Family Bible Series for July 24: Hold onto Christ if truth is what you seek_71105

Posted: 7/12/05

Family Bible Series for July 24

Hold onto Christ if truth is what you seek

• Colossians 2:1-23

By Mitch Randall

First Baptist Church, Bedford

It is extremely easy to fall into the trap of accepting false truth. From civil religion to oblique views of Christianity, the trap to falsehood is easily tripped by those seeking meaning and purpose in their lives. When desperate people are looking for desperate measures to cope with life’s desperate questions, people are willing to believe anything for validation, or vindication, as some of the cases may be.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians, we gain a sense of caution and sensitivity in his words. Paul’s letter, while written specifically for the Colossians, was meant to be passed from church to church. The church at Laodicea was close by, most likely established about the same time the church in Colosse was planted. Therefore, the same issues the Colossians faced likely were being debated in the Laodicean church as well.

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Paul’s language gives evidence of other teachings merging with the doctrines of Christianity. We must remember the influence Hellenism (the Greek way of thought and life) played within the missionary churches. Hellenism gave credence to polytheism, which flew in the face of monotheism. For polytheists, placing faith in one God was risky business. Why pray to one God, when you could get all your bases covered by praying to them all. The premise behind this way of thinking is there is not one truth combining the universe.

Paul contradicted this by declaring Christ the one and only truth. For Paul, Christ plus nothing was the one truth on which everything hinged. Anything else, even Christ plus something, was dangerous ground. All treasures, knowledge and mysteries are centered in the person of Jesus. Practicing our faith with anything other than Christ as Lord demeans our faith to the point of destruction.

However, many in our world have added to faith in Christ. There are those who believe faith cannot be practiced properly without the gift of tongues. There are those who believe one is not a true believer if they do not prescribe to their fundamentals of faith. There are those who believe one cannot separate faith and politics, professing allegiance to political parties as proof. Just as in Paul’s day, there are those seeking addendums to faith.

In Colossians 2:8, Paul writes, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.” The Greek word for “captive,” means to prey upon someone’s spirituality to lead them astray. In other words, there are people in the world looking to advance their own agendas at the expense of genuine people seeking faith in Christ. They strive to hold people captive to their belief system rather than liberating people in Christ.

The idea behind this way of persuasion drives a philosophy of empty deceit. Peeled back to its very core, this life philosophy is a hollow core of nothingness. There is nothing to build upon other than shallow thoughts created from the worldly perspectives of men. Human traditions and spirits derived from this universe lead to a false hope sold wrapped in the idea of spiritualism. Yet any time Christ is de-emphasized, there is a tendency to abandon him for the hope of something else.

Paul condemns this as heresy. Anything short of Christ Jesus is not acceptable to Paul. Jesus is the cornerstone for belief. If not, that particular wall of thought faces certain doom. Jesus is the one truth everything else is measured by. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Discussion questions

• Define truth. Is there one truth within the universe?

• Why is finding truth important to our lives?

• What do we build upon the truth?