Spiritual Intimidation: Mysticism

[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. (Col 2:18-19)

As we continue in Colossians we see how Gnostic mysticism was influencing the Colossians as it attempted to trick and manipulate them into believing things that were never part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was no need for humiliating oneself, or inflating the importance of prophetic visions, or spiritual experiences that were drawing the Colossian believers away from Christ. As Max Anders put it,

Fullness and freedom mean that believers need not be drawn into the quest for exciting experiences. Apparently, the false teachers were telling the believers at Colosse that mystical visions and deeper experiences were necessary to make them truly spiritual. Once again, Paul brings the issue back to Christ. [1]

Mysticism

‘Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize’ – (2:18a)

Definition: ‘defrauding’ (‘beguile’ - KJV, ‘disqualify’ - NIV) – The Greek word, katabrabeuo { kat-ab-rab-yoo’-o } means to decide against someone; to defraud or beguile of the prize of victory. Albert Barnes said the meaning carried the idea of depriving someone of their due reward. Louw and Nida concurred with that idea saying, “to judge as a referee that someone is not worthy to receive a prize—‘to disqualify, to condemn, to judge as not worthy of a reward, to deprive of a reward.’” [2]
Paul was warning the Colossians to be on their guard against anyone that would set themselves up as a judge to condemn them for not measuring up to the intended or expected standard of 'righteousness'. He was not telling the Colossians they had a license to sin. He was telling them that the standard being erected by the false teachers was unrighteous, a standard that was intended to show them as deficient and needing something other than Christ Jesus as Lord. A judge has the power to determine a winner and a loser, even defining a victor based on their personal bias, and this is as common today as it was back then.
Regardless of the righteousness of a judge, as believers, we are instructed to be motivated by the faithfulness of running the race, not concerning ourselves with the outcome of the race against others. Paul, in comparing it to an earthly race, was telling us to run as if we were going to win that race while at the same time not worrying about whether we actually win, as if winning means some tangible reward and losing means our rewards are stripped away. And this is NOT about losing our salvation. Likewise, it’s not that we are competing against others – we win and others lose. And it's not about winning at all cost, as if preventing others from winning has some sort of value for us. It is not about whether we actually win or not, but about giving our maximum effort in the things He instructs us to do, and the heart attitude we should have while running the race. When we do that, whatever we do wins the race because we are doing what God has called us to do. A believer's reward is not in the winning of the race but in the running, and the resulting expectant heart. A judge can unrighteously defraud us of the earthly reward for winning that race, but our reward is not from man, it resides with God. We have no power to control the actions of a judge, only the attitude of how we run the race – our obedience, if you will. Paul instructs us to run in a manner that does not defraud us or disqualify us of the prize for which we run, the prize that God gives us for our willingness and faithfulness to run for and after Him and His will in our lives. If we fail in this, then we stand the chance of being “defrauded” of the prize that God says awaits us for our faithfulness; our willingness to run for Him, simply because He has asked us to. The winning is in our obedience to His calling for our lives.
In our lifetime, God will ask each of us hard things to do; are we willing to give every task He asks us to do our maximum effort or just enough to get by? With family? With friends? With the body of Christ He puts us with? Is it about us or Him?
It is easy to compare what Paul referred to here as something very similar to what we would commonly call mysticism. Mysticism is the pursuit of a deeper or higher subjective religious experience as a spiritual reality, which is understood as being apart from the human intellect and the natural senses. It looks for internal truths weighed by human feelings and emotions, or intuition. As MacArthur says, “Mysticism ultimately derives its authority from the self-actualized, self-authenticated light rising from within.” [3] And it was this that the false teachers were attempting to get the Colossians to accept.

‘by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels’ – (2:18b)

Definition: ‘delighting’ (‘voluntary’ - KJV) – The Greek word, thelo or ethelo { thel’-o or eth-el’-o } means to will, have in mind, intend; to be resolved or determined, to purpose; to desire, to wish; to take delight in, have pleasure. Louw and Nida defined it as, “to take pleasure in something in view of its being desirable—‘to like, to enjoy.’” [4]
Definition: ‘self-abasement’ (‘humility’ - KJV; ‘false humility’ - NIV) – The Greek word, tapeinophrosune { tap-i-nof-ros-oo’-nay } means having a humble opinion of one’s self; a deep sense of one’s (moral) littleness; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind. In other words, ‘false humility’ because true humility is not thinking about oneself but about others before oneself. It is ‘pretending to be humble.’

‘by delighting in self-abasement’ –

In context the meaning is clearly referring to a false portrayal of humility. The false teachers did not use a dogmatic approach to proclaim their deception which would have been easily discerned. Their teachings were much more dangerous because they portrayed themselves as humble and modest in order to disarm the Colossian's natural defenses against false doctrine. But what these “teachers” were proclaiming contradicted the clear teachings of Scripture that had been taught to them. The same method is usually used by the so-called enlightened people today to change a majority opinion into a radical, bigoted, non-enlightened minority opinion. Consider the way that abortion and homosexuality have been introduced into society and have become the majority opinion so easily.
In this Paul was letting them know that they took great pleasure practicing their religion and making sure everyone around them knew it. These false teachers were very proud of their self-made religion. Their humility was just a way to mask their pride from the general populous, making themselves look spiritual and devout to everyone around them. But pride never brings spirituality.

‘worship of the angels’ –

Definition: ‘worship’ – The Greek word, thrēskeia { thrace-ki'-ah } means religious worship, especially external, that which consists of ceremonies, religious discipline. Louw and Nida define it this way, “appropriate beliefs and devout practice of obligations relating to supernatural persons and powers—‘religion, piety.’” [5]
Most commentators attempt to link the false humility above as referring to the worship of angels in this portion of the verse. I believe this is a mistake. Paul would seem to be addressing two separate items. Their prideful false humility was bad, but their worship of angels was much worse.
Although some commentators disagree about the meaning of the “worship of angels”, it is a historical fact that angel worship was an integral part of the geographical region around Colossae for centuries. There was a proclamation at the church council in Laodicea in 363 AD warning believers not to abandon the church to chase after angels. The archangel Michael was worshiped in Asia Minor as late as 739 AD.
Scripture strictly forbids this type of worship, even citing examples of angels that prevented it. In Mat 4:10, Jesus states that only God is to be worshiped, and we are given examples in Isa 6:1-4 and in Rev 5:11-12 that angels were to worship God. In Rev 19:10, when John fell on his face to worship an angel, he was rebuked by that angel and told to worship God. Clearly, worshiping any being in addition to or in their own right was and still is forbidden. If God is the creator of all, why would anyone want to worship an inferior created being?
Barnes saw this reference as referring to a reverence for, not a worship of, angels. The word, 'worship' in this verse is used only here and in Act 26:6 and James 1:26-27. The meaning is simply 'religion', a humble reverence and devotion which he says is captured in Jas 1:26-7. One might view it as the way Catholics view their saints and the Orthodox their relics. Whether Barnes is correct or not about Paul's meaning at the time he wrote this, true angel worship did develop in this area and among Christians, even though one could view this as a direct statement not to practice it. Because worship of angels did exist in this area, I would disagree with Barnes' view.
Paul's point, Calvin reminds us, is that there should not be any human or angelic mediator between God and mankind, or Christ and mankind. There is only one mediator, Jesus Christ. (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 12:24) Only in Him do we gain direct access to God, redemption, forgiveness and life. To seek another way is, in essence, to reject Christ.
What has been missed here is, ‘why was there worship of angels?’ Calvin made a great point here – some assumed that it gave them free or a more direct access to God. Angels are created beings whose sole purpose is to serve God and His will. Praying to them is meaningless because they do not serve you or your purposes. Venerating them is meaningless as well since they are not directed by you and your wants and needs. They are neither omniscient or omnipresent.
John MacArthur points out something very important to not miss in this text. If you are worshipping something other than God, then you are denying the truth found in 1 Tim 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” One has to ask - what is the purpose of worshipping angels when you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior? [6]
The worship and veneration of angels is not really that different from the veneration of Mary and the ‘saints’ in Catholicism and religious icons in Eastern Orthodoxy. But there is no angel or deceased human that can intervene for you because, according to Scripture, as God, Jesus is the only one that can do this. And, He is the only one you want doing this because Jesus is the one that died for your sins, just like He died for Mary and the ‘saints’. Mary was a human woman who needed a Savior, her Son Jesus, just like the Catholic ‘saints’ were humans and needed a Savior. They are not omniscient or omnipresent, they are just like me and you, for whom Scripture calls ‘saints,’ and we are neither omniscient nor omnipresent.
Calvin said this, “For just so far do we recede from Christ, when we transfer the smallest part of what belongs to [Him] to any others, whether they be angels or men.” [7]

‘taking his stand on visions he has seen’ – (2:18c)

Definition: ‘taking his stand’ (‘intruding into’ - KJV) – The Greek word, embateuo { em-bat-yoo’-o }, which only occurs in the NT once, means to enter, to frequent, haunt; to invade, make hostile incursion into; to go into details in narrating; to investigate, search into, scrutinize minutely.
Definition: ‘on visions he has seen’ (‘those things which he hath not seen’ - KJV) – The Greek word, horao { hor-ah’-o } means to see with the eyes; to see with the mind, to perceive, know; to become acquainted with by experience; to take heed, beware.
Their search for the “truth” consisted of seeking visions at any cost. Some were demonic revelations; others were fabricated lies to make them appear to others as part of the spiritually enlightened. These were visions that they claimed to have had and believed that they had had or at least were able to convince others they had had, but in reality had never actually seen anything real, even if it was real to them. (Eze 131:3; 1 Tim 1:6-7) Their revelations are captured in some of the later Gnostic writings where they expound upon the nature of angels and their ranks and workings on the earth as well as all sorts of visions about Jesus' and His childhood. These extra-biblical visions and revelations only served to support their aberrant teachings and drive themselves and others further and further from the truth.
The sad part about this is that some of their teachings have survived and lived on in some of the 'traditions' still taught and believed in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, like the abilities of dead Saints and power of relics, as well as the current obsession with angels. They also live on in the Protestant churches in the teachings of some charismatic and Pentecostal churches some 2000 yrs later. Just as it did in Paul's day, these teachings became important topics to investigate and elaborate upon and reproduce. Visions and revelations were compared and inferences added and expounded to the point that they became the foundation of whole new religious systems of thought. Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormonism, just to name a few, are some of those religious systems. (Duet 29:29)

‘inflated without cause by his fleshly mind’ – (2:18d)

Definition: ‘inflated’ (‘puffed up’ - KJV) – The Greek word, phusioo { foo-see-o’-o } means to inflate, blow up or to cause to swell up; to be puffed up, to bear one’s self in an arrogantly superior manner.
Definition: ‘fleshly’ – The Greek word, sarx { sarx } means a living creature, something that possesses a body of flesh; the flesh denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God.
Definition: ‘mind’ – The Greek word, nous { nooce } means the mind, comprising the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining; the intellectual faculty, the understanding.
Putting together the definitions of these three words, this speaks of someone that thinks very highly of themselves for the things they have done, whether deserved or not. This can occur in several different ways. It could be that someone believes that they are hearing directly from God, in which case many times they can begin to think quite highly of themselves as everyone around them begins to believe that they have some special quality of ability that they themselves might lust for or desire. As those around them begin to think higher and higher of their communications with “god”, the person at first usually “humbly” rejects the lofty platitudes being poured out on them. But in time, they become convinced of their worthiness to receive the praise and adoration from others heaped upon them. And as they do, they become less and less humble. Sometimes a person's desire is to deceive others and to do that, they pretend to be humble, even to the point of self-abasement. Their perceived humility only serves to draw the unsuspecting further into their trap. (Mat 15:14; 1 Tim 1:17; 1 Cor 4:6; 1 Cor 8:1)
In either case, the person is depending upon their human reason and intellect. And as everyone should already know, all true wisdom is from God, not from man. The very second that mankind believes that he is the source of wisdom, and he already does in his major pursuits of philosophy and the sciences, he is already pridefully self-centered about himself and his accomplishments, patting himself on the back for his great discoveries (Col 2:8). Every commentator said basically the same thing – true humility is very difficult to maintain. It is the carnal mind of mankind that presumes that he can hear for himself, or as is the case of some Christians, that he can always hear perfectly from God. (Rom 8:6-8)
The worst part of these false teachings is that they can cause believers to doubt the truths they have come to know and understand. By seeking these “supernatural” understandings or experiences, they end up undermining the very faith and hope that brought them into a relationship with Christ in the first place. The commentator makes a vital point we must never forget,

We do not see visions and dream dreams any more, except here and there some one led astray by a so-called "spiritualism," but plenty of us attach more importance to our own subjective fancies or speculations about the obscurer parts of Christianity than to the clear revelation of God in Christ. The "unseen world" has for many minds an unwholesome attraction. The Gnostic spirit is still in full force among us, which despises the foundation facts and truths of the gospel as "milk for babes," and values its own baseless artificial speculations about subordinate matters, which are unrevealed because they are subordinate, and fascinating to some minds because unrevealed, far above the truths which are clear because they are vital, and insipid to such minds because they are clear. We need to be reminded that Christianity is not for speculation, but to make us good, and that "He who has fashioned their hearts alike," has made us all to live by the same air, to be nourished by the same bread from heaven, to be saved and purified by the same truth. That is the gospel which the little child can understand, of which the outcast and the barbarian can get some kind of hold, which the failing spirit groping in the darkness of death can dimly see as its light in the valley—that is the all-important part of the gospel. What needs special training and capacity to understand is no essential portion of the truth that is meant for the world. [8]

‘and not holding fast to the head’ – (2:19a)

Who is the head? Christ Jesus of course! We are to hold onto our faith in Christ with every fiber of our being. In the physical body, the head is the most important part of the human anatomy. You can live without an arm, have your heart or lungs transplanted but you cannot lose or replace the head. The brain directs everything in the body: movement, breathing, every aspect of the human body. And that is the place that Christ fills for the Christian and for the Church – the head. As Calvin said, all things flow from Him and depend upon Him. All things flow from our head, Jesus Christ. Without Him, we are hopelessly lost and completely out of control.
To lose hold of our spiritual head is to lose our bearings in this life. As one commentator said, “He who does not hold Christ solely and supremely above all others, does not hold Him at all” [9] This is a task that every believer must do. We cannot just attach ourselves to a spiritual leader and go along for the ride. No one can do this for us; it is something that we must do for ourselves.

‘from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God’ – (2:19b)

Definition: ‘being supplied’ (‘having nourishment ministered’ – KJV; ‘supported’ – NIV) – The Greek word, epichoregeo { ep-ee-khor-ayg-eh’-o } means to be supplied, ministered to, assisted, furnished. Louw and Nida define it this way, “to make available whatever is necessary to help or supply the needs of someone.” [10]
Definition: ‘held together’ (‘knit together’ – KJV) – The Greek word, sumbibazo { soom-bib-ad’-zo } means to cause to coalesce, to join together, put together; to put together in one’s mind; to cause a person to unite with one in a conclusion or come to the same opinion, to prove, demonstrate.

‘from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments’ –

Each of these words are present tense and they denote a continuous action. We are constantly being supplied, and we are constantly being held together. We cannot do this in our own strength, or of our own accord.
We are connected together with God, joined in a spiritual union with Christ. But the union is not only to Christ, but to each other as well. We are joined to each other – our brothers and sisters in Christ – in the same way that we are joined to Christ. (1 Co 10:17, 12:12, 12:20, 12:25, 12:27)
The entire body is the church. And it can only stand if it is being supplied by its source, its head, who is Christ. The body moves because of the joint and ligaments which give flexibility and allow for movement. But it cannot move of its own accord, but only by the direction given by its source.
I believe this extended to both the local church body and the global body of Christ. How many are encouraged or taught by believers outside of their local body? When venturing outside the local body, one has to be careful – think about the passage we are examining – but there are great ministries that all Christians can gain valuable instruction from.
‘grows with a growth which is from God’ – As we are in Christ, we grow, we mature, we become the people that God intends for us to become. (Eph 4:16; 1 Cor 3:6; 1 Th 3:12; 4:10; 2 Th 1:3)

(18) Let no one defraud you [or deprive you of your due reward] of your prize [your freedom in Christ and your salvation] by insisting on mock [or false] humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about visions [he claims] he has seen [to justify his authority], puffed up [in conceit] by his unspiritual mind, (19) and not holding fast to the head [of the body, Jesus Christ], from whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with the growth [that can come only] from God. (Col 2:18-19)

Footnotes

Max Anders, Galatians-Colossians, vol. 8, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 309.
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 364.
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 300.
Ibid, 530.
Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 460.

The primary sources for this study use J. Hampton Keathley III, Paul’s Letter to the Colossians: An Exegetical and Devotional Commentary, from bible.org, Copyright ©1996-2020 Bible.org, (Col 1:1 through 2:10), and all attributions are reprinted with permission granted by bible.org; and John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians & Philemon, (Moody Bible Institute: ©1992). I drew heavily upon his chapter and division headings.

This study uses many of the commentaries, dictionaries and the Greek Lexicon which are all part of 'The Online Bible', Computer Program, © 2023, Larry Pierce, http://www.onlinebible.net/, unless otherwise referenced. See Colossians Bible Study for full attribution. All word definitions are from either Strong's and/or part of the Online Bible Program.

Where noted, Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), p/o Logos Bible Software, Faithlife, LLC, © 2023.

All Scriptures quotes are from the New American Standard Bible, 1995 Revision, unless otherwise noted. Verse links from Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/

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