Day 40: Colossians 1-2 - The Bible Dept.

The Bible Dept. Podcast Summary: Day 40 - Colossians 1-2

Podcast Information:

Title: The Bible Dept.
Host/Author: ARMA Courses
Episode: Day 40: Colossians 1-2
Release Date: February 9, 2025
Description: The Bible Dept. is a 365-day Bible reading plan and podcast with Dr. Manny Arango, designed to help listeners connect with Scripture in a fresh, meaningful way. Each episode guides you through 1–3 chapters of Scripture, providing an overview, context clues, nerdy nuggets, and timeless truths to apply to daily life.

1. Introduction and Reading Challenge

The episode begins with the host, referred to as A, introducing the focus on the Book of Colossians. A outlines a two-day study plan for Colossians, mirroring the approach used for Philippians. The challenge presented encourages listeners to read all of Colossians over two days, specifically emphasizing chapters 1 and 2, with the option to extend to chapters 3 and 4 for a more comprehensive understanding.

Key Quote:

“My challenge is that you would read all of Colossians today and then all of Colossians tomorrow.” [00:00]

2. Overview of Colossians 1-2

A delves into the primary themes of Colossians 1 and 2, highlighting the Apostle Paul’s main objective in combating the heresy of Gnosticism. The discussion emphasizes the significance of understanding Gnosticism to fully grasp Paul's message in Colossians.

Key Quote:

“The number one idea or heresy that Paul is really combating in this letter is Gnosticism.” [00:54]

3. Context Clues: Understanding Gnosticism

A comprehensive explanation of Gnosticism is provided, tracing its philosophical roots back to Plato. A clarifies that Gnosticism posits a dualistic worldview, where the spiritual realm is inherently good, and the physical realm is seen as corrupt or evil. This belief system undermines the goodness of creation and posits that salvation lies in escaping the physical world through secret knowledge or gnosis.

Key Points:

Dualism: Spiritual good vs. physical evil.
Creation as a Fall: Contrary to traditional Christian belief, Gnostics view the act of creation itself as flawed.
Secret Knowledge: Gnosis as a means to transcend the physical realm.

Key Quote:

“Another word to explain Gnosticism would be dualism. Gnosticism is a form of dualism, Greek dualism.” [04:30]

4. Nerdy Nuggets: Gnosticism vs. Christian Doctrine

A explores the stark contrasts between Gnostic beliefs and orthodox Christian teachings. Key distinctions include:

Incarnation and Resurrection: Gnostics reject the physical incarnation of Jesus and view the resurrection as incompatible with their belief system.
Marriage and Sexuality: Gnostic influence has contributed to purity culture within Christianity, fostering guilt over natural human experiences like sex, which the Bible actually affirms within the context of marriage.
Gnostic Gospels: References to texts like the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Thomas illustrate alternative narratives that diverge from canonical scriptures.

Key Quote:

“Jesus is not in any way interested in a dualistic or Gnostic life or a life where the spiritual is good and the physical is bad.” [10:15]

5. Timeless Truths: Applying Colossians Today

Drawing from Paul's teachings in Colossians, A presents practical applications for modern listeners:

Divine Wisdom Over Philosophical Knowledge: Emphasizes reliance on God for true wisdom and understanding, rather than seeking enlightenment through secular or philosophical means.

Key Quote:

“Mysteries have already been revealed to you, the saints. And what is the mystery? The mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory.” [21:45]
Body Positivity and Holistic Living: Contrasts the Gnostic disdain for the physical body with a Jewish worldview that celebrates life within God’s design, advocating for a balanced and joyful approach to physical existence.

Key Quote:

“Marriage is to be enjoyed, sex is to be enjoyed, food is to be enjoyed, life is to be enjoyed. However we enjoy life in the confines that God has actually placed for us.” [24:10]
Counteracting Modern Philosophical Captivity: Encourages listeners to guard against being swayed by contemporary philosophical trends and media that may lead them away from biblical truths.

Key Quote:

“Do not let things that have an appearance of wisdom lead you away.” [28:20]

Major Takeaway: The gospel, as presented in Colossians, offers genuine wisdom and transformational power that surpasses any human philosophy or secret knowledge. Embracing the Word of God equips individuals to navigate life’s complexities with divine insight.

6. Conclusion and Looking Forward

A wraps up the episode by reaffirming the importance of the two-day Colossians study plan. Listeners are encouraged to continue their reading streak and anticipate the continuation of the discussion in the following episode, which will cover Colossians chapters 3 and 4.

Encouraging Quote:

“Don't let things that have an appearance of wisdom lead you away. [...] The gospel has power to make you wise unto salvation.” [29:50]

Final Thoughts: Day 40 of The Bible Dept. offers an in-depth exploration of Colossians 1-2, providing listeners with a robust understanding of Gnosticism and its contrast with Christian doctrine. By unpacking historical context, theological nuances, and practical applications, the episode equips believers to deepen their faith and resist philosophical ideologies that undermine biblical truths. The emphasis on the sufficiency of the gospel over secret knowledge serves as a timeless reminder to seek divine wisdom through Scripture.

Resources:

Download the Plan: https://thebibledept.com/plan
Start Here!: https://thebibledept.com/start-here

Join the Journey: Subscribe to The Bible Dept. to engage daily with Scripture, enhance your Bible reading experience, and transform your understanding of God’s Word.

Transcript

A (0:00)

Let's go. We are into the book of Colossians. We are going to be in Colossians for the next two days. Okay? Today, tomorrow, we're actually going to do the exact same thing that we did with Philippians. Here's my challenge, all right? My challenge is that you would read all of Colossians today and then all of Colossians tomorrow. We again, short books, okay? Really, really short books. So pause, pause this video, pause this audio if you have not done the reading. And now if you, if you can only read Colossians chapter one and two, that's cool, like, good job. But if you wanna take it up that extra notch, then go ahead, read Colossians chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4, and then tomorrow do the exact same thing. All right, so let's jump into Colossians chapter one. Now, here's what I'm gonna tell you straight outta the gate. If you don't understand Gnosticism, then it's gonna be really, really difficult to truly grasp the message of Colossians. Because the number one idea or heresy that Paul is really combating in this letter is Gnosticism. Okay? Gnosticism. G, N, O, S, T, I, C, I, S, M. There you go. I just spelled that in my head. Gnosticism. Okay, so hashtag, context, clue. Remember, Paul is writing Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon all at the same time. He's in prison in Rome. You can read Acts chapter 28 to get the background of that imprisonment. This imprisonment does not lead to death. This is not Paul's final imprisonment, but it is the imprisonment that produces these four prison epistles. Paul has never been to Colossae. Okay, Colossae, this is not a major town in the Roman Empire. It's a little off the beaten path. And it's near Lystra, is near Laodicea. And right now, like today, it's just a ruined. There was a massive earthquake in Colossae and then it never got rebuilt, okay? It never got successfully rebuilt. So that's enough context. The real piece of context that you really need is a breakdown of Gnosticism. Now, the father of Gnostic thought is a man by the name of Plato. Okay? P L, A T O. And Plato believed that this world was a shadow world and that somewhere in the real world existed real books, that this is only a shadow of a book existed real horses. And the horses that we have here on earth are only shadows. And that on this earth that there are people who are kind of like superhumans amongst us. And they are enlightened. So the Greek word for knowledge is gnosis. So someone who believes in Gnosticism believes that there's a secret knowledge. And that secret knowledge helps you to break out of the prison of this physical world, escape this physical world, and actually go to a higher plane, to not live in the world of the shadows, but to live in the world of reality. Now, for a lot of people, that sounds like Christianity, and that's really unfortunate because there's nothing Christian about that. That is incredibly Gnostic. Okay, Another word to explain Gnosticism would be dualism. Okay? Gnosticism is a form of dualism, Greek dualism. Dualism says that the spiritual realm is good and the physical realm is bad. The physical realm is evil. And this idea of Gnosticism or dualism would also teach that God, the creator being, is so holy, he's so pure, he's so perfect, that there's no way he could have created this physical world. And so in a Gnostic worldview, the fall is not Genesis chapter three, but Genesis chapter one. That the creation of this world in and of itself was a fall. That the problem down here is not sin, but the problem is creation itself. That matters, is that matter is dirty and it's a shadow and it's not real. And we've got a. We've got a. In death, we escape the prison of these flesh bags and we finally ascend to being our real self. Now, for a lot of you, you. I just sounded like the church mama you grew up with. Okay, one. One sad morning. When this life is over, you know, we'll. We'll fly away, right? That escapism has been a part of Christian thinking since the very beginning. Since the first century, Gnosticism has infected so much of Christian doctrine, Christian theology, and what we believe in. Church and Platonic gnostic and dualistic thinking was heretical to the apostles and to the early disciples and to Jesus. Jesus is not in any way interested in a dualistic or Gnostic life or a life where the spiritual is good and the physical is bad. Now, this plays out in so many ways in Christian life. Purity culture is one of them, Right? People suppress their sexuality and then they get married and they're not even good at performing sexually. And really, they have all this latent guilt. We've made them feel so bad about their physical bodies that they have all this baggage attached to the act of sex. But the reality is that the Bible that we read says that sex is awesome. Sex is great as long as it's in the confines of marriage, we make people feel so guilty about sexual immorality that they throw the baby out with the bath water and they feel bad about sex, period. This is all the, what I would say, the byproducts of preaching a gospel that's actually pretty Gnostic. Okay, so one of the Gnostic gospels would be the Gospel of Judas and also the Gospel of Thomas. Okay, these are Gnostic gospels. And they actually believed, okay, these Gnostic gospels, these are not true gospels. It's not Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, but. But these are Gnostic gospels. Believed that when Judas kissed Jesus, Jesus was actually transferring to him secret knowledge, Gnosis. Okay? Remember that word in Greek for knowledge is gnosis? G N O S I S. Gnosis. So this idea that Jesus would suffer on a cross, crazy that that doesn't exist in a Gnostic world. They believed that what happened on the cross was just like, like a projection, like literally a projector of like Jesus was essentially, you know, like a hologram. There's no way that the, an invisible, holy, awesome God would ever dirty himself with being a part of this creation. The incarnation makes absolutely zero sense to anyone with a Gnostic worldview, okay, that Jesus would have flesh and blood and also be God. Totally incongruent with a Gnostic worldview. Resurrection, also incongruent with a Gnostic worldview, because for the Gnostic, salvation happens when you die, because death means you're finally free from this prison called a body, and you get to be an angel or get to be a spirit. And the actual gospel of Jesus Christ, like what the Bible teaches is that no, your physical body is going to get raised from the dead. Remember at the Areopagus, once Paul started talking about the resurrection, everyone is like, you're now offending us Greek philosophers who believe in Gnosticism. So Gnosticism, big, big, big, big, big deal. So what is Paul gonna say to these Christians at Colossae? Okay, here we go. Let's start in chapter one, verse nine. And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom. Okay? And understanding. So, hey, philosophers are not going to give you knowledge, wisdom and understanding. God is going to do that. You don't need Gnostic wisdom or Gnostic knowledge or Gnostic understanding. God is going to give you those things. Also. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding is not for the purpose of escaping this world. But what is it for? So as verse 10, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. That stuff is for you to walk in wisdom down here, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Uh, let's keep going. Verse 13, chapter 1. He has, past tense, has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. Not will. I'm not. I'm not Gnostic. I don't believe that at some future date when I die, that's when Jesus is gonna transfer me from this world to another world. No, deliverance is not being transferred from the domain of creation into the creation into the domain of heaven. No, it's being transferred from the domain of darkness into his kingdom. And where is his kingdom? Right here on earth. And then verse 15, this would have been. This would have been bad news for the Gnostic. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all. What, creation? That. Yes. Creation is not a problem for God. Matter is not a problem for God, for by him all things were buzzword created by him, they were created. Yes. He got his hands dirty with this stuff you guys are grossed out by called creation. Visible in heaven and on earth. Visible and invisible. The focus there is not the visible. I mean, the invisible, but the visible. All the Gnostics would have said, of course he created the stuff that's invisible, but he didn't create any of this stuff that's visible. Emanations created the visible stuff. So they believe that like kind of fallen gods, like copies of gods of copies of gods created all this stuff, but God didn't actually do it. Let's go all the way to the end of chapter one. Okay? Verse 26. The mystery hidden for ages and generations, but now revealed to his saints. He's saying, we're not waiting around for some philosopher to come give you wisdom or reveal mysteries to you. Mysteries have already. The mystery hidden for the ages was the gospel. And it's already been revealed to you, the saints. And what is the mystery? The mystery which is Christ in you the hope of glory. Chapter 2. The knowledge of God's mystery, the treasure of wisdom and knowledge. So these words, mystery, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, these are buzzwords. Okay, Paul is saying, wait, the Gnostic philosophers are not providing that. The gospel is providing that. Let's keep going. Chapter two, verse eight. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy. What philosophy? What philosophy? Gnostic philosophy. Keep going. Verse 9. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. Okay, Paul's fighting, contending for the truth of the incarnation because In a Gnostic world, the incarnation is foolishness. Here's a nerdy nugget. There were two different branches of Gnosticism. The first branch of Gnosticism believed my body is a shell and my soul is a pearl. And it doesn't matter what I do with my body, it doesn't affect the pearl, that's my soul. So they would drink, smoke, you know, get drunk, take drugs, you know, take hallucinogens and have sex, go to temple to have sex with prostitutes. It doesn't matter what I do with my body. So one form of Gnosticism says the body, the body's nothing. There's a very low view of the body, the body's nothing, so we can do whatever we want with it. The other branch would be the highbrow, you know, form of Gnosticism said, oh, and again, a low view of the body. You know, why indulge in any of that? We're going to fast and we're going to starve our body and we're going to, we're going to be harmful to our body. So this is what Paul says in verse 18 of chapter 2, let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism. Okay, what is asceticism? Asceticism is this monk like treatment of the body. And then Paul says, all these people, what are they saying? Verse 21, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self made religion and asceticism and harsh treatment of the body. Verse 23. But they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. What Paul is saying is this stuff doesn't have value. Okay, you're treating your body harshly and you're, you, you. Okay, I get it. You're, you're not the kind of Gnostics that believe, do whatever we want with our body, get drunk, have sex, go to prostitutes. You're the kind of Gnostics who are the highbrow Gnostics. You're not gonna, you know, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. And I'm here to tell you this is empty behavior modification. This is not the inner transformation that is based on the result of offering your whole self to Jesus as a living sacrifice. And that a Jewish worldview is completely countercultural to this Gnostic or Greek worldview. A Jewish worldview says that marriage is to be enjoyed, sex is to be enjoyed, food is to be enjoyed, life is to be enjoyed. However we enjoy life in the confines that God has actually placed for us. So we got a lot of context, a lot of nerdy nuggets. I kind of try to walk you through as much of that as possible. And here's our timeless truth. We aren't waiting for a secret knowledge or mystery to be revealed. We have that right now. When Paul says, do not be led astray. Do not be misguided by fancy philosophers. And I immediately think of scrolling on Instagram, all these YouTubers, you know, the manosphere. I mean, people are just full of philosophy and advice and wisdom. And the reality is that I know people who watch more YouTube content from wealthy entrepreneurs than they read the Bible. And do you want to know what our source of wisdom is? What the myst? What unlocks mysteries? What gives you understanding this right here? The Word of God. The Word of God is how I've built a business. The Word of God is how I've learned how to be a husband. The Word of God is what has unlocked wisdom and knowledge and understanding in the mysteries of life for me. And like Paul, I can say, oof. Don't let things that have an appearance of wisdom lead you away. Verse 2, chapter 2, verse 8. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy. And then again in verse 23, these have indeed an appearance of wisdom. I think there's a lot of people in today's culture, whether Christian or not Christian, that are attracted to things with an appearance of wisdom and that are taken captive by philosophical ideas. And I'm not here to give any philosophy. I'm here to preach the gospel. And the gospel has power to make you wise unto salvation. That's my timeless truth for the day. All right, that's the first half of Colossians. We got chapters three and four that we're gonna jump into tomorrow. I'm proud of you. Okay, if you got a streak going right now, let's keep that streak going. And I'll see you right here for tomorrow's episode as we wrap up Colossians. Love you. Peace.