Clues. Colossians 2.

Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart are the authors of an excellent book on Bible study entitled, How to Read the Bible for all its Worth. In their introduction to understanding the epistles, that is, the letters, they say this, "... there is one thing that all of the Epistles have in common, and this is the crucial thing to note in reading and interpreting them: they are all what are technically called occasional documents (i.e., arising out of and intended for a specific occasion), and they are from the first century." They go on to say this about being occasional. "Usually the occasion was some kind of behavior that needed correcting, or a doctrinal error that needed setting right, or a misunderstanding that needed further light." And as they also point out, we often have the answers, but not the questions or problems that the answers were intended to address.

And so we have to look for clues. If we were doing a full study of this letter, the starting place for those clues might be to consult a reference such as a Bible dictionary to learn more about Colossae itself. The next step would be to read and reread the letter several times, each time in a single setting, and in the process develop a basic outline of the letter. As we develop the outline, we often see some of the underlying issues the letter addresses.

In a read through like we're doing, we don't have the luxury of time to accomplish all of this. (Unless you're doing the 60x5x5.) You do have an outline for each book, and can use that to understand the major divisions of thought within the letter. But your primary clues will come from the language of the letter, and some careful thinking as you read.

In verse 2:4 we read, "I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable." That sounds like a clue to me. And since Paul expresses himself by writing "I say this", we know to look in the text prior to verse 4, for what it was he said. Here it is: "My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3 NET). In other words, what Paul said was that he wanted to encourage the readers and assure them that wisdom and knowledge are resident in Christ.

What I discover from this first clue is that there were those who were teaching some form of philosophy and wisdom that ran counter to an understanding of the sufficiency in a relationship with Christ (confirmed in verse 6). Paul's use of the words "mystery", "hidden", and "wisdom" may be further clues as to the nature of that teaching, and Paul is saying you have all that and more in your relationship with Jesus as Lord -- just continue to live your lives in him. Don't worry about any who might say that wisdom is secret, hidden, a mystery.

The next clue is found in verse 2:8, "Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." In the text that follows, then, Paul is answering those who are teaching a human philosophy and human traditions, perhaps tied to spirit beings. (Further down in the chapter we see specific references to angel worship.)

Other clues in this chapter about the teachings they're hearing are the references to Jewish customs (food, drink, feasts, etc.), some form of asceticism ("false humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body"), and rules and regulations founded on human teachings (don't touch, don't taste, don't handle).

Once we see what Paul is arguing against, we better understand what he's arguing for. When we see a list like this (hook's paraphrase) --

• Don't get hung up on food regulations.
• Don't get hung up on special days.
• Don't get sidetracked by those who claim mystical experiences.
• Don't get sidetracked by the ascetics who think they can tame their sensual appetites with self-abuse.
• Don't trade your new life in Christ for human approaches to humble living and a worship filled life.

-- we now have some perspective to help us get to the meaning Paul intended, and the significance for us.

Today I may not have to worry about feast days, but why did Paul write about them? Well, first, because it was something the Colossians had to deal with. And second, this teaching came from a tradition that had relevance at some point, but was now a shadow of the truth in the light of Jesus' arrival, fully Deity in bodily form. So what do I (us) have to worry about that's like this? Perhaps it's the teaching of someone or some group that seems to be rooted in the Bible, but is a distortion of the full teaching of Scripture. I would put the misuse of the prayer of Jabez in that category. A careful reading of what Dr. Wilkinson said in his book was technically accurate, but was open to much abuse by those who misread, and then especially when retaught from the misreading.

Our culture is full of false teachings, some of them so subtle we may not be aware of them. Some of them are even fostered (often inadvertently) by the church. The most pervasive one I can think of is the idea that it's all about me. Rarely stated that way, this really is the original sin and it's always been present in our thinking. I went to Yahoo just now to look for evidence of this. First glance, I didn't see anything in particular beyond the fact that the most popular TV show is "So You Think You Can Dance". That's not much, and I thought it would be easy to confirm this point. Then I stared a little harder. The first two buttons at the top of the page: "My Yahoo" and "My Mail", are so pervasive I didn't even see them and the implications behind them. These titles on the buttons do serve a purpose, which is that they're easy to understand markers taking me to the place where I've customized what's shown on the page. The subtler message is -- it's really about me. In fact, it's so much about me that Yahoo wants me to be able to shape my own Yahoo. I then noticed the featured article on the page which is about the "most-hated internet words" -- according to a survey. Surveys are subtle ways of ascribing importance to our opinions.

Now each of these items serves a useful commercial purpose, but we're constantly inundated in the U.S. with the message -- it's all about me. Contrast this thought on the "Life" tab on Yahoo with Paul's.

• Yahoo -- How to have the body you want
• Paul -- I struggle, "so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects"

The lessons in the epistles are not always obvious, when rooted in the first century occasion of the writing of the letter. But God has given us these letters because of the lessons they contain, and their significance for our lives. So we watch for the clues to their meaning. We draw out that meaning. And then we may need to look for the clues in our lives and the world around us. Those clues point to the places where the significance of the lessons applies to us personally. And since this isn't all about us, we'd better start with an attitude that submits to God's purposes and seeks His help.