Colossians– Chapter One XXXVIII

by Ed Urzi

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28).

Things like good works, church attendance, and a knowledge of theology are critical and important aspects of the Christian life. But as important as those things are, we should not lose sight of the fact that Christianity is about Christ and a relationship with Jesus is (or should be) at the center of our spiritual lives. Therefore, it should not be surprising to read the following from the Apostle Paul: “We, for our part, proclaim him…” (CJB).

This passage then goes on to say, “We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person…” (ERV). As mentioned earlier, wisdom refers to a proper understanding of what to do with the facts. Wisdom is characterized by the use of good judgment in the application of knowledge and helps ensure that we make the right choices at the right time. The book of Proverbs expands on this idea when it says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver” (Proverbs 16:16 NIV).

That leads us to the final words of this chapter: “We are trying to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature person in Christ” (ICB). This concept of spiritual maturity represents an essential component of the Christian life- and the road to spiritual maturity begins with a prayerful commitment to read God’s Word regularly.

For instance, a Christian who fails to read God’s Word daily will likely encounter difficulty in becoming a mature person in Christ. He or she may be susceptible to various forms of spiritual deception or the teachings of those with religious messages that seem legitimate but are actually harmful and destructive.

In days of the first century, those harmful and destructive teachings were promoted by the heretical teachers that Paul the Apostle sought to counteract through this letter to the Colossian church. Today, we have the following message from the New Testament book of 2 Peter to serve as a further warning…

“False prophets were among God’s people in the past, as false teachers will be among you. They will secretly bring in their own destructive teachings. They will deny the Lord, who has bought them, and they will bring themselves swift destruction.

Many people will follow them in their sexual freedom and will cause others to dishonor the way of truth. In their greed they will use good-sounding arguments to exploit you. The verdict against them from long ago is still in force, and their destruction is not asleep” (2 Peter 2:1-3 GW).