PREACHER OF THE WEEK
COLOSSENSE’S STRANGE HERESY
- During the last decades.
- Many evangelical books have been written to clarify the problem of modern sects.
- Strange.
- Heretical and proselytizing groups have emerged and multiplied mainly in the United States.
- Brazil.
- Korea and Japan.
- Those who read and hear about the subject imagine that it is something recent.
- An affliction of recent times.
- A disease of our time.
- This is not the case.
- Paul’s days were marked by similar and equally regrettable troubles.
- Paul’s well-known letter to the Colossians was written between the years 60-62.
- Most scholars understand that the Colossians are part of the letters from prison.
- Along with Ephesians.
- Philippians and Philemon.
- The letter would have been sent by Paul from Rome.
- Where Paul was imprisoned.
- According to the testimony of Acts 28.
- Colossians.
- Very similar to Ephesians in several parts.
- Aims to help a church that Paul made.
- Had not visited yet.
- The diverse.
- Mystical and effervescent religious environment brought doctrinal problems to the new church.
- The profile of this colossal heresy has been studied by commentators and specialized exegetes.
- It is worth paying attention to the subject.
- Because its relevance is undeniable and its surprising topicality.
The heretics of Colossus made a true syncretism of different religious tendencies and created confusion and disunity in the Christian church. They were influenced by the Greco-Roman religion, Judaism, a kind of nascent gnosticism, and the mystery religions that proliferated in Asia Minor in the first century. Paul courageously guides the church of Colossus and confronts harmful and wrong teachings, urging God’s people to stand firm in faith. This can be seen in some verses in the letter:
Before you were separated from God and in your mind you were an enemy because of you, but now he has reconciled them by the physical body of Christ, through death, to present them to him holy, unspotted and free of all. accusations, as long as they remain ingrained and firm in faith, without leaving the hope of the gospel that you have heard, and it has been announced to all who are under heaven; this is the gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister. (1,21-23)
Make sure no one enslaves you with vain and deceptive philosophies, which are based on the human traditions and basic principles of this world, not Christ. (2,8)
But, after all, what was the danger of Colosssense heresy?Was the problem really serious? What we can say Research has shown that Colossus’ new heretical theological tendency was a group that had extraordinary spiritual experiences, experiences that place them at a higher level than others, influenced by a gnostic worldview, felt that there were several levels of distance between God and man. It was necessary to climb these steps through ascatic mystical experiences to reach a higher level; this detachment weakened the value of Christ and his redemptive work, which is why Paul fought for the emptying of Christ proposed by heretics, Christ suffices and fills the fullness (the space between heaven and earth). Let’s look at some important texts:
For in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or sovereignty, powers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him; he is above all and everything remains in him. He is the head of the body, which is the church; it is the beginning and firstborn of the dead, so that in all it has supremacy, for it was God’s pleasure that every fulness dwell in him (1:16-19).
For in Christ lives the fulness of divinity in the body, and because you are in Him, who is the Leader of all power and authority, you have received the fulness; you were also circumcised, not with a circumcision made by human hands, but with circumcision. done by Christ, which consists of stripping the body of the flesh; this happened when you were buried with him at baptism, and you were resurrected with him by faith in the power of God who raised him from the dead (2,9-12)
The type of spirituality of heretics made them feel superior and caused division and discrimination in the church. The practical result was serious. The losses were theological, ethical and communal. However, colossus syncretism lacked no creativity. The text of 2. 9-12 speaks of circumcision. Incredible as it may seem, Colossal heresy mixed elements of Judaism with its religious creativity. In addition, this Judaism was accompanied by a magical mysticism, mainly related to the influence of demons, also called “elementary principles”. from this scenario, we can understand some important verses:
Therefore, do not allow anyone to judge you for what you eat or drink, or in connection with any religious feast or celebration of new moons or sabbath days. These things are the shadows of what was about to happen; However, reality is in Christ. Do not allow anyone who is pleased with false humility and the worship of angels to prevent you from reaching the price. Such a person tells his visions in detail and his carnal mind makes him proud. who is not attached to the Head, of which the whole body, sustained and bound by its ligaments and joints, achieves god-given growth. Since you died with Christ for the basic principles of this world, for, as if you still belonged to him, do you submit to rules: “Do not manipulate!?,?Don’t try it!?,? don’t touch it!” All these things are destined to perish with use, because they are based on commandments and teachings. (2,16-22)
The heretics came to watch over the Christian freedom of the church and demanded that they refrain from eating (Lv 11) and drinking, and also demanded respect for Jewish religious holidays, however, the subject was more complex. It was believed that elementary principles (spiritual powers) had power over certain dates, so obedience to the holidays involved not only Jewish ideas, but also pagan fear of evil spirits, so the legalist demand for rules was very clear and incisive. it was clear that it was a human teaching. Heretics taught that simply believing in Christ was insufficient. What if Christians weren’t legalistic and weren’t?The powers would be in trouble.
The question is to be expected: with what authority did you do this?It’s simple! Spiritual visions set the tone for truth, heretics claimed to have participated in a higher-level cult: the worship of angels; it was not a question of worshipping the angels (the progenitor of the Greek must be interpreted as subjective), but of the worship that the angels practiced. They said they worshipped on an angelic level, with angels. In these mystical encounters, the visions he allowed?to say what they said. Such visions were told in detail and served as a reference for spirituality and authority.
Paul was unequivocal and direct in condemning this dangerous and destructive tendency to the early church, and argues that Jesus triumphed completely over the spirits, which would be the most feared.
Stripped of powers and authorities, he turned it into a public spectacle, triumphing over them on the cross (2,15).
In addition, Paul points out that this spirituality was unhealthy and revealed unresolved problems in the conflict against the flesh:
These rules, in fact, have the appearance of wisdom, with their supposed religiosity, their false humility and their severity with the body, but they have no courage to contain the impulses of the flesh (2,23).
On theologically uncertain and confusing days, it is necessary to re-delight the Colossus with attention: the tendency to Judaizing legalism, the emphasis on the power of evil spirits, disinterest in the centrality of the Cross of Christ, strong mysticism towards extravagant experiences. and the undue assessment of angels in certain contexts are some of the problems found today. They must be confronted with Paul’s wise and decisive inspired word to the Colossses.