This message concludes our series on J + N = E by looking at the last of the four heresies that the church in Colosse was facing. This heresy, ASCETICISM, was deadly because people were told that "if you're a Christian, there are things you just don't do." Many traditional evangelical churches have also gotten caught up in this way of thinking, which like the other heresies, focuses on human action rather than on Christ's work on the cross.
This message comes to the third "religion" that people were adding to Christianity in the church at Colosse. This addition, MYSTICISM, like all the others merely takes away from Christ, but people still loved the subjectivity of it. In this passage we will see again Paul's strong warning and why mysticism is so deadly.
This message looks at the second "religion" that is often added to salvation. This is known as legalism. Paul is careful to point out that you can choose to do certain things because you are a Christian but you should never measure your spirituality (or someone else's) by those things. This particular heresy is one of the most common found in churches today.
This message begins a four-week series that focuses on the various things that people often want to "add" to their salvation. These are not new as Paul dealt with them 2000 years ago and we still fight them today. In this message, we will learn of the first of those heresies, Humanism, and why it can add nothing to our salvation.