Afterwords -- week 19
"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:11 ESV)
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April 30, 2022
Dear friends,
THE COLOSSIAN HERESY. The Apostle Paul was always pastoral, but he was also polemical when needed. In his letter to the church at Colossae (modern-day Turkey) he confronted a teaching which he describes in chapter two of the letter. It has been described by scholars as "Judeo-Gnostic" (Lightfoot) or "Jewish ascetic mysticism" (O'Brien). Its main characteristics were as follows: additional mystical revelation was needed to be a "complete" Christian, which resulted in an elitism (C. S. Lewis called this the "inner circle"), which then caused divisions among the believers. Paul writes to explain the uniqueness of the person of Christ, and the completeness we have in him for our salvation (and everything), calling for growth in faith and gratitude (see 2:6, 7). So, the phrase written above, "Christ is all, and in all" (3:11), is a summary -- the Lord Jesus is everything we need, and he indwells every believer. In Christ there is no lack, and in Christ there is no elitism. The source of the Colossian heresy was human pride and "self-made religion" (2:23).
WHY IS FALSE TEACHING SO BAD? These sad characteristics are also seen in false teaching today. First, such teaching robs Christ of the glory he deserves, and places our focus upon something or someone else. In other words, we are told that "just having Jesus" is not enough. This takes our eyes off the Lord and what he has done for us (2:19). Secondly, it establishes another authority in our life ("takes captive", 2:8, 16, 18). So, another prophet, apostle, teacher, book, church group, or sect calls for submission to their authority. And thirdly, this makes the in-the-know people feel superior to others, bringing divisiveness into the church. (By the way, I found Dick Lucas on "Why Colossians?" to be very helpful in thinking through Paul's purpose in writing to the church in Colossae.)
POLITICS TOO? As I was studying this, I thought of the cults that come knocking on our doors or coming to our churches with some new revelation, new book, or new prophet for us to believe. But I also reflected on the divisions in churches over the past couple of years, that seem to be coming about through statements like, "believe the science" or "the election was stolen" or "the government is lying" or "you are a racist because you are this color" and many others. It's good to study these issues and have convictions or opinions (or even no opinion), but so often we submit our thinking uncritically to some public figure, podcaster, movement, or party whom we deem infallible. So, we treat everybody else as misinformed, duped, or unenlightened. Maybe it's like an American Political Gnosticism infecting our churches today. Only, this is more political than theological, but it does have a spiritual impact. Whether it is the right-wing or left-wing variety, it seems to breed pride in us and make divisions in the body of Christ. Such partisan groups drain our energy and passion away from Jesus and the eternal gospel. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (2 Cor 11:3). Like the Colossians we must be reminded that Christ "is all" (everything we need) and "in all" (in every believer).
RECENT ARTICLES.
-- When science gets entangled with politics: "Scientific studies that could lead to unfavorable social outcomes by providing support for our political enemies must be denounced and their authors shunned." Read "Entanglements" by Alan Jacobs.
-- In praise of the boring, uncool church: "Relevance is no substitute for reverence and indeed may compromise it. The Christian life shouldn’t be oriented around being liked; it should be oriented around loving God and loving others." (Brett McCracken)
-- "The measure of you as a leader is not what you do, but what others do because of what you do." (Howard Hendricks) More epic quotes from Howard Hendricks, a beloved professor at Dallas Seminary, now with the Lord.
-- Just for fun, watch this group perform a medley of Beatles' songs, covering eight years in four minutes!
CURRENT READING.
-- Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art, by Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), recently translated from the Dutch original (Christian's Library Press, 2011).
-- Christ the Cornerstone: Collected Essays of John Stott (Christianity Today, 2019).
-- Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell (1949).
GOOD COFFEE. From time to time I've enjoyed getting coffee beans from Porto Rico Coffee Importers in New York City. (We like the Cafe Blend.) There's a spring sale going on now, and in the flyer that we received, the owner, Peter Longo, wrote about his visit to the park with his granddaughter. I thought it was a charming story...
I recently took my granddaughter to the park. She is 16 months old. She and her toddler buddies went into the sand pile to play and observe the 'big girls' playing with the sand. The big girls were about five, and when they saw the young ones surrounding them with curiosity but not interfering, they shouted to each other, "OH NO it's the babies!" The big girls stayed busy filling cups and things with sand and lining them up with vigor. Finally, after mulling it over they solved the problem of the babies. One of them announced "Ok, if you want to play you can stand at our counter and buy these from our store." The little ones, walking but barely talking, didn't quite understand but it didn't matter. They were ready to shop! The big girls had it well in hand and helped them by giving them the cups and making the transactions. The little ones had a wonderful time at the store.
MISC. We enjoy the many birds, about 20 species so far this season, which visit our feeders and bird bath on our deck in Prices Fork. The highlight this week was a male rose-breasted grosbeak who stopped by for a snack. We have also put out oranges for a Baltimore oriole that we hear singing nearby, though it is the catbirds who have responded voraciously. And this week I am writing with a Sheaffer Imperial 444 (photo below) with an inlaid nib (Fine), made in the U.S. from 1970-1975.
Well, that's it for week 19!
Sandy
Image credit. Above, a recent photo of our dogwood tree in bloom. Maybe, in applying it to the Colossians 2 passage, this will remind us that every bloom, though distinct, is alive and vibrant only as it is remains connected to the living tree. The life of the same dogwood tree is in every particular bloom, and no bloom can exalt itself over the others. "...Christ is all, and in all."