“Stand Firm” - Colossians 1:16-23
Paul presents a short salvation message starting with creation. Christ, being the creator, possesses complete authority over his creation. In verse 16, Paul is not arguing that every king or ruler set in place is because Christ willed it. Instead, despite who may be on a throne or exercise dominion, no authority exists outside of Christ’s control. Because “all things were created by him, and for him.”
In verse 18, Paul transitions from the general creation established by Christ, to the church established by Christ. He is the head and first over all in the body. It is within Christ that all fullness dwells. This refers to both his deity (2:9) and his work that makes man complete in him (2:10).
In verses 20 through 22, Paul explains how Christ has been able to provide reconciliation and the establishment of the church. He has done so “having made peace through his blood.” Christ has now brought those who were alienated from God, and made a way for them to be reconciled with him. Only through the work of Christ have believers been united into one body. This is not by our own efforts, but by Christ alone.
However, Paul states a conditional requirement: “If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” The word “continue” is translated from the Greek word epimenō. The word means to remain or abide in the faith. A person must not only hear the grace gospel, but accept it by faith alone. They must determine for themselves that they are trusting in faith alone.
The church must stay based upon the gospel of grace and not abandon it. However, throughout history, churches have been observed to do just that. The churches of the past often abandoned the gospel of grace for legalism through shaming members or infrequent attendees by misapplication of scripture. On the other hand, many churches today have started sacrificing doctrine for the sake of diversity and inclusion.
Doctrine: Acceptable Justification for Church Division
There are times to compromise within a church. However, foundational doctrinal matters are not one of them. Matters concerning Christ and salvation are not to be altered. Throughout history, doctrine has been a primary source of division among churches. The earliest divisions between Christianity was the conflict with Judaizers who sought to keep parts of the law as requirements for salvation. Such a deviation from the gospel of the word of God is grounds for expulsion from the church.
Another division within early churches concerned the gnostic movement. Gnosticism is an umbrella term used to describe a popular ideology that had its roots in eastern mysticism. The central premise was that all physical matter was corrupt and evil. However, the inner spirit of humanity was good. Therefore, the flesh was a prison to the spirit. Through knowledge (gnosis) man was freed. This led to doctrines arising in churches that taught against a physical manifestation of Christ on earth. Instead, he was only a spirit who appeared as if in flesh. The gnostics were heavily influenced by mysticism and a nonliteral interpretation of the Bible.
The Catholic Church divided into Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox in 1054. This was primarily over how much authority the pope should have. The Reformation and Protestant movement began in the early 1500s with a focus almost entirely on matters of doctrine within the Roman Catholic Church. This included the sacraments for receiving grace. The Church of England was the result of King Henry VIII seeking to divorce his wife. From there, numerous denominations started, primarily due to disagreements in doctrine. The Baptists originated from the Puritan collective of the Church of England. The Baptists were a group of Puritans who sought for religious liberty to teach their own church doctrines, free from the government imposing doctrinal orders.
Human Nature and Sexuality: Doctrine that Divides Churches Today
This matter has not only divided churches, but entire denominations. The Global Methodists is a new denomination that is separating from the United Methodists. The Presbytarians still have some conservative members who are standing against progressive ideology. The Southern Baptists are becoming more divided as well.
Yes, Doctrine Should Divide Churches
Accurate teaching of God’s word should be the primary objective of the church. This does not mean the sermon is the most important part. It means that everything the church does should be focused on accurately teaching the Bible. Whether it is through the selection of songs in the service, the children’s Sunday School class, community outreach, or Wednesday night youth.
A church is not established until they have established their doctrine. Once they have done so, they must stand firm in their doctrine. If every member of the body is devoted to studying and understanding the word of God, this provides the foundation for their congregation. When all else fails, they can still stand upon the word of God. If a church loses focus and abandons this, they leave themselves opened for division and decline. Stand Firm.
