When Paul wrote the Book of Colossians, he was giving first-century Christians a guide to living in a non-Christian culture. He wanted believers to learn how to think like a Christian, and accept the simple foundation of Christ as the center of their spiritual life. Paul explained to the Colossians that in Christ you have the fullness of God, the forgiveness of sins, and freedom from the law... everything needed for a right relationship with God.
He was also concerned that Christians in the first century, and certainly today, live each day mindful of the threats to our relationship with God. He was an advocate for Spiritual Self-Defense. He shows us how to protect ourselves from thoughts, ideas, beliefs and attitudes that put us at risk spiritually.
In the first century, the fledgling church was under attack from false teachers and their ideas of what you should do to please God. The non-Christian culture of today is no different... there are a lot of conflicting ideas about religion, doctrine and spirituality. We know that various denominations believe different things—and those differences are by no means insignificant. We need to protect ourselves from the influences of false teachings, that often sound quite plausible and appealing.
Paul the Apostle admonishes Christians in all ages to be wary, careful and always vigilant. He counseled in three areas, pitfalls to avoid – Being caught off-guard; Being Rendered ineffective; and Missing the Big Picture. Let’s examine each of these points and see if we are guarding our minds and hearts against wrong doctrine and practices.
Don’t be Caught off-guard. If you’ve ever been sideswiped in a vehicle, you know how it takes you completely unaware. You often hear people say, “That car came out of nowhere.”
Paul warns us that there are people who will do the very same thing spiritually. You may think you’re moving forward in your Christian life, doing what God wants you to do, when all of a sudden... somebody blindsides you and tells you that you are all wrong.
In the first century (just like today), there were some differing opinions about religious rituals. Jewish Christians were in the habit of observing special days and seasons. Some continued to observe the Sabbath. Other believers, especially Gentile Christians, didn’t observe these special days, but they had a debate of their own regarding food sacrificed to idols. In this non-Christian culture, people would bring food to the pagan temples to be offered in sacrifice to the gods. After it was sacrificed, it was sold at a discount in the market next to the temple. (Colossians 2:16–17)
So, some questions that early Christians struggled with were: Is it okay to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols? Is it okay to work on the Sabbath? Is it okay to eat pork? Is it okay if you don’t observe the Jewish holidays? Is it okay if you observe a secular holiday? Paul didn’t choose sides on this debate, nor should Christians. (Romans 14:5)
Of course, this wasn’t good enough for some people. There were some who had appointed themselves “Sabbath Police” or “Kosher Cops,” and when they saw other Christians doing things they disagreed with, they would lay a guilt trip on them and say something to the effect of, “If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t be eating that food.” Or, “If you were really a Christian, you would observe the Sabbath.” Some people on both sides of the argument had a tendency to judge everyone who didn’t agree with them exactly, even on these minor issues.
So Paul said to the Colossians, “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink...” and in Romans, “Be fully convinced in [your] own mind.” You must learn not to let other people judge you in non-essential matters. You must be convinced in your own mind that you are being obedient to God’s call on your life. Paul says you have to do this to protect yourself spiritually, or else some zealot will come along and blindside you when you least expect it—and if you base your Christian life on the opinions of others, your faith will falter. (Romans 14:12)
Don’t allow yourself to be Rendered ineffective. It’s a tragedy when athletes are sidelined due to injury and unable to play out the season—especially when the injury is due to poor conditioning...
Paul warns us not to let this happen to us in our spiritual life.. Paul is referring to the tendency some Christians have to run in theological circles, debating and arguing every issue, and, as a result, becoming virtually useless in their Christian life. These people aren’t involved in ministry; they’re not feeding the poor, ministering to the sick, or evangelizing the lost. Instead, they’re arguing over things that don’t matter. (Colossians 2:18-19)
PEOPLE like this are ineffective as Christians. They’re no longer growing spiritually; they’re just accumulating information. If you allow yourself to get pulled into their pattern, you, too, run the risk of being sidelined.
We cannot afford to forget that our primary purpose is to serve Christ by serving others. We continue to grow only as long as we stay connected to Christ. Don’t be sidelined by nonessentials. You must continue to grow as a believer, and Christ must always remain the focus of your life. Don’t get disqualified for the prize. Don’t allow yourself to get sidelined.
Don’t get Sidetracked, Distracted and Miss the big picture. There are some people who think the Christian faith can be summarized in a list of don’ts. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Paul says the people who emphasize the don’ts are worldly. (Colossians 2:20–23)
Paul warns Christians... If our focus is only the rules—and how well we perform—we get sidetracked. When we place all of our attention on ourselves and our ability to keep the rules, we lose sight of Christ. It’s not about abiding by a checklist; it’s about abiding in Christ. The Christian life is not a set of rules; it’s a relationship. RULES in the head are no substitute for obedience in the heart.
Now there is an exception... We may need rules at different times in our lives. Coming out of a life of chaos... rules can help a person regain balance, and we all need some guidelines to live by to support our self-discipline. The problem comes when we insist everyone live by our rules.
Don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked. Our Christian life is based on a relationship with Christ . Don’t get sidetracked into thinking your “Walk with Christ” can be reduced to a list of rules.
This is how you protect yourself spiritually. You connect to Christ and allow him to become the focus of your existence. Don’t let anything stand in the way of your relationship with Jesus.
Don’t be Caught Off-Guard; don’t let people judge you, confuse you with heretical interpretations of doctrine—Christ is your judge, live according to what HE alone has told you to do.
Don’t get Sidelined; don’t allow yourself to stop growing as a Christian—our purpose is to serve Christ and glorify him, that will stop if we get caught up in things that may seem worthwhile but are worldly distractions – they render you ineffective.
Don’t get Sidetracked/Distracted; the Christian life is not about rules—it’s about maintaining a growing, immersive and interactive relationship with Jesus.
