Colossians 2:2
by Dr. Grant C. Richison
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Colossians 2:2
"that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love,
and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ"
Paul here expresses his desire was for the spiritual welfare of the Christians
in the Lycus Valley. His concern was always first and foremost their spiritual
maturity. He did not design his ministry around their health, wealth, success
or prosperity. His concern was for spiritual prosperity.
Four lines of defense protects the believer from assault from the enemy's
counterattack. The first relates to truth.
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"that their hearts may be encouraged"
This phrase indicates the first protection from assault on truth. The first
defense for the Christian when his faith is under attack is to personally
orient to God's Word. We find how to cope with adversity and frustration
in this principle. This is our first line of defense.
PRINCIPLE: Orientation to God's Word while under pressure to question our
faith is our first line of defense.
APPLICATION: What should we do when we face adversity? Scream and fall
apart? Find someone with a sympathetic ear? We will never liberate ourselves
from Satanic attack without getting behind this first line of defense.
God fortifies our hearts with the Word first.
This phrase can mislead us if we read it with an understanding of people
at the twenty-first century. Most of us interpret "heart" to
mean emotions and "encouraged" to mean emotional support. Neither
of these meanings convey the idea of the first century.
The stabilizing principle during times of attack upon our faith is that
our "hearts may be encouraged." The word "heart" does
not refer simply to our emotions. It has nothing to do with the idea behind
Valentines Day; it does not mean romantic and sentimental. We often hear
the expression "He means well; his heart is in the right place."
In other words, he bumbles through life but he means well. He is sincere
but wrong. The word "heart" is never used in this sense in the
Bible.
When the Bible uses the word "heart" it refers to the entire person.
The heart is the mind, emotion, will, spirit, memories, attitudes -- the
complete person. When tragedy comes to our lives generally the first thing
we do is stop thinking and begin to operate emotionally. We throw tantrums
and become hysterical. Hysteria means we stop using the thinking part of
the heart.
PRINCIPLE: The Christian life involves the complete person -- mind, emotion
and will. The attitude is the result of the complete person.
APPLICATION: The Christian must draw upon the resources for the complete
person to live the Christian life. Attitude sins devastate relationships.
They make us judge other people. We enter antagonisms because of these
attitudes. Attitude sins cause instability. Instability makes us operate
as a psychotic person who does not know he is psychotic.
The Word of God establishes our "hearts" by orienting us to God's
way of thinking for the complete person.
"Encouraged" means literally to call along side. It means to
call upon someone who is near at hand. It eventually came to mean to call
upon resources for help in time of need.
What are the resources to help in time of need for the Christian? Here
someone comes alongside to teach us what we need in times of difficulty.
It is not the person per se but the truth that the person brings that encourages
us. It is the truth that stabilizes us in difficulty.
PRINCIPLE: Truth stabilizes us in times of difficulty.
APPLICATION: From the inculcation of truth we mount a counterattack against
sham or counterfeit ideas. When we call upon truth or utilize truth when
things fall apart around us, we will experience God's peace. We will demonstrate
to a lost world that not only does Jesus Christ save us eternally but he
saves us in time. That is entirely apart from personal resources. He saves
us by the Word of God. How much time have you spent behind this first line
of defense?
The word "encouraged" may mean "confirmed" here. The
Colossians believers were in danger of a spiritual paradigm shift. They
were tempted to shift into an eclectic system of religion (Gnosticism).
This caused them to enter a phase of instability. They were no longer sure
of what they believed.
Spiritual instability makes us susceptible to false doctrine. No one can
recover from a spiritual problem while dominated by their emotions. Enthusiasm
will not protect us against doctrinal distortion. All it will do is make
us like a yo-yo going up and down with every theological trend that comes
along.
PRINCIPLE: The Word of God gives spiritual stability to the soul.
APPLICATION: Are you sufficiently knowledgeable of the Word of God to recognize
and cope with false teaching? If not, spiritual instability will make you
susceptible to attack upon your faith.
Do you take your problems out on those closest to you? Are you unkind to
everyone? If you are, then you are a spiritual casualty in God's war against
Satan. During this past week, did you take out your problems on other people?
Have you become a dissatisfied member of the human race? Have you become
obsessed with your problems? Did you become hysterical? If we blame everyone
else for our problems we will remain in instability.
No matter what situation we may face in life, God can meet us in it if we
allow him to do it. God has not designed the Christian life to operate
like a yo-yo. He has designed stability into the Christian life by building
an edification complex through the Word of God. That does not mean that
we are free from difficulties and disappointments. No doubt every one of
us will face bitter situations. God designs adversity in our lives to prove
us.
If we try to tell everyone about the tragic plight of our lives, it would
result in a maudlin mess. How would you like it if everyone you meet in
church tells you about the ghastly things that happened to them each week?
There would be no end to the mush: "You poor dear. Oh, I am so sorry."
This is not what God designs for his children. God purposes that a believer
stand on truth first and foremost. That does not mean that God precludes
compassion by either himself or other people. Compassion is a secondary
value to truth in God's program.
After proper instruction in the Word, the Christian develops a spiritual
edification complex whereby he will be able to face any number of challenges
to his faith. If, for example, we use the promise I Peter 5:7 "Casting
all your care upon Him, for He cares for you," then we move behind
this first defense bulwark. If we fall apart and look for emotional sympathy
then Satan make take us captive.
All of us have heartaches. The difference between people lies in how they
handle their hurts. Some people sulk and hide themselves from people that
hurt them. When they isolate themselves like that, they sink into attitude
problems. They turn on their friends. They sulk and whine. They do not
want to talk to anyone. If anyone attempts to communicate with them they
bite their head off. They are irritable and unkind to anyone that comes
along.
Are you that kind of person? Do you snarl and snap and bite? Do you turn
on your friends? If you are that kind of person, you are not behind the
first line of defense. You cannot orient to God and make it count for him.
PRINCIPLE: The Word of God develops an edification complex of the soul.
APPLICATION: The heart is not encouraged by sympathy. The worst thing
we can do is to sympathize with people with negative attitudes. It will
confirm their burgeoning self-pity.
Discouragement can lead to attitudinal problems. The Bible attacks this
problem with the principle of displacement. The principle of displacement
means that we replace negative thinking with thinking about the principles
of the Word of God. We displace sinful thoughts with God's thoughts.
PRINCIPLE: The principle of displacement changes our attitudes so that
we can live victoriously over attitudinal sins.
APPLICATION: No matter what situation we may face in life, God can meet
us in it if we allow him to do it. God has not designed the Christian life
to operate like a yo-yo. He has designed stability into the Christian life.
That does not mean that we are free from difficulties, disappointments.
No doubt every one of us will face bitter situations. God designs adversity
in our lives to prove the capacity of our soul.
If we try to tell everyone about the tragic plight of our lives, it would
a maudlin mess. How would you like it if everyone you meet in church tells
you about the ghastly things that happened to them each week? There would
be no end to the mush: "You poor dear. Oh, I am so sorry."
This is not what God designs for his children. God purposes that a believer
stand on truth first and foremost. That does not mean that he excludes
compassion. Compassion is a secondary value to truth in God's program.
We tend to run to counselors or other sublimations rather than using the
Word of God to displace negative thinking.
The tense of the verb "encourage" indicates that we only need
encouragement at times. Suffering in God's design is occasional (I Pet.
1:6). God does not expect us to suffer endlessly.
The voice indicates that the resources comes from outside ourselves. They
are divine resources. These resources are not operation bootstraps. We
do not earn or deserve the right to possess these privileges. Encouragement
comes from the Word of God.
The mood of "encouraged" indicates that the choice is potential
depending on whether we want to use God's resources or not. They are available
but whether we use them or not is entirely up to us. God will not force
them upon us. We use them on our own free will.
PRINCIPLE: God does not want us to live the Christian life by operation
bootstraps; he wants us to draw upon the Word of God to use his resources
for life.
APPLICATION: It is God's will for us to appropriate divine resources but
he will not overrule or override our volition. God wants us to relate to
him on the basis of our choice. This is the basis of fellowship with him.
Peace under duress is only potential. It depends on our utilization of
God's resources. The resources are available but they must couple to our
choice. Therefore, the way we prepare for the Christian life is to learn
the principles of God's Word and apply them to our situation. We must be
ready to apply these principles and promises at a moment's notice.
The second line of defense challenges us to enjoy intimate fellowship with
other Christians.
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"being knit together in love"
"Being knit together" is a compound word in the Greek. It means
to make to come together. God wants us to join together in a union of fellowship.
In Acts 9:22 "knit together" mean to bring together Scriptures
so as to prove a truth, "But Saul increased all the more in strength,
and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving (translated by proving)
that this Jesus is the Christ." We put Scriptures together so as to
compare them with what other passages teach. Paul proves that Jesus is
the Messiah by putting Scriptures together. We are to put ourselves together
with other Christians as we would put together proof from the Bible.
In Acts 16:10 the word means to examine closely, "Now after he had
seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that
the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them." Paul concluded
by laying the circumstances together that it was the will of God for the
team to go to Mascedonia. Close fellowship among Christians is something
we should closely examine.
In I Cor 2:16 the word is used of putting together reasons so as to demonstrate
or prove, "For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct
Him? But we have the mind of Christ." The implication in this passage
is that no one can put information together to instruct God. He transcends
finite human understanding. The human intellect does not have adequate
frame of reference to deal with the infinity of God's mind. No one can
prove anything to God. We are to put Christians together as we would marshal
logical arguments.
Ephesians 4:16 uses this word the passive sense, " from whom the whole
body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to
the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth
of the body for the edifying of itself in love." This means that God
did something to the church. The church did not do this. God brings the
church together in one symmetric whole. He gives the church the right gifts
and the right people at the right time. It is his mix. He knows the right
ingredients that will produce the right result.
PRINCIPLE: God wants Christians to coalesce, to join or knit together in
intimate fellowship.
APPLICATION: Intimate fellowship with other Christians enhances the strength
of our souls. Close communion comes from love.
Being "knit together" means that believers join together in love
to fight against error. We must be careful how we join the attack. Christians
should shoulder to shoulder in love serve the Lord. The unity of love comes
from common truth.
The Greek indicates that knitting together in love comes before encouragement
in truth. We will not apply truth to experience unless we walk in the unity
of love among Christians. So it would read "having been knit together
in love, we encourage..."
PRINCIPLE: Love among Christians precedes encouragement in truth.
APPLICATION: "Love" here is not sweetness and light. It is love
that transcends personal feelings. This love does what is best for others
even if it causes the person who delivers the message pain or the person
who receives the message pain. Love communicates that which corresponds
to truth. The best thing we can do for those we loves is to be truthful
with them.
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"and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding"
Here is the third line of defense in an assault against Christianity. In
grace, God has given us a full assurance of understanding of the mystery
of Christ.
The "riches of the full assurance of understanding" is sound judgment
about the great truths of Christianity. God provides assets for our use
in time. These go beyond our gifts, abilities, intelligence or talents.
A person with "full assurance of understanding" no longer calls
into question the Word of God. Doubt is no longer the central mode of operation.
This believer embraces truth with high satisfaction.
Certainty comes from understanding. The confident believer carries "full
assurance of understanding." He is full of assurance. Because he
has many certainties, this results in the wealth of assurances.
"Full assurance" is the fixed persuasion that we comprehend the
truth. This person has reached the elevation of confidence that he knows
for sure what truth is. He does not misconstrue truth or attach meanings
it does not bear. He knows the mind of God in the matter.
PRINCIPLE: Confidence comes from the "full assurance of understanding."
APPLICATION: "Full assurance" describes how we utilize God's
privileges for our life. When we orient to God's provisions we may struggle
with sins but if we sin, we have confidence that God will forgive when we
confess (I John 1:9). We rest on God's faithfulness to forgive. We cast
our care upon him because we are confident that God cares for us (Phil.
4:6,7; I Pet. 5:7). When we pray we know that God hears us because of Christ
because we come "in Jesus' name."
Because God has given us privileges (grace), we can have confidence. We
cannot have confidence in our performance. When the world looks at our
orientation to grace they see a different quality of life. They see a confident
person. This confidence cannot come without "knowledge." Knowledge
of God's Word gives us confidence. We become confident people because we
understand the grace, the privileges of God based on what Christ did.
Do you have confidence in your life? Do you know what to do with the sin,
adversity and problems? Can you take a stand knowing you are in God's will?
If a person does not possess this certainty of truth, then error will perpetuate.
If what we hold today is gone tomorrow, we enter into dubiety and fluctuation
where truth can never be fixed. Tolerance of every wind of doctrine becomes
the only central norm for determining reality. If new ideas chase away
convictions, spiritual instability will result. If what we hold today is
gone tomorrow, truth cannot be eternal or absolute. What does that say
about an eternal, absolute God? The mind becomes susceptible to constant
question and influence without a revelation of God in Scripture.
Fixed knowledge of truth fortifies the mind against false teachers. It
is less likely to become seduced by insinuations that contain some truth
and some error. The mind most susceptible to seduction is the mind that
possesses an incomplete, one-sided view of the issue. It is unable to reconcile
conflicting challenges to its bias. That person is much more liable to
become seduced because he is constantly off balance. He is perpetually
disturbed and perplexed by conflicting ideas that were insufficiently formed
in the first place.
A person traveling in unfamiliar territory is much more vulnerable to becoming
lost. He may begin to doubt his direction. He becomes more prepared to
listen to other suggestions no matter how capable they may be. No wonder
"full assurance" is described here as "riches!"
The combination of great knowledge and a strong faith make a rich spirit.
The word "riches" is the word from which we get the word thesaurus.
We live in a day of tolerance and vacillation. We are so pliable that
we view someone who holds convictions as abnormal.
The word "understanding" means acuteness of comprehension or penetrating
intelligence that takes place before decision and action. This is reflective
and productive thought. "Understanding" is the basis for recovering
from instability.
PRINCIPLE: Confidence comes from an acute comprehension of the divine truth
of God.
APPLICATION: If a believer understands the underlying principles of the
Word, he or she can apply truth to their situation. If not, they wobble
throughout their Christian life. Truth stabilizes the Christian life.
If we live by our emotional boot straps, we will become vulnerable to every
wind of doctrine that comes down the pike. If we live by truth, we will
recover from instability. We hold a frame of reference whereby we can categorize
any challenge to truth and measure it against the Word of God. Having done
that, we can correctly assess the proper practical course of action.
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"to the knowledge of the mystery of God"
The fourth and final defense of the Christian life is "knowledge of
the mystery of God." If the Christians understands the unique prerogatives
and privileges of his position in Christ, he will develop poise in his Christian
life.
What is "the mystery of God?" This is the key to this phrase.
The mystery of God is all truth that Jesus provided for the church (Eph.
3:1-6; Rom. 16:25-26; Col. 1:25,26). This is a truth not revealed in the
Old Testament.
The word "mystery" does not mean something spooky. It does not
mean that it is obscure to us. It means truth not hitherto revealed. The
truth of the church was not revealed in the Old Testament. This truth is
not pertinent to how Old Testament believers lived their lives before God.
The New Testament believer is in union with Jesus Christ. He or she enjoys
prerogatives peculiar to that position. Every believer in the church is
indwelt both by Christ and the Holy Spirit. This was not true in the Old
Testament. In the church every believer is a priest; in the Old Testament
only a few were priests. Every believer is his own priest and can go directly
to God to satisfy his needs. He is spiritually self sustaining; he does
not need to depend on others in authority.
The word "knowledge" describes the underlying principles of the
Word of God, in this case a specific principle -- "the mystery of God."
"Knowledge" is the construction material that forms the basis
for the edification complex of the believer's stability. It is the power
to apprehend truth so that we can correctly grasp the issue face in life.
The corrective for distortion of truth is additional knowledge of Christ.
The mystery of God is not hidden from us but for us. The mystery is Christ
himself (1:27). This believer clearly understands that prerogatives and
privileges of the Christian life come from Christ and not self. Our rights
before God are because of Christ. Therefore, we can be assured of those
rights.
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"both of the Father and of Christ"
Many modern texts read "even Christ." That is, the mystery is
all about Christ and what he did upon the cross in making special privileges
for the believer.
PRINCIPLE: If our knowledge grows into a certain understanding of the mystery
of the Father and Christ, then our soul will prosper.
APPLICATION: We are what we eat, physically; we are what we read, mentally
and we are what we believe, spiritually. Paul wants us to assimilate the
riches of his truth to the full. He wanted us to know all the ramifications
and implications of it.
God has made all the provisions necessary for the Christian life in Christ
by grace. If we understand that, we grasp "the mystery." It
is crucial to understand positional truth. Positional truth is our status
before God eternally in Christ. We hold a perfect status before God. The
only thing that will give us ultimate poise is our understanding of our
rights before God in Christ.
Copyright © 1995, Dr. Grant Richison. All rights reserved.
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