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Suppose someone presented you with an i-phone claiming it to be the most modern and updated piece of telecommunication equipment you can ever find. Subsequently, he presents Ver. 2, an almost identical model. Wow! Fantastic! You thought you have the ultimate and most complete device in your hand. Just when everything seemed over, Ver. 3 appears featuring some unthinkable applications. Before you know it, there’s Ver. 4 and version infinity is still nowhere in sight. How does this ever-changing phenomenon illustrate the danger it can pose to the Christian faith?
Unlike today’s IT product, Jesus is presented to us as the all-complete and final Saviour and Lord. The Christians in Colossae have believed faithfully in the “true” gospel and now, many false prophets are encouraging them to turn away from this simple message. The Apostle Paul was rightly concerned as some of these teachers do not seem to deny outright the gospel message. Instead, they change it slightly by subtly supplementing unneeded rites and rituals to worship and preaching what pleases the crowd.
The Apostle Paul sought to dispel these falsehoods and emphasize the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ. He moves into a discussion stating that Jesus “is the image of God”, “the Creator” and the “Head of the Body, the Church”. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority” (Col. 2:9,10). He progresses from the individual life to the home and family, from work to the way we should treat each other. The basic application for us today is the acceptance of the total and complete sufficiency of Jesus in our lives as taught in the Bible. Jesus gives us absolute standards of moral conduct. There is no need to add or combine other religions or man-ordained beliefs to Christianity.
How do we as modern Christians respond and protect ourselves from this subtle adulteration? One way is for us to stand firm in the Christian faith and the true gospel message. This should be complemented with a diligent study of the Bible. We must know and understand the true gospel so as not to be led astray. Another very important way is for us to pray to God regularly. God knows a sincere heart and the truth will triumph eventually. In Jesus, you have everything you need to live a good and productive Christian life.
