Ascetic Moralism

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Ascetic or Hellenistic Moralism

This day, we shall be considering the third form of the Gospel of Moralism. It is called the Hellenistic or Ascetic Moralism.

After the captivity, the Jewish nation never remained the same again. Many of the Jews who did not return to their Homeland after the declaration of Cyrus that all Jews should return home became hellenized, that means they began to embrace the culture and language of the nations wherein they dwelt especially the culture and language of the Greeks who were the ruling world power at that time. There was a God fearing Greek king who had to sponsor the translation of the Hebrew Old Testament Bible to Greek called the Septuagint because many of the Jews could no longer speak their native language.

The hellenized Jews were present on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples and they were among the three thousand who believed and numbered among those who are saved. The Bible records that the various countries where these men- Jews as well as Proselytes were from. In Acts chapter 6, it was the Hellenists who complained of being neglected in the daily distribution of food by the Hebrews (Jews who retained their identity and language). Likewise, in every city that Paul went to, he began by teaching in the synagogue, thus in this way he can reach out to the Jews as well majority of whom are Hellenists.

As time elapsed, some of these Hellenistic Jews began to cause problems for the church. A Greek philosopher named Philo, taught that matter is evil while the soul or spirit is good. Thus the salvation of man is in the disembodiment of the body from the soul. The spirit is liberated from the body by:

1. Ascetism- Punishing the body and denying it the necessary pleasures of life.

2. Esoteric knowledge- Mysterious and uncommon knowledge gained by contemplation or belonging to a superior spiritual or religious cult or sect.

3. Heroic death and martyrdom. This is the height of Ascetic discipline which is also believed in Islam as the surest passport to paradise, salvation.

The Hellenists who were students of Philo and held to the teachings of Stoicism were regarded as gnostics. They claimed they had esoteric knowledge for belonging to a higher class of spiritual species which other Christians did not have. Whoever wanted to become spiritual had to join to be recruited and initiated into their sect. They taught that since matter is evil, man has to punish his body (matter) and deprive himself of pleasures in order to be saved. Some even went to the extreme to forbid it’s members from marrying.

These sects of teachers were found in the church of Colossians that Paul’s letter was primarily to address the error of the gnostics. Paul had to argue it clear that Jesus was enough and sufficient. He is the hope of our glory 1:21, thus there is no other mystery that the Colossians need to seek than Christ and He alone. He is the image of the invisible God, 1:15. Moreso, in Him, that is in Christ, are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge 2:3. By this, Paul had called these gnostic teachers who taught Stoicism as false since Christ is the end of all knowledge of the Christian faith. Any sect or group that lays a claim to a higher or superiority of knowledge apart from Christ is false. He then charges the Colossians:

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Col. 2:6-8.

So let no one judge you in good or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by His fleshy mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why as though living in the world do you subject yourselves to regulations- “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish in the using (matter which is considered evil according to Philo Stoicism)- according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom (deceptive and offers false salvation because it is appealing to the human sinfulness, his pride and ego) in self imposed religion, false humility, and neglect (punishing) of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh (it does not really free the inner man from it’s depravity, corruption and wickedness- the sinful nature).

Paul just as he told the Philippians to beware of the circumcision also told the Colossians to beware of these Hellenists. Why? It is a matter of eternity. If they are embracing the gospel of the Hellenists, then they are forfeiting their rewards of eternal life with Christ because they are turning from faith in Christ to a different gospel which is no gospel at all. If they are in CHRIST, there is also no room for the Hellenistic Moralism. It is either Christ or the other; 2:18. He explained that Christian sanctification is produced by our union with Christ, in this there is nothing to boast and it gives no glory to self (flesh or the self life). Paul says the religion of the Hellenists is self imposed and comes with false humility or spirituality. They appear spiritual on the outside but rotten in their inner life and the end is still destruction.

Paul prophesied that these Hellenists or their doctrine will still be prevalent in the history of the church especially in these last times when he said:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3.

© Purpose Media Publications, 2020