READ: Col. 2:18,19: “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”
The false teachers in Colossae wish to disqualify believers who desire to think and live solely from the gospel with regard to their salvation. They maintain that believers will be saved only if, in addition to true faith, they also participate in the torment of voluntary hunger and angel worship. They delight in “humility.” In itself, humility is something God’s Word requires of us. But these people use their humility to feel themselves superior to others. It is therefore a deceptive form of humility, which in verse 23 is exposed as self-imposed religion.
What exactly is meant by “worship of angels” is not entirely clear. Possibly it concerns the veneration of angels as good spirits alongside attempts to ward off evil spirits. Another possibility is that it concerns a form of self-made piety in which one wishes to measure oneself against the angels. In any case, in this way they do not honor Christ.
The translation that a false teacher “intruding into those things which he has not seen” is based on manuscripts different from those that read: “being initiated into what he has seen.” The latter translation (as in the Dutch 1951 NBG) is preferred in several commentaries. In that case, it concerns a false teacher who claims to have had a vision through which he possesses deeper insight into spiritual matters, and who is proud of this. He then places his trust in matters outside Christ and thereby exalts himself above others in the church.
As a result, he himself falls short in faith and is a poor example to others, indeed a danger. For in his pride he gives the impression that spiritual life depends upon appreciation for fleshly, earthly, and therefore sinful matters. But how can the congregation as the body of Christ grow if Christ as her Head is not acknowledged as the only One who nourishes, strengthens, and cares for her?
Which church members receive more esteem than others?
Singing: Hymn 40:1 (1984) / 52:1 (2014)