Memorize: Objections to false teachers
Key Verses: 3, 8, 9, 13, 17, 22
All the self-help books would stop being produced if people got a hold of the Truth in this section of Scripture. Wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ! This does not mean that when we become Jesus-followers we get God’s hard drive downloaded into our brains. But, we do get connected to His resources and knowledge. He passes along to us what we need in the moment in a way that brings Him the glory and honor that is rightfully His. Because we have a worldview that includes the Creator, we don’t get sucked into defending infinite complexity accidentally happening. No cosmic soup pond lightening stories for us. We don’t need aliens from other planets seeding life here. Talk about needing faith to believe!
Because we accept that God created order and structure to the world rather than random chance and chaos, we can accept reality as it is, rather than fantasy as we need it to be. Because we are not afraid to have God in the equation, reality makes sense. Brokenness makes sense. This wisdom and knowledge is a treasure worth holding onto and valuing. It will hold us fast in the every-changing winds of “newest” innovation and idea. We won’t get hoodwinked into believing that all religions teach the same thing. What stupidity! What naiveté! The millions of gods of Hinduism cannot be the same as the one God of Christianity. 1 ≠ 100,000,000! The god “who used to be like us” of Mormonism is not the same at our unchanging God of Christianity.
When we have Christ we have all the reality of God. We get the benefits of being identified with Christ in His redemptive work: life, death and resurrection. This is reality. The outward trappings of religious practice that change over time and across cultures are not the reality. They are but shadows cast by the Truth itself.
Do you remember the game played at the bus stop where you stepped on other people’s shadows? What an empty game. But it is no emptier than trying to please God by attempting to gain His favor by what we do. All we do accomplishes nothing. Because of what Jesus has already done, we are already accepted by God. We have the reality. Why would we want to grab shadows?
Review: Philippians
The Arnold Journey 