For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ. In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:1-3
The Real Truth
The book of Colossians, a letter to the church in Colossae, was written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome. He was writing to warn them against some false teaching that was going on in the church. He begins by telling them of the struggle he felt for them because of the spiritual warfare that was going on within their fellowship. He had never been there in person, but he wanted them to know that he deeply cared for them and what they were experiencing.
Paul wants to encourage the believers and he wanted them to know that they already had each other and Jesus. He spoke of them being “knit together in love,” unified in their love for each other and for God. As believers, they already had complete understanding of Jesus Christ, who holds all treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Real wisdom and knowledge does not come from books, but from Jesus. This true wisdom would unite them, unlike the false witness that causes division among them.
The false teachers were trying to lure them away from the truth of Jesus to the lies of the enemy of their souls. And today he is still alive and well today, working to deceive God’s children with lies. Paul’s warning to the Colossians is for us today as well. Anything and everything we seek should go through Jesus and His truth. He is the beginning, middle, and end of everything.
We can always find the “truth” we want to find. There is plenty of false truth in the world today – at our fingertips. The real truth found in Jesus is available to all who seek it. His truth is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is unchanging. Everything we believe in and act on should be filtered through this real truth.
We need to be on guard against what sounds good or feels good on the surface but is not from Jesus. We can guard ourselves against these false truths by studying and learning His truth and being careful about what we let into our hearts and minds. When we are saturated with the truth that is in Christ and is Christ, it will be impossible for us to be led astray.
When we become a child of God, we are set on a path that only leads to Him. If we keep our eyes on Him, we will live by His truth. False truths will not withstand the tests of this life. Paul was writing these things from prison, where the truth that he knew in Christ Jesus was literally all he had to hold onto. The bond and love we share with other believers, as well as knowing His truth as we walk through life is what will carry us. It is the foundation we can build our lives on – a foundation that will not be shaken.
