Colossians: Study 6 - Religion vs Christianity

Colossians 2:16-23 16

“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21″Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence”.

There is a massive difference between Christianity and religion. Religion is about what we can do to please (or even appease) God, Christianity is about what God has done for us already. Last week we looked at how God came to us while we were dead (completely unable to help ourselves) and made us alive through Christ. We saw how the law makes us aware of our sin but how Christ cancelled and defeated the power of the law over us. This week Paul warns us not to return to legalistic action which is only a shadow of the gospel that saved us. In verse 23 he makes an important observation about legalistic religion, that it is completely ineffective…. it just doesn’t work. We can “conform” to a set of standards which may make us appear pious but this does nothing to “transform” us in the way we need. Religious action does nothing to “restrain sensual indulgance” or any other kind of sinful desire we have. What we need is Christ and the gospel. As verse 17 says “the reality is found in Christ”. If we have the gospel, which is perfect and has the power to tranform, why would we return to hollow imitations that have no power at all? Yet again we see that God calls us to transform our attitudes and motivations, He wants a sincere follower, not just empty religious actions.

The following (adapted from Tim Keller) statements nicely contrast the gospel we believe in and religion:
-RELIGION says that if I obey, God will love me.
GOSPEL says that because God loves me, I can obey.

-RELIGION has good people and bad people.
GOSPEL has only repentant and unrepentant people.

-RELIGION values a birth family.
GOSPEL values a new birth.

-RELIGION depends on what I do.
GOSPEL depends on what Jesus has done.

-RELIGION claims that sanctification justifies me.
GOSPEL claims that justification enables sanctification.

-RELIGION has the goal to get something from God.
GOSPEL has the goal to get God.

-RELIGION sees hardship as punishment for sin.
GOSPEL sees hardship as sanctified affliction.

-RELIGION is about me.
GOSPEL is about Jesus.

-RELIGION believes appearing as a good person is the key.
GOSPEL believes that being honest is the key.

-RELIGION has an uncertainty of standing before God.
GOSPEL has certainty based upon Jesus’ work.

-RELIGION sees Jesus as the means.
GOSPEL sees Jesus as the end.

-RELIGION ends in pride or dispair.
GOSPEL ends in humble joy.

Further Reading:
Book: “Religion Saves and nine other lies”, Mark Driscoll
Video: “Jesus vs. Religion“
Video: “Inoculated to Jesus? Contrast the Gospel and Religion“

Week 5: Life is living in God's undeserved forgiveness

Colossians 2:13-15

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross”.

What strikes me about this passage is, that life without Christ is hopeless. Without His Grace and forgiveness we deserve death. Where is the hope for the future without Him? This passage stands in direct contrast to our self-centered world where we are told that we can be whatever we want to be and achieve anything we want through hard work and effort. The Old Testament sacrificial system was in-line with this, sacrifice was a way of honouring God and paying your debt in order to be forgiven - this is the 'written code.' But this passage emphasises that this system has been cancelled by Jesus. This passage tells us that in regards to what really matters, the eternal state of our souls, we can earn nothing. He has cancelled the written code of earning His favour. He has forgiven us through His effort and sacrifice, not our own. It is only by His will that we are saved. He is God, He owes us nothing and we are fooling ourselves to think we can earn His favour. God is glorified by offering us forgiveness we do not deserve and cannot possibly earn.

So the picture is bleak without God - we cannot live a 'good life' and hope the good outweighs the bad to gain salvation. But, because of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the picture for those who love Him is fantastic! GOD LOVES YOU – and as a result of this, he forgives all sin of those who repent of that sin. Your sin. My sin. Your father’s sin. Your friend’s sin. Your enemy’s sin. The passage emphasizes that Jesus’ death and resurrection made unwavering adherence to the written code of regulations moot. It is only because of God's mercy and love we can gain eternal salvation.

Real life is living with hope for the future. For out of Christ’s humiliation at the cross for our sin, we are free to live joyfully in the promise of an eternal relationship with Him. Not because we achieved more, stored larger amounts of treasure, or lived restrained by laws designed to force us to walk an emotionless tightrope. But simply because God wanted to have a relationship with us and sent His Son to open the door of that possibility to us. He didn't need to - He is God, He does as He pleases and what He pleases is perfect - but He did.

Praise Him for being God and for the love He has for us.

Further Reading:
Sermon/Video: Mark Driscoll, “God Pursues”
Book: Wayne Grudem, “Systematic Theology” (Chapter 34 on Regeneration)
Book: Wayne Grudem, “Systematic Theology” (Chapter 32 on Election)

Colossians Study - Week 4 - Focus

Colossians 2:5-12

6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which de­pends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given full­ness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circum­cised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Thoughts: Our faith and lives must be rooted in and built on Christ and Christ alone. We have already seen in Colossians how Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things (week 1) and how he reconciled everything to himself through his death on the cross (week 2). Last week we looked at how our lives and destiny are intermingled with Jesus and this results in sharing in the suffering, struggles, life and victory of Jesus (week3). Paul continues this week by acknowledging the way in which we will be tempted (subtly and overtly) to move away from that central gospel of Grace bought by the suffering Christ. Tempted by worldly ideas and philosophies that have no value. Our gospel is simple, we are offered undeserved salvation and fullness by a God who decided to personally pay our debt of death. We don’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, it is freely given… it is grace and it is truly amazing.

There are many temptations to pervert this gospel and make it about ourselves rather than God. We must be wary of all these temptations and cling hard to the cross of Grace. Grace is not a simple doctrine that we advance away from, it should be the central experience in our lives. Spurgeon put it like this “we must abide hard to the cross and search the mystery of his wounds”, Paul said “For I resolved to know nothing…. except Christ and him crucified”. Lets pray that we do not waiver from the wonderful truth of Grace and continue to live our lives “rooted and built up in him”

Further Reading /Listening:
Book: CJ Mahaney, “The Cross Centered Life"
Video: “Jesus Wants The Rose” (this is a great little video)
Article: John Piper “The Gospel in 6 Minutes”

p.s. If you have any good videos/articles etc which might help the group, post a link to them below