“Plausible”

Sunday, February 09, 2025

I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

(Colossians 2.4)

Paul wrote this as part of his appeal to the Christians of Colossae to stop giving credence to the newly-arrived, mystic false teachers who claimed to promote Jesus, but really advanced their own ideas, through such avenues as

philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

(Colossians 2.8)

Put in those terms, it seems obvious that Jesus overrides them all, and remarkable that Christians would set him aside in favor of these dubious authorities. And yet, Paul didn’t scold the Colossians for being stupid or careless. On the contrary, he acknowledged that the arguments in favor of the false teachings were, although false, plausible.

Herein lies the problem. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Je 17.9). We’re not very good at understanding our own motives, and easily deceive ourselves when we want. It becomes even easier, when we have assistance! The lay of the land is readily apparent when subjected to enough light, but in the darkness there’s little reason to believe one theory over another. While the light of Christ exposes all things, we don’t yet see it with perfect clarity, but only “in a mirror dimly” (1Co 13.12). That much, even, is a wonderful gift of God, and is enough. But when someone starts to expound upon what lies in the shadowy corners of that dim reflection, he may be able to offer compelling reasons to believe God’s kingdom is arranged in a particular way, yet be totally wrong! It’s wise to mark the difference between the word of God, and man’s interpretation thereof. Peter wrote that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” (2Pe 1.20), meaning the prophet’s own explanation of the spiritual state of affairs. Rather, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (v21). Even the prophets themselves didn’t always fully understand what God was saying through them (e.g. Jn 11.49-52)!

Paul’s instruction to the Colossians was to remain firmly rooted in the gospel of Christ, and not be distracted or misled by charlatans wishing to impose their own brand of order. The same thing obviously applies today, as well; yet even our understanding of Christ can become deluded through more plausible arguments and contrived explanations. We can simply shrug it off for a while, being careful to avoid going “beyond what is written” (1Co 4.6); if everyone did so, life in Christ would be easy and straightforward. However, because of sin we have to deal with confusing and convoluted matters, and sometimes it will not only be difficult to do the right thing, but difficult to figure out what is the right thing to do! These areas—the shadowy corners of the dim reflection—are treacherous.

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

(Proverbs 11.14)

If you can’t avoid them, the first step to navigating these difficult waters is to seek worthy advice, but this does not mean searching for someone to give you approval for what you want to do irrespective of God’s will. Look for a variety of opinions, and be sure to regard them as only opinions. Inquire of people with more experience and relevant success under their belts than you possess, and compare what they say. If most or all of them agree, ask yourself why that is the case, and whether further inquiries would be likely to flush out a contrary opinion. If almost none of them agree, scrutinize that fact in a similar way. There is danger, on the one hand, of being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning,” and you should be careful to avoid this. On the other hand, it’s not any better to reject every counselor but one, unless that One is Christ! But even there, it’s easy to say, to think, and even to believe that’s what you’re doing, when really you’re putting forward your “own interpretation” (2Pe 1.20 again) as the word of God. Don’t be gullible, but don’t be obstinate, either.

All of this may seem like a lot of extra work, and an unnecessary complication of a simple message. Well, it is! We’ve already observed that this is due to sin, which actively works to banish the light. It won’t succeed, of course (Jn 1.5), but the war isn’t over, yet. It’s not God’s fault life is complicated. He created a peaceful, pleasant, and meaningful life in Eden, but Adam and Eve messed it up—just as we all would have done, in their place. Now, we have to deal with the fallout of the sins of past generations, as well as our own, and it’s not always easy to see things clearly. But growing up means taking on more and more responsibility for increasingly difficult choices. It requires that we have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (He 5.14).

This “constant practice” is more than reading the Bible, although that’s a perfect starting point. Next, stop assessing the world through fleshly eyes, and start seeing “the things of the Spirit of God” (1Co 2.14). Your reactions to earthly events will begin to change from visceral, fleshly ones that seem plausible but can’t withstand scrutiny, to well-reasoned, spiritual ones that are less about what you think, and more about what God says.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Romans 12.2)

Jeremy Nettles

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