The book of Colossians is not easy to understand. I doubt that very many readers of this book, even among us, have truly seen the revelation it contains. For this reason, many readers concentrate on points such as the comforting of the hearts in 2:2. The focal point of Colossians is not the comforting of the hearts. Rather, the focal point is Christ as the mystery of God. Even 2:2, which speaks of the hearts being comforted, makes this clear: “That their hearts may be comforted, being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ.” The result of the comforting of our hearts is that we have the full knowledge of Christ as the mystery of God. Therefore, the focal point is not the comforted heart; it is Christ as the mystery of God.
It is rather easy for readers of the New Testament to understand what Paul is dealing with in such books as Corinthians and Galatians. In 1 Corinthians, Paul deals with various negative things, even sinful things, which frustrated the Corinthians from the proper enjoyment of Christ and from the church life. In Galatians Paul deals with the law and with the Jewish religion. However, it is not easy to point out what Paul is dealing with in the Epistle to the Colossians. Some expositors have pointed out that Paul deals with such matters as angel worship and asceticism. Although this view is correct, it relates only to the outward appearance of this book. Actually, in Colossians Paul is dealing with the hidden matter of man’s culture. A strong indicator of this is the use of the word barbarian in 3:11, a word not used in either 1 Corinthians 12:13 or Galatians 3:28, verses parallel to Colossians 3:11. Paul’s use of the word barbarian in Colossians indicates that this Epistle deals with culture.
The source of the trouble among the believers in Colosse was culture, Jewish culture and Greek culture. I believe that all the churches in Asia Minor had been saturated with Jewish culture, particularly with respect to religious observances, and with Greek culture, particularly related to philosophy. At the time of Paul, the culture in the Mediterranean region included three main elements: Jewish religion, Greek philosophy, and Roman politics. Two of these elements—Jewish religion and Greek philosophy—had invaded the church.
Just as culture exerted a strong influence on the believers in Colosse, culture today exerts a strong influence on us. Unconsciously we are under the influence of the culture into which we were born. It seems that the religious and philosophical elements of culture are part of our being. In many groups in Christianity the political element of culture is present also.
In 2:18 Paul says, “Let no one purposely defraud you of your prize, in humility and worship of the angels, standing on things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh.” Here Paul warns the believers not to be defrauded through humility. He does not warn them about fleshly indulgence. Humility is one of the best human virtues. In many ethical teachings, a high value is placed on humility. In certain respects, humility is even a finer virtue than love. But even humility can be used to defraud the believers of the enjoyment of Christ.
In this verse Paul also warns us not to be defrauded through the worship of angels. Humility is related to ethical philosophy, whereas the worship of angels is related to religion. Angel worship is not crude. On the contrary, it is a refined, cultured, cultivated, and highly-developed form of idolatry. It is much finer than the pagan worship of animals. It is the worship of heavenly beings who are close to God. It was through such beings that the law was given. In 2:18 Paul refers to both philosophy and religion. These aspects of culture can be used by the enemy to defraud us of Christ.
The principle is the same today. Satan, the subtle one, is still using ethics and religion to defraud Christians of the enjoyment of Christ. In saying this, I am not referring to others, such as those in the Catholic religion, but especially to us in the Lord’s recovery. Some may agree that humility could defraud them of Christ, but they would not admit to being defrauded of Him by the worship of angels. Although we may not actually worship angels, we may admire them. Moreover, we may admire many things that are not God Himself.