Knowing God
When Paul was writing to the church at Colosse, there was a philosophy that was beginning to emerge called Gnosticism. If you have an idea of what Gnosticism is, then you will realize that what Paul said was not only Christ honoring, but his words were very clear, sharp, and penetrating to the Colossians and what they were exposed to.
Gnosis is the Greek word from which we get our word know today. The Gnostics felt they had a special insight and knowledge of God and His secret working. They were dualists, meaning they held to a dual nature of the cosmos, of the world and the universe. They believed that the cosmos consists of both the spiritual and the material, which of course we believe also. We are not materialists who believe that the matter just organized itself by mechanical reactions that are innate in matter. We believe that God who is spirit and immaterial created matter and the universe. The Gnostics also believe this. The Gnostics got into trouble very quickly with how they believed God created the world.
The Gnostics gave it their best guess that if God who is spirit is good, then matter, which is the opposite of God, must be evil. They postulated that if God is good, then since matter is not God, then matter is not good. The question that presented itself to them was, "How could a good God create an evil world?" Their solution was to suggest that God created a being who, since he was not God, was necessarily less than God. This being created another being who therefore less than him. This process of creation goes on infinitely until by some infinitesimal calculus a creature was so far removed from God that he was able to create the world, which was matter, the opposite of God and evil. When you take the time to check out Gnosticism, you will find that there was a lot of variation in Gnostic thought as it was developed by various proponents and systems. When people tried to think of Christ in terms of Gnostic principles, Jesus and Sophia (the Greek word for wisdom) became responsible for the creation of evil matter. By Jesus, the world that came into existence, could be redeemed by enlightenment that came from secret practices. Gnostic thought tried to co-opt Christ and redefine Him in philosophical, mystical, and mythological terms. Christ became a sterilized abstraction that you could use to build your own religion to manipulate people. Gnosticism became a distraction to be consumed with the flesh and to mistake any sense of enlightenment with being on the way to escape this present evil world. Instead of Jesus being God supreme, He became the "low man on the totem pole" at the polar extreme opposite of God.
It would take quite a while to explore the effect of Gnosticism, but let me share with you what it leads to from some modern day Gnostics:
Gnostics do not look to salvation from sin (original or other), but rather from the ignorance of which sin is a consequence. Ignorance -- whereby is meant ignorance of spiritual realities -- is dispelled only by Gnosis, and the decisive revelation of Gnosis is brought by the Messengers of Light, especially by Christ, the Logos of the True God. It is not by His suffering and death but by His life of teaching and His establishing of mysteries that Christ has performed His work of salvation.
The Gnostic concept of salvation, like other Gnostic concepts, is a subtle one. On the one hand, Gnostic salvation may easily be mistaken for...a sort of spiritual do-it-yourself project. Gnostics hold that the potential for Gnosis, and thus, of salvation is present in every man and woman, and that salvation is not vicarious [Jesus dying in our place] but individual [we make our own salvation]. At the same time, they also acknowledge that Gnosis and salvation can be, indeed must be, stimulated and facilitated in order to effectively arise within consciousness. This stimulation is supplied by Messengers of Light who, in addition to their teachings, establish salvific mysteries (sacraments) which can be administered by apostles of the Messengers and their successors.
— http://www.gnosis.org/gnintro.htm
1. Knowing Jesus is knowing God.
JW's, Mormons, and Unitarians miss the significance of this book. They would prefer Paul to have said something like, "Jesus is God." However, even when the Bible does say it, they find some way around it. In rebutting the Gnostics of his day, Paul is saying that Jesus is not the lowest in divinity, He is the opposite, He is the highest. There were only two possibilities in Gnostic thought, lowest and highest, if Jesus is the opposite of the lowest, then He has to be the highest.
Paul calls the Colossians into account for the truth and the Gospel they received.
Col 1:3-8 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
Col 1:9-13 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
vs. 9 knowledge - epignosis, not just gnosis, a superior knowledge than claimed by the Gnostics
wisdom - sophia, a favorite word of the Gnostics, and understanding - sunesis, the faculty of intelligence and insight, but Paul attaches the idea of understanding coming from the Spirit, not fleshly wisdom as attained by philosophical speculation
vs. 10 attaining an increase in the knowledge of God
vs. 12 we are partakers now, not later when the Gnostic might find some final deliverance
vs. 13 we have the true light in Jesus Christ, not the false light of the Gnostic
Col 1:14-22 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
vs. 14 we are saved by the mediatorial work of Jesus Christ, not by some arriving at levels of insight
vs. 15 Jesus is the image of God, not some distant creation, He is firstborn in that He has priority and sovereignty over all creation
vs. 16 Jesus does not lie at the end of some list of emanations from God
vs. 17 all things are held together by Christ
vs. 19 the fulness, the pleroma - a word that the Gnostics loved that spoke of God, the pleroma signifies the sum total of the divine powers and attributes.
Col 1:25-28 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
vs. 26-27 The gnostics loved mystery, their secret knowledge that was attained through their special rites, but the hidden things of God are manifested in the revelation of Jesus Christ, even the riches of His glory.
vs. 28 Paul teaches in all wisdom, the Gnostics differentiated blind faith for the uninitiated, and gnosis for the few, but Paul declares that all wisdom is available in Christ and we receive our perfection and are not just novices as the Gnostics would say.
A full indictment against the Gnostics:
Col 2:2-19 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
2. Knowing about God is not sufficient, we have to know Him.
Rom 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
2Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
3. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.
Prov 2:1-6 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
There is more than one way to have fear than just fear of retribution and judgment.
David McCullough in his book Mornings On Horseback tells this story about young Teddy Roosevelt: Mittie (his mother) had found he was so afraid of the Madison Square Church that he refused to set foot inside if alone. He was terrified, she discovered, of something called the "zeal." It was crouched in the dark corners of the church ready to jump at him, he said. When she asked what a zeal might be, he said he was not sure, but thought it was probably a large animal like an alligator or a dragon. He had heard the minister read about it from the Bible. Using a concordance, she read him those passages containing the word ZEAL until suddenly, very excited, he told her to stop. The line was from the Book of John, 2:17: "And his disciples remembered that it was written, 'The ZEAL of thine house hath eaten me up'" People are still justifiably afraid to come near the "zeal" of the Lord, for they are perfectly aware it could "eat them up" if they aren't one of His. Our Lord is good, but He isn't safe.
— David McCullough, Mornings On Horseback.
We should not come flippantly before God. Then there should be a fear of His wrath. We should come with a healthy respect before God.
I have a table saw from my father. It can do wonderful things for me, but I have a healthy fear of that spinning blade, as the scar on my thumb can testify. When you learn to drive, you need to maintain a healthy fear of that 2000 pounds of steel and glass with a container of highly flammable liquid hurtling down the road covering a mile in less than a minute. The saw and the car do not seek to execute justice upon me, but they do require a healthy respect. We should respect God that He knows what He's talking about and that there is disaster that we can bring upon ourselves when we don't heed His Word and warnings.
We should have fear, not always as in fear of wrath, but fear of disappointment. I fear my wife. Not because I think she is going to beat me when I come in the door, but I fear offending her. I love her — I don't want her to be grieved. We can grieve God.
Eph 4:30-32 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
1. Knowing Jesus is knowing God. Col 1:3-8, Col 1:9-13, Col 1:14-22, Col 1:25-28, Col 2:2-19
2. Knowing about God is not sufficient, we have to know Him. Rom 10:1-4, 2Tim 3:5
3. The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. Prov 2:1-6, Eph 4:30-32
