Let’s start by looking at 2 Tim 4:1, 2, 3, and 4 — “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ… 2 Preach the word… 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth (the gospel of Jesus Christ), and be turned aside to fables.” The word “CHARGE” is a very enforcing word. It’s like one who approaches the witness stand in a Courtroom to testify about a matter. So, it’s like Paul is testifying under oath in saying this. So, we want to understand the importance of what he is testifying about. To “preach the word” is not to preach the Bible, but it is to preach the gospel that Paul preached — which is the good news of Jesus Christ and His finished work, see Rom 16:25-26. These are the words of sound doctrine, that Paul tells us in v.3. Anything else someone preaches is considered to be “fables”, which turn people’s ears away from the truth of Jesus Christ. Can you see the importance of what Paul is testifying to? 

In part 1 of this study, we saw that the primary reason for people to latch onto religious fables and conspiracies is because of mixing the Old and New Testament Scriptures (the Old and New Covenant) together. We must understand that the Old Covenant is obsolete and no longer valid, because we are under an entirely different Covenant based on better promises. One should never use Old Testament Scriptures for New Covenant direction, because this leads one into error. In part 2, we saw that the New Covenant with its promises found in the New Testament letters is what we should be taking for our instructions. In this lesson, we will look at several ways that people use in reaching their own conspiracies.

The letter of Colossians is paramount for this inquiry, because Paul tells us all — Yes, every Christian — can be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Look at what he prayed in 1:9-10 — “9 we… do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”. In setting the spiritual stage for this letter, Paul prayed that we would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all, or every form of wisdom and spiritual understanding, that we may walk worthy of the Lord (like walking “worth one’s salt”, or behaving like God has designed in Christ, Eph 2:10). Paul wants us all to know the truth of God’s will, be fixated on it, and then to grow by it. 

In chapter 2, he elaborates on God’s will. Look at how he starts this chapter — “For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh”. Paul had an inner passion — a “grace-passion” — for us all (“for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”) So, let’s see ourselves in what Paul is saying here. He explains this inner conflict, or passion — “2 (This is my passion) that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God (His will), both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom (Christ) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Notice how the mystery of God’s will encourages us and unites us together in love; then it causes us to obtain all riches of the full assurance of understanding!  Sounds to me like being filled with the knowledge of God’s will causes tremendous growth and maturity in the Body of Christ!

In a nutshell, Christ (His finished work) is the mystery of God’s will! 

There’s an old religious conspiracy that says, “God moves in a mysterious way; His wonders to perform.” Sadly, many Christians have bought into this conspiracy “hook, line and sinker”. But there is no mystery for us about God’s will; for His will is revealed in Christ, and that’s where we are! This means that you and I, as Christians, are in God’s will, and everything that God has done for us through Christ is His will. We don’t need to pray or fast to get it, because we are already in it, and we already possess it! But because of the religious conspiracy about the mystery of God’s will, many have remained stagnant in their spiritual knowledge, growth and maturity in Christ; ending up thinking that they can somehow venture outside His will by the bad choices and actions they make (This always keeps Christians in the bondage of condemnation).

In this 2nd chapter, Paul mentions 6 definitive ways that religious conspiracies come. 

1. Conspiracies come “with persuasive words”, (v.4). This reminds me of a smooth, talking salesman who makes his sales pitch. People get some emotionally moved and persuaded by his pitch, they buy his product. But we understand that just because salesmen sound convincing, doesn’t mean that their products are good. Likewise, just because someone’s message sounds good, moving and “Scriptural”, doesn’t mean that it is according to the truth of God’s will in Christ, see 2 Cor 11:3-4. God’s truth is always found in Jesus’s finished work and the word of His grace.

2. Conspiracies come “through philosophy and empty deceit”, (v.8). Philosophies are centered around theories, ideas and generalizations, rather than the truth that is in Jesus. Empty deceptions are empty promises, dreamed up and fabricated by heaping a bunch of Scriptures together. They might sound nice and spiritual, but if it’s not according to the promises in Christ, then those messages are completely rubbish, see 2 Cor 1:20. 

3. Conspiracies come “according to the tradition of men”, (v.8). Many of these philosophies and empty deceptions are passed down from one generation to the next. Somebody said, “Momma taught it, and we bought it!” Just because a teaching has been around “forever”, doesn’t mean it’s correct according to the truth of God’s will in Christ. After having my eyes opened to the riches of God’s grace, I was amazed at all the traditional teaching I was clinging to, that I had to unlearn.

4. Conspiracies come “according to the basic principles of the world”, (v.8). The basic principles of the world are those things that appeal to our 5 physical senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. Many seem to base their teachings from their natural viewpoints. Then may use verses from the Bible to back up their theories. 

5. Conspiracies come from using the law of Moses, (2:14-16). These teachings demand such things as observance to certain cherry-picked laws on meats, drinks, holy days, new moons, feasts, and sabbaths. For some reason, people think that giving others law, it will help them stay on track and not turn to ungodly behavior. But the law strengthens sin, see 1 Cor 15:56. The law was never intended for one to hopscotch around in — it was an all-in approach to its 613 laws for people to obey. Look at what he said in v.17 — “(These things of the law) are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” I like how Paul compared the Old Covenant SHADOW to the New Covenant SUBSTANCE. People can look at a shadow and be fooled into thinking that it’s the real thing. A shadow can be a clever counterfeit of what’s real, but it can never produce the power that only the truth can.

6. Conspiracies come from false fantasy and ideas that try to imitate the gospel, (2:18-23). Some think that the more “spiritual” a message sounds, the more accurate it must be with God’s will. I think of beliefs like Christian Science or Scientology, and many other metaphysical mysticisms which many have been deceived by (Which all have their roots in Gnosticism that Paul and John addressed in their letters). But I have counselled people who believed that if it sounds real spiritual and gives them “goosebumps”, then it must be true. Paul says that such teachings are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. We need to know the difference between emotional peace and spiritual peace, because one of them is very misleading.