For the last few days I have been reading in the book of Colossians. It is a book that sets forth the supremacy of Christ Who has liberated the believer from sin. This is contrasted with the former bondage sin brought us under. However, there is what I call a “maintenance clause” for our freedom: “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.” (Col 1:23) Jesus began a work in us that will be completed only if we maintain our faith.
Once liberated from the bondage of sin, the new Christian is “made alive” with Christ (Col 2:13). Yet there is a second bondage Paul warns the believer about: “hollow and deceptive philosophies.” (Col 2:8) The thoughts of the mind can make a person their captive and render them unable to walk in faith. Though a new convert may begin strong in faith, thankful for God’s forgiveness, his new life may seem like it needs the help of his old way of thinking. And this is a difficult thing, setting one’s own thoughts aside for the supremacy of the Holy Spirit’s thoughts. Yet that is exactly what a Christian must do on a daily basis to follow Christ (2 Cor 10:5). If we let our own thoughts determine the philosophies which guide our life, our faith suffers.
There is a religion that is pure, and there is a religion that is from the philosophies of Man. The pure religion is expressed through the heart of Man by the works he does. The love in this man’s heart keeps his faith hot. These works may cause inconvenience and sacrifice, yet they carry the sweet savor of Jesus on them, just as incense carries fragrance upward. The works from deceptive philosophies come from the mind of Man. The heart of this man is lukewarm, and eventually will grow cold. Outwardly these men have an appearance of goodness, but the works that proceed from them are far removed from the heart. These works protect a man’s life from getting dirty with the soil of those who need his help.
A Christian who begins in freedom from bondage to sin and ends up serving a religion based on hollow philosophies is swinging from the heart, where faith began, to the mind, where service to God is being defeated. For some people, it is more comfortable for them to dwell on their own thoughts than to submit their mind to God’s thoughts. Though we have an invitation to hear the Lord, one’s own thoughts do not take faith to receive.
The Lord’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Is 55:8-9). The way to maintain our faith is to set our minds on those things, or thoughts, above (Col 3:1). We are seated with Christ on high and hear what His thoughts are when we overcome (Rev 3:21). This verse is taken from the letter to the Laodiceans, whose works were “neither cold nor hot.” Jesus told the Laodiceans that they were “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” To maintain their faith, and to overcome the error of their ways, He asked them to “buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” God asked them to do these things so that their hearts would warm up again, making their faith productive.
Peter tells us that our faith is like gold, tried in the fire (1 Pet 1:7). The Laodiceans thought they were rich in faith but were not. Like some of the Colossians, their works were based on hollow philosophies of the mind instead of proceeding from their heart. For faith to make one rich, it must produce works that survive the trial by fire.
Paul tells us that we are clothed when we put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love (Col 3:12-14). These virtues are the topic of Jesus’ parables wherein we learn that clothing, feeding, providing shelter for our brother, and forgiving him are of utmost importance to God. (Mt 25:34-40; Mt 18:23-35) Virtues come from a warm heart and are expressed in godly works. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (Jm 1:27). Practicing virtue keeps our religion pure and our hearts warm towards God and Man. Practicing philosophies defiles our religion and causes our hearts to grow cold towards God and our fellow Man.
To have eye salve is to be healed from seeing things from the worldly point of view. John tells us that worldly people see things from “the viewpoint of the world.” (1 Jn 4:5). Those who see things from this viewpoint won’t find the works of love valuable. The logical mind will not find works of love reasonable and will shrink away from faith. However, the heart with love in it will find the courage to do works rejected by the logical mind. Love takes risks. Love will take a person in a different direction than his own personal thought-life would go. Love gets its hands dirty in order to touch another soul. And it is the works of the heart that clothe us so that we aren’t caught naked.
When we stand before Jesus our Savior we will be rewarded according to the works our faith has produced (Rev 2:23). There is no record of His interest in the number of ministries we have started . . . only how many people we have loved. Let us make certain that, in whatever we do, we are clothed with the virtues that come from the heart, for true faith expresses itself through works of love (Gal 5:6). Amen.
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