2019-01-18
Good Morning Dear Ones,
COL 2: 18-19 jump starts today’s message with the heart of what concerns the apostle Paul at the time he wrote to the Colossians, Herapolitans, and Laodicians. “Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking and have stopped holding on to Christ; who is the Head of the body. Under Christ’s control the whole body is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God wants it to grow.” The problem is that false teaching prevents us from getting our full reward when Christ returns. Further illumination comes from COL 2: 23, “Of course such rules appear wise in their forced worship of angels, false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.” Sadly, they are of human origin, and thus, don’t have the wisdom of God underlying them.
Modesty is a condition that bears some further discussion. Inequality of the sexes in its practice can clearly be seen with some belief systems. The Greek word, tapeinophrosune (5012a in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible) is pronounced “tap-i-nof-ros-‘oo-nay” means modesty, humility, self-abasement, or lowness of mind-humiliation of the mind. Of course, there are practices associated with it. In some cultures, women are expected to cover all but their eyes when outside their homes. In others, only a scarf over the head is required. And as in our society, women can wear whatever they want or that is practical, as long as the private parts of their bodies are covered. The dress code for men varies less than that of women from society to society. It seems that in most societies, men have the decision-making power and set the standards expected. However, in modern western society (ours) that is rapidly changing to a more equitable situation. JAS 4: 6, 10 gives us God’s thinking on the subject. “As the Scripture [PR 3: 34] says, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” This is behavioral humility defined by God’s stronger, more authoritative position in our relationship with Him, and His greater ability to bring wisdom and goodness into it. Certainly, there are times and ways that God affects His will, but a true believer doesn’t have to be forced to be faithful. Nor is he malevolently damaged by having the relationship with God by being faithful, for God has no evil in Him [1 JN 1: 5].
We are, by nature, impatient. It seems to this writer that we become more so every day, in response to our many devices that make information immediately retrievable. However, God knows exactly the right time and way to act. Such was the case with the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, for His earthly incarnation. Knowing our propensities as He does, the Father put the Law in place as a stop-gap until the time was right for the Lord Jesus to come [GA 3: 19]. The law is designed to demonstrate what pleases God and what doesn’t. In this latter citation, Jesus is referred to as “Abraham’s Descendant.” We need to note that this appellation is singular, not plural; it is specially meaning Jesus Christ, His Son-the second personality of the Trinity who could be seen, looked and felt like a human, but Who had God’s wisdom and His supernatural power. When the Lord Jesus finally did achieve adulthood, the example He set of obedience to the Father, wisdom, and humility was meant to show us what was ideal in the Father’s eyes. When the Lord Jesus finally did come, He brought with Him the opportunity for eternal life for those who were righteous. In addition, he brought the opportunity for justification and eternal forgiveness for sin [JN 3: 16; RO 4: 3; 1 JN 1: 9]. These three things had never been available before, and only the Father could decide when and to whom they would be a reality. True believers in Christ can look forward to eternal life, because they really want to obey the Father and do their best to do so. They also know that they are loved unconditionally by their Creator, so they can have peace of mind that they are right with Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, the apostle Paul was right to be concerned about the competition to true faith in Christ that was going on when he wrote his letter that became the book of Colossians. Even though Gnosticism, a false religion, is no longer with us, there is still reason to be concerned about false teaching. God has made it clear that He and He alone is the only real God. That is why He inspired Moses to write DT 6: 4-5, “Here O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.” So that there is no confusion on this point, God is further defined as One Being with three personalities-the Trinity. God, the Father, makes all the decision; God, the Son, is tasked with making the redemption of mankind available through becoming the perfect Sin-sacrifice on the cross, Who is later resurrected to eternal life with the Father; God, the Holy Spirit, is sent to us by Christ to inhabit the souls of believers, carrying God’s wisdom and encouragement to believers. Of course, Dearest Lord, You already know all these things, but we rehearse them in the prayer to let You know that we know them too. Nothing in our lives is more important that our relationship with You! When that is right, all other relationships in our lives can be right as well. We can do more to convey Your will that as many people as possible will come to faith most eloquently by our example than anything else. If You call us to teach or demonstrate our right relationship with You in other ways, we can convey this in conversing with others and/or in classroom opportunities. We thank You for giving us the faith we have and for giving us talents we can use for the betterment of the body of Christ and those who potentially might come to faith in Him. We offer You praise and thanks, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Better understanding of our relationship with the Lord is important. As more support Scriptures are given for the book of Colossians, we attempt to meet that important goal. By being informed of God’s “Love Letter” to us (His word), we can gain discernment and be equipped to meet the goals that God has for us [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. Paul’s concerns about false teaching and our vulnerability to it were real, and they still are. We see more and more young people here and in western Europe who are being sucked into becoming secular. Even in Israel herself, there are “secular Jews.” This can’t please God, Who wants nothing more than for us to know that the Bible is true. He also wants us to understand that the ways we interpret these precious words matters. That is why He wants us to know exactly what He means by what He says in it. He also wants us to study these writings of the prophets and apostles He inspired. Our lives will be greatly enriched and improved by doing this, if this writer’s experience is any teacher. Our God deserves nothing less that our praise and thanks for all He is and all He does!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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