Paul the apostle desired for
the Colossian church members to know how they related to Jesus
Christ, and he used the example of the physical body to do so. Jesus
Christ is the “Head” of the church, and all the bones and
ligaments function in accordance with the head. They were to have no
other directors than Jesus Christ, and as they followed His lead,
they would grow with the “increase of God”. In chapter two
and verse twenty, Paul asks the Colossians a question concerning the
laws that false-teachers were attempting to teach them to follow. We
read:
Wherefore if you are
dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world,
why, as though living
in the world, are you subject to ordinances,
The
verse begins, “Wherefore if you are dead with Christ from
the rudiments of the world,”
Whenever we see the word, “Wherefore”
in the Bible, we should always ask, “What is the “wherefore”
“there for”? In this case, it is a word that draws a conclusion
after what has just been stated. Paul referred to increasing with the
increase of God by understanding the relationship of the church to
Jesus Christ. He asked, “if you are dead with Christ”
which means, “since or on account of” the fact that when they
received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord they left the life
they had known, and they were delivered “from the
rudiments” which are “the
first things or the elements and primary and fundamental principles
of any art, science, or discipline” “of the world”
or that which is part of the world in which they existed.
The
verse goes on to say, “why, as though living in the
world, are you subject to ordinances,”
Paul asked the church members, “why”
and then gave a condition, “as though living in the
world” or “as though your
citizenship is part of this world” “are you subject to
ordinances” which is the Greek
word “dogmatizo” from which we get our English word “dogma”
and means “to decree, command, enjoin, or lay down an ordinance”.
The heretical teachings of both the Gnostics and the Judaizers were
promoting “dogma” of this world, and they set down the
“rudiments”
thereof as a basis for salvation. Paul asked the Christ believing
Colossians why they were attempting to follow those rules.
Paul's
idea was to challenge the church members of Colosse to think about
how they left the basic elements and laws for salvation when they
received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Though there were
some people who believed that an ascetic life was pleasing to God and
those who restrained themselves from the “rudiments”
of the world were righteous enough to be saved, Paul refuted that
teaching. As we ponder Paul's words, let us take inventory and
discover whether we continue to believe that some righteous act we
follow somehow furthers our own salvation, and may the Lord reveal to
us that it was only by His grace that any of us know Him as our
personal Savior and Lord.
Next
time Paul writes about touching and tasting,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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