdom, frustrating the grace
of God (2 Cor. 1:12); and he will make the wisdom from beneath so,
attractive that we neglect the wisdom which is from above (James
3:15-17).
The Protection Against Our Enemy
The
entire Colossian epistle is written to give us the protection we need
against these tactics of our enemy. It may be summarized in one or two
verses: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and
ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power”
(Colossians 2:9-10). This completeness in Christ is the exact opposite
of the empty, vain life that Satan has to offer. Are we really aware of
what we have? YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM! If I am complete in Christ, then
nothing a preacher or a church can do for me in the way of ritual or
religion is needed. As a matter of fact, we can add nothing to
completeness. We are Complete in HIM. If we believe this, may we act
upon it and make Christ the center and circumference of our lives. May
we rejoice in Him, glory in Him, do all that we say or do in HIS name,
giving no occasion to the flesh, but doing all for His honor and glory.
Only then will the purpose and plan of our enemy be foiled and our
protection against him be sure.
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