In his letter to the Colossians, Paul repeatedly urges his readers to grow in faith, maturity, and knowledge. And from that growth, he calls on them to live in such a manner as they honor and obey God. It is precisely because Christ has redeemed them and made them new creations that the Colossians are not only able but expected to grow and live in this manner. Throughout his writings, Paul makes it clear that unsaved people are unable to honor and obey God. They are dead in their sins and cannot be pleasing to God unless they are made holy in Christ. Yet, to Christians, Paul gives repeated commands to demonstrate holiness and obedience to God. Followers of Christ are to reject the ways of the world and cling tightly to the commands of our sovereign Lord.
To the Colossians, Paul’s ever-fervent prayer is that they will “be filled with the knowledge of his [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (1:9). Paul wants Christians to not only know God but to know His will. He prays for this so that the Colossians will “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (1:10). In other words, knowing God’s will (what He wants us to know and do) makes it possible for the Christian to actually live their lives in a manner that bears godly fruit. In order to practice rightly, they must know His will rightly.
A Battle Brewing
In our current age, there is a battle over the sufficiency of God’s Word. Many professing Christians will claim they believe Scripture is inerrant but demonstrate in practice they find it is not sufficient. By stating that the Bible is inerrant, Christians are proclaiming, rightly, that all that God has spoken in His revealed Word is without error. That the perfect and holy God did not allow for error to be written into the Scriptures. This has been a battle long fought for many generations. And it is a battle that must still be fought daily as many progressivists in our current age still deny God’s Word is divinely inspired.
The battle today is one of the sufficiency of Scripture. Does the Word of God contain all that is needed for faith and practice in the life of a Christian? Does it speak to the issues of our day and does it give the answers we need? Can we trust that this document, despite its Divine authorship and whose canon was closed approximately 2,000 years ago, actually understands the conflicts, sins, and issues of the 21st Century? The answer for the Christian must be a resounding “Yes!” For if we cannot trust that God provided us with sufficient instruction in the Scriptures, then we cannot trust that God is truly omniscient. And if God is not omniscient, then He is not God and He ought not to be trusted when He tells us that salvation is in Christ alone. In short, if Scripture is not sufficient, then God is not trustworthy and we have no hope of eternal life.
Yet, there are those today who, if not by full admission then by practice, deny the sufficiency of the Scriptures. Perhaps the most evident indication of this is the ongoing debate over the matter of social justice. No matter which form it takes – critical race theory, gender theory, queer theory, etc. – social justice advocates proclaim that the ideological framework of Theory is an analytical tool by which we can understand systemic oppression and then go to the Scriptures to apply the gospel imperatives. Such argumentation, no matter the claims of those who deny it, practically puts the ideology above Scripture because we must use the analytical tool to understand how and why such oppression occurs. Therefore, it is a practical denial of the sufficiency of Scripture.
Rejecting Plausible Arguments
In Colossians, Paul tells his readers that he has written to them and prayed for them to grow in knowledge “in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments” (2:4). Paul literally labors and struggles for those in the church that they may “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery” (2:2). He does this so that the arguments of the world can be distinguished and separated from the true knowledge of God. Paul does not want his readers to be beguiled by claims of knowledge that seem to have a veneer of truth but ultimately lead one away from godly life and practice.
Paul writes to the Colossians, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ” (2:8). Paul is warning the Colossian believers that there are worldly arguments that are antithetical to the teachings of Scripture. They are man-made and without biblical substance. They come from the wicked heart of sinful men and are not from Christ. And he makes it a point to tell the Colossians that these arguments are capable of taking a person captive. They are that persuasive. These arguments seem to be legitimate. There is something about these philosophies that, without examining them against the light of Scripture, a person might just find themselves caught up in them and believe them wholeheartedly.
Later in chapter 2, Paul points out two types of arguments that fall into this category. First are those arguments that appear biblical, but neglect the full revelation of Scripture. “Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (2:16-17). In the early church, there were many who tried to call Christians to come back under the Jewish law, to practice circumcision, and to adhere to the festivals and sacrifices. Paul admonished the Galatians in his epistle to them for doing this very thing. This is because the Old Covenant had been a type and shadow of the “things to come,” pointing to their ultimate fulfillment in Christ under the New Covenant.
The Old Covenant could never bring about salvation because it was intended to be a schoolmaster, pointing the Jews to the fact they never would be able to earn merit with God as they were dead in trespasses and sins. It was a signpost pointing to the coming Christ who fulfilled the law in its entirety and who was the perfect sacrificial lamb who would take away the sins of the world. For the Colossians, Paul was warning them against any argument which would take them back under the law. They had the sure word of God in all of Scripture revealing to them that Jesus was the promised Messiah and it was He alone who was the substance of these things. They did not need to listen to those who were outside of Christ and who rejected the revelation He was their promised deliverer. To go back under the law was to reject the revealed Word of the one whose prophets foretold of Christ’s coming. It may have sounded plausible, but in truth, it was a complete rejection of the revealed Word.
Secondly, Paul writes about arguments that appear to have some kind of biblical basis but are entirely worthless. He states, “let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,” (2:18). He later writes in verses 20 to 23, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were alive in the world, do you submit to regulations – ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ (referring to things that all perish as they are used) – according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (emphasis added).
These arguments seem to have a connection to the Old Covenant. Certainly, the Jews had laws regarding dietary restrictions, not touching dead bodies, etc. However, never were they commanded to live ascetic lives, never were they allowed to worship angels, and anyone with a claimed vision better have it proven 100% accurate or the were to be slain as a false prophet. Paul makes it clear that, no matter how persuasive these arguments may have seemed, they were without any biblical support. A Christian may have thought practicing these actions could have somehow added to their holy walk, but in fact, they were completely worthless. By examining such claims against the genuine knowledge found only in God’s revealed Word, the Colossians would realize that all of these arguments had no value in combatting the desires of the flesh. They were worldly practices that did not even point to the God of Scripture and were never commanded by Him at any time.
Paul was concerned for the Colossians that they were to understand, firstly, they belonged to Christ and that He purchased them by His blood. He pointedly writes about how Christ is the creator of all things (including the Colossians) who made all things by and for Himself. He is the image of the invisible God who is now revealed to the saints and is the Savior of all, Jews and Gentiles alike. It is in His Word these things are revealed and there was no worldly argument, no matter how plausible it seemed, that could change this very truth. Therefore, Paul commands the Colossians to reject those arguments which could lead them into prideful practice, thinking they somehow could add to the work of Christ and achieve something of their own merit.
Paul calls upon the Colossians to live in a manner worthy of Christ. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (3:5). When Christians adhere to the Word of God, our desire ought to be that which denies the desires of our flesh and submit humbly to God.
Social Justice – An Empty Deceit
This takes us back to the arguments of our current age. In the matter of social justice, what are the advocates of such a philosophy concerned with? Equality. Specifically equality of outcome, especially in the arena of worldly wealth and power. Social justice claims that oppression is systemic in culture and that those who have power and wealth have obtained it unjustly by oppressing certain groups. Primarily, the oppressed groups are argued to be minority ethnic persons, women, and persons who practice sexual immorality. Advocates argue that for true justice to reign, the oppressed persons must be elevated and given the wealth and power denied them by the oppressive group (which by definition are caucasian, heterosexual men). Social justice is focused on earthly matters which can only be defined by earthly categories. It then takes those categories and attempts to force them into God’s Word by insisting the world’s definitions are the same as the Scripture’s definitions.
This is a perfect example of the type of “philosophy and empty deceit” against which Paul warns. Certainly, Christians are to be concerned for the oppressed and downtrodden. We are called to love our neighbors and are to care for those in need (staring within the church first, then extending outward to the world). Christians live in a world that is broken and ruled by tyrants. While we are to be obedient to those in authority over us, we are also expected to call our leaders away from sin and to repentance (see John the Baptist’s interaction with Herod for example). However, Christ makes no command within Scripture to be concerned with the overtaking of government, to reign in politics, or to command arbitrarily what is to be considered equal or equitable. Rather, the command of Christ is to go forth and preach the gospel to the nations. Our primary mission is to call the world away from sinful, worldly desires and to follow Christ.
The beautiful thing about such a command and call is the impact it brings to the nations who follow Christ. As people reject sinfulness and embrace Christ, they have a new nature that leads them to walk in the commands of God. People develop loving hearts and desire to help others. Wherever Christianity has blossomed, nations have changed for the better. Therefore, the most loving thing we can do is preach Christ and Him crucified to the world. This doesn’t mean we don’t call out sinful governments and practices, we most certainly do. But we are not caught up in the vain pursuits of the world, trying to make a utopia in a fallen creation.
Social justice, however, commands the opposite. It divides people into oppressors and oppressed. It stirs anger, evil desire, and covetousness. It focuses on our earthly identities and makes them unchangeable. It tells people they are either always victims or always victimizers. There is no hope of atonement, only the never-ending treadmill of works one must do in hopes of receiving a token of acknowledgment for their efforts. It promises worldly possession and powers on the basis of victim status and perpetual punishment to those who do not accept their designation as oppressors. It brings no promise of joy everlasting, no hope of salvation, and no possibility of unity. Social justice is posited as a “plausible argument” but is nothing but “empty deceit.”
God’s Word Humbles and Equips
In Colossians 3, Paul commands the church to not only reject what is earthly in us but also put on what is fitting as God’s chosen ones. We are to put on “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive” (3:12-13). Genuine knowledge of the Word leads us not to that which keeps us in pride-filled division. Rather, it leads us to humble submission to one another, loving one another, and most of all, forgiving one another. We are not lead to hate another for what they have that we do not. We do not desire their downfall that we might be lifted up. Rather, it is a joyful self-giving to one another, not that we are benefitted in a worldly way, but that we would glorify Christ who purchased us.
We build each other up by letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (3:16). We identify ourselves as one body, unified in Christ, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all” (3:11). We are not divided by earthly designations, but we are united in the Savior who was promised by the prophets in the Scriptures as revealed from God. We look solely to His Word which commands us and rejects the precepts and philosophies of this world.
Brethren, far too many Christians and local churches (not to mention parachurch ministries and “celebrity Christians”) have been taken captive by the empty deceit of social justice. In doing so, they have denied that God’s Word sufficiently speaks to the issues of our day. They claim that only modern-day “Theory” can adequately explain how and why society is in its current state. They allow worldly definitions to replace the meanings of justice and equality that God has laid out in His Word. They tell us that we must embrace these “plausible arguments” which have an “appearance of wisdom” if we are to do the work of the gospel. But in truth, these arguments are worthless and have “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” Therefore, I implore the reader to stop being swayed by what the world is demanding we accept. See social justice for what it is, a worldly system by which we can be taken captive and lead from the truth of Scripture. Apply yourself daily to the reading of the Word and pray God gives us all wisdom to speak the truth in a time such as this.
Woot.
Great post
Great article with solid insight from the letter to the Colossians.