And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ (Colossians 2:4-5)
In the previous verses, Paul wrote to the saints at Colosse about the preeminence of Christ in creation, in redemption, and in the church and the sufficiency of Christ. He wrote about Jesus Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature and the Head of the body; the church, in whom all fulness dwells and in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid.
Paul had revealed to them Jesus Christ and what the message of the true gospel of Jesus Christ is all about, so that they would not have a lack of knowledge of the truth and wouldn’t be deceived if they held on to the truth.
Let no one beguile you with enticing words
When Paul wrote these words to the saints at Colosse, Paul was imprisoned in Rome. But although Paul was imprisoned and physically absent, Paul saw in the spirit the state of the saints at Colosse and how the church was functioning.
The Holy Spirit revealed to Paul their order and steadfastness of their faith in Jesus Christ and was rejoiced
However, Paul knew the strategies, attacks, and works of the devil and knew that the devil wouldn’t leave them alone.
Paul knew that the devil would try everything to disturb the order and steal and destroy their faith in Christ.
Therefore Paul not only revealed to them the truth, so that they had a full insight and didn’t have a lack of knowledge regarding the truth, but also that no one would deceive them with enticing words and draw them away from the truth of Jesus Christ and become sidetracked.
What are enticing words?
What are enticing words? Enticing words are fallacious reasonings that deviate from the truth and derive from the carnal wisdom of man. Enticing words arouse strong attraction or interest and are alluring, but contain a deceptive and destructive character.
They may seem spiritual, true, and coming from God but in reality, they are deceptive and destructive and cause apostasy.
What is the purpose and result of enticing words?
Throughout the ages, the tactics, attacks, and works of the devil have not changed. We still see the devil doing all he can to deceive the saints and make them doubt the words of God and leave the words of God and their faith in Jesus Christ. All the devil wants is people to believe his words and follow and obey his words and do his will, so that the devil can execute his will in people’s lives and on earth and cause chaos and destruction (Read also: Destroying the works of God instead of the works of the devil).
The devil not only works in the mind, but he also uses people to execute his will. He uses people, who are led by the flesh and believe his lies and consider his lies as the truth.
And so there are many preachers, who are carnal and attract and deceive people with their enticing words.
They mix the words of God with their own words and/or the words of other people and come up with all kinds of new doctrines that derive from a carnal mind, supernatural experiences, or mystical revelations.
Although their words seem spiritual, true, and coming from God, in reality, their words are deceptive and cause the saints to become lukewarm, unstable, disobedient to the words of God and His will and leave the faith in Jesus Christ and rely on their own flesh; carnal knowledge and wisdom, insight, ability, (knowledge and wisdom of) the world and follow after signs and wonders (Read also: Following Jesus for the signs and wonders).
They are not concerned with the souls of people, but they are concerned with themselves and are greedy for power, money, and fame. Therefore they don’t preach what God wants them to preach, but they preach what people want to hear.
And so many don’t preach the gospel of Jesus Christ anymore, but a gospel of man, in which the will of God, sin, the blood, sanctification, judgment, and hell are eliminated and the will of man and the lusts and desires of the flesh have become the center.
Why so many people are deceived by enticing words?
Unfortunately, many people are deceived by enticing words, because they do not know the Word of God. They don’t read, study the Word of God, and don’t search the Scriptures for the will and truth of God, but they rely upon the words of man instead. And so many believers have deviated and are no longer steadfast in the faith of Christ, but they have compromised and have gone the way of the world.
Let us take the warnings of the Word and the Holy Spirit seriously and remove all doctrines that diametrically oppose the Word. Let us repent and return to Jesus Christ and pick up our cross daily and follow the real Jesus Christ; the Word, so that we remain steadfast in the faith until the end and honor and exalt Jesus Christ and God our Father with our lives.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
Source: Merriam-Webster dictionary
