"Lest Any Man Should Beguile You"
(Colossians 2:4)

• Paul warns the saints against anyone who would beguile them by "enticing words" (Colossians 2:4)
  • Paul said that he declared the testimony of God ("Christ crucified") NOT with "excellency of speech" or "enticing words" of man's wisdom, BUT in "fear and trembling" he demonstrated the spiritual power of the Word of God, so that the faith of his hearers would stand in the power of God and NOT in the wisdom of man (I Corinthians 2:1-5)
  • The "wisdom of words" makes the "cross of Christ of none effect" for it is ONLY the "preaching of the cross" which has the power to save (I Corinthians 1:17-18)
  • The gospel is indeed "the power of God unto salvation" for in it ALONE "is the righteousness of God revealed" (Romans 1:16-17)
  • The saints are ambassadors for Christ proclaiming that "God had made Christ to be sin", so that the believing sinner "might be made the righteousness of God in Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20-21)

• Though "absent in the flesh", Paul was "present in spirit" and, therefore, able to rejoice in the orderly and faithful stand of the saints at Colosse (Colossians 2:5)
  • Paul's greatest joy was remembering in prayer the saints who were sharing and growing in the faith of the gospel (Romans 1:8-9; Philippians 1:3-5; I Thessalonians 1:2-3)

• Paul exhorts the saints to walk in the Lord in the SAME way that they received Him (Colossians 2:6)
  • The believing sinner received Christ Jesus "by grace thru faith" and "not of works" (Ephesians 2:7-9), but as the "gift of God" (Romans 6:23)
  • The believing sinner's justification is by grace that is appropriated by faith in the redemption (purchase price) which God provided, i.e. the blood of Christ (Romans 3:24-25)
  • Paul was the FIRST to proclaim God's righteousness for those who place their trust in His righteous provision, i.e. Jesus (Romans 3:26) and that is WHY he terms this "good news" AS "my gospel" (Romans 2:16)

• To be "rooted" and "built up" and "established in the faith" is to "abound therein with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:7)
  • It is the "Word of His grace" which is "able to build up" the saints (Acts 20:32)
  • One who is "walking in love" AS "Christ also hath loved us" will NOT be doing anything negative, BUT will ONLY be doing the one positve thing that is the true response to grace, i.e. "the giving of thanks" (Ephesians 5:2-4)
  • The English words "grace" and "thanks" are cognate words in the Greek:
    • Grace (Greek, charis)
    • Thanks (Greek, eucharisteo)
    • Therefore, Grace-receiving = Thanks-giving

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