Church: New City Baptist Church Series: Colossians Part 5: Legalism: a Denial of the Gospel Text: Colossians 2:16-23 ----------------------------------
[1] Christians must not allow people to judge them according to manmade, legalistic standards (:16-17)
Definition of legalism: a) Treating biblical standards of conduct as regulations to be kept by our own power in order to earn God's favor. b) Erecting specific requirements of conduct beyond the teaching of scripture and making adherence to those requirements the means by which a person in qualified for full participation in the church.
[2] Christians must not allow themselves to be defrauded by asceticism and false worship (:18-19)
False teachers in Colossae... a) ...put a great deal of stock in ascetic practices, perhaps to induce visions; (Asceticism means the abuse or the denial of a body for spiritual purposes, for the purposes of spiritual growth.) b) ...are so concerned with calling on angels as a means of protection from evil forces that they are virtually worshipping them; c) ...focus on visions they have experienced, perhaps citing the content of those visions as their teaching; d) ...display an arrogance that reveals a worldly orientation.
[3] Christians must not submit to manmade, ethical decrees of false teachers because... (:20-23)
a) ...Christ set us free from the spiritual powers of this world; b) ...the false teacher's rules have to do with matters of this world; c) ...the false teacher's rules reflect human and not divine teaching; d) ...the false teacher's rules cannot bring spiritual transformation.
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