Now not only I need a mediator when I approach God in prayer, but I need an intermediary to God speak. In today God speaks through the written word. Now the interesting thing is that Christ continues to be the mediator of that word. What it says in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 2? "in the past God spoke to us in many ways, many ways spake unto the fathers by the prophets, but in these last days spoken unto us by his Son ' the Son, is the last which has revealed the final revelation the word of God.
Now brothers think that, if God communicates to man through a written revelation, the Bible is clear that our intellect plays a paramount role in our relationship with Him Because it is through reason, through the intellect, is by understanding that I can understand the Bible, the written revelation of God. Therefore the Lord in Matthew 22 when asked what is the greatest commandment in the law? He clearly said "the greatest commandment in the law is, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" . I can not leave the mind was in my relationship with the Lord.
Romans chapter 12 verse 1 "I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord which is your reasonable service" and the word Paul used here in Greek is the word logikon whence comes our word logical. We give God worship is rational, is a worship that should engage our intellect. Second Timothy chapter 2 verse 7, Paul tells his son in the faith, Timothy "considers what I say and the Lord give you understanding in everything" , now the interesting thing is that the word translated here "considers I say "literally means Timothy" give mind to what I say ". Is giving mind to what God says in His word that He will give me understanding, that means knowing God and knowing God's will is not for the lazy, there is an intellectual exercise, there is a mental exercise that each of us should do according to the ability that God gave each one.
We already saw how Paul in Colossians chapter 1 verses 9 to 10 praying for these Colossians, and what he wanted for them? they are filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that was what Paul prayed for them spiritual intelligence. My brothers is impossible for us to cultivate our relationship with God setting aside the Scriptures and putting aside our intellect. But that is exactly what is proposed mysticism, and it is against a danger similar to this that Paul warns us in this passage from the Letter to the Colossians. These false teachers claimed to have attained a mystical union with God, these Christians of Colossae unknown. Look again verse 18 "Let no man beguile you of your reward" that phrase can be translated also "disqualified nobody, nobody's ordered" refers to the negative decision of a referee who disqualified one competitors did not follow the rules properly.
It seems that these false teachers were discrediting the believers in Colosse because they did not experience the same kind of religious experience have they said 'you need more than just Christianity, "" you need something deeper, more spiritual " . Now the amazing thing about all this is that the position of these individuals, while judges were forming in the other, because they were disqualifying 'you are not religiously qualified ", while they themselves were putting in opposition than that of the brothers at Colossae, at the same time this was all dressed in humility, a profound humility. Paul says "no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels" later in verse 23, we will not see today, says "such things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body , so some people some commentators suggest that many of these mystics, these individuals practiced long fasts, and a few hours of sleep, also preparing to see visions, and of course a person who is eating poorly and not sleeping well is what it is! .
now is not very clear in the passage alleged relationship had the humility of these men and the worship of angels, because Paul says "humility and worship of angels" . Now it is likely that his teaching was something like this; God is so sublime, God is so transcendent and I am so unworthy, I am so small that instead of coming directly to him, I'd rather get through angels. It sounds humble, right? imagine how, as a man like me will go directly to God, I'd rather do it through the angels. The problem is that the Bible forbids this practice.
My brothers, I return I repeat, the Bible clearly teaches that there is one mediator between God and men, and Jesus Christ, is not nobody else, not Mary, not saints, not angels, it is only our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. And we see in the same book of Revelation as the Apostle John in chapter 19 in verses 9 to 10, I was so surprised by the view that this angel was showing, that John in a very human impulse, fell down to worship the angel and the angel took him and said "looks do not, I am your fellow servant and of thy brethren the prophets, worship God, worship God" . However, that despite all these clear warnings and lessons of the Bible, the worship of angels did not disappear but it seems more alive than ever these days.
Judging by some of the titles that you can see in any of our libraries, just out of curiosity this week I went on Amazon and got angels, I left some interesting titles, such as talking to his angels, another guardian angels and guides Spiritual, contact the heavenly help, it looks like, I called 809, another daily guide his angels, 365 messages from the angels to alleviate heal and open your heart, another, heal with the angels, and so forth. I guess I'm not the only who taught here from tiny to pray to the guardian angel "guardian angel, dear, do not forsake me night or day" that seems very innocent, but what is behind it, is nothing to rob Christ his rightful place of prominence, and that has nothing! innocent.
In this same letter Paul says in Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 "in him were created all things, which are in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things were created through him and for him Christ is preeminent above all else. What these false teachers who based their religious practices? Well according to them in visions they had, according to Paul, in a mint proud and carnal. Verse 18 "no man beguile you of your reward (no one disqualify) humility and worship of angels, intruding into what is not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind" and although the Queen Valera introduced a "no" here, that in the original text says literally is: clinging to the things he has seen. Now it is likely that Paul is speaking ironically here, "clinging to the things they say they have seen" and in that sense they are meddling in things that really have not seen, as it says in the English version.
Now whether they have seen something or not, the point is that all this was merely the product of a proud and carnal mind, says Paul. These individuals wanted to belong to a group of individuals who received revelations from God, they were not ordinary Christians, who learned about God and about God through Bible reading, No! No, they were past, they had visions. But Paul tells us that this kind of mysticism is nothing but a disguised carnality. Guillermo says commentator Hendriksen, this man who claims to be very humble indeed is unbearably proud, your mind is inflated with a sense of their own importance to boast about things he says have been .
My brothers, that a person has the appearance of humility and claim to have had some kind of extraordinary experience, that does not qualify him to become a spiritual teacher of Christians. The true Christian teacher, what it does is teach the word of God to lead us to Christ, and that was exactly what the false teachers were doing. verse 19 "they are vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not turning a head that is Christ, through whom throughout the body nourished and joining by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase of God ". Ultimately this was the real problem of false teachers in Colossae, they did not rest only in Christ, for salvation and for spiritual growth.
Continued ...
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IMPORTANT:
Our desire is to know a preacher in particular, but to see clear that the answers are in the Bible, so we read, meditate and live it every day, because our faith should not be based on the findings of a preacher, but in the Word of God, which is invariable (John 5:39, Matt. 22 : 29,) and follow the example of the Christians of Berea (Acts 17:11).
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