Firm Foundations – Study 5 – Colossians 2:8-23

Religion, spirituality and the body of Christ

Topics covered:
Which religion is right?
Church rituals (making a good thing bad)
Spirituality
The cross of Christ
Glossary: baptism; circumcision; true religion.

Discussion Question

What draws you to church?

Context

Paul has praised God for the way that the gospel message has reached Colossae, and affected the believers to produce faith and love flowing from their hope in Christ. Paul reminded them of how universally and singularly important Jesus Christ is to all the earth and he encouraged them to keep going and growing up in their knowledge of the faith. Their foundation is Christ and they are to continue in him.

Read Colossians 2:8-23

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. 

20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

What did you see?

Structure

  • Christ is your new reality – realer than real (8-15)
  • Don’t go chasing shadows (16-19)
  • Why submit to things that are powerless? (20-23)

Christ is your new reality – realer than real (8-15)

“…hollow and deceptive philosophy…” Verse 8 was included in the last lesson too but it flows out of the last lesson and into this one. Paul actually has one long argument that stretches the entire book. The hollow and deception mentioned in Verse 8 feeds into the language of shadows and the appearance of wisdom but lack value, of false humility and so on. Humans can be easily swayed toward a thought because it is packaged so convincingly. Christians are no exception. We need to be on our guard against what people are trying to sell us.

“…depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world…” Verse 8 is also included in this section because of the repeated phrase in Verse 20 about ‘elemental spiritual forces’. As mentioned last time, the word ‘spiritual’ is not actually in the Greek but is included in the NIV and many other translations because of a perceived understanding of the context. I wish that translators would not go that far for people! The phrase in Verses 8 and 20 appear to suggest that there is a basic worldview that drives people everywhere to lead them into false and empty traditions. They are man-centred or humanistic and lend themselves to the difference between good things and bad things. If they were spiritual forces, then why are they sourced from hollow and deceptive philosophy. We can read Verse 8 with a clear mind and understand that anything that is not driving us to Christ, is hollow and deceptive. Other parts of scripture would agree that satan is the prince of lies and the prince of this world and so you could read spirituality into this verse in Colossians. But I don’t see a need to.

“…in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…” This could mean either, Jesus Christ is God in every sense of the word, or that God possessed Jesus Christ. Jesus said that everything He has belongs to the Father (which is what any servant of God must be able to say) and that all that the Father has is His – that last statement is a statement of deity (John 17:10; 10:29; 16:15). Jesus is God. As one person put it, if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God (John 1:18). John 1:1-18, in fact, gives us a clear doctrine of Christ’s divinity, his eternal existence, equality with God and dwelling in the fullness of God in the fullness of humanity.

Paul picks up two amazing truths which blended together is one of the greatest miracles of all time. Jesus Christ is completely God and Jesus Christ is completely human. He, God, appeared in bodily form. This is referred to as the incarnation (think carnivore – think flesh). Paul is not talking about God in some mystical, out of reach, spirituality experience, he is talking about a historical figure who presented and proved himself to be God in the flesh! So this is not about empty or hollow deception. When we look at Christianity, we need to poke the historic character of Jesus of Nazareth.

“…and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.” Now notice the repeated use of ‘fullness’. In Christ we see the fullness or completeness of God, and because of Christ you and I have been made full or complete. Notice that in the latter instance, we are passively made complete.

“He is the head over every power and authority.” Jesus is the boss. This is what we mean when we call him Lord. Recall Paul’s description of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20. There is nothing nor no-one above Christ. He is not subject to anybody. His title as God is not because of some election and it has no expiry date and nobody will ever dethrone him.

“In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands.” Now Paul moves from the physical and real kingship of Jesus to express how we have been made complete in him apart from any other authority. I hope you know what circumcision means. What it represented in the bible – for Jews – was their response of obedience and submission to God as their King. Even though this is an obviously male ritual, it was a national sign of inclusion. Someone has said that as God had promised to bless the world through the seed of Abraham, he ensured that Abraham and his descendants would never forget that it is God’s promise and not their strength that brings the blessing – so he gave a very graphic and fleshly reminder that it is God’s promises that they believe in. But, because of where Paul is taking this, let’s remember that circumcision is about cutting flesh. It was a sign of something and Paul is about to reveal what the sign pointed to…

“Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ…” What Paul says here is very impressive! He is saying that the ritual of circumcision was not enough. What was needed was a complete removing of the flesh but this time, it is not a brutal and mortifying ritual done to us, but something that was done in Christ. He is described as the fulfillment of the circumcision sign. It pointed to Christ himself being torn apart in the flesh. Remember that Verse 9 emphasised Christ being God in bodily form. In Chapter 1 Verse 22, Paul spoke of Christ’s physical body needed to reconcile us. And in Verse 24, he spoke about Christ’s afflictions in the flesh for the sake of the body which is the church. We need to see the picture that Paul is painting to see that, while circumcision has been a small sign, it has been fulfilled completely by Christ on the cross. And now we ourselves are ‘put off’ when circumcised by Christ. It is a spiritual circumcision that we do not do, but Christ has done on our behalf but now we live as those who belong, not to this earthly world but to Christ.

“…having been buried with him in baptism…” The word baptism is not an english word, it is Greek. One of the complications with the word, baptism, in the bible is that it has come to mean ‘water ritual’ in English. So, we need to stop and ask the bible text, what do you mean when you say baptism because it obviously does not always refer to a water ritual. You can see in this verse that it is about burial. The word, baptism, has the notion of being drowned or overwhelmed or dying. This makes sense when we think of the water ritual as a symbol of saying goodbye to who you once were and embracing a new community in Christ. So, Paul is talking about our becoming fulfilled in Christ and entirely his (Verse 10). What was done to Christ, by faith, is done to us. The burial and the resurrection are both ours when we are in Christ.

“…in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.” Keep in mind the subject of this statement: buried in baptism. Just as Christ physically died and was raised to life again, we who are in Christ have submitted ourselves to Him in faith and so are bonded to Him in salvation. It’s like being on an aeroplane bound for London. You get on the plane and you will land wherever the plane takes you (which is London). Christ is the plane. He died, paid for sins and was raised to life again. We don’t go through that process either literally or symbolically through rituals, but we are in Christ as if we are his body. The important word in this text is the word faith. We put our trust in Christ.

“…the uncircumcision of your flesh…” Paul is writing to a non-Jewish audience who were not raised to be circumcised. But he is not writing to tell them to be circumcised. Quite the opposite. While others may come to them and persuade them with hollow and deceptive words to be circumcised, Paul is saying, you are already circumcised through Christ.

“…God made you alive with Christ.” Once you were dead but now you are alive. Dead because we were in sin and guilty (Ephesians 2:1-5). I did not make me alive – it was God. I was not made alive through my own efforts or activities aimed toward life – it is only with Christ that I am saved. 

“He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” Write down verses 13 and 14 and memorise it! It is clear. It is not ambiguous. It doesn’t speak of the cross as an example that Christ gives us for life but as a means by which God is able to bring guilty people to salvation. Our sins are not swept under the carpet but were nailed to the cross. As the songwriter puts it, “it was my sin that held him there” (How Deep the Father’s Love). God forgave us. God canceled our debt. He took it and He nailed it to the cross where His Christ in full deity took care of it for us.

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” How has Christ disarmed the powers and authorities? Isn’t it that when they tried to slay him, he got back up again? The worst they could do to him was only to play into his plans all along! The cross was meant to be a public spectacle of Jesus but Christ turns that around and proclaims that moment to be the victory over death and sin!

Paul has showed us that Christ is the new reality for us. Without Him we are still dead in our sin, and under the power of the basic rules of this world. But we put our faith in Christ who is bigger than everything and is the fulfillment of everything and who makes us holy, blameless, complete, clean, debt-free and alive! The world did it’s worst to Jesus on the cross and the cross of Christ gives his believers the best of everything! Christ is our new reality!

Don’t go chasing shadows (16-19)

“…do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink…” All scripture must be read in context. This verse pulled out of context would feel like we just don’t care what people think about us. This is not correct and is more like the words of a rebellious and carefree child. But Paul is concerned that his readers will make decisions of religion based on what people will read into those choices. We will care what people think because we don’t want people to feel we need to eat certain things or drink certain things in order to be right with God. We are already right with God!

“…religious festival…New Moon celebration…Sabbath day.” Paul gives examples of things that people put a lot of weight and importance in. Special days are ok to be special but Paul warns his readers against being forced to observe certain days out of fear that God will not love them.

“…a shadow of the things that are to come…” If something is a shadow, then it is not the real thing. We want the real thing.

“…the reality…is found in Christ.” Notice how everything in Paul’s letter begins, continues and even ends in Christ! Are we looking forward to the great Sabbath rest to come (heaven)? Don’t you know that it is all about Christ!!? We must not see Christ as a means to an end but that he is the end. We were made in him and through him and for him! We find our fulfillment in Christ!

“…false humility and the worship of angels…” Paul give further examples of hollow and empty philosophy. But this time, it appears spiritual. Some may present themselves as uber religious and spiritual. But don’t be mislead by them either!

“Such a person…about what they have seen…puffed up…” Gurus and people who claim to have a greater insight to spirituality are really just puffed up and deceived themselves. The way to eternal life is clear, it is through faith in Christ! Anyone who says otherwise is puffed up and unspiritual – even if they implore you that they are super-spiritual!

“…they have lost connection with the head…” The whole of verse 19 is a condemnation to anyone who claims to know stuff but speak about more than their knowledge of Christ crucified. Paul reminds us that we need to keep watch over things like this because following them can lead us to disconnection from Christ and therefore disqualification from eternal life. The message of Colossians is clear – follow Christ. Just notice the continued metaphor of the flesh and body that the church is made up of. We are not individuals but one church held together as we follow the head who is Christ.

Why submit to things that are powerless? (20-23)

I cannot see how to shed clarity on the words of Paul in these verses which are such a clear summary of the whole. Why pursue and persevere in things that just do not save us? Christ saves. It is by grace we are saved.

“Since you died with Christ…” This phrase just needs highlighting. It’s the same idea as being buried in baptism. We say goodbye to our old selves and, just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord, we continue to live our lives in him, rooted and built up in him. The Christian faith demands that we follow Christ with all of our heart. Read Luke 9 and ask yourself if Jesus is happy with a half-hearted follower?

“…have an appearance of wisdom…but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.” This is a powerful condemnation against religion as rules and rituals. They may appear to be wise and helpful but they do nothing to stop us from sinning! But life in Christ, while still a battle to grow in holiness, is about pursuing our new life in him, putting to death the deeds of the flesh and following the one who nailed our sins to the cross. That is already effective and completely fulfilling our destiny for us!

What did we learn?

Church life can be filled with rules, regulations, rituals and things that appear good for the soul, or church can be filled with mystical sayings, worship of angels and poems that inspire to grow, or it can be dedicated to growing in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ – celebrating his victory on our behalf at the cross and surrendering our lives to knowing him and growing in him. We don’t want hollow lessons on empty things – we want a real assembly of people surrendered to Jesus because he is our life, our hope and our fulfillment.

Now what?

Topic A: Religious rites such as baptism, holy communion, and correct conduct at church. What has the book of Colossians taught you about these things?

Topic B: Spiritual experiences such as speaking in tongues, summoning the Spirit through music, healings and speaking with angels. What has the book of Colossians taught you about these things?

Topic C: Dying with Christ. What does that mean?

Firm Foundations – Study 4 – Colossians 1:24-2:8

The word of God, faith and maturity

Topics covered:
The life of faith
What is the bible and how can we trust it?
The point of Growth Groups (discipleship and maturity)
Glossary: maturity; false teaching; bible; preaching and teaching.

Discussion Question

What makes a person mature?

Context

The church in Colossae had received the message of the grace of God and, because they had truly understood God’s grace, they are responding to it with love and faith spurred on by their new hope found in Christ. Paul is so thankful to hear of the work that God is doing in them and reminded the readers about how central Christ is to all things. He is the reason for life itself! He is the cornerstone of any church of the real God. He is now the only focus of Paul’s life.

Outside of Christ, we were alienated from God. But in Christ, we are reconciled to God. It took Jesus’ physical body to make this real. This gospel is not just for some, but it is the only gospel for the whole world because it is give to us from God himself. Jesus is the universal Christ.

Read Colossians 1:24-2:8

24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. 

2 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. 

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 

What did you see?

Structure

  • God’s mystery is now revealed (24-27)
  • So, we train one another in Christ (1:28-2:3)
  • How to grow up in the faith (2:4-8)

God’s mystery is now revealed (24-27)

“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you…” The Christian faith looks at suffering and does not teach us to avoid it or rush too quickly to remove it, but to see why it is there. Paul equates the suffering he is undergoing as a necessity for proclaiming the gospel in the world.

“…I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions…” The New Testament is clear that it is the cross of Christ that redeems and makes the unrighteous believer truly righteous before God (Colossians 1:20-22; 2:14). So, Paul does not mean that Christ’s death is not enough for salvation. He means that the gospel must now get proclaimed and spread across this earth – it must not be kept secret but made known to all. We live in this same age as Paul, where the gospel is taught to all nations.

“…for the sake of his body, which is the church.” Another way of saying that the gospel must be spread. The church is born out of the gospel being preached. The cross of Christ has made the guilty righteous, now the message of the cross must be preached in order for the church to be born and built up.

“…I have become its servant…to present…the word of God in its fullness.” Paul sees himself as someone called by God to finish the story of Christ in this world. The bible has been written for generations by prophets who were lead by the Holy Spirit to speak and write down what they saw and heard. Now, in the same tradition as the prophets, Paul is proclaiming and presenting the completed work of God in Christ. God has commissioned Paul as one author of His story.

“…the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages…is now disclosed…” The mystery is the missing piece of the puzzle which is Christ crucified. 1 Peter 1:10-12, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow…” Christ is the missing piece of the puzzle. The mystery is not a mystery anymore. See 2 Corinthians 1:20; Ephesians 1:9-10.

“…disclosed to the Lord’s people.” The Lord’s people are those who he had chosen. In the Old Testament, it was promised through the line of Abraham but in the New Testament, we see that there is only a remnant of believers who are called the true Israel – not by birth but by faith in Christ. See Romans 4. 1 Peter 2 describes all the church of God through Christ as the people of God. He has revealed his word to his church. And the Lord’s people teach the nations (Gentiles).

“…the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The message of the gospel is both a spoken word and an outworking of faith in the church. The church will be known for their hope in Christ and their understanding of the future blessed by God. Heaven is our hope which transforms the people of God because we don’t strive for success at the expense of others but we live by faith in Christ.

So at the end of this section, let’s note that God has been speaking in this world for generations but now, the final piece of the puzzle has been revealed and it is Christ, the promised Messiah, and we live in the age where Christ is proclaimed! Special reference to the word of God.

So, we train one another in Christ (1:28-2:3)

“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone…” The ‘he’ is Jesus Christ. We do not preach and teach doctrine or religion, or good works, but we preach and teach about a person. Christianity is about Jesus Christ. Proclaiming is like standing up and declaring something as true and necessary. Admonishing is similar to proclaiming but comes with a sense of urgency – like this is not just opinion but truth that you need. Teaching is easy to understand but we don’t just tell people what to think, we train and instruct and show the reasons for and give people the clues that point to Jesus.

“…with all wisdom…” This is something about the method. We choose times and places and tone and the appropriate illustration and so on.

“…so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” This is the aim. Not everyone will get there because many will reject the truth and turn from it. But we teach and admonish so that people will mature in Christ. This means that people will not remain shallow in their faith. There is a personal growth expected in Christianity. A Christian ought to be older in the faith as time goes on – not simply because of age but because of instruction and understanding. Hearing the gospel and believing it is only the beginning of faith. Ephesians 2:8-10 states that we are saved by grace but this is so that we will become what God has intended us to be. Every adult in this world was once upon a time a child. But they were never meant to remain as a child. The nature of life is to grow up. This is the same in the faith. When we move from death to life in Christ, we also mature and grow up in this faith.

“To this end…” Paul wants people to hear the gospel and grow up in the gospel and this is his mission. His work is not passive and accidental, but he is intent on how he gets the news of Jesus out and training people up.

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love…complete understanding…know the mystery of God, namely, Christ…” Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1 that he resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ crucified. This is such essential knowledge to Paul and he knows that this is the great mystery that God wants all of his people to fall in love with and own for themselves. No church member is simply a passenger. We are all urged to know Christ with complete understanding.

“…all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Sounds like a plot to a sci-fi adventure movie – a trek to discover the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge. But God has it for us. We don’t need more than Christ. We don’t need something other than Christ. The richest treasure of knowledge that God can offer us is found in Christ. 

At the end of this section, let’s notice that all of Paul’s efforts are poured into making Christ known, carefully, thoughtfully, persuasively and universally.

How to grow up in the faith (2:4-8)

“…so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” Paul is concerned that, in his absence, other people may persuade and admonish the church with something other than Christ. 10-steps to better living. The real secret to happiness. The missing gift of God. Things like these distract us from celebrating in unity the good news that God has saved us in Christ.

“…delight to see how disciplined you are…” Despite Paul’s warnings of being mislead, he seems pleased to hear about the discipline of their faith. Notice that faith takes discipline – namely to hear the proclaiming, admonishing and teachings about Christ.

“…how firm your faith in Christ is.” Note that faith is not a substance or a spell but a commitment to the knowledge and trust in something or someone. A weak faith is something like a hesitation to trust Christ. A firm faith is where someone stands on the rock of Christ with both feet without needing a second option.

“…just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him…” You know how to mature in Christ? Keep calling him Lord and saviour without hesitation in all things. Grow up in the faith in the same way that you received Christ. You heard about him and was drawn to the fact that in him is life and there is no life without him. He is Lord. He is our boss, chief, master, leader, sovereign king! Keep treating him this way!

“…rooted and built up in him…” We don’t put Jesus on a shelf and look to him occasionally. He is the foundation for our lives. Our firm foundation is to be in Him. He is the cornerstone. You don’t lay down a slab and then build your house a metre away from that! Find your hope in Christ and then continue to grow in that understanding and knowledge.

“…strengthened in faith…” Faith is like a muscle. When it is not exercised, it gets weak and cannot support us. But when we apply the knowledge of Christ, the hope of the gospel to all of life, then our faith is strengthened. But Christ is still the object of that faith.

“…as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Faith in Christ is like most things we learn. We were once taught how to ride a bike. We enjoy riding the bike just as we were taught and respond with joy and thankfulness that someone showed us. The difference is that Christ, unlike the bike, has gifted us with truth, life and eternity with God. This is why we came to Christ to begin with! So continue just as you received Christ as Lord.

“See to it…” Just as we are actively engaged in growing up in Christ, be actively aware of the dangers of being blindsided by some other smooth talking gospel. Grace plus anything is no longer grace. Christ plus something is no longer Christ alone. Multiple truths is not longer the truth.

“…depends on human tradition…” Paul is probably thinking of circumcision or some other Jewish tradition. Religion is not a dirty word but it has such a power to overshadow Christ like access to Christ is only through certain rituals or days or ways of living.

“…and the elemental spiritual forces of this world…” This phrase appears again in verse 20 and is expanded on there to indicate things that you get told in this world which seems to make sense but has no eternal impact. Why the NIV places the word ‘spiritual’ here is a mystery. The phrase is simply, ‘the basic principles of this world’. The way to spot something that is empty and deceptive is to study the faith in Christ and be aware of what is leading us away from that!

“…rather than on Christ.” This is where Paul wants to land us. Start, continue and find everything in Christ. Remember that nothing exists without him. He is not an afterthought in this world. He is the reason for life. We need him for salvation but we also just need him.

What did we learn?

God has always been pointing people to Christ – even before the first Christmas! But there is no mystery among men any more. Jesus is the international Christ. There is no other philosophy or greater knowledge than knowing Christ. He is our salvation and he is our King and God’s word has always been working toward revealing him to us. We receive Christ as the foundation of our faith and we continue firmly established in him. The best way to spot counterfeit truths is to grow up and study the only truth that matters.

Now what?

Topic A: The Bible: what it is and what it isn’t. It is eye-opening to realise that the whole bible is really about Jesus. Especially when you consider that the bulk of the bible was written hundreds of years before he came in the flesh. Some treat the bible like a book of quotes that you can just jump into anywhere for some personal inspiration. This is incorrect. Some use the bible like it is a library of loosely related stories all tied together by the theme of God. But this is both untrue and leaves the bible open to include any inspirational stories about God. But the bible is the unfolding story of God’s salvation to the earth through Christ. A course like “God’s Big Picture Plus+” or “Introduction to the Bible” (study 1 in the Preliminary Theological Certificate course) will help you gain a clearer vision of how God has used the prophets of the Old Testament to speak and write for our benefit. The bible speaks of itself as given to us by God himself. And the contents of the bible prove itself to be true and trustworthy. It is given to the people of God and is embraced by them because it speaks of the gospel of Christ.

Topic B: How to be trained in Christ? As a church, we have a number of strategies to see people grow up in the faith. Firstly, our weekly church services always present a part of the bible read and taught in light of the gospel of Christ. Secondly, our mid-week Growth Groups are offered to help train one another up in reading the bible well while being encouraged in Christian community. Thirdly, we encourage people to read the bible for themselves. There is no mystery to reading the bible well, but we have found that there are many distractions and ways that people can fail to listen well to what the bible is saying. So, courses on how to read the bible such as God’s Big Picture, Firm Foundations, regular Growth Groups or The Daily Bible Project are all attempts at helping people to grow in their Christian maturity.

Topic C: How to spot a counterfeit gospel. It is said that the best training to spot counterfeit money is not to study the many counterfeits but to study the authentic currency. We learn to know Christ. Not just know of him but learn to know Him and the Father who sent Him (John 17:3). Think of Christianity like walking a path. You started on the path, presumably, because you saw the sign that said, “this way to know life, to know truth and to have peace with God” and so you liked what the sign said and you followed that way. This path begins and continues in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord. To leave the path is to leave Christ and go down some other journey. The other path may promise great things too, but you cannot have two journeys. Jesus Christ is revealed to us in the bible. Get to know your bible, and you will grow in your knowledge of Christ.

Start Living

A course for new disciples

This 8 part course was written in 2013 to help new Christians (or Christians who felt stuck in their faith) to move forward. It was written and developed by Simon Twist and used at Campbeltown Anglican Church for a number of years. It has been replaced by our Firm Foundations course which uses the book of Colossians to help Christians to truly understand the grace of God and what that means. But Start Living still has a place for anyone who wants to consider 8 key truths that every Christian ought to know. It is supplied here for personal study, Growth Group study or one to one training. The eight lessons are listed below with links to PDF files.

Introduction Lesson

Lesson One: What’s the big deal with God? (We begin with grace)

Lesson Two: Why Don’t We Pray?

Lesson Three: A Guide on Worry

Lesson Four: I Believe in the Trinity

Lesson Five: The Word of God

Lesson Six: A Life of Faith

Lesson Seven: The Community of Faith – Church

Lesson Eight: Sharing Your Faith