Thursday – April 28, 2016
Proverbs 9:1, 6 (ESV)
1 Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.
6 Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”
It has been awhile since I mentioned the seven pillars of society but I return to that today and remind us all to pray for these pillars to be filled with light and that we understand our own assignments in these pillars. The Seven Pillars are 1. Religion, 2. Government, 3. Family, 4. Arts, Sports, and Entertainment, 5. Science and Education, 6. Business and Finance, and 7. Media and Information Technology. The devil seeks to bring gross darkness to each of these and we are charged with bringing light to the ones we are assigned of God. Now back to our primary text and you will see that I have added another verse.
Colossians 2:6-9 (KJV)
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
I have been talking about how we received Christ Jesus as Lord by faith and we are walking, abiding (living) in Him by faith. Our hearts cry every day is to be more and more like Him. By faith in Him, in His Word we develop our deep root system and we grow stronger for all to see. We are always filled with and espousing thanksgiving to God for nothing is a match for us in Christ Jesus. This is all exceedingly necessary because there is no shortage of those whom the devil will use to ensnare us, corrupt us with good sounding but untrue teachings, they will mix the worlds thinking with the Word of God corrupting and making it inoperable, and in the end it is “not after Christ”. Perhaps it will be a little clearer in the following translation of the Bible.
Colossians 2:8 (HCSB)
8 Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world, and not based on Christ.
So what does it mean when it says “not based on Christ”? Let’s think for a moment about the definition of ‘Christ’ and I would encourage you to automatically do this translation in your head every time you come across the word Christ. Christ has three fundamental interpretations; one is Messiah, another is Anointed One, and finally the Anointing. The Messiah and Anointed One are both referencing Jesus, in different roles but non-the-less Jesus. The Messiah is the Savior and the Anointed One is the one who walked as a man but God with us being an example for us. We are to be indistinguishable from Him with the exception of the Cross. The Anointing is the Holy Spirit. So when verse eight warns us about being taken captive, what is said will not be according to the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus or according or consistent with the whole context of Holy Spirit breathed Scripture. Keep in mind that plenty of Scripture may be used but it is smoke and mirrors so to speak and it is to tickle the ears of the listener and perhaps the speaker. It is impossible to separate Jesus from the whole of Scripture since He is the Word. Okay now let’s take a look at verse nine.
Colossians 2:8-9 (KJV)
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
There are those that will come and say they are anointed and will portray themselves as insightful but they are espousing a false gospel. Keep in mind that they themselves may not realize the falseness of their doctrine. Keep in mind that much of what is preached today is not the gospel, it is not the Truth. Prove all things saints of God. In 2013 I wrote a Booklet titled “Another Gospel” and I may be making that available again in the near future but do not request it if you are not ready to engage the Scripture on a very serious level.
Colossians 2:9 (KJV)
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
This ninth verse starts with the word ‘for’ which could just as well be ‘because’. This word ‘for’ is a conjuncture and this is how it is translated according to the New Testament Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. This Greek word appears 1293 times and is translated ‘that’ 612 times, ‘for’ 264 times, ‘because’ 173 times, ‘how that’ 21 times, ‘how’ 11 times, and miscellaneous translations 212 times. Let’s pick up here tomorrow.
By Pastor David R. Wood
