Disconnected. Colossians 2:19. The distractions of legalism and the illusions of mysticism often trap those deceived by false teachings. Believers should not submit to man-made religious rituals and lose their freedom in Christ by diminishing God's work to something material. Nor should they replace righteousness in Christ with rules, or at least not ones that undermine His righteousness lived out through God's people. The act of self-abasement and the worship of angels instead of worshiping God shows man's attempt to be equal with God through his own effort or to bring God down to man's level. Replacing the clear word of God with vague visions from the imagination is a human effort to elevate self-centered men, where intellectual arrogance replaces true humility. All these substitutes serve men’s desire to be independent from God rather than to rely on Him, the Lord and head of the church.
Those who lack a spiritual understanding of who Christ is and who those who believe in Him are have no connection with Christ, the Head of the body. The view of the Lord Jesus Christ that the false teachers in Colosse held was incorrect because they did not believe that Jesus was God. We know He is the Head of creation, angels, and the church, and He is God. This is fundamental to Christianity. “In all things,” He has the preeminence. Losing connection with Him leads to a pseudo-worship that appeals to the flesh because that is all it is – “a fair show in the flesh.”
To dishonor Christ is to disown Him, which shows that faith in Christ is not in a person. The church is a living body connected and held together because of our link to the Lord Jesus, the Head of the church. Without connection to our Head, a person has no nourishment, usefulness, or spiritual life. The life of the Head is what gives life to the members, enabling them to grow and work together in harmony.
False teachers promote additions that are not from God and only draw attention to themselves. A properly functioning body is “knit together” in God's love, and any mystical experiences have no value, reason, profit, or use in the church's functioning. Love and concern for one another unify God’s people and foster spiritual growth in both the church and individuals.
A body doesn't function properly if the parts are not connected, not just to each other but also to the head. In fact, if the head isn't constantly instructing each part, not just one part but the entire body is in danger of failing. Every body part, from the smallest cell to the largest bone or muscle, is interconnected, forming a single smoothly operating unit. When each part in the Body of Christ fulfills its specific purpose, the Head directs the whole to function effectively.
When any false teacher or someone who tries to be independent attempts to attach himself to the body like an appendage, he does not receive life from the Head because he is not part of the whole. He is like an open sore that cannot be helped or bandaged. His source of life is not from the Head of the body but from some demon or a blinded man's mind. The connection he has is a dark spirit seeking to bring God down and elevate himself. His false teachings must be removed from the assembly of God’s people.
True body parts respond to God's Word and grow stronger as they hear the Spirit of God's teachings through His servants. They apply what they've learned in serving the Lord, and each part, working together, will produce lasting fruit because it is rooted in the truth. The appendix will soon disappear because it has no life and does not receive life from the body. There will be no confusion in the work or in the unity of the group that makes up the body. It will remain one functioning unit, working together to fulfill God's will.
There is great strength in truth, and by its nature, truth exposes errors. The Christian's position is that of one who is "in the world but not of the world." Christianity stands out against man-made superstitions that may have a good appearance but are valueless. The rules of men are not spiritual and tend to draw us away from Christ, robbing us of the blessings that are available by faith. As those who belong to Christ, we are dead to the ordinances of human schemes. The deception that results from self-imposed pseudo-humility must be rejected. We are brought out from under the worldly elements, and there should be no connection of the living with that which is dead.