2016-06-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue discussing the warnings given in Colossians for the readers in Colossae, Hierapolis, and Laodicea. Actually, they are for all of us. So far, we’ve covered spiritual warfare [COL 1: 13-14], our need to show the fruits of the Spirit [COL 1: 10; GA 5: 22-23], a reminder of what God has already done [COL 1: 10, 12-14], understanding the mystery of God [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3], as well as the problems with human regulations-legalism and being judgmental [COL 2: 6-17]. And, we’ve touched on false teaching [COL 2: 16-23]. The overarching issue: Things like these led to the “Colossian Heresy,” an early form that led to false teaching like Gnosticism. Today, we will look at false humility, one of the outcomes of such false teaching and heresy.
Listed as one of the issues in COL 2: 18 along with angel worship, belief in false teaching disqualified “for the prize,” meaning gaining eternal life. False humility is mock humility, and it was the outcome of false teaching that God was so far above mankind that He could only be accessed by angels, whom He created. Therefore, angel worship was acceptable. Second century Gnosticism involved this fallacious reasoning. It is logical to assume that the book of Hebrews was written sometime before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, or it would have mentioned this important event. Remember that Colossians was written around 60 AD. I mention this, because HE 1: 3-4 tells us that Christ is much superior to the angels. There have been other mentions of not worshipping angels, e.g. the comforting of Daniel when Gabriel appeared to answer Daniel’s prayers, in DN 10: 10-11a, and the command of God for Ezekiel to stand on his feet, in EZK 2: 2-3. The fright and humility these two latter men felt, was quickly put into God’s perspective and wasn’t the false humility of self-satisfied false teachers.
We must look at this point at a command we’ve all been given-so important that it appears several times in the Scriptures. It is, “Be holy, because I am holy” [LV 11: 44-45; LV 19: 2; LV 20: 7; 1 PET 1: 16]. LV 20: 7-8, allows us to see from where real holiness arises. “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep My decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, Who makes you holy.” I view being holy as being willing to follow God’s teaching in all one thinks and does. The benefits of doing this are not obvious to everyone, which why Christ said, “Many are called and few are chosen” in MT 22: 14. It was logical for Paul to write, in COL 3: 1-2, “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” I have repeatedly over the years written that idolatry is the sin God hates the most. The instructions we are given in COL 3: 5-17 make clear what we are to do to be holy. There is no question that exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit is very much a part of that. The practice of worshipping anything or anyone over God is indeed idolatry, as much so as our present tendencies toward greed, power-broking, and wasting precious time in today’s society. Our God is a jealous God, in this respect [EX 20: 3-4]. As we study the Scriptures, we need to understand that one book of the Bible doesn’t stand alone without our need to study the others. This is true even for Romans, which I view as the greatest presentation of Christian teaching in it’s first 12 chapters, and the greatest “how to” in the last four. A salient reminder is found in RO 14: 7-8, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
Being holy and lacking false humility means being genuine in all we think and all we do. This is indeed a lofty goal, but one that is much more attainable when we have strong, lasting faith in Jesus Christ. None of us are perfect, as we are reminded in RO 3: 23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Making a commitment to Christ doesn’t mean being perfect, because no human is perfect. However, it means being the best we can be. It means being honest with ourselves, being courageous enough to reveal, genuinely confess, and expunge our sins in the process of sanctification. It is on on-going action to improve and to be in an active covenant relationship with our Lord. I know people raised in other belief systems, who are good people and eventually come to do this. They are not riddling themselves with guilt, but they are taking action to better their lives in God’s sight. They recognize the practice of idolatry in the many forms it takes, and attempt to eschew it. And who alone has the right to judge a person’s fate? It is Christ alone and not we humans! That right was granted to our Lord in Daniel’s vision of DN 7: 13-14. It’s always been His right, from the time the Father granted it to Him, and we were told, in MT 7: 1-2, “Do not judge or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
PRAYER: O Heavenly Father, we come this morning to utter our reverent prayer, in humility before You. You are an awesome God, One Who deserves to be acknowledged for Your righteous use of Your immense power and for Your generosity toward us. We are undeserving and imperfect, but we know that with Your presence in our lives and intervention, we can improve. We state our desire to make our lives better, closer and more obedient than ever to You. You have blessed us and guided us in ways which don’t come naturally to us. You have empowered us in spiritual warfare and shared Your perspective with us on a variety of matters. One of them is our need to be more holy in our way of life. This means to recognize what is an idol and to stop allowing that idol to have dominion over us. We live in a world where many people are mean-spirited and produce toxic environments. This can be at home, in the workplace, in schools, or anywhere. If we remain close to You, keeping up our end of our covenant relationship with You, You are willing to help us overcome. You have the power to break strongholds in our lives erected by the evil one. We ask that You do this for us, helping us to set an example for others that makes us both likable and causes them to want to know You better. Help us to please You and to be a genuine covenant partner to you. Our greatest desire is to be Your instruments in establishing Your Kingdom on earth and in heaven. We thank and praise You for Your mighty attributes and many unparalleled accomplishments. These things we say to You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: My direction from the Holy Spirit is to continue discussing the particulars of living a holy life. The song, “Just As You Are” was heard at every Rev. Billy Graham Crusade that I ever saw. (I used to watch them regularly on TV). It wasn’t until several years ago that I truly began to realize the significance of this choice. It is the way that God accepts us to come to Him. The real issue is not as much as what sins we committed in the past, as it is God’s extraordinary grace. EPH 2: 8-10 is the clearest definition of God’s grace in the Scriptures. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith---and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works prepared in advance for us to do.” Grace, undeserved merit, given us by God, is the crux of this issue. There is a transition that takes place, which I believe to be carried out by the Holy Spirit--to faith in Christ and God-centered lives from no faith and man-centered lives. We come to the Lord ugly from our sins, disheveled and broken, and He rebuilds our lives in gradual steps to those of mature believers. Self-satisfaction and pride is exchanged for humility and faithful obedience to the Lord. We are not broken further, but are built up, as described in EPH 2: 20-22. Christ was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom would come. His reply comes in LK 17: 21, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” To them, this answer wasn’t intelligible, but to the person of faith, it makes all the sense in the world [1 COR 2: 14-16]. God’s presence and His grace are here for you and me, because we are loved and are believers in Jesus Christ. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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