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In this message we shall begin to consider the degradation of the church.
There is a difference between the failures in the churches and the degradation of the church. The failures are not serious in a basic way. Whereas the failures in the churches are not that basic, the degradation of the church is more than basic, for it cuts the root of the life, living, and growth of the church. Unlike failure, degradation not only brings in wrongdoings but cuts the root of the church “tree.”
Seemingly, James’s compromising with certain Old Testament practices was nearly the same as a part of the degradation of the church. However, this failure was different from people in the church taking in the Old Testament, as the Judaizers did. The Judaizers were more basic a problem than James was in compromising. It was a failure for James to compromise. Nevertheless, James did not take in the Old Testament. Misunderstanding James, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem thought that he was for the Old Testament. They called a congregation and asked James to give them a word. James spoke absolutely for Jesus Christ, not for the Old Testament, and due to his speaking he was put to death. Therefore, our criticism of James should be limited. Although he compromised, he was not for the Old Testament and he was not a Judaizer.
By comparing the compromise of James with the work of the Judaizers we can see that the degradation of the church is worse than a failure in the church. Degradation is not merely a failure, which is not that basic or vital. Because degradation kills the life of the church, cutting the root of the tree, it is more basic and vital than a failure. We need to be impressed with this as we consider the various aspects of the degradation of the church described in the New Testament.
The first aspect of the degradation of the church was the church’s being taken over by the Gnostic philosophy and the elements of the world — the rudimentary teachings of both Jews and Gentiles, consisting of ritualistic observances in such things as meats, drinks, washings, and asceticism (Col. 2:8, 16, 20-22; Titus 1:14-15). Gnosticism is a composition of Greek and Oriental philosophy and Jewish religion. When the church spread to the Gentile world, the church was contaminated by Gnosticism. This contamination became a root problem in the church; it nearly cut off the entire root of the church life. Therefore, Gnosticism was a serious threat to the existence of the church life.
Because of the danger of Gnosticism, Paul said in Colossians 2:8, “Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.” The word “spoil” here does not mean to damage; it means to be a prey or a captive. Those who are carried off as spoil are carried off into captivity. In Greek the word rendered “his” before “philosophy” is the emphatic article. Hence, it denotes a particular philosophy. The philosophy through which the believers at Colosse were carried off as spoil was Gnosticism, a mixture of Jewish, Oriental, and Greek philosophies. As Paul indicates, Gnosticism is empty deceit.
The philosophy and empty deceit in this verse is according to the tradition of men. The source of the Gnostic teaching at Colosse was the tradition of men. It did not depend on the revealed writings of God but on the traditional practices of men.
The philosophy and empty deceit in 2:8 are not only according to the tradition of men but also according to the elements of the world, Here and in Colossians 2:20 and Galatians 4:3 the expression “the elements of the world” does not refer to substances; rather, it refers to the rudimentary teachings of both Jews and Gentiles, teachings that consist of ritualistic observances in meats, drinks, washings, and asceticism. In the eyes of Paul, the traditions of men were merely elementary principles. These traditions are included with the elementary principles of the world.
Paul concludes Colossians 2:8 by saying that the philosophy and empty deceit are not according to Christ. Christ is the governing principle of all genuine wisdom and knowledge, the reality of all genuine teaching, and the only measure of all concepts acceptable to God.
In Colossians 2:16 and 17 Paul goes on to say, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” The Greek words rendered “in eating and in drinking” may also be translated “in food and in drink.” Food and drink signify satisfaction and strengthening. The feasts denote the annual Jewish festivals, which signify joy and enjoyment, and the new moon signifies a new beginning with light in darkness. Furthermore, the Sabbaths signify completion and rest. All these items of the ceremonial law are a shadow of the spiritual things in Christ, just as a shadow is a figure of a person’s body. The festivals, the new moons, the Sabbaths, and the regulations concerning eating and drinking all were shadows. The body, the solid substance, of the shadows is Christ.
In Colossians 2:20 Paul says, “If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why as living in the world do you subject yourself to ordinances.” The elements of the world include Jewish observances, heathen ordinances, and philosophy. They also include mysticism and asceticism. The elements of the world are the elementary principles of worldly society, the rudimentary principles invented by mankind and practiced in society. With Christ we have died to these elements of the world. When Christ was crucified, we were crucified also. In His crucifixion we were released from the elementary principles of the world.
Since we have died with Christ from the elements of the world, Paul asks us why as living in the world we subject ourselves to ordinances, to the elementary principles from which we have died in Christ. The world in verse 20 refers not to the physical earth but to human society. Therefore, here Paul is asking the believers why they still subject themselves to ordinances as if they were still living in human society.
In verse 21 Paul lists some of these ordinances: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” These are rules and regulations in material things. These rules refer respectively to things that move, to things that are edible, and to things that are tangible. Handling, tasting, and touching include virtually every kind of action. Because these regulations are related to the practice of asceticism, to submit to ordinances concerning handling, tasting, and touching is to practice asceticism.
In Titus 1:14 and 15 Paul again addresses the influence of Gnosticism. The first part of verse 14 says, “Not paying attention to Jewish myths.” The Greek word translated “myths” here refers to words, speeches, and conversations concerning such things as rumors, reports, stories, and fictions. It may include Jewish stories of miracles, or rabbinical fabrications. These myths were the profane and old-womanish tales (1 Tim. 4:7). The Jewish myths mentioned here may have been the seed of the Gnostic mythologies.
In verse 14 Paul also mentions “commandments of men who turn away from the truth.” According to the following verse, these commandments must have been precepts concerning abstinence from meats and other things ordained by God for man’s use. These were the commandments of the earlier Gnostics, not the ascetics, who adopted their theosophy from Jewish sources, probably some derivation from the Mosaic law.
In verse 15 Paul continues, “All things are pure to the pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience have been defiled.” The statement, “All things are pure to the pure,” must have been a Christian maxim. The apostle quoted it to refute the commandments of men, that is, the precepts of abstinence, which forbade certain actions and the eating of certain foods (1 Tim. 4:3-5; Rom. 14:20).
Another aspect of the degradation of the church was the teaching of things different from the economy of God taught by the apostle, resulting in turning away from the apostle’s teaching. Acts 2:42 tells us that all the new believers continued steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles. What the apostles taught was according to God’s New Testament economy. But at a certain time some teachers began to teach certain biblical things, yet those things were different from the economy of God, that is, different from the teaching of the apostles. Eventually this resulted in a turning away from Paul’s teaching (2 Tim. 1:15).
In 1 Timothy 1:3 and 4 Paul says, “Even as I urged you, when I was going into Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus in order that you might charge certain ones not to teach differently, nor to occupy themselves with myths and unending genealogies, which give occasion for questionings rather than God’s dispensation which is in faith.” “Certain ones” were dissenting ones, as mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:6 and Galatians 1:7; 2:12. To teach differently was to teach myths, unending genealogies, and the law (1 Tim. 1:7-8), all of which were vain talking (v. 6), differing from the apostles’ teaching centered upon Christ and the church.
God’s dispensation, His household economy (Eph. 1:10; 3:9), is God’s household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people that He may have a household to express Himself, which household is the church, the Body of Christ (1 Tim. 3:15). Paul’s ministry was centered upon this economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17), whereas the differing teachings of the dissenting ones were used by God’s enemy to distract His people from this.
If we read 1 Timothy 1 carefully, we shall realize that what was condemned by the apostle as different teachings was not altogether heresy. Some taught things from the Old Testament such as genealogies (v. 4) and the law given by God to Moses (vv. 7-8). The law is not heresy, but to teach the law is a different teaching from the teaching of the apostles. Different teachings stress something other than Christ and the church. To be one in teaching is to be uniquely one in the teaching of the apostles, not in the minor things such as the presbytery, the gifts, baptism by immersion, foot-washing, head covering, or the ordinances of the Lord’s table. We should not stress things which are not so crucial to the central lane of God’s New Testament economy. We should not ignore them, but if we are taking care of the apostles’ teaching, they should not be the emphasis of our teaching.
In 1 Timothy 6:3-5a Paul says, “If anyone teaches differently and does not consent to healthy words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching which is according to godliness, he is blinded with pride, understanding nothing, but is sick with questionings and contentions of words, out of which come envy, strife, revilings, evil suspicions, perpetual wranglings of men corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth.” As in 1:3, to teach differently is to teach something that is different from the apostles’ teaching focused on Christ and the church. First Timothy 6:4 and 5 indicate that teachings differing from the healthy words of the Lord always issue from people’s pride with self-conceit which blinds them. Paul and his co-workers taught in a certain way, but some who were blinded with pride deliberately taught differently.
In verse 4 Paul uses the expression “sick with questionings.” To question and contend about words is a sickness. The word “reviling” in this verse means blasphemies. As in Colossians 3:8, it refers to revilings, railings toward man, not blasphemies toward God.
In verse 5 Paul speaks of “perpetual wranglings of men corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth.” The Greek words for “perpetual wranglings” can also be rendered “incessant quarrels.” These wranglings are carried on by men corrupted and depraved in mind and deprived, bereft, destitute, of the truth. The Greek word for “deprived” implies that these are ones who once possessed the truth, but now it has been put away from them. Hence, they are destitute of the truth.
In 1 Timothy 6:5b Paul speaks of those who suppose “godliness to be a means of gain.” They make godliness a way of gain — material profit, a gain-making trade. The desire for material gain is another reason certain ones teach differently from the economy of God taught by the apostles. Thus, because of pride and the desire for profit, for riches, some are teaching differently. Pride is related to wanting a name and a good reputation, and gain is related to money and material profit.
Paul’s Epistles are the completion of the divine revelation concerning God’s eternal purpose and economy (Col. 1:25). His ministry completes the revelation concerning the all-inclusive Christ and His universal Body, the church as His fullness to express Him. Nevertheless, in the degradation of the church, many turned away from Paul’s ministry. “This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me” (2 Tim. 1:15). This indicates that the believers in Asia, a province of the Roman Empire, who had formerly received the apostle’s ministry now forsook him. This means that they forsook not Paul’s person but his teaching, his ministry. Among the churches in Asia was the church in Ephesus, which was fully established by Paul’s ministry as recorded in Acts 19. The church in Ephesus received the gospel, the teaching, the edification, and the establishment from the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Nevertheless, due to the ministry of Apollos, the church in Ephesus took the lead to forsake Paul’s ministry. Those who turned away from Paul’s ministry deviated from God’s complete revelation, the center of which is Christ as the mystery in the saints (Col. 1:27).
Some expositors say that 2 Timothy 1:15 points to an apostasy, a departure from the truth. But what was the extent of the apostasy? I believe that “all who are in Asia” points to the general situation among the believers in Asia without including every particular believer. Generally speaking, there was apostasy in Asia.
Second Timothy 2:16-18 says, “Avoid profane, vain babblings, for they will advance to more ungodliness, and their word will spread as gangrene, of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have misaimed, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and overthrow the faith of some.” Here Paul refers to those who bring in heresies as gangrene. In verse 17 the Greek word rendered “spread” may also be translated “feed” or “eat.” Literally it means “will find pasture,” as in John 10:9. The word for pasture in Greek is the medical term for the consuming progress of a mortifying disease (Alford). Hence, its meaning in verse 17 is to spread. The word “gangrene” denotes an eating sore, a cancer. Paul used such a strong word to describe those who teach differently. He tells us that their word not only advances unto more ungodliness, but that it spreads as gangrene which consumes the flesh and causes part of one’s body to die. This has been the situation among certain dissenting ones.
In verse 18 Paul tells us that concerning the truth Hymenaeus and Philetus have misaimed. The word “misaimed” means to miss the mark, swerve, deviate. Paul does not say that Hymenaeus and Philetus misaimed concerning doctrine or teaching; he says that they misaimed concerning the truth, concerning the reality of the New Testament economy. They swerved from the truth by saying that the resurrection had already taken place. This is to claim that there will be no resurrection. This is a serious heresy, for it denies the divine power in life (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thes. 4:16; Rev. 20:4, 6).
In 2 Timothy 2:18 Paul also says that by having misaimed concerning the truth, Hymenaeus and Philetus overthrew the faith of some. Faith here is subjective and refers to the act of believing. This subjective faith, our believing act, is very much related to the resurrection of Christ (Rom. 10:9). This subjective faith involves an organic union between us and the Triune God. For one’s faith to be overthrown is to have the inward organic union damaged in some way. This was the overthrowing of their faith.
Those who bring in heresies as gangrene make people wooden and earthen vessels unto dishonor in the great house. “In a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthen, and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor” (2 Tim. 2:20). The house of God defined in 1 Timothy 3:15 and 16 is the genuine church in its divine nature and essential character as the foundation of the truth, whereas the great house here refers to the deteriorated church in its mixed character, as illustrated by the abnormally big tree in Matthew 13:31 and 32. In this great house there are not only precious vessels but also base ones. The honorable vessels are of both the divine nature (gold) and the redeemed and regenerated human nature (silver). These, like Timothy and other genuine believers, constitute the sure foundation to hold the truth. Dishonorable vessels are of the fallen human nature (wood and earth). Hymenaeus, Philetus, and other false believers are of these.
The great tree in Matthew 13:32 equals the great house in 2 Timothy 2:20. The church should be like an herb to produce food, but it became a “tree,” a lodge for birds, having its nature and function changed. (This is against the law of God’s creation, that every plant must be after its kind — Gen. 1:11-12.) Instead of producing food for nourishment, the great tree is good only for lodging “the birds of heaven,” which refer to Satan’s evil spirits with the evil persons and things motivated by them. These lodge in the branches of the great tree.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-7 we have a picture of the corrupted situation of the great house mentioned in 2:20. In verse 5a Paul says, “Having a form of godliness, but having denied its power.” A form of godliness is a mere outward semblance without the essential reality. The power of godliness is the real and practical virtue of a living influence to express God. Those who have a form of godliness but deny its power pretend to have godliness but reject the Spirit, which is the power of godliness.
In 2 Timothy 4:3 and 4 Paul says, “The time will come when they will not tolerate healthy teaching, but according to their own lusts they will heap up to themselves teachers tickling the ear, and they will turn away their ear from the truth, and will be turned aside to fables.” The time mentioned here is the time when the decline of the church becomes worse. At that time many will not tolerate healthy teaching, teaching which is healthy in life and which ministers the supply of life. Instead, they will prefer teachers who tickle the ear. This indicates that those who do not tolerate healthy teaching have an itching ear, an ear which seeks pleasing speaking for its own pleasure. Furthermore, such persons will turn away their ear from the truth and will be turned aside to fables. The itching ear that is turned away from the truth is the main factor of the worsening decline in the churches.
