Colossians 2:4-7 Avoiding Deception

I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. [Colossians 2:4-7 NASB]

Paul is about to address the heresies being taught in Colossae, but first he is instructing them how to avoid being deceived. False teaching has existed in the church since the beginning. It has persisted through the centuries, and continues now. It is important for each of us to recognize false teaching when we hear it. Jesus said;

"See to it that no one misleads you...For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." [Matthew 24:4, 24 NASB]

It is a given that you will hear false teaching in your life. Sometimes the teaching is accompanied by working of miracles or spiritual manifestations. That is no guarantee that the teaching is true, or from God.

Allow me to interject a comment on the phrase, "For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit." This phrase has, ironically, been the source of some false teaching and wrong ideas. To be clear, the Bible does not teach "astral projection". Paul's spirit did not leave his body to visit the Colossian church. As a man, he is not omnipresent, nor is he all-knowing. He is speaking metaphorically. Paul is with them in his thoughts, prayers, intercessions, and apostolic authority.

Paul said, "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." He was received after hearing the pure message of the gospel, by grace through faith. Paul said;

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23 NASB]

Our salvation comes to us as a free gift, directly from God the Father. We didn't work to earn it, and there was no intermediary between us and the Father when we were saved. As Paul said;

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB]

It is important for us to remember the basics of the Gospel. Let that be the foundation upon which we build, without adding unnecessary doctrines, rules, or "revelations". Instead search for greater understanding through the word of God, as the Holy Spirit leads and teaches you.

Any teaching that compromises the simplicity of the gospel is false. False teachers love to complicate things. They add rules and rituals, making it harder to live the Christian life. The gospel is simple, and walking in Christ is simple. It is our human nature to complicate things, but with a simple, childlike faith, as we follow the Holy Spirit, we can overcome our nature.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the free gift of salvation. I pray that You will keep me firmly rooted in the truth, and allow me to grow in You.