An Established Community – Colossians
2:1-10
Part Two
The Unparalleled Supremacy of Christ: A General Overview
Paul challenges the notion of consigning the rituals of baptism and the
rite of conversion to terminal occurrences in the Christian life. He writes to combat the possibility that the
Colossians will lapse into mixing and matching faiths and loyalties. Undoubtedly, this tendency spreads confusion;
weakens the value of the gospel; and eventuates in moral and ethical
compromise. He exceedingly desires that
these new and young believers, many of whom Paul had not met personally, “may
have the full riches of complete understanding.” In essence, he submits that coming to know
Christ and being baptized in His name is only the beginning of a lifelong
journey. He earnestly prays that they
will comprehend the intricate mysteries that God reveals in Christ who possesses
the hidden treasures of godly counsel and teaching.
In contemporary halls of academe and departments of Religion, the
paradigm of “Higher Biblical Criticism” posits that a learned, reasonable
person cannot accept the Bible at face value.
Rather, he must study the ancient languages and the cultural origins
that produced the text to determine its most legitimate meaning. We cannot assume that it means what it
says. We must allow for the fallibility
of the human agents who wrote the books of the Bible. Actually, the scriptures contain the record
of the history, religion and literature of the Hebrew Bible and the New
Testament writings. This construct which
mimics the scientific method and thereby subscribes to its criteria for
determining truth undercuts the worth of revelation, propositional truth, and
biblical claims of divine inspiration.
Seductively, this way of thinking appears to empower its adherents by
freeing them from allegiance to a “parrot religion.” However, it is essentially powerlessness when
its followers face life threatening health challenges, the failure of
marriages, broken homes and the other adversities and circumstances of life
that average believers confront daily.
Paul appeals to the Colossians to be orderly and firm in their faith in
Christ. Practically speaking, he first
recommends a systematic and disciplined study of the gospel. Second, he suggests that they resist the
temptation of wavering. Should they heed
this advice, they will continue in Christ being “rooted and built up in him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with
thankfulness.” Paul assures the
Colossians of the worth of investing the time, talent, tithe and temperament,
as they deepen their relationships with Christ.
Consider what they will miss if they remain as babes in the faith. They will never know the genuine faithfulness
of Christ. They will not experience the
enduring power and wisdom of the gospel to redress each and every human
challenge. They will not progress to the
point of trusting Almighty God when one does not have any other options or
resources upon which to rely. If they
fail to harden their commitment to Christ, they will not be able to genuinely
rely upon Him and trust the truth of His teachings. The mere fact that they would entertain
alternative philosophies demonstrates a lack of trust in the gospel. Paul wants them to rest assuredly upon the
claims of Christ of who He is, the embodiment of the fullness of the Deity.
The Unquestionable Supremacy of Christ
Paul opens this chapter expressing his fervent concern for the Church
at Colosse and for their neighboring brothers and sisters in the Lord, the
Church at Laodicea, which was roughly ten miles to the east. Located on a square plateau approximately one
hundred feet above a valley, Laodicea
had “extensive fertile fields and good grazing grounds.” These natural resources allowed the raising
of large numbers of sheep. Their “glossy
black wool” supported a fluid market of clothing and decorative rugs. A center of commerce and affluence, Laodicea enjoyed a
favorable reputation for its geographical and financial wealth. Apparently, the Christians in Laodicea allowed
themselves to be unduly influenced by the fame, culture, status and society of
this secular capital in the region of Phrygia. Living in this “Metropolis of Asia,” the Laodicean believers conceivably began to
syncretize their newfound Christian beliefs with the predominant social
practices and mores of the town. The end
result is that the supremacy of Christ suffers.
Not surprisingly, the close proximity of Laodicea to Colosse created a similar problem
for the Christians there.
Bordering the Lycas
Valley and geographically
located in the east-west commercial route that spans Ephesus to the Euphrates River,
Colosse experienced eminence and richness until the eighth century of the
Common Era. Arguably the principles of
Christianity inherently clash with the dictates of capitalism and commerce. The teachings of Christ greatly challenge the
culture about the just, reasonable and dignified distribution of
resources. The ideology of “rugged
individualism” motivates people to earn all that they can without equally
challenging them to share with the most vulnerable citizens whom the Lord characterizes
as “the least.” Allegiance to this
selfish impulse impedes greatly a disciple’s loyalty to the Lord Jesus
Christ. It further prevents believers
from obeying The Great Commandment and fulfilling The Great Commission. Commitments to secular and humanistic
principles invariably devalue devotion to Christ. That was the case in ancient Colosse. More unfortunately, it is the case for
contemporary American Christians who struggle to grant Christ total dedication
notwithstanding the competing demands of patriotism, civil religion and
citizenship to the contrary. The
prosperity, technology, science and global prominence of the United States
greatly challenge American believers to adhere with integrity to the biblical
teachings of the Lord.
Christology is the technical theological term for the devotion to the
Lord and its number on the list of a disciple’s priorities. A “high Christology” means that Jesus of Nazareth is the Risen
Lord and Savior of your life. As a
result, He is your “Ultimate Concern,” as you live to His honor and glory with
all of your heart, mind, soul and strength.
The opposite view relegates Jesus to being a good moral teacher who
parables, sermons and discourses exceed the great Western philosophical
thinkers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
In Colosse, a heresy called Docetism emerged from the combination of the
foregoing socio-economic and socio-political context and the generational
distance from the original apostles’ teachings.
Docetism struck at the heart of the doctrine of the divinity of
Christ. It alleged that Jesus was not
incarnate. The apostles witnessed a
ghost essentially. This being appeared
to have human form; hence their fondness for him. As a consequence, the resurrection was an
apparition in that a facsimile of a human person was crucified and not an
actual man. Taken to its logical
conclusion, the foundation of the Christian faith is questionable as the
apostles’ teaching centers specifically upon the crucifixion. This letter to the Christians at Colosse is
written to clarify this theological error and reaffirm the unquestionable
supremacy of Christ.
Paul proceeds to state his fervent concern that the Colossians obtain
the “full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the
mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge.” The fluid economic
market of Colosse in turn yielded a vibrant market of ideas and
theologies. Mystery religions
proliferated, not surprisingly. This
pluralism lent itself to the process of syncretism in which the teachings of
different belief systems were combined due to personal preference. People would pick and choose the aspects of
inherently contradictory systems and blend them. The apostle writes to combat this practice
and its ultimate effect of undermining the doctrine of the divinity of
Christ. Moreover, he pronounces Christ
as the final answer to the enduring questions of the mystery religions. God’s ultimate revelation is Jesus Christ.
Straightforwardly, Paul declares his purpose of protecting the
Colossian believers from the deception of “fine sounding arguments.” The marketplace of ideas often sells many
attractive concepts with luscious appeal.
Generally, they are laced with half-truths to which many people succumb
if they fail to scrutinize carefully the internal logic and practical outcomes
of the ideas. What good is a religion
that lacks a strong moral and ethical core?
Can you have genuine spirituality without practical morality? Is religion worthwhile if it lacks
intellectual respectability? Paul’s
physical absence propels this letter as he desires to see the Colossians mature
in their firmness in faith in Christ.
Paul exhorts the Church to persevere in the faith that they were taught
by those persons who received the original teachings of the apostles.
Understandably, as the first generation of Christians died, their descendants,
if unlearned in the original faith, would be ripe for manipulation, deceit and
syncretism. Deepening their knowledge in
the faith would be their surest defense against such temptations and
misfortunes. Quite simply, he admonishes
them to hold fast to the faith that they were taught. Similarly, today’s Church must return to
biblical roots. Tradition has usurped
the authority of scripture. The average
church attendee knows church traditions better than he or she knows the
Bible. The prevalent and profound
biblical illiteracy that plagues most churches creates the vacuum in which
secular, humanistic and corporate ideas pervade the affairs of the Church. Paul warns the Colossians to guard against
the possible imprisonment of “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on
human tradition and the basic principle of this world rather than on
Christ.” Contemporary believers face the
same dilemma.
Today’s passage end with Paul’s doctrinal and pastoral affirmation that
the “fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” in Christ. He irrevocably asserts and clarifies that
doctrine of the Incarnation which is necessary to the actual atonement in the
crucifixion and the non-negotiable bodily resurrection of Christ. This progression of the mysterious and
paradoxical revelation of Christ is necessary to establish the Lordship of
Jesus Christ, “who the head over every power and authority.” Summarily, Paul argues for the unquestionable
supremacy of Christ in the individual and collective lives of every believer.
