The Freedom in Christ

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Freedom from Discouragement

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Here Paul wants all the churches that he was not able to personally visit to be free of discouragement. He wanted them to lay hold of this freedom that we have in Christ to be assured of our salvation. He believed that if they continued in love that they would be "knit" together and enjoy the riches of God, through Jesus Christ. The riches that he speaks of here are assurance, understanding and knowledge, all the mysteries of God that are ours in Christ Jesus.

We find it hard not to be discouraged sometimes. But this is simply lack of faith. If we sincerely believe that all things work for the best for those who are in Christ, then we should never be discouraged. This requires patience and as you remember, this was one of the three things that Paul prayed that the Colossians would have. Some things take time and this is often the test of patience that the Lord requires of us and while we may become impatient, we must never become discouraged.

Freedom from Enticing Words

There verses are talking about "peer pressure". As we have seen, at Colossae there were those who influenced the Gentile believers to get involved in Jewish customs on the grounds that it would aid them in obtaining salvation. Some of these false teachers were not quite so bold, they only promised spiritual growth. What Paul is doing in these verses is telling the Colossians that salvation had nothing to do with works of any kind, it is a gift of God through faith and that sanctification, or spiritual growth is the result of obedience to God in whatever way He has called you. neither one of these has anything to do with Jewish customs.

Like the Colossians, many people still today have this mistaken idea that they are working their way to Heaven. They have busied themselves with the "doing of works", that they believe will ultimately, grant them acceptance into Heaven. Paul first wanted to dispel this idea. This whole second chapter is dedicated to the theme of "Freedoms in Christ". However, he also wanted them, and us, to know that this is not permission to remain "babes in Christ, but it is knowledge that should give us joy and the freedom to grow in sanctification, as we grow in years.

Wiersbe says that the Christian who is not growing spiritually, is an open target for Satan to attack. Satan is not an easily recognized entity, he very seldom appears in a red suit with horns and a long tail, he most often appears as a "well meaning" person who is prone to offer your conscience many reasons why you should stay away from "church politics" and "Bible study" that no one can understand.

Paul says that no one can lead you astray with beguiling or false speech. This, of course, is true if you know the truth and stay close to the Lord and acknowledge the leadings of the Holy Spirit. Paul, even though he was not with them, was with them in spirit and was glad to hear of their "good order" and "firmness" of faith. It would appear that this church had a "plan" and they were firm and steadfast in the carrying out of that plan. Paul wanted them to examine that "plan" and make sure that it was as Epafras had taught them. If it was, then they would be walking worthy of the Lord.

But.... The Gnostics were at work at Colossae. They were introducing "new regulations". Three areas of false religion were introduced into this plan. One, by the Judizers, who insisted on them observing a little Jewish tradition. Two, by the Pagan converts, who wanted them to add a little superstition and astrology to the service and three, those converts from oriental backgrounds, wanted a little of oriental philosophy included into the service. Paul warned them to beware of this as it stole from them the freedoms that they had in Christ.

They had started with "faith" as the key to salvation, they had to continue with it in order to grow spiritually. Paul calls this "being rooted in the faith". This means, "not blown by every wind of doctrine". Being nourished in the truth of the Word. Paul knew that these people had been correctly taught by Epafras who had received his teachings from Paul. So it was not because they had not been correctly instructed, it was because they were not continuing in that teaching and abounding in the faith.

the word "abounding" means, "continue until you over flow". Paul abounded in the faith, he abounded in his teachings and he abounded in thanksgiving. "Abounding in the faith" means that you know the source of your strength, your salvation, your faith and your growth. A weak and immature Christian may seek to justify themselves by works, but a mature Christian knows that the source of their salvation is faith in Jesus Christ apart from works.

Freedom From Vain Philosophy

"Beware, see to it that no one carries you off and makes you a prey of philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition." Notice what this does. First of all, it takes from you the freedoms that you have in Christ and secondly, it takes from you the joy of your salvation. False teachers, today and at the time that Paul wrote this, do not go out and "win the lost". They get their converts from weak Christians in established churches.

We wonder how these false teachers can deceive church people? Very simply, the people they get are ignorant of the Word, they become fascinated by the doing of things that give them the feeling that they, in some way, are responsible for their salvation. They often choose physical activity to spiritual activity. "Men become captive to traditions." This statement hit me right between the eyes. We must constantly examine our activities, our worship, our study and our prayers. Are we doing it because it is "traditional"?

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were very zealous to obey and protect their traditions and this blinded them to the Messiah. Paul knew what he was talking about because for a time, he was blinded by tradition. The traditions being taught at Colossae were false and deceptive. They involved worldly influences, they even included the so called "elemental spirits" of the universe, better known as religious astrology.

Why would any one follow empty philosophy when we have all the fullness in Christ? Jeremiah said that this is like turning away from the "satisfying river" to drink from the "dirty cisterns" of the world. Of course no one in Colossae suggested that they forsake Christ, just make Him apart of the "system", remove Him from His rightful place of preeminence.

Paul asks in verse 9 a simple question, "If all fullness is in Christ and you have been made full and complete in Him, why then would you need any thing else?"

Then Paul attacks the false doctrine that was being taught by those who did not believe in the "humanity" of Christ. They reasoned that sense all matter was evil, and Christ was without blemish, then He could not be human. Paul dispels this teaching by showing how Christ was both human and divine. Christ was born with a human body. He lived for approximately 33 years in that human body. That human body died on the cross and arose a glorified human body after three days. After the resurrection, Christ was careful to assure the Disciples that He was the same person in the same recognizable body. He was not a figment of their imagination.

Now, Paul says, the remarkable thing is this. Every believer shares in that resurrection. When we are "born again", we are made complete in Christ. We are constantly faced with so-called "new spiritual insights". How can we test these insights to see if they are true? The best test is to ask this question of it, "Where does it put Jesus Christ?"

1. Does it rob Him of His fullness, His completeness?
2. Does it deny His deity?
3. Does it deny His humanity?
4. Dose it suggest that the believer must have some experience to prove his relationship with Christ?

If it does any of these things, it is false, and even worse, it is dangerous. Those who would take away from you your freedoms in Christ, are dangerous. This was the position of the Gentile believer in Colossae, the Jewish converts were seeking to impose upon them the traditions of the Jewish religion.

Freedom From the Judgment of Man

In these verses, Paul deals with Jewish "legalism". These false teachers did not go as far as the Judizers did, but they did insist that new Gentile converts to Christianity be circumcised. As far as the rest of Jewish Law, they only suggested that the keeping of the Jewish Law would help the new converts to become more spiritual. Circumcision, observance of the food laws, observance of Holy Days would make them part of the "spiritual elite" in the church. Have you ever been pressured by the spiritual elite? If you have then you know something about how these new Gentile converts felt at Colossae.

Here Paul explains that the Christian is not subject in any way to the Old Testament legal system. Jesus Christ alone, is sufficient for our every spiritual need. Circumcision was a "sign" of God's covenant with the Jewish people. The problem was, that it became to the people of Israel, a means of salvation. People today make the same mistake when they rely on such things as baptism and church membership for salvation.

Like circumcision, baptism has a spiritual meaning. It means to be "identified with". It is symbolic of cleansing. The Israelites were baptized with Moses when they crossed over the Red Sea. They became a nation that was "identified" with Moses. In these verses, Paul used the word baptism in the same way. When a person accepts Christ he is baptized with the Holy Spirit and becomes identified with Christ.

We believe, as Paul says in verse 14, that we are "free from the Law", in Christ. The Law was impossible to keep and even though God never gave the 10 commandments to the Gentiles, as Paul says in Rom. 2:12, "They were written in our hearts." The commandments condemned us, Christ redeemed us. Paul says in Rom. 7:6, "We are delivered from the Law, we are not under the Law but under Grace."

"Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food, drink, or with regard to a festival, feast day, new moon or a Sabbath." What is Paul saying here? He says that we have victory over these "man made" traditions. We have victory over these and over Satan. Satan is the source of many of these rituals that take from the preeminence of Christ.

Thus we are free from those who would judge us on the basis of rituals.

Freedom From Improper Worship

One of the areas of freedom that were being threatened in Colossae was the freedom of worship. Paul says, "Let no one disqualify you." The word "disqualify" or "beguile", as it is translated in the K.J., means to declare you to be unworthy of the prize. Here Paul was referring to the false teachers who disqualified the new Gentile converts on the basis of circumcision. They made them believe that circumcision was necessary to be saved, which of course, it wasn't.

The other side of this is that if they had been persuaded, would this cause them to loose their salvation. The answer again is no. A Christian who gets caught up in these rituals do not loose their salvation. He may very well loose the joy of it and all that is promised to the faithful in First Corinthians 3. Do you believe in degrees of reward in Heaven (I Cor. 3:8)? Do you believe in degrees of punishment in Hell (Matt. 23:14)?

In Colossae there was the practice of "mysticism", having an experience with the spiritual world apart from the Holy Spirit. Visions were conjured up and contacts were made with Angels. They were practicing all kinds of demonic activity. Christians were urged to set foot in the "inner shrine".

These false teachers taught that only through the practice of mysticism could the believer come into the presence of God. Paul declared that all believers had that privilege granted to them when they accepted Christ. They could come "boldly" to the thrown of Grace. Why worship Angels? The author of Hebrews says that Angels are "ministering spirits" that are sent to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. These false teachers tried to approach God through Angels. Trying to reach God through any one other than His Son, is idolatry.

Notice how "puffed up" those people became because of their sensuous mind. Familiarity breads contempt. A true spiritual experience will lead to humility and submission, not to bragging and self-phrasing.

Wiersbe makes a statement relative to this that I am not quite sure of. He says, "The cheap familiarity with which some people approach God in prayer or talk about Him in testimony or conversation, sometimes borders on blasphemy." The vain religion of the mystics bordered on this blasphemy and was no substitute for spiritual nourishment. So Paul appeals to the Colossians to draw from the source of true spiritual nourishment, Jesus Christ.

Then Paul had a word about church growth. The "carnival atmosphere" that was put on at Colossae was attracting people. The mystics, the festivals and astrology, all of this attracted worldly people, but Paul warns about this kind of growth. True growth comes through the Holy Spirit and the feeding of the word. This growth is of God. When all members grow and present their talents for the service of the Lord, God honors this and the church will grow. Paul says in First Corinthians 12:7, "Now to each one is given of the Spirit for the common good." It is in the combining of our talents and seeking strength from the Lord, that we experience the kind of growth that is from God.

So Paul was entreating these people to not allow these false teachers to take from them the freedom that they had to worship properly.

Freedom From the Doctrine of Men

Continuing on in the above theme, Paul says to these Colossians and to us, "You have freedom from the doctrine of Men." Wiersbe says, "Let no one enslave you." This is what the false teachers were trying to do at Colossae. In these verses Paul is condemning self-denial and self-mortification. "Why", Paul asks, "Do you submit to regulations that have the appearance of wisdom in promoting devotion and self-abasement, but are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh." Notice what Paul was talking about. Some people were involved in sleeping on hard beds, punishing themselves, remaining silent for days, going without food, going without sleep, submitting to regulation that led to self-abasement on the grounds that it somehow increased their spirituality.

Is there any scriptural grounds for this? Some. We know that "some discipline" is needed in our lives. Moderation is the key to all of our worldly activities. In First Corinthians, Paul says, "Do you not know that your bodies are the Temple of God." He also said that we must discipline our bodies and keep it under control. We do these things for the sake of our health and for the sake of our witness. But that was not the reason why the Gnostics in Colossae taught and practiced self-denial and self-abasement. They hoped to satisfy the soul by disciplining the body. It is this heresy that Paul attacked.

These were "man made " doctrines, as Christians we are free from these because of our union with Christ. We are governed by God's Laws not the regulations of men.

Now we can also, go to far in that direction. Some have taken this to mean that it is contrary to scripture to obey any man made laws. This is obviously wrong as Jesus Himself said that we should render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, meaning that we should have respect for government and obey its laws. So we must use wisdom and moderation in the exercise of our freedoms that we have in Christ.

The problem in Colossae was that these man made regulations were given the same authority as God's commandments. Regulations on food were given the same importance as the commandments. Jesus said in Mark 7:18, "Food is for the stomach, not the heart." Paul was inspired to write in Rom. 14:14, "I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself."

The custom of self-denial was practiced by Oriental Monks for the sake of self-promotion. We must be careful in our own religious observances, that we do not attach any spiritual gain from any act of self-denial. Even when we abstain from doing something for the sake of a weaker brother. The practice of abstaining leads to the pretense of piety. The power of Christ in the believers life should control and regulate their appetites.

So we must be careful in our observance of religion that we are observing the regulations of God and not of man. We must not allow man to steal from us the freedoms that we have in Christ.

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