Author: Josh King

Union, All the Way Up (Colossians 3:1–4)

“1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” —Colossians 3:1–4 (ESV)

“5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” — Ephesians 2:5–6 (ESV)

The saints union with Christ isn’t hanging by a thread. Nor is our connection with Christ one of steel cables linking us to certain points of Christ, say His death and resurrection. You are as immersed into Christ as a baptized Baptist. With respect to my Presbyterian brothers, you are not sprinkled into Jesus. Further, when you come up out of the baptismal waters you don’t come out of Jesus. Jesus is the ocean the saints swim in. As united as a man is to his wife, so Christ is united to His Bride; two have become one.

Jesus is in such union with His people, that now, as the God-man, He does nothing without them. This union goes all the way. If you are in Christ:

Jesus’ death, is your death.

Jesus’ resurrection, is your resurrection.

But the glories do not stop there.

Jesus’ ascension, is your ascension.

Jesus’ session, is your session.

Jesus’ appearing, will be your appearing.

These are things that are above. These are heavenly things. The ascension and session of Christ are two neglected doctrines. Perhaps this is why our lives are more earthly than they ought to be.

The Exegetical Systematician: WWJD Circa 1955

The relevance to us of our Lord’s example has to be strictly guarded just as likeness to God has to be guarded. If this is not done we fall into the same error of failure to distinguish between the respects in which the attempt at likeness would be iniquity and the respects in which likeness is required. There are respects in which we may not and could not make our Lord’s conduct an example for us. His identity as God-man was unique. His offices and prerogatives were unique. His task as Saviour was unique. The faith he demanded in himself, and the obedience he claimed from his disciples, were such as belong to none else. So the application to ourselves requires radical differentiation. In other words, the example that our Lord supplies is severely restricted by reason of the uniqueness that pertained to him in respect of his person, office, commission, prerogative, and task. It is scarcely necessary to observe how glib and superficial is the ethic that is content to say: What would Jesus do? —John Murray, The Christian Ethic

Silly Spirituality (Colossians 2:18–23)

“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, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

…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.” —Colossians 2:18–19, 23

False teachings, like the teachers themselves, travel as a pack of dogs. Where you find one, the others are likely present. Do you sense an unbiblical esteem for the spiritual and disdain for the physical that leans toward asceticism? If so, you’ll likely find an unhealthy fascination with angels and demons. Is spiritual warfare concerning said angels and demons made much of in an extra-biblical way? Then there will likely be talk of visions to justify such nonsense.

The irony of this false teaching is that their qualifications disqualify. Their severity to the body strengthens the flesh. Their show of humility is fuels pride. Worshipping angels, they’re enslaved to demons. Seeking higher spiritual knowledge, their minds are fleshly and of this world. By starving the body they’ve only fed the flesh.

Paul is ridiculing these false teachers in the light of the gory of Christ. They are a joke, but not one to be taken flippantly or casually. Laugh at heresy with the utmost seriousness. Let no one disqualify you insisting on something so stupid and silly. See Jesus Christ the Lord, supreme as Sovereign, Savior, and Sanctifier.

The Exegetical Systematician: Are You an Evangelical?

“An evangelical is committed to certain well-defined positions regarding the Christian Faith. He is a trinitarian and believes there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…

The evangelical also believes that the Scriptures fo the Old and New Testaments are the infallible Word of God written, inerrantly inspired of the Holy Spirit, the only infallible rule of faith and life…

The evangelical believes that the eternal Son of God became man by being supernaturally begotten by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary and was born of her without human fatherhood. The Son of God came into this world by this means in order to save men from sin and for this reason he shed his blood upon the accursed tree as a substitutionary sacrifice. He rose from the dead on the third day in that body that had been crucified and laid in the tomb of Joseph. After forty days he ascended up to heaven and was highly exalted, reigns from heaven as head over all things until he will have subdued all enemies, and will return again personally, visibly, and gloriously to judge living and dead.

The evangelical believes that all men are lost and dead in sin, that there is salvation in none other name but that of Jesus, and that apart from regeneration by the Holy Spirit and faith in Christ Jesus men are irretrievably lost. He believes in heaven and hell as places of eternal bliss and eternal woe respectively and that these are the two final abodes of mankind. Evangelism, therefore, for the evangelical, is the proclamation of the gospel of Christ to lost men in order that they may be saved. He must proclaim this gospel with the urgency which the gravity of the issues of life and death demands. Evangelism is supported by the fact that Christ is offered freely to all without distinction and that God commands men that they should all everywhere repent.

This summary does not cover the whole field of evangelical belief. But it indicates what the identity of an evangelical is. If a professed Christian does not entertain the type of belief which the foregoing summary represents, then he is not an evangelical.” —John Murray, Co-operation in Evangelism

Let No One Pass Judgement on You (Colossians 2:16–17)

“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.” —Colossians 2:16–17

As far as Scriptures that are loosely referenced and alluded to, Matthew 7:1 has likely usurped John 3:16 for the top spot. “God loves you,” has been replaced by “Don’t judge me!” In this context, a context-less Colossians 2:16 is met with a hearty “Amen!”

In lieu of this, it’s critical to recognize that Paul does not fall prey to the postmodern predicament. The postmodern premise is that there is no absolute truth, which is a self-defeating lie stated as an absolute truth. Based on this premise is the self-defeating lie, “You can’t judge me,” which is itself a judgment on other’s judgment. The reason Paul’s warning is different is because it has an absolute reference point—Christ.

Christians are not immune from all judgment, take 1 Corinthians 5:11–13 for one example, but they should be zealous that no one judge them in a way that is ultimately a judgment on Christ. For the false teachers to insist on the observance of diets and days is to say that Jesus isn’t sufficient.

So, whereas “Don’t judge me!” rings of an arrogant love of self, “Let no one pass judgment on you…” shouts of a humble zeal for Jesus. You may rightly judge me an undeserving sinner. You may not judge Jesus as an inadequate Savior. You may judge my works as lack, but I refuse for you to disdain Jesus’ substitutionary obedience in my stead. I am lacking, He is not.

The Exegetical Systematician: The Fuel of Piety

There are true Christians who are so much given to what is called the ‘experimental’ in religion that they feed to a very large extent upon their own experience. This type of piety can become nauseating. When analyzed it is seen to be dishonoring to Christ and detrimental to true religion. It is true that piety produces experience, and the deeper the piety the deeper and richer will be the experience. But the point is to be stressed is that piety does not feed on experience. Piety feeds on Christ, on his truth, on the mysteries of God’s revelation, and on the promises which are all yea and amen in Christ. —John Murray, Some Necessary Emphases in Preaching

Don’t Buy “Dragon Slayer” (Colossians 2:8–15)

“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.” —Colossians 2:8 (ESV)

False teaching promises freedom and enslaves. It promises life and give death. Heresy is a lie dressed up as truth. She promises fullness, but she’s a vacuum. She’s a harlot; she’s not lady wisdom.

The worst kind of captivity is the one you’re blind to and embrace as freedom. Man rebels against God desiring to be free and finds bondage to sin, Satan, and death. But more subtle, more crafty, is the illusion of freedom, deeper spirituality, and fullness that looks like it’s fighting for God’s kingdom against the forces of darkness.

The false teachers trying to make inroads at Colossae had a fascination with angels and spiritual forces (Colossians 2:8, 18, 20). This is why Paul has stressed that Christ is supreme over all thrones, dominions, and authorities, including those that are unseen (Colossians 1:13, 16; 2:15). Much false teaching today enslaves by promising liberation from the demonic. Demonism doesn’t always look like a goat; often it disguises itself as a lamb.

Jennifer LeClaire, writing for Charisma Magazine, tells of a friend who had a “vision” (see Colossians 2:18) wherein a squid was perched atop her head. She writes, “I knew enough about the unseen world to understand a spiritual attack was underway [emphssis added].” As you study Colossians, it becomes apparent that the false teachers were promising some kind of fullness of knowledge that was in addition to the authoritative and final apostolic revelation of Christ. LeClair is claiming exactly that kind of knowledge. What kind of spiritual attack was afoot?

“What I didn’t know was that a sneaky squid spirit would soon start stalking me.

Right about now, you might be scratching your head and asking, with all sincerity—or with all mockery—‘What in the world is a squid spirit?’ Essentially, it’s a spirit of mind control but its affects go way behind what you would think.

In his classic book, Demon Hit List, Eckhardt lists mind control and defines it this way: ‘Octopus and squid spirits having tentacles; confusion, mental pressure, mental pain, migraine.’ ”

Balderdash! LeClair then elaborates on how one falls prey to a sneaky squid spirit. Additionally, she provides intel concerning their tactics and how to combat them. The problem with all this? None of it is “according to Christ,” the Christ who has conquered (Colossians 2:15), the Christ we’ve received (Colossians 2:6). The problem with such teaching is that it says Jesus isn’t sufficient when He is the only One who is. Our eyes are diverted from the revelation of Christ as given in the Scriptures, to that which is “of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (Colossians 2:23).” We thus come into bondage, having traded the armor of Jesus Christ for a shiny and flashy display piece dubbed “dragon slayer” that is useless, save to draw glory to ourselves.

The Exegetical Systematician: Incompatible Power Adapters

“Oftentimes as an accompaniment of this [Arminian] conception of the message and of the response to the message there has been fostered a certain type of high-pressure appeal and of emotional excitement that is scarcely compatible with the sobriety and dignity that ought to characterize the preaching of the gospel, and scarcely consistent with the deliberateness and intelligence appropriate to the exercise of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord.” —John Murray, The Message of Evangelism

Corrective Therapy for Incorrect Walking (Colossians 2:6–7)

“6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” —Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)

““This paragraph… is the heart of Colossians. In these two verses Paul succinctly summarizes the basic response he wants from his readers.” —Douglas Moo

Paul’s central point is clear, succinct, and powerful, but we bring a danger to it. It’s a danger those who have grown up in the evangelical bubble are prone to. The danger is created when Biblical language is removed from its context and used to describe something basically true, but alien to the original context. We then return to the Bible reading the alien definition back into the text. This is what we call eisegesis, rather than exegesis. Exegesis seeks to draw out, where eisegesis puts in. Exegesis draws the author’s meaning out. Eisegesis puts the reader’s meaning in. This is bad, even if the things you are reading into the Bible are true and good things.

When you try to walk the walk of this text in this way, it’s like waking up in the middle of the night in a new home, thinking you are in the old home. Wham! You’ve got the right walk but in the wrong home. When you try to walk according to your evangelical church house map in the Bible, you go bump.

“As you received Christ… .”

What do these words bring to mind? Perhaps you’re thinking of a so-called man-ufactured event like a scheduled “revival.” Or maybe, a crusade, church camp, or simply the church invitation that goes on and on, all pleading for someone to “receive Jesus into their heart.” In theological shorthand, you think about conversion—being saved.

This use of language simply isn’t faithful to the Scriptures. When the gospel is preached, the proper response is repentance and faith. When Jesus is heralded, the proper response isn’t an invitation to an invitation. “We want to invite you to invite Jesus.” The gospel is good news to be believed. It is not good news about how desperate Jesus is to receive an invitation to your heart-house and bring the party. “Want a party of joy and significance in your heart-house? Invite Jesus!”

Still, taken in the best sense, one could think this passage meant something like, “You began by belief in Jesus, continue that way.” This is so very true, and close, but walking close to the door still means running into the wall.

What is meant by “receive?” Paul has just elaborated on the mystery, the revelation of Jesus Christ entrusted to him for the sake of the church. This is what they’ve received, the revelation of Jesus Christ. The church receives what Paul received. Listen to how this language of receiving is used and how it relates to what Paul delivered.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.” —1 Corinthians 15:1–3

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you.” —1 Corinthians 11:23

“As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. … For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. —Galatians 1:9, 11–12

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 4:1–2

What Paul received is identical to what we receive, the revelation of the mystery of Jesus Christ. Paul is admonishing the Colossians to walk in this Christ, the true Christ, the Christ of the Scriptures. Consider all that Christ is shown to be in the Scriptures, all that His apostles have revealed Him to be, and walk as one in union with Him.

All the fullness of God dwells in Him bodily, and you have bee filled in Him (2:10). In Him, you’re circumcised (2:11). When Christ died, you died, when He rose you rose (2:13). You’ve been raised with Christ, so seek the things that are above (3:1). Your life is hidden with Christ in God (3:4).

In our walk, this turns our eyes outward. Instead of looking within trying to reproduce the same kind of faith and experience we had at conversion, we look to Christ. It’s always better to walk looking up than looking within. We’re thinking about our sneakers, and God is concerned about the One who is the Way. We’re concerned about our cool stride of faith; God tells us to keep our eyes on the road. When we’re looking within, we run into stuff. Keep your eyes on Christ, and walk as one in union with Him.

The Exegetical Systematician: Worse than Undeserving

We cannot think of sinners as merely undeserving; they are also illdeserving. The grace of God to sinners is, therefore, not simply unmerited favour; it is also favour shown to the ill-deserving, indeed to the hell-deserving. When Paul says, ‘justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 3:24), the grace in view must be understood on the background of the judgment of God referred to in verse 19—’that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God’. It is guilty men, and therefore hell-deserving men, that the justifying grace of God contemplates. —John Murray, The Grace of God