Colossian Heresy

"The nations were separated on the earth after the flood" (Ge 10:32). Then they said to one another, "'Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name" (11:4). A similar thing happened in Colossae where some would get involved "in the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen . . . [with] his fleshly mind" (Col 2:18). By taking a stand a person tried to make a name for himself. The Colossians could have been exposed to rudimentary gnostic philosophy. Just like they built the Tower of Babel they began constructing a philosophy based on presumption. Some religions do this too by choosing scripture verses out of context and piecing their own puzzle together using "brick for stone, and . . . tar for mortar" (Ge 11:3). The correct method comes by Christ who is the head of the church which "grows with a growth which is from God" (Col 2:19).

Paul wouldn't have mentioned that there were those who were "delighting in . . . the worship of angels" (:18) just for a couple of people. "Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head" (:18-19 NIV). They believed that there were heirarchies of angelic levels (eons) you would traverse towards God and that secret knowledge (gnosis) was necessary for passage. How could anyone even believe that since we know that it is "Christ Himself in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (:2-3). But there are New Age beliefs that there are spirit guides that lead you through your journey. The main problem with the gnostic's mystical and esoteric beliefs was that they explained Jesus as an emanation (eon) like YHWH who was at a lower level because, to them, YHWH created the kosmos which was composed of matter and not spirit. Even though their thinking would affirm Jesus' deity it denied that Jesus was fully man who is "the one mediator also between God and men" (1Ti 2:5) because "the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory" (Jn 1:14).

There is a modern religion that believes that man is just like God because "God created man in His own image" (Ge 1:27). God confirmed to Moses that he "'has appeared to you'" (Ex 4:5) even though Moses "was afraid to look at God" (3:6). Later God told him "'no man can see Me and live!'" (33:20) but then said "'I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen'" (:23). Their religion is based on their interpretation citing Moses "endured, as seeing Him who is unseen" (Heb 11:27). They disregard that God is "the invisible God" (Col 1:15), that "no one has beheld God at any time" (1Jn 4:12) and that God "dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see" (1Ti 6:16). It would take deception to engage in "the worship of the angels" (Col 2:18) even though "'you shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'" (Mt 4:10). They even have their own customized version of salvation.