Legendary preacher, Charles Spurgeon told a story about two men in a boat on a river. They were caught in severe rapids. And they were heading toward even worse rapids ending in a waterfall. There was really no way they’d survive if they hit those rapids. The men realized their predicament and began to struggle for their lives.
As they were carried swiftly downstream toward the perilous rocks and the falls, some men on the shore saw them and they threw a rope out to them. By this time, the boat had capsized, and the men were struggling in the raging current.
Spurgeon went on to say that one man caught the rope and was pulled to shore. The other man, in a moment of panic, made a fatal mistake; he grabbed hold of a log that was floating by. One man was drawn to the shore because he had a connection with the people on the land. The other man clinging to the log was carried down the rapids, over the falls, and was never seen again.
The lives of those men from that moment were defined by their choices. Both men grabbed hold of something. The object of one man’s grasp was anchored to something solid; the object of the other man’s grasp was at the mercy of the current. One man’s choice led to life; the other man’s choice led to death.
Many people today are just like those two men. They’re adrift on the raging river of life, their boat is out of control. They’ve been offered a lifeline in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some will seize the opportunity for life, others will grab one of the “floating logs” the world offers and will ultimately perish.
Today, we begin a study in the New Testament book of Colossians. In the opening of this letter, written by the apostle Paul, we’ll learn how a group of people in Colossae responded to the choice that was offered to them and how it impacted their lives.
But before we get to that it is important that I give you some introduction to the book.
If you were to look at a map of the ancient world, you would find Colossae in an area called Phrygia in Asia Minor. Today, its ruins lie in southwestern Turkey. It was about 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of Laodicea, home of one of the famous seven churches from the book of Revelation. Colossians 4:16 states that this letter is also to be read in Laodicea.
Colossae was known for its syncretism, that is, its mixture of varied religious influences: Jewish, Gnostic, and pagan. Knowing this helps us understand better Paul’s concerns for the church as they’re expressed in this letter. Gnosticism was a religious system that elevated personal spiritual knowledge over biblical orthodoxy, as well as over church tradition and authority. One of the basic tenets of Gnosticism was the belief that physical matter is evil. As a result many Gnostic texts don’t deal with the concepts of sin and repentance, but with illusion and enlightenment.1
Since Gnostics believed that matter is evil, they tended toward two extremes. One group was licentious, their motto was “if it feels good, do it.” The other group was ascetic and concluded that because matter was evil only the basic things necessary for survival should be used. But both groups saw themselves as superior to the uninitiated who didn’t embrace their beliefs.
Add to this mix the Jewish believers who were trying to incorporate things from the Mosaic law as being necessary for salvation. And behind all this is a first-generation church made up of people primarily from pagan backgrounds with their experience and inclinations.
Most scholars believe this letter was written around AD 60 during Paul’s first imprisonment. Timothy is included as a writer. Perhaps he did the actual writing as Paul dictated.
The content of the letter seems to be aimed at refuting Judaistic tendencies, feast days, circumcision, food regulations, etc. However, we’ll notice in our study that Paul doesn’t argue against each of thes...
