Colossians 2:1-10 Snake Oil Peddlers in the Church
They used to travel the country in multitudes, setting up camp in every village and clearing, peddling their wares. Their product was a concoction of anything from alcohol to spring water, and they claimed to be able to cure every illness known to man. No matter what the condition, these con artists claimed to be able to care for it. Their names may be forgotten, but snake oil peddlers carved for themselves a permanent place in American history. Operas and plays were written about them, books featured their antics, and they were sometimes credited with singlehandedly destroying the trade of the travelling salesman. But the practices of these sideshow charlatans mysteriously live on today.
We see the practices of the snake oil peddlers in many places today. They live under the banner of “paid programming” on our television sets, pandering everything from real estate investment strategies to wonder polishes for cars and furniture. The snake oil salesmen stupefy their audiences with whirlwind quick-fixes and enthusiastic testimonials. They discredit the credible, promote the impossible, and make the buyer who misses their opportunity appear foolish for passing up such an offer.
The sad fact is that these same tactics travel under the banner of Christianity as well. Well-dressed men and women claiming to be Bible teachers stand up and talk about a Gospel foreign to the Scriptures, binding spirits of poverty and releasing the power of wealth. They work the crowds into a frenzy while promising to lay hands on those who desire “the anointing.” They carry a Bible but rarely open or refer to it, all the while describing a God who does not even vaguely resemble the God of the Scriptures. And multiplied thousands of people watch them daily and weekly, sending in donations and trying to apply the principles espoused by these so-called teachers.
No doubt someone you or I know is under the influence of one of these modern-day snake oil peddlers. According to what the Scriptures teach, the product of these false teachers is more deadly than a cobra’s venom. The church would do well to examine the practices of these teachers and place them alongside the truths of God’s Word. When we see just how far from the truth they are, then we will be prepared to confront their heresy and reveal it to a world that needs to know the truth.
In the old days, if a snake oil peddler was discovered to be a hoax, it was nothing unusual for the folks in town to dip him in tar and cover him in feathers. The less fortunate ones were hanged. Christians have no mandate to do physical harm to those who promote lies, but they do have a responsibility to proclaim the truth and distance themselves from those guilty of such crimes. It is good to remember Paul’s words at this point: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).
Our study in Colossians deals with just such a problem at this point. In the opening verses of chapter two, Paul stresses his desire that the Christians in Colosse, Laodicea, and the other places where he has not been might be strengthened in their faith. He expresses his concern that they be united, certain of the key doctrines of the faith, and assured against the heretics regarding the person and work of Christ. As referenced earlier, Paul mentions again the mystery of God. A commentator has said that this mystery addresses the question, “What is God like?” with the answer, “You can see Him in Christ.” When we see the person and work of Christ, we know the mystery of God.
Verse four introduces the challenge of the day. Two key words appear in this verse which deserve explanation. Beguile is a word literally translated “reason against” or more directly “deceive.” It could also mean “dissuade.” The idea is that a person can be talked out of his certainty. I have personally sensed this before when shopping for a vehicle or large appliance. Just when I thought I had everything figured out and knew what I wanted, a clever salesman threw in a consideration I had missed in the process. This new consideration outweighed my previous convictions, so I had to rethink my decision. That is the idea of “beguile” in this circumstance. The second selection in this verse is actually two English words, enticing words, taken from a single Greek root. The translation is fairly literal, with the idea that the words used are convincing and highly persuasive in nature. There is a sense of power in the words, almost a liveliness that pulls the hearer to the speaker’s side. The overall picture is that of a cowboy roping a calf and pulling it to himself. That is the power of this verse.
How powerful is the spoken word! We see the spoken word swaying multitudes, moving them to battle or to physical activity. The audience may, with the right motivation, yield itself singly to the whims of the speaker. In church circles today, it is not unusual for the speaker to command his audience to repeat a key phrase or statement. They applaud at his command, they say “Amen” or “Hallelujah” at his command, they wait patiently to act at his command. While this may be appropriate at times, it may also become a form of testing to see how well the preacher controls his audience. He may be thinking subconsciously, “If they’ve followed me this far, I have them hooked and ready for the zinger.” The proverbial “zinger” may be a request for a sizeable contribution to the ministry of the speaker (I hesitate to call him/her a preacher), it could be a response to an invitation to be “slain in the spirit,” or it could even be a call to action such as bringing a friend to the next meeting. Not unlike motivational sales meetings or cult training, the speaker uses words to spur his audience to action. I have seen the same behavior among cult followers and Amway salespeople. It rests in the power of the spoken word.
Paul condemns this forthrightly. He says, “Don’t let the spoken word draw you away!” If you cannot see it in the Scriptures, do not listen to it in the church! I quoted Galatians 1:8 at the outset for a very important reason: there is only one Gospel worth preaching. When the focus of preaching ceases to be Christ Jesus, God in the flesh, crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, and returning, then it is not the Gospel! Do not be carried away with teachings on angels and demons, on wealth and survival, on marital success and familial happiness. Jesus is greater than the powers and principalities. It was Jesus who said, “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). When Christ is the center of your marriage and your home, what can destroy it?
So how does the church keep itself from the war of words which so quickly draws it away from the truth? Paul describes several characteristics of the Colossian church which he credits with keeping them from succumbing to the false teachings surrounding them. He lists these attributes in pictorial form, comparing the healthy church to an army, a tree, a building, and a river.
The words order and steadfastness attest to the power of a mighty army. The military column uses rank and file to assure itself of its available resources and potential power. This type of order in the church means that communication is clear and that organization is efficient. Paul had earlier written to the Corinthians, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). This type of order assures the church that no heretical practices creep in unawares. The second term reminds the reader of a defensive line. If one pictures an advancing line of soldiers with their shields corner to corner, it becomes apparent that enemy arrows will have difficulty penetrating the moving wall of men until they are upon the attackers. In the same way, the church in which believers stand together side by side with the “shield of faith” will not easily be breached by the “fiery darts” of the enemy.
Verse seven uses the word rooted only in passing, but the significance of the picture is vital to the health of the church. The image is that of a tree reaching deep into the soil and anchoring its roots to the very bedrock of the earth. I have heard the story of a majestic oak tree that was uprooted in a terrible storm. The force of the winds was so strong that the tree was turned up on its side, exposing the tap root. That great central root had long ago dug down through many feet of soil and had wrapped itself around a large rock buried in the earth. Believers in Christ are admonished to anchor themselves to the Rock of Ages, so that they may never be moved away from the truth of the Gospel. And it is a guarantee from God himself that nothing will ever uproot that rock.
The third word picture Paul paints is that of a building. The first phrase, built up in Him, points to the recurring picture in Scripture of Christians being constructed into a house or structure. The idea is that of solid construction, even the concept used earlier of “edification.” It represents a permanent design, not cloth or straw but instead brick and mortar. This concept is carried further in the term stablished. It means “solidified” or “shored up” in the sense that the resulting structure is immoveable. Tracy and I used to live in a frame house. When strong winds blew or heavy storms hung over us, it seemed the entire house would shake under the force of the wind. Now we live in a brick house. The wind howls and the windows rattle, but the house never seems to move. That is the type of construction of which Paul speaks.
The final image is another one-word allusion. While the King James uses the word abounding in this case, the NIV captures the spirit of the text more appropriately with the word overflowing. The idea of a river such as the one mentioned in Ezekiel 47 which starts out gradually and flows deeper along its course is pictured here. Paul is telling his reader that a sign of Christian maturity is a growth of thankfulness. As we see the grace of God continue to work itself out in our lives, we indicate our growth in grace by our thankfulness to God. The attitude of thankfulness ought to overflow the banks of our existence and spread to those around us.
So what is the way to avoid being deceived by persuasive words? The church must function together and in order, keeping Christ as the very foundation and mortar of the building, and always practicing the discipline of thankfulness in all things. It sounds so simple, but the truth is that accomplishing these things is a task that requires constant attention.
The second line of attack the church faces is in the methods and teachings of the false teachers. The King James refers to these as philosophy and vain deceit. The NIV, on the other hand, combines them into “hollow and deceptive philosophy.” Paul goes on to describe them in more particular terms, however, giving us a better grasp on the real meaning of his implications.
The tradition of men is generally a reference to a human-based religion in which man is placed at the center of the equation and exalted to supreme status in the redemptive strategy. The idea is that by our efforts we attain salvation and peace with God. This is further compounded by the creation of a God who is mildly destructive and highly capricious, and man’s need to appease him. The power to do and to be is placed in the hands of man. The problem is that the Scriptures teach that there is no way man can save himself. Ephesians 2:8,9 make this painfully clear when it says of salvation, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
The rudiments of the world represents one or more of a variety of practices. The literal Greek translation is something like “in a row.” The meaning could possibly represent elementary concepts, such as the ABC’s as a precursor to written language. Another possibility is a representative formula for the four elements of the universe, namely earth, wind, fire, and water. The third option is the foundational principles of knowledge, the basics of a belief system. A final possibility is that this phrase spoke of the heirarchy of demons and angels believed by some to rule the physical world. The bottom line with all the aforementioned is that the created order is elevated above the Creator. That denies the central point of the Christian faith: the supremacy of Christ. Whether Paul was referring to one or more of these philosophies or perhaps none of them at all is immaterial in light of the resulting conflict with orthodox Christianity.
Paul reiterates the incarnate deity of Christ in verse nine, a subject which has been discussed at length in earlier passages.
Verse ten sums up the best answer to the philosophy and vain deceit being used by the false teachers. Paul tells the Colossians they are complete in Christ. They need nothing more, nothing less. Referring to the possibility that the “rudiments” phrase speaks of demons and angels, Paul concludes that Jesus is “the head of all principality and power.” Man is lacking; Christ completes him. Spirit beings do not indeed rule the world. Instead, the world is ruled by Christ. In this way it is clear that those who would stress the need for more works or good behavior or a better understanding of the spirit realm are indeed missing the point.
A few years ago, a lot of folks I knew were swept up in the craze surrounding Frank Peretti’s novels Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness. The novels, which dealt with the conflict between angels and demons, created a sensation which was further fueled by the growth of the angel movement. This was further extended by the debut of the CBS television series, Touched by an Angel. People are obsessed with the concept of angels now. A new television series, G vs. E satires the conflict between angels and demons. Everywhere we turn there are people telling about the angels who were with them or the demons they saw in one place or another.
While it is indeed acceptable to acknowledge the presence of angels and demons, and even the spirit realm, we must not fixate on these beings to the neglect of Christ. It is Christ who died for our sins. It is Christ who rose from the dead on the third day. It is Christ who ascended to the Father. It is Christ who will return one day soon to claim the church. It is Christ who will judge the living and the dead. It is Christ who will reign eternally. Not an angel. Not a demon. Not satan. We must be mindful of this fact.
Who are these teachers? Who are the snake oil peddlers in the church today? What are their crimes? There is not enough room to list all the false teachers and their practices in this space. The fact is that, with a little discretion and an open Bible, any born again child of God can discern the heresies they proclaim. We must be diligent to avoid these teachers and discourage their progress in deceiving sincere people. Paul has described who they are and what they do. It is up to us to “be . . . wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10:16).
