In the Shadow of the Cross

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“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and basic principles of this world rather than on Christ"
(Colossians 2:8 NIV)

The sky is blue. The capital of Ohio is Columbus. Elephants have trunks. All of these are true, and are truths. One can rely on them as being true.

There are many deceptive philosophies or religions that are not true. Some of you may be saying to yourself, ‘What is truth?” “How do you know your truth is true?”

I know that Christ is the truth. He told me so. “I am the way, the truth and the life…”

These are His words. Yes, but how do you know that it’s true? I know that it is true based upon the rest of the bible and what is said about Gods’ promises, protections, providential care, patience, His loving kindness, and the teaching and work of His Son and how His blessing have been manifest in my life. If you are not agreeing with me thus far, there is a very good chance that you are one of those people that Paul had in mind when he wrote his letter to the Colossians, and was sending a clear warning to.

The warning is to people who are rejecting Jesus, rejecting God as supreme, sovereign and fully and solely sufficient and satisfactory for all of life. These Colossians wanted to add something or someone to Christ. They did not have the full faith that Christ alone was sufficient for all aspects of life. For them, it was Jesus and spirits, or Jesus and ritual, or Jesus and the old sacrificial system, or some other system or method that they believed must be added on.

Paul was saying to the people of Colosse, wake up and live the way you were instructed in Christ. If you received Him as your Lord and Savior, then live that way, there are no

“add-ons” needed. If you are a Christian, then be in Christ. He is saying in essence don’t be fooled by fast-talking counterfeits who play the vocabulary shell game with you. Don’t be fooled by a system of belief were the concept of human traditions are held in higher regard than the God and His Word.

Paul uses strong words in this passage. We see these deceptive and hollow philosophies, in the cults, and secular humanism. The esteem of human tradition however, is seen very clearly in the magisterium of Roman Catholic Church.

Vatican II declared: “It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, sacred Scriptures and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.” (1)

If you examine Roman doctrine a bit closer you will see that only the church can interpret scriptures, only the church can explain what tradition is, only the church can authenticate and articulate these two issues. In essence what the Roman Catholic church is saying is; that the church alone can define and interpret, and thus the church is the only real authority over the “dead letter” of the Bible. (now that is an ‘add-on’ with a cherry on top!) The Roman church and its human traditions esteem themselves as the high authority. Should not the church obtain its authority from scriptures, rather than vice versa? Is God’s Holy Word sufficient, or do we need a human system to interpret it and in many instances, supersede it?

This is not intended to be sola scriptura verses sola ecclesia essay, but rather to put into a narrow light what Paul was saying and meaning in Colossians. I also wanted to point out it appears to me that the Roman doctrine is contrary to what the Bible teaches in Revelation 22:18-19…2 Timothy 3: 16-17.and especially what is emphasized in John 1:1

Paul’s warning is not just for those who are or will elevate human tradition over Christ and His authority, and the authority of scriptures, but also to warn us about hollow religions and philosophies where Christ is not central and exalted.

Where do we see hollow and deceptive religions preying on people’s emotions, using camouflaged words, words that are Biblical in nature, but carry an entirely different and heretical meaning? We see this clearly in the LDS Church, and Jehovah Witness religious systems, or any other teaching that diminishes Christ. {they look like a ducks, quack like a ducks, but folks they are NOT ducks}. These religious cults look like Christians, talk like Christians, portray themselves as Christians, but they are NOT Christians!! Why? Because these religious cults see Jesus in a light that is not at all biblical. (canonical Holy Bible, is what I am referring to .. not the Joseph Smith version).

To be a Christian, one must be ‘in’ Christ. In the LDS system, Jesus is not seen as God, He is portrayed as one of many gods (small ‘g’) He is seen as a spirit brother and even the brother of Lucifer, not as Redeemer and Savior. A member of this cult cannot be ‘in’ Christ when they see Christ as something completely different than what He truly is, and as such cannot be Christian, no matter how many times they tell you they are. This philosophy is simply heresy, and billions of people are being deceived. Paul is warning us about this!

Paul also warns us about the principles of this world that pull us away from Christ. These can been seen in a myriad of things today as anything that does not extol Christ to His rightful place of honor, deity, praise and worship.

Unfortunately, a growing movement called the emergent church is springing up everywhere. When you read Jude’s epistle, his central theme is warning against false teachers. The emerging church would fall under this category. False teachers are ungodly men; they have no integrity, no reverence for God. But they are clandestine, not easily recognized as ungodly men, again because they speak in biblical terms and exhibit an outward appearance of piety and sobriety, kindness, congeniality, but they are far from that in reality. We are experiencing a large number of Christian churches today that are deliberately removing the lordship of Christ from the pulpit, from the pews, from their literature, their website, their bulletins, books, etc… Instead political correctness or a philosophy of religious tolerance is being promoted as true Christianity, where false teachers are growing in number and boldness. Why is this happening? Paul, writing inspired words from God, knew this, that’s why the warning.

Secular humanism, materialism, post-modernism are the premium philosophies of today. As they are permeating into Christianity, there appears to be little resistance to these particular strains of poison. If Christ is not being exalted, then something else is, that something else is... politeness or fear of incrimination. If people hear about how sinful they are, they will not fill in the pews and consequently church programs will suffer. If people hear that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life, then that portrays our church to be very narrow-minded, non-inclusive, and a non-inviting environment, and they will not fill in the pews. The truth is being watered-down and in many instances not preached at all. People are being deceived by the millions.

Solution; Get back to the Word. Study it, memorize it, meditate on it, stand for it, do not compromise it, live it and let it be the sole standard. Discernment and strong moral standards can and should be stood up for, before it’s too late. Pretty soon most of us will not be able to distinguish the truth from the lies. Solution: Get back to the Word, God’s holy standard.

‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

Notice that it does not say “some Scripture or only every page is God-breathed, or the Joseph Smith version only, or that human traditional assignment is needed, no instead it says ALL Scripture. In that statement, is it not inferred that since ALL Scripture is God-breathed, that it is designed for ALL to understand it so as to be useful in training, correcting, teaching, rebuking. You mean God, with all His power was able to present His perfect and sufficient word to all of us, but is incompetent in the area of delivery so that the man of God cannot be thoroughly equipped for every good work. If that was the case, then we would need secondary sources, like the Book of Mormon, or the Magisterium, or some other add-on, as God would be in need of a “side-kick” to help Him along.

In the case of humanism, this verse means nothing, because in humanism – man is god, scriptures are irrelevant.

The truth is worth fighting for, standing up for and defending (not in a militant manner) but in a discerning manner, rejecting lies, deceit, falsehoods regarding Jesus. It requires us to be back into our bibles, daily reading and prayerfully asking for God’s wisdom and boldness to renounce whatever is being presented that is anti-Christ, whether it be regarding His authority, His divinity, His authorship of Scripture, His power, His rightful praise and honor due Him or anything that is elevated higher than He.

“…therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and all earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father”
(Philippians 2: 9-11 NIV)

Paul’s warning to the Colossians is just as real to us today, as it was when he wrote it, because the fact is: …every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus Christ (solely) as Lord. That is true and there are no ‘add-ons’.

1). The Documents of Vatican II, ed. waiter M. Abbott (New York: Herden and Herden, 1966) p. 118. Dei Verbum, 8.

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