There is a ditch on both sides of the road

Colossians 2:8-23 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; ¹¹ and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; ¹² having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, ¹⁴ having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

¹⁶ Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

²⁰ If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ²¹ “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ²² (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? ²³ These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

There is a saying that there is a ditch on both sides of the road.  In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”   In today’s text it says:   See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.  It seems as though perhaps in truth rather than a ditch on either side of the road, there is really a wide way. There is the way of the traditions and regulations of man and there is the way of the philosophies of the world. Both are ditches of deception, while Christ is the narrow way of truth. In John 14:6 Jesus says:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”   The way of Jesus is both the way of grace, not works and also the way of righteousness and obedience to God through Christ.    In Matthew 24:4-11 Jesus, speaking of the end times says:  “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”  Jesus says that few will find the narrow way. He says that most people’s love will grow cold. This flies in the face of the philosophies and doctrines of many who claim that there are many ways to heaven so that almost everyone will find a way. Even today, many who say they follow Christ, also embrace the lawlessness of our society and culture. Because of their love for the world, their love for God grows cold.  The deception which misleads many today is not that Jesus is not the Christ, but rather that Jesus, the Christ, has changed His mind about sin. The false prophets mislead people by teaching that Jesus embraces sin. If we as believers are loved by the world it could be a sign that we have been mislead. Jesus says we will be hated by all nations because of His name.  We must endure, staying on the narrow path of grace and righteousness.

In today’s text Paul says:  Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,  and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.  If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,  “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”  (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.   Paul’s exhortation to be freed from the commandments and teachings of men is not an invitation to walk in and embrace sin as some would say. It is an exhortation to not depend on religion and to instead be connected to God and Christ. We should be ware of those who take their stand on visions, if what they say and what they saw is of the flesh and not aligned with what we already know God has said. In Matthew 12:25 Jesus says:  “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”  The Holy Spirit is of the same kingdom as God the Father and Jesus the Son. They are one. The Holy Spirit, speaking to and through people today, will not speak against what God and Christ have said.  See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit, the Three in One God; the unchanging God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. By Your grace may I find and continue to walk in the narrow way. May I not be mislead and wander to the ditch on either side, but rather may I remain connected to You. May I endure to the end, saved by grace and walking in obedience and righteousness.  Amen.