Title: Only Jesus!” is the answer
Colossians (1) “Only Jesus!” is the answer (Colossians 1:1-8)
<Sender of Colossians>
< Recipient of Colossians >
The recipients of the book of Colossians were “the faithful saints in Christ who lived in Colossae” (verse 2). The Apostle Paul bestows upon them grace and peace, and immediately praises them with the utmost. And I thanked God for the fact that the Colossians had “faith, love, and hope,” the three primary colors of a blessed soul (verses 4-5). What did such faith, love, and hope look like? Because they have listened to the truth. What does that mean? What is more important than faith, hope, and love is ‘hearing’. Listening well is the best source of blessings.
< Pioneer of Colossae Church >
The church in Colossae was founded by Epaphra, a disciple of Paul (verse 7). Epaphras was born in Colossae (4:12), and was a gospel minister who played an active role in the Phrygian region, and was once imprisoned with Paul (Pm 1:23). Epaphra was a broker of the Holy Word. He shared the gospel he had learned from the apostle Paul to the Colossians, and also told Paul about the Holy Spirit-filled image and love of the Colossians.
<Why I wrote the book of Colossians>
Among the members of the Colossian church, there were quite a few Hebrews as well as Greeks. Therefore, there were many possibilities for Greek and Jewish ideas to penetrate the church. At that time, Judaism emphasized circumcision, the distinction of food, and the observance of feasts, new moons, and sabbaths (Colossians 2:11,13,16). Also, Greek philosophy had many sophistry close to elementary studies (2:8). He also weakened faith by promoting the dualism of Gnosticism. To protect the church from such thoughts, the apostle Paul wrote the book of Colossians.
< “Only Jesus!” is the answer >
How can you protect your soul from heresy? The answer is simple. “Only Jesus!” is the answer. “Only Jesus!” means “Only the Gospel!” Do not be deceived by other gospels. There is salvation, there are gifts, there are healings, there are miracles, and there are blessings in the gospel. However, we must not try to complete the gospel through gifts, healings, miracles, and blessings. “Only the Gospel!” is enough. If you try to create a ‘best gospel’ or a ‘better gospel’ by adding some other fields, it can flow into a ‘different gospel’.
Nor should we try to complete the gospel by our works. In the early church, such controversies continued. “Is observance of the law important? Or is the emphasis on grace important?” To value the law is to value one's works, and to value grace is to emphasize the works of Jesus. Then, of course, grace is important. The saints now take this gospel principle for granted, but it was not so in the days of the early church.
At that time, some people took the gospel simply at first. However, some of them were Jews in the past or were immersed in Greek thought. They have been the sons of law and philosophy for a long time, so they tried to create a ‘complete version of the gospel’ by adding acts, external experiences, and signs to the gospel of grace according to their inertia. At first glance, the ‘completed gospel’ seems more plausible than the ‘gospel’, but such a humanistic attempt eventually distorts the essence of the gospel and turns the gospel into a different gospel. He wrote the book of Colossians so that he would not be deceived by such other gospels.
If we overemphasize or promote the gifts, healings, miracles, and blessings while claiming the gospel, the gospel will flow into another gospel and there will be no more gifts, healings, miracles, and blessings. On the other hand, if you insist on “Only Jesus!” and “Only the Gospel!” and do not cling to gifts, healings, miracles, and blessings, the possibilities of gifts, healings, miracles, and blessings increase. Through the words of Colossians, “Only Jesus! Be the blessed hearts whose faith in the gospel is only strengthened.