Colossians; Ephesians

When Onesimus returned to his master Philemon, he brought the church in Colossae the letter we know as Colossians.  Still imprisoned but soon to be released, Paul writes several letters to congregations he planted on his missionary journeys, including the letter to the church in Ephesus. The reason is simple. After he left them, others came in a tried to corrupt the doctrine of Christ Paul had taught them and they needed to refocus.

There were a myriad of false religions to choose from, especially in Ephesus. Satan being Satan, he chose close counterfeits to infect the young and impressionable church when their father-in-the-faith Paul was distant from them. Some (Judaizers) were teaching that one must become a Jew first and then could become a Christian. Others (Gnostics) were teaching that Jesus was merely an emissary of a lesser divine being and came to impart special spiritual knowledge that would lead to the redemption of the spirit. Still others (ascetics, pagans, etc.) took Christian teachings and blended them with human philosophies to create hybrid belief systems.

Both the letter to the Colossians and the letter to the Ephesians seek to address the central truth that Jesus, God in the flesh, is the Creator and Savior of mankind. In conjunction with this, Paul contends with any notion other than the central truth that salvation in Christ Jesus is for the Jew and the Gentile, alike, and that any and all separation between them is once and forever dissolved by the blood of the cross. As the exclusive and unique Redeemer, the Christ of God – Jesus – is to be honored with preeminence in our lives displayed in the spiritual transformation that reveals itself in our relationships with all people.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 1:13-23

These central tenants of the faith once for all delivered to the saints unite us in Christ. Our unity is divinely-given and Christians are commanded to maintain this precious unity. Our oneness in Christ’s body, the church, flows from truth practiced daily in life.

I … urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. … And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:1-6, 11-16

If a matter of a few month and a few miles allowed the false teachings to affect the church in Colossae and Ephesus when Paul was away from them, imagine the danger we face today separated by centuries and tens of thousands of miles. In fact, we see plainly the division that infects the body of Christ from a wide-range of hybrid doctrines, errant doctrines and false doctrines. The church – people saved by the blood of Christ and added by God to His body – have failed to maintain the unity given to us divinely.

The only hope for corrective measures is the same hope Paul had for his friends in Colossae and Ephesus. Each of us needs to daily set aside the teachings of mere men and re-center our focus on the doctrine of Christ Jesus alone. If we can keep our center, then we will keep our communion – our walk with Jesus. Paul calls us to a “worthy walk”…

A worthy walk is a walk in unity (EPHESIANS 4:1)

A worthy walk is a walk in love (EPHESIANS 5:2)

A worthy walk is a walk in light (EPHESIANS 5:8)

A worthy walk is a walk in wisdom (EPHESIANS 5:15)

Let’s be the generation of believers to cast aside all of the man-made teachings that not only confuse, but divide the body of Christ. Let us be the ones to embrace and reclaim the unity given to us when we were joined with Christ in baptism. Let us simply seek to walk in communion with Jesus and in union with the whole body of Christ … by His power, we can do this!

Consider His nature.  Consider His ways.  Strive to love Him more!