The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 107

Vcrs. 8-15.-Scct.. 5, The <Jh'l"istian's comp7eteness in <Jhr-ist I. A FALSE PBILO- FClrHY OF RELIGION. (Yers. 4-, 8, 11, 16-23.) "Not according to Christ" (ver. 8) is the fatal sentence which the apostle pronounces upon the system of doctrine that was finding l'ntrance at Colossro. However 11lausible in argument (ver. 4) or lofty in its intellectual pretensions ( vers. 8, 23 ), however skilfully it may avail itself of the venerable rites of :rncient faith or of the popular predilections and tendencies of the day (vers.11 16 18)1 nnd what~ver the apparent sanctity and austerity of its professors (vers. 18, 2~23) the religious system which sets him aside and professes to lead men into communio~ "·ith God and to the moral perfection of their nature otherwise than "in him," must n ftcr all be, at the heart of it," a vain deceit." For he is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life," the Lord and Life of nature and the Light of men (eh. i. 15-17; John i. 3, 4), the "Beginning" of the "new heavens and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteous- llPSS;" he is simply" all things and in all" to the Church of God. All true philosophy, though standing on natural grounds and drawing its premisses from natural experience and intuition, yet, rightly understood, must needs harmonize with the Christian faith, and "·ill be "according to Christ.~ For no two truths, however differently grounded or expressed, can really be contradictory. And the facts on which philosophy rests, the mental and material constitution of things concerning which it theorizes, "were crented" and "consist in him" (eh. i. 16, 17). "In Christ" must lie, therefore, the ultimate rationale of the finite universe, • The Colossian error presented itself as i,1,ilosophy, advanced on rational grounds, and claiming the attention of men of thought and culture within the Church. It inculcated the religious traditions of the Jew under the forms and methods of the Greek intellect, seeking to reanimate both by the aid of the new spiritual fervour and lofty moral aspirations of the Christian faith. There was nothing in itself blameworthy in such an attempt. Endeavours must be con- tinually made, though they can never be final, to harmonize the current philosophy of the age with the Divine revelation as received in the Church. St. Paul himself makes large contributions in this direction. But those who take this work in hand should understand both sides of the question. This the Colossian errorists failed to do. They tried to fit Christ into some plaoo in their preconceived philosophy, instead of allowing themselves to be led, a.s St. Paul would have taught them (eh. i. 15-20), through Christ to a deeper and more sound philosophy. Hence their teaching, put forward as Christian truth and claiming to be the Christian theory of life, is condemned as "philosophy and empty deceit." 1. It was according to tlle tradition of men. It could claim only human authority for its principles. They were not found in Christ's doc- trine, and bad received no authentication from his lips (Gal. i. 11, 12), no Divine attestation or proof of their being "from heaven" (Matt. xxi. 25, 26; Heb. i. 4). And anv scheme of religion, whether calling itself "philosophy" or not, that is in this position, stands self-condemned. "The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. i. 21). \Vbat he is how he is disposed towards the children of men, it is for him to say. They know' full well that they have lost his favour and defaced his image in their souls· but how their recovery is possible is to them" past finding out," And therefore, to fix'and measure the nature of God and the relations he may assume to us," accord- incr to the tradition of men," is the height of ignorance and presumption. But Christ 1s 'i', the faithful Witness,"" the Word who was in the beginning with God" (Rev. i. 5; ,J olm i. 2); and an authentic voioo from heaven declares, "Thii; is my Son, my chosen: hear ye l,im" (Luke iL 35 ; John i. 18). 2. And such systems, leaving the clear and firm ground of obedienoo to the supremacy of Christ, are compelled to fall back, in rnme form or other, on the rudiments of the world, '!'heir advocates discover that the iufiuenoo of human names and the force of general reasoning do not command the <leferenoo of the conscienoo or stir the spiritual emotions, are indeed without that. "power of God" (1 Cor. i. 24, 25; 1 Thess. i. 5) which attends the word of Christ. 'l'hey_ret~rn, therefore, to the dead forms of old religio,~s, putting,_ as they s~ppose, a new meaning rnto them. They are at once "advanced, ~nd rea~t1onary. 'I hoy dress _up the newest rationalism in the cast-off garments of faith's ch1ldhood, They combmc a puerile ·itlinlism, borrowing its forms and practioos from the mere rudiments of an OH, II, 1-23.] THE EPIS'l'LE 'l'O THE COLOSSIANS. 101