What Was the Colossian Heresy and What Can We Learn from it?

In comments on the last post Philip mentioned Milton Jones’ interpretation of the Colossian heresy as something comparable to post-modernism. I have a great level of respect for Milton Jones. I haven’t read his book (that Philip linked to in his comment) but I did think this would be an interesting point to respond to in a post rather than a comment. In January I started writing curriculum on the prison letters of Paul. I really believe it is important to understand the occasion of an epistle if we are going to spend time teaching it and discussing it. So I really wrestled with the Colossian heresy for a while. After sitting at the feet of everyone from N.T. Wright to Benny Three Sticks and Peter O’Brian via their excellent commentaries, here was my take on the Colossian heresy from my Prison Letters of Paul small group curriculum,

“The Jews believed angels were involved in giving the law (Gal 3:19 for instance). It seems false teachers had come in and said that it was necessary to please these angels, principalities and powers if God was to hear their prayers (see 2:16-23). In order to please them they were taught to follow strict dietary (2:21)and holiness guidelines as well as the observance of special days (2:16). Paul is teaching them that such teachings are false and that Christ is still supreme with full authority over everything in creation that they don’t need to lean on such hollow and deceptive teachings (1:15ff, 2:8).”

I can’t say with certainty that I have it all right but that is the best I can come up with thanks to borrowing from a few scholars I highly respect and trying to put these pieces together in my own mind. It seems more appropriate to me to read their Jewish worldview into the text rather than to read a 21st century worldview into it. It makes more sense that Paul would be referencing things from their culture and not ours. Application can certainly still be made and the parallels connected appropriately to teach us something today about our own world. But as for interpreting what the actual heresy was we have to be careful to read the text from the right direction and not interpret it in light of the first “hollow and deceptive” teaching that we can think of in the world we live in.

If this interpretation of the heresy is correct, how do we make application in our world today? First, we have to listen to what Paul did say about the truth concerning Christ because Paul believed that if we have the truth we won’t be led astray by false teachings (Col 2:8-15). Postmodernism in and of itself is not a false teaching, as some have claimed. It is a worldview. It can lead to false teaching but it can also lead to some very profound insights regarding our faith. We cannot let our worldview “kidnap” (Col 2:8) us by leading us away from Christ and to something claimed superior or more sufficient than Christ. If we allow any worldview to do that we are in grave danger. That can happen with postmodernism but it can happen with any worldview, even modernism. You can get so caught up in figuring everything else, from the modern perspective, that you fail to see a need for Christ in your life. That is Paul’s point in the next verses (Col 2:9-10). The Gospel doesn’t need anything more to make it sufficient to bring us life and godliness because Christ is head over all things. In Col 2:11-15 Paul lays out all that Christ has done for us. When we read through that great list we should realize that our worldview must draw us closer to God and not further away from Him.

PS – If you don’t read Philip’s blog you should have a look. He is a great friend and a very insightful guy.

New Small Group Lesson Series – Paul’s Prison Letters

I just posted a series of 16 lessons on Paul’s prison letters. We are wrapping these lessons up in our LIFE groups and I wanted to share. You can find them here, in the small group lesson page or in the Bible class archive

Ephesians 5 – Husbands, Wives, and Mutual Submission?

I am in the process of writing small group curriculum for Paul’s prison letters. The text in focus right now is Ephesians 5:21-6:24 and part of that is Paul’s “household code.” Paul mentions three sets of relationships in chapters 5 & 6 that each have two parts: husbands & wives, children & parents, slaves & masters. Paul makes the point that in no relationship does only one party have an obligation to the other. All relationships are reciprocal and place requirements on both parties.

First, Paul calls on all Christians to view each other with an attitude of submission (5:21). Paul says that Christians should submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. That means that out of respect for Christ we love each other and see each and every Christian as someone Jesus died for. Because of that, we don’t abuse each other or take advantage of one another. We don’t always have to have our way on everything because other people are too important to just run over.

In 5:22 wives are told to submit to their husbands. There are a lot of opinions on what is going on in these verses. Is Paul starting out with the broader concept that all Christians are to submit to each other (5:21) and then starts going down the line of who is to submit to whom? If that is the case, wouldn’t you think he would say, “Wives, you submit to your husbands and husbands submit to your wives. Because as we all know all Christians are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

But it doesn’t read that way. Is it possible that all Christians are to submit to each other as a general purpose but not always in reciprocal or exactly equivalent ways? If you follow the interpretation that Paul is writing that all Christians are to submit to each other in the exact same ways: wives and husbands, children and parents, slaves and masters we would very quickly see that the second two pairs don’t work out so well. Which then puts into question whether it is really intended in the first example as well (wives and husbands). The next thing you notice is that, although the husbands aren’t specifically told to submit to their wives, I think they are given the more difficult task (feel free to rebuke me kindly if you disagree on this as I can only see this best from a male point of view). 5:25 says the role of the husband is love their wives as Christ loved the church. Christ loved the church so much that he gave himself up for her. Christ died for the church because of his great love for the church. Men…treat your wives with that kind of love and desire.

This is more than jumping in front of a bullet or pushing your wife out of the way of an oncoming bus and letting it hit us. Just as Christ’s giving of himself was more than 6 hours on a cross so is a husband’s obligation to self-sacrifice for his wife a one time event. In fact, I think it is actually easier to jump in front of a bullet or a bus than to live each day in a self-sacrificial way. So, while husbands are not specifically told to submit to their wives, their leadership is characterized by total self-sacrifice.

What is more, when men lead their families with that kind of attitude (which I am still very much working on myself, by the way) then it will certainly make the wives obligation in 5:22, to be submissive to her husband, that much easier. So I am not so sure that this passage teaches mutual submission in the sense that we all submit to each other in precisely reciprocal ways but that as we each fulfill our role as God has defined it that behind it all lies an attitude of love, sacrifice and submission. It just shows up differently as differing roles are being lived out.

What is your take on the concept of mutual submission?

Gospel of John 20 – The Empty Tomb

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ²So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

From bad to worse. First he had been crucified and now it seems his tomb had been desecrated! “They have taken the Lord…we don’t know where they put him!”

Dead men don’t move themselves. Dead men don’t remove their burial clothes. Dead men don’t leave tombs. But alive men do!

Mary went to get Peter and John. The last time Mary was with John was at the foot of the cross and now she sends him running to the tomb only to him there was no mistaking what happened to the body. “They” had nothing to do with it. Jesus was alive! Don’t you wonder if John’s mind went back to the last time he saw grave clothes off a formerly dead person was back in Bethany when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Unlike the others, John didn’t have to first see the risen Lord for the puzzle pieces to fall into place. He knew then and there that Jesus was alive. When Jesus said that if he was lifted up he would draw all men to himself (John 12:32) he was not speaking only of his crucifixion, which is the immediate parallel we draw when we hear the language of being lifted up. The cross is not very attractive. But Jesus was speaking simultaneously of being lifted up from death and the grave. The resurrection is the drawing force of Christ because in being raised from the dead he eliminated any and all obstacles that could keep mankind from having the same new kind of life,

¹⁴For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. – Ephesians 2:14-18

What Role Do We Play in Our Own Salvation? – Colossians 1:22-23

I think Paul sums up the partnership we have with God very nicely in Colossians 1:22-23,

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the Gospel.”

Who does the saving? God. By grace? Yes, by grace. Regardless of anything on our behalf? No. We must continue in our faith and not move from the firm foundation that the Gospel provides if we are to enjoy the free gift of reconciliation accomplished through Christ. We often confuse Ephesians 2:8-9 to mean we have absolutely nothing to do with our faith or that nothing we do can impact or influence it. Those verses read, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.” But Paul is entirely consistent in saying we don’t earn our salvation but we do have something to do with it. The two can happen at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive. Grace is still grace but we must be willing participants in God’s process of reconciliation.

Writing Curriculum on Paul’s Prison Letters – Suggested Materials

I am currently writing a small group series for our congregation on Paul’s prison letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). Here are the resources I am currently using. Anything I am missing that you have found useful?

• IVP – Dictionary of Paul and His Letters
• Paul: Apostle of a Heart Set Free by F.F. Bruce
• NICNT on Colossians, Philemon and Ephesians by F.F. Bruce
• Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters by N.T. Wright
• Word Biblical Commentary on Colossians and Philemon by Peter O’Brien
• Anchor Bible Commentary on Philemon by Joseph Fitzmyer
• NICNT on Philippians by Gordon Fee
• Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians by Ben Witherington
• Interpretation Commentary on Philippians by Fred Craddock
• Pillar Ephesians Commentary by Peter O’Brien

What else should I consult?

Attractional or Distractional – Part 1

We hear a lot about attractional models of worship, evangelism, and all the rest “doing church.” I wonder at what point attractional becomes distractional.

Moving Away from Worship as Penance:
I don’t want you to mishear me here. I am not trying to say the duller and more irrelevant our worship services are the more pleasing they are to God. In my childhood I attended one church that almost made worship seem like a penance. If you could endure all the things that went on any given Sunday and still come back week after week then you paid your penance and God must be pleased with such a selfless endurance. That is clearly not what God wants! God wants spirit and truth AND wants us to be joyful, enthusiastic and energetic. Those two are not mutually exclusive! At the same time we can get so caught up in the form that what we intended to use to attract people becomes a distraction.

I see this happening in several ways although I am sure there are more…

1 – Worship Forms – already mentioned above and elaborated on below

2 – The Misguided “If we only…” way of thinking:
There is a strong tendency to start thinking in “If only’s” and let our dissatisfaction become a distraction from the real goal of our lives and worship – to give God honor and glory right here and now. Often our desire to make things better and improve our worship and worship experience (which is a worthy goal) can rob us of the joy of encountering God through worship in the present. In other words, longing for something new and improved can make our worship in the old way of doing things unsatisfying rather than realizing that God is just as pleased even if it is not our particular way of doing things, song selection, tempo, etc. Imagine if Moses had said, Sinai is cool and all and I know I can meet God there but first let’s put together some real rocking praise down here in order to make the experience something really special. Again, I am not knocking trying to improve what we do but I do fear that the process of improving our worship can become a real distraction if we miss the point and audience of our worship. Does God find this attractive? is more relevant than does average non-Christian Joe on the street find this attractive?.

3 – Winning Converts to Something Other Than Christ
One question we must continually ask ourselves is, “What are we winning people to?” Are we winning them to hype and energy with no substance? Are we winning them with money giveaways? Are we winning people to an attractive and easy gospel, health and wealth, forgiveness without true repentance Gospel? Or are we winning them to the message of Christ that includes tough lessons like self-sacrifice, repentance, and dying to self as well as joyful messages like forgiveness and grace (more on that in a minute).

4 – Emotion as a Coverup for Poor Content:
One of the surest ways to see something is shallow is if it is characterized by a constant barrage of emotion. The quickest way to make up for poor content is one of two extremes. You can either shout a poor sermon to make it sound good or you can cry your way through a poor sermon and hope the heart is pulled by fake tears rather than Gospel. Let’s face it, emotion is appealing to some degree. We want people to be genuine, transparent, real…It attracts. But as with any of these things, in extreme or out of the wrong motives it distracts and detracts from our real purpose. That is the whole point here. Many things are good in and of themselves but when taken to extremes or done out of the wrong motives become a distraction.

More in a bit on what God uses to attract non-believers.

5 – What would you put here?

Study Guide – Philemon 1:17-25

1:17 – In other words, if you don’t take him back…don’t consider me a partner any more? Wow Paul…that is some strong language. It shows you just how strongly Paul feels about Philemon making the right decision on this matter.

Have you ever stood up for someone or stepped into a situation to try to make things right? What happened and what did you learn from it?

What potential barrier or roadblock does Paul attempt to alleviate in the reconciliation of Philemon and Onesimus?

It sounds like Paul converted both Philemon (1:19) and Onesimus (1:10). That gives Paul a very special relationship with both of them and makes him the perfect person to help make this situation right again. Do you think you have played a pivotal role in certain relationships in your life? How can God use you to bring a godly influence on the people and relationships around you?

If all that wasn’t enough Paul concludes with more words about what Philemon ought to do and his confidence Philemon will do the right thing. It sounds like Paul really knows Philemon. He knows him well enough to know just how far to push the envelope with him to make things right. What is interesting is usually we think of the person who messes up as the one who needs to make it right. But here Paul is stressing the one who has been wronged, Philemon, as the one who needs to take steps to make this right. This is probably because of Philemon’s superior social status to Onesimus and that it would make more sense for the superior to bear with those under them than for the slave to initiate reconciliation with his mater. However, Paul reminds them both that they are brothers in the matter…far more than master and slave.

It is important for us all to remember that while by earthly standards people in certain positions are treated in certain ways that is not true in Christ. We treat everyone the same and don’t elevate some and devalue others. All are equal valuable in Christ’s eyes and so they are to us as well.

1:22 – One last little shot by Paul…oh yeah, I intend to visit you soon too. In other words, if you don’t work this out I will know about it when I get there!

1:23 – Why does grace play a key role in all that is going on in this book? How do you need to have more grace for those around you?

Study Guide – Philemon 1:8-16

Paul starts off with a pretty strong appeal. Who is Paul appealing for and why?

Why do you think Paul wants this to be Onesimus’ own decision and not something done because Paul is twisting his arm?

Paul wants Onesimus to do this out of love and not out of obligation…and yet Paul is certainly doing some arm twisting in this letter! Paul is making a big appeal here. Something like… “I am old…you wouldn’t want to spite an old man would you? Onesimus is like a son to me…surely you would take back someone I consider a son. I have the right to order you but I wouldn’t do that! No…instead do it because you are supposed to love others.” Paul is really putting the pressure on Philemon to do the right thing.

Your Bible probably has a footnote by Onesimus’ name…What does it say his name means in Greek? Notice the play on words Paul uses with that in verse 11.

What arm twisting does Paul do in verses 12-16?

In verse 16 Paul brings it all into perspective. While Onesimus is a slave the reality is something much bigger and more important than that…What does Paul mention about Onesimus in verse 16 that will basically force Philemon to do the right thing?

The take home point in these verses for us is about reconciliation toward those who have done us wrong. Are there people in your life whom you have never forgiven or “taken back”? If so, why? How do Paul’s words in this letter remind you just how important it is to not hold things against people?

How can we, like Paul, still see people who have messed up as “dear to us” again?

Study Guide – Philemon 1:1-7

Philemon Study Guide (1:1-7)

First we notice that Paul is in prison. Philemon is one of four letters Paul wrote from prison. The other three are Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Colossians has some interesting overlap with Philemon. Both are introduced as coming from both Paul and Timothy. Both introduce Paul as a prisoner (Philemon 1:1, Col 4:3). Both mention Onesimus and Archipus (Philemon 1:1:2, Col 4:9, 17). In the final greetings section of both letters, 5 out of 6 of the people mentioned are in both Philemon and Colossians. So we would probably be correct to assume that Philemon lives in Colossae.

In 1:2 we notice that Philemon is probably the head of a house church. The early church didn’t meet in large auditoriums. They met in homes and were probably congregations of 50 or less scattered throughout the city.

In 1:3 Paul writes, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” When you read through Philemon were there any things Paul wrote that could bring you grace and peace just as he intended Philemon to experience it?

Next we find the thanksgiving and prayer section. It sounds like Paul prays specifically for Philemon, by name, and on regular occasions. Who do you find yourself praying for on a regular basis and what makes those people different from others you might pray for regularly?

In verse 6 he prays that Philemon would basically be more evangelistic. We typically think we evangelize to bring a benefit to someone else. But notice Paul flips it here. What benefit does he pray for Philemon to experience in verse 6 as the result of sharing his faith with others?

How do you think you might be benefited in the same way when you share your faith with those around you?

It makes sense that the more we share or tell something to others, the better, richer and deeper understanding we will personally have regarding what we share. You might have thought Paul would have told him to “share the Gospel” but instead what does he tell him to share? What is the difference/is there a difference?

What does Paul say Philemon has done that has given him great joy?

How might you go about “refreshing the hearts of the saints” today?