“Abundant Christian Living”

TOPIC:‌“Exposing the Flaws of a Heresy”

                  by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

TEXT:‌Colossians 2:16-23

‌‌“Let no man, therefore, judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a

‌‌feast day, or of the new moon, or of a sabbath day” (2:16)

‌There is always the threat that believers in Christ will succumb to the dangerous teachings of false prophets. It was something that Paul was constantly alerting those first century believers against. Hear him again as he warns the Christians at Colossae: “Be careful that nobody spoils your faith, through intellectualism or high-sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men's ideas of the nature of the world and disregards Christ” (2:8, Phillips). The NLT is excellent at this point: “Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and from Christ.” How many believers I know have abandoned their faith only to follow the teachings of some false prophets. It is happening quite often these days.

‌So it is not difficult to understand how the Colossian heresy angered the soul of Paul as it did. It went right against the full deity of Jesus Christ and His eternal work on the cross. Such teaching jeopardized the liberty these believers had found in Christ. In order to make certain that such does not happen, Paul in the verses before us sets forth the essential errors of this poisonous heresy. Let me now mention some of the errors of this doctrine and how it is at variance with the beliefs of the Christian faith.

I.

‌First of all, the Colossian heresy held to a FALSE ABSTINENCE. Listen again to Paul's words in verse 16: “Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day, or a sabbath day.”

‌When Paul uses the word “judge” he means, let no man take you to task, make you feel guilty, or disgrace you in respect to certain regulations and restrictions. Vincent has it: “set in judgment on you.” The NLT has it: “condemn you.” The word “meat” as found in the KJV is better rendered “food,” while the words “feast days” refer to the annual Jewish festival, the words “new moon” to the monthly Jewish festival and the words “sabbath days” to the weekly Jewish festival.

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