Spiritual Drift - The Colossian Heresy

Colossians 2:6-7
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving."

Paul wrote this letter from prison (likely in Rome around AD 60–61) to a church he’d never visited personally. Paul had only heard of the church in Colossae, he'd never been there or met these people he wrote to. It sort of organically evolved out of the witness of the gospel that was spreading throughout southern Asia Minor.

The city was part of the Roman and Byzantine province of Phrygia, along the road through the Lycus Valley near the Lycus River at the foot of Mt. Cadmus, the highest mountain in Turkey's western Aegean Region. In antiquity it was notable for its healing springs and its veneration of the Archangel Michael.

It seems that lies and heresies were spreading throughout that region, to which Paul was addressing. And it seems that people have a penchant for heresy. Almost a hereditary spirit of heresy. It's almost as if a group of people will choose to identify themselves according to the heretical beliefs in order to elevate their own destiny and status. And so they seek out the mysterious, the miraculous, the mystical powers of nature. And I think this comes about as a result of the desire to find a solution to the problem of faith, the unknown, the uncertainty, the lack of trust. They seek a resolution to the problem of assurance. An explanation. A scientific study that is measured and supported by observation. And so they follow after places of interest, people of interest, events and spirits at the root of some kind of supernatural phenomena. Following a spiritual drift, after the allure of "extra" experiences beyond the sufficiency of Christ.

The Colossian error was sort of a blend of spiritual heresies, not limited to just Jewish legalism, or the mystical worship of angelic beings. A good deal of eastern philosophy was also mingled into the overall scene, generally through the harsh treatment of the body by ascetic purity rituals. This syncretism; the mixing of Jewish elements, Greek philosophy, and pagan mysticism, promised greater assurance, deeper spirituality, and control over the uncertainties of genuine faith.

I'm convinced that this is the case in all sects of Christianity that have blended off into some form of syncretism. It always comes down to a problem of faith, a lack of understanding the dynamics of faith. And most importantly, a lack of trust in Christ's Spirit that is indwelling in those who walk in faith.

They all have one thing in common, a subtle, seductive shift away from the pure sufficiency of Christ toward a mixed, diluted faith that promises more but delivers less.

Paul delivers a remedy, the command is straightforward; continue in the same simple, trusting way you began with. Receive Christ by faith alone. No additions, no upgrades needed. He identifies the tension and the origins of the drift. It's a lack of trust, and an inability to continue in that trust without supplemental experiences.

There's never enough to hold them firm in their faith. Never enough information. Never enough evidence. Never enough provable facts or eye witnesses. Never enough love for God and most certainly never enough God in Christ Jesus. The root of their spiritual drift isn’t intellectual deficiency or insufficient evidence, it’s a deeper relational issue. It's akin to Daddy hatred. They just can't love God enough to take him at His word. They can't simply accept Him [Jesus] as the logos, the divine truth. They simply can't see the logic inherent in the gospel. It's a deep-seated resistance or distrust toward God the Father, projected onto His Word and His Son. They can’t simply take Him at His word because, at core, they won’t love Him enough to surrender the need for control, proof, or self-justification.

And so, it's the relentless pursuit of "more"; more evidence, more proofs, more experiences, more demonstrations of devotion. But really it masks their lack of understanding, not a lack of data, but a profound relational fracture in their spirit. It’s less about the mind needing convincing and more about the heart refusing to rest in trust.

Paul doesn’t diagnose the Colossian problem as intellectual shortfall; he calls it captivity to "philosophy and empty deceit". The false teachers offered supplements because the gospel’s simplicity felt insufficient, too vulnerable, too dependent. Faith is just too hard, and they are too hardwired to resist. Their hunger for extras reveals unbelief in the reality of Christ's completeness.

Maybe they experienced the indwelling, they heard the gospel, and even experienced the Holy Spirit. But the relationship got taken captive by the culture of synchronicity. Paul insists the issue is Christological and relational.

"In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him"

But somehow something got in the way. Or maybe they couldn't get out of their own way. I believe it's a problem of submission. People know God exists and His character, yet they exchange His glory for created things because they hate the submission His truth demands. They love self-sovereignty more than surrender. In the Colossian context, adding rituals, visions, or intermediaries wasn’t just some innocent curiosity; it subtly rejects Christ’s full sufficiency, implying "He’s good, but not enough for me to trust without backups."

And we see this spirit of drift continues even today. The gospel’s inherent logic is devastatingly simple yet profoundly offensive to the autonomous heart who cannot or will not submit to it.

The logic:

God is holy and just → sin demands judgment.

We are sinners → we can’t fix ourselves.

Christ is God incarnate, fully sufficient → His death and resurrection pay it all.

Faith alone unites us to Him → no additions needed.

To embrace that logic means admitting we’re not in control, that we’re dependent, that God’s Word is trustworthy even when feelings or circumstances scream otherwise. Refusing it isn’t rationality triumphing over faith; it’s the heart’s rebellion against relational surrender. That's what it truly boils down to, they simply can't surrender to faith. And maybe that's the dynamic at work in predestination. It’s where the rubber meets the road in the tension between human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

When hearts resist this relational yielding; clinging to autonomy, demanding "extras," or rejecting simple trust, it’s rebellion against the very nature of saving faith.

Could this same dynamic explain why some embrace faith while others persistently reject it, even when confronted with the gospel’s clear logic?

I think so.

Faith is God’s gift, securing us against this drift. It doesn’t nullify the call to trust but undergirds it with unbreakable divine faithfulness. Some just aren't going to submit to that.

I thank God that I have.

Amen.