The Danger of Error
A Sermon on Colossians 2:8
Scripture
8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Sermon Description
What robs a Christian of joy? In this sermon on Colossians 2:8 titled “The Danger of Error,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones highlights error and heresy as contributors to a joyless life. These thieves demand knowledge beyond what God has revealed, and leave the Christian feeling empty and hollow. Listen as Dr. Lloyd-Jones explores the ancient heresy known as Gnosticism, relating it and applying it today. This counterfeit religion must be fought against, and error must be avoided. Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides practical advice on how to avoid such heresy and, in doing so, highlights heresies of his own day. Certain characteristics are woven throughout religious falsehoods which, when understood, alert Christians of their error. Countering these hollow philosophies, the believer must beware of the lust of the mind and be content with what God has revealed in His word. Anything that goes beyond the Scriptures simply puffs up one’s mind instead of exalting Christ. While there is certainly an initial thrill, heresy and error leave the person joyless and empty. Joy comes not from philosophy, but from Christ. The fight for joy is therefore a fight to exalt Christ. Christ is supreme and true.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon text comes from Colossians 2:8 which warns against false teachings.
- The sermon addresses the topic of spiritual depression and its causes. The sermon series has covered other causes of spiritual depression in previous weeks.
- This sermon focuses on false teachings and philosophies as a cause of spiritual depression.
- The church in Colosse was dealing with false teachings known as the Colossian heresy or gnosticism. This was a mixture of Jewish legalism, pagan mysticism, and Greek philosophy.
- Gnosticism appealed to intellectual speculation, legalistic practices, and mystical experiences. On the surface, gnostics seemed very devout but they lacked joy.
- The devil counterfeits the Christian faith by appealing to the mind, heart, and will - just like the true gospel. But his teachings are a mixture, not the whole truth.
- This heresy was a danger especially for intellectual people who enjoy speculation. The early church fought false teachings from Judaism and Greek philosophy for centuries.
- These false teachings come in different forms but have the same characteristics: pride, zeal without knowledge, a focus on methods and experiences, and a lack of focus on Christ.
- We can test teachings by their source (God's word or man's ideas), whether they oversimplify the faith, whether they promise blessing through a method, and whether they glorify Christ.
- To avoid these false teachings, keep Christ central, watch your heart for pride, beware speculation, balance your reading, and stay humble before God.
- True teaching will make you more aware of your sin and dependence on Christ.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Spiritual Depression and False Teaching
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the "Colossian heresy" and why is it dangerous for Christians?
The Colossian heresy, which Dr. Lloyd-Jones discusses, was a form of gnosticism - a mixture of intellectual speculation, Jewish legalism, and ascetic practices. It included speculation about the origin of the world, the origin of evil, and the belief that matter is essentially evil. It incorporated worship of angels and various aesthetic practices. This heresy is dangerous because it diverts attention from Christ, leads to spiritual pride, and robs believers of their joy in Christ. As Lloyd-Jones explains, "The devil, in his cleverness and in his subtlety, doesn't approach all people with the same thing," and this particular heresy was designed to appeal to intellectually-minded Christians.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest we can test whether a teaching is true or false?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides several tests to evaluate teachings: 1. Examine what the teaching is based upon - is it derived from Scripture or from "the tradition of men"? 2. Check if Christ is central - does it glorify Him or something else? 3. Consider if it offers a simplistic "shortcut" to spiritual growth (false teachings typically do) 4. Determine if it's based on adopting some system or method rather than relationship with Christ 5. Observe whether it leads to spiritual pride or humility As he states: "The great question to ask always is this, what is the teaching based upon?" and "Does it glorify him? And does it make it quite plain and clear that apart from him, there is nothing?"
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, what is the danger of intellectual speculation for Christians?
Lloyd-Jones warns that intellectual speculation can lead to pride ("knowledge puffeth up"), distract from Christ, and cause believers to lose their joy. He specifically cautions against "the lusts of the mind" - the desire to understand everything, even things God has not revealed. He mentions examples like speculating about the origin of evil, life after death, and certain details about the second coming. This leads to believers being "shaken in their faith" and becoming unhappy as they lose sight of Christ. As he states, "My dear friends, beware of speculation. Beware of the lusts of the mind."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones recommend Christians should approach reading and learning?
Lloyd-Jones doesn't discourage reading or learning but advocates for balanced and Christ-centered study. His recommendations include: 1. Keep Christ and your relationship to Him central in all your study 2. Balance your reading - "When I'm trying to read a book on pure theology or on philosophy, I always read at the same time the biography of a saint" 3. Watch your heart for signs of pride or superiority 4. Be content with what Scripture reveals and don't speculate beyond it 5. Seek "more knowledge and understanding" of Christ rather than less knowledge overall He emphasizes: "The way to test any teaching or any view of life, finally, is this. Does it make you think better of Christ? Does it magnify him? Does it exalt him?"
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say about the relationship between philosophy and theology?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a critical distinction between philosophy and theology, stating that "the great trouble in the church for the last hundred years has been that philosophy has taken the place of theology." He explains that theology properly extracts doctrines from the Bible, while philosophy is "men putting down on paper their thoughts about God, what he's like and what he ought to do, and about the Lord Jesus Christ and trying to make the scriptures fit into their theory." He warns that even when philosophical approaches use biblical terms, they may be imposing human ideas onto scripture rather than drawing truth from it. This creates a man-centered rather than Christ-centered approach to faith.
Spiritual Depression
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.