Hold On To Jesus
18 Let no one condemn you by delighting in ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm. Such people are inflated by empty notions of their unspiritual mind. 19 They don’t hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with growth from God.
Colossians 2:18-19 (CSB)
We need to stay alert to false teachings and heresy. This alertness comes from staying rooted in Christ and growing in our understanding of His truth. In Colossians 2:18-19, Paul warns the Colossians about the risk of being deceived by false doctrines. He encourages them to find their foundation in Christ and to seek and embody the truth. These verses remind us that all we hear should be tested against the truth of Scripture.
Don’t be Gullible. Think of someone who is easily deceived—someone who believes everything you tell them and has difficulty distinguishing between truth and falsehood. Such people are often targeted by others who enjoy misleading them or causing them to believe lies. False teachers exploit this gullibility to spread false teachings. In Colossae, these teachers promoted ascetic religious practices and the worship of angels, which oppose the truths of Scripture. Paul urges the Colossians to evaluate everything they hear against Scripture and to remain vigilant in protecting their hearts and minds.
Believers today should approach their spiritual walk with the same mindset, testing what they hear and read against God’s Word. They must guard their hearts and minds from misleading teachings driven by emotions and fleshly desires. Maintaining a commitment to the truth and a Christ-centered perspective in every moment is essential.
Hold on to Jesus. Paul emphasizes that those who are misled by false teachings are not staying connected to the head, who is Christ. Christ is the leader of the Body of Christ and the Church. When believers cling to Jesus, He equips and guides them to mature in their faith. Remaining connected to Christ helps us resist the flesh's desires, human traditions, and worldly philosophies.
As followers of Christ, we should actively nurture our relationship with Jesus, holding onto Him as our Head since He supplies the essential spiritual nourishment for our faith. Being rooted in Christ enables us to resist worldly temptations and provides the strength needed to stay united. Our goal is to cling to Jesus and overcome the temptations of this world.
QUESTIONS
Why must we strive to maintain Jesus as the Head of our lives?
How do we open our lives to become gullible to false teaching?
