Because there were
false-teachers among them, Paul the apostle addressed the Colossian
church with certain heresies which penetrated the church. The
Gnostics were promoting the idea that Jesus was not deity, and the
Judaizers were saying it was necessary to follow the Jewish laws in
addition to faith in Jesus to be saved. Paul refuted both of these
ideas in chapter two of his letter to the church, and in chapter two
and verse eighteen he warned the church members to not be “beguiled”.
We read:
Let no man beguile you
of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels,
intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up
by his fleshly mind,
The verse begins, “Let
no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and
worshiping of angels” Paul
begins with this Greek phrase “katabrabeuō
medies katabrabeuō hymas katabrabeuō”
which is a charge and a warning, “Let no man beguile you”
and means “to decide as umpire against someone or to defraud
of the prize of victory” “of your reward”. The idea is
to not allow anyone to “rob you of your salvation”. He goes on to
add, “in a voluntary humility” which is a “desire, wish
or intention to have a humble opinion of one's self, a deep sense of
one's (moral) littleness, modesty, humility, and lowliness of mind”
“and worshiping of angels” or “external, consisting of
ceremonies, religious discipline or religion” concerning
“messengers or ones sent” from God.
The
verse goes on to say, “intruding into those things which
he has not seen,” Paul adds
the words “intruding into”
which means “to enter, to frequent or haunt” “those
things which he has not seen”
or “looked at with the eyes, see with the mind, to perceive,
know, become acquainted with by experience”. Though they acted as
though they were spiritual, these “beguilers” promoted ideas and
things that they had never seen nor perceived.
Finally
the verse says, “vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,”
The result of their “extra
spiritualness” was they were “vainly puffed up”
or “inflated, blown up, caused to swell up, puffed up, made
proud or lofty” “by his fleshly mind” which refers to
“the natural mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and
understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining the
understanding”. These who promoted ideas such as their own
“humility, being able to visit with angels, and pontificating upon
things neither they or their companion had seen” resulted in a
prideful demeanor which made them feel superior to everyone else
around them.
As we consider these words
of Paul, we may have met those within our lives who think themselves
to be just a little more spiritual than anyone else. These may have
even made us or others feel that somehow their salvation was in
jeopardy because the spiritual level displayed by us was not as
elevated as theirs. Paul said, “Let no man beguile you” or
''fool you” into this vain thought. All through this chapter Paul
has given us warnings about not being beguiled, judged and unaware
which means the Lord God desires that we be circumspect for these
false ideas as well. Perhaps as we meditate upon Paul's words we
should think about God's desire to keep us from being “beguiled”,
and that fact that He desires it means we can be assured that He is
on our side and salvation is within His hands.
Next
time Paul writes about increasing with the increase of God,
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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