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THE SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST: PAUL’S RESPONSE TO THE COLOSSIAN

CONTROVERSY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRESENT DAY GHANAIAN CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

The place of Christ is central in Christianity and this place has been preserved over the centuries

through many debates, research work, councils and creeds. Creeds were formulated especially

between the 2nd and the 4th Centuries after Christ, all aimed at preserving sound understanding of

Christ and his place in the Church and indeed in the entire cosmos. Our understanding of Christ

is fundamental to our understanding of salvation and ultimately for our salvation. Hence the

early church jealously and vigorously defended the nature, essence and work of Christ so as to

preserve what they believed about the Christ and what he accomplishes in our life. And to guide

them creeds such as “the Apostle’s creed” and “the Nicene Creed” were formulated for the

church.

But long before the direct formulation of these creeds the early church especially Paul always

sought to present Christ in context with the view to addressing a peculiar need but without

necessarily diffusing the core issue of Christ’s nature and essence and what he accomplishes

especially through his death on the cross. One of such polemics in his presentation of Christ was

to the Colossian Church. The question which scholars have sought to fathom is what necessitated

Paul’s presentation of Christ in what has come to known as the Cosmic Christ to the Colossians

church and what can be learnt from such a situation?

Recently, a friend asked members of his church, “who is Christ?” A number of interesting

answers were received to this very fundamental question to the Christian faith. In fact, Jesus the

Christ, himself posed this question to his disciples when he asked “Who do men say that I am?”

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and “Who do you also say that I am?” The answers from so many of his members clearly showed

that the understanding of who Christ is and what place he holds in our Salvation leaves much to

be desired. I was personally not surprised because recent teaching, preaching and certain

practices in the church gives these members these understanding of who Christ is. We now have

all kinds of teachings which seem to suggest that Christ is needed but in addition to other things

to make our salvation complete. Most especially, the prayer lines we hear these days suggest that

Christ is not sufficient. We have a gradual buildup of a new understanding which stem from our

Traditional African background. This has gradually led to a kind of religious syncretism which is

mildly becoming the normal.

This kind of syncretism, I seriously believe, shares affinity with the Colossian church and hence

Paul’s presentation of Christ to the Colossians is quite relevant to addressing our current

situation as a Ghanaian Church.

COMPOSITION OF THE COLOSSIAN HERESY

A lot of Biblical and Theological scholars from varied backgrounds have commented on what

informed Paul’s presentation of Christ in the way he did. Most of these Theologians have also

attempted to construct what has come to be known as the Colossians Philosophy. This work will

review a few of these scholars with respect to the composition of the heresy.

Over the centuries the religious teachings which the author sought to combat by the Colossian

epistle have been called “heresy” although Beare argues that “heresy” is not a proper description

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of the situation.1 He continues to say that this is due to a lack of standard of orthodoxy at the

time of the composition of this letter to warrant such description. Again, because it was a period

of extraordinary freedom of spirit and a variety of activity and thought caused interpretation of

the gospel by different teachers which were judged on merit because there was no basis for

conformity.2 It is possible the various teachers were rather interpreting an already existing

situation in relation to Christ. Quoting the word of Beare:

“It is equally possible that they merely sought to make a place for Christ in a framework of

thought which had been created without reference to him, and then tried to persuade the Christians

of Colosse that their system embraced in its fullness all that Christianity had to offer, and set

Christ in a more or less subordinate position among the ranks of angelic powers”3

But what exactly did the author seek to correct by his letter? Hiebert presents two factors which

necessitated the letter explaining that one of the factors was accidental while the other was the

primary cause4. He mentions that the return of Onesimus was the accidental factor whiles

Epaphras visit and report was the real cause.5 He concludes that an insidious error had begun to

manifest itself in Colosse and it seems Epaphras did not agree and yet could not contain it and

therefore went to consult Paul.6 Although Colossians 1:7-8 mentions Epaphras telling Paul about

the Colossians, it is not clear if he did report such error. But since Paul did not found that church

and had possibly not visited them, his information is second hand and most probably his source

was Epaphras who was his co-worker.

1 Francis W. Beare, “The Epistle to the Colossians” in: G.A. Buttrick et al (eds.), The Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. XI) (New

York: Abingdon Press, 1955), 137. 2 Beare, Interpreter’s Bible, 138. 3 Beare, Interpreter’s Bible, 138. 4 D. Edmond Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament (Vol, 2: The Pauline Epistles), (Chicago: Moody Press,

1977), 222. 5 Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament, 222. 6 Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament, 222.

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Hiebert continues to argue that the main purpose of this epistle was to crush a heretical teaching

which had three basic elements: ritualism, ascetism and mysticism.7 He asserts that scholars are

divided between believes that these elements shares much affinity with Jewish Essenes and

Gentile Gnosticism.8 Hiebert concludes that it was a syncretistic religious system, an amalgam of

Jewish elements, Oriental theosophy and incipient Gnostic speculations.9 Arnold agrees to the

fact that a religious syncretism of a sort is built up in Colossian church but the difficulty and

point of disagreement have been the nature and extent of this mixture of religious ideas. He

proposes that the beliefs and practices of the opponents at Colossae best cohere around the

category of what might loosely be called Folk Religion.10 Was it a Pure Gnosticism or a Jewish

Gnosticism? Was it Mystery Cult beliefs and practices or it was a Pagan Mystery Cult? Was it

rooted in Greek Philosophy of Platonic Tradition or Neo-pythagoreanism? Was it more of

locality build up like Anatolian Judaism which pertained to the Lydian-Phrygian area? Flemming

argues that no single religious movement we know of can account for the collection of polemical

references in Colossians (2:8-23).11 Whatever this teaching was, it was superficially attractive

and had the tendency to undermine the gospel.12 In whatever mix this “heresy”, “controversy”,

“syncretism” or “philosophy” was built up, the author believes it had a potency to dethrone

Christ or perhaps it had already dethroned Christ in the understanding and beliefs of these

people. This monograph considers how the author combats these elements with his presentation

7 Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament, 224-225. 8 Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament, 225. 9 Hiebert, An Introduction to the New Testament, 225 10 Clinton E. Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface between Christianity and Folk Belief at Colossae (Grand

Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 5. 11 Dean Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for theology and mission (Leicester: Inter-

Varsity Press, 2005), 214. 12 Arnold, The Colossian Syncretism, 1-5.

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of Christ and his role in the entire universe and most importantly in their salvation with respect

to the sufficiency of Christ within a community where alternative means of salvation vied for

recognition.13

There is first the supposed Jewish elements of legal ordinances (2:21), regulations about eating

and drinking (2:16) and ritual observance of festivals and special days, including the Sabbath

(2:16). People practiced these or the people were being encouraged to practice these things as a

way of putting them in right standing with God and this clearly suggest that what Christ has done

was not enough. Dunn asserts that these practices were seen as supplementary to the gospel but

not a challenge like the case of Galatians (2:19-3:1).14 But Paul insists that these teachers have

failed to understand the gospel of the cross (Colossians 2:8-15). For God has completely made us

alive (circumcised from our sinful nature) through Christ. I posit that the situation is clearly an

antithetical situation of completeness in Christ and supplemental injunctions or “Supplemental”

Christianity.15

The second element was believed to be a native Phrygian and cultic variety that was mingled

with Eastern or Oriental mysticism. There is the worship of angels as intermediaries keeping the

highest God (pure Spirit) unsullied through contact with the physical universe (2:18). Gundry

asserts that this element is a pagan feature, since although Orthodox Jews have constructed a

hierarchy of angels; they do not worship them or regard the materiality of the universe as evil.16

According to Arnold, Religion in Asia minor was highly syncretistic and sprang out of a

13 John D. Kwamena Ekem, New Testament Concepts of Atonement in an African Pluralistic setting (Accra: SonLife

Press, 2005), 65. 14 James Dunn, Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: Wm. B.

Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 136. 15 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 217. 16 Robert H. Gundry, A Survey of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan publishing co., 2012), 2047.

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worldview that was conscious of a host of evil spirits, capricious gods and goddesses, and astral

power.17 All of these posed ever-present threats to daily life. Fear over the onslaught of the

powers led people to try various means of counteracting them, including “magical” practices

such as calling on divine intermediaries for protection, ritual acts of power and ecstatic forms of

worship.18 But on this very element, Burge et al argue for influence of Cybele worship which

was practiced in the Phrygian region.19 They cite Paul’s statement of “self-imposed worship and

their harsh treatment of the body (2:23) as reference because the worshippers of the popular

goddess in Anatolia, Cybele castrate themselves and treat their body harshly.20 These acts had

the view to making them live right with God ignoring the righteousness that Christ Jesus provide.

Burge et all agree with Arnold that people lived in great fear of angelic or spiritual forces and

terrified of powers emanating from astral bodies, from underworld, even from ancestors.21 But

they argue further that the situation was coupled with Greco-Roman influence of believe that our

daily lives were tightly controlled by the sun, moon, planets, star (Stoicheia and Astrology) and

hence Paul’s warning about elemental spirits (stoicheia) of the universe (2:8) fit this context.22

They cite from The Testament of Solomon (18:1-5):

Then I commanded another demon to appear before me. There came to me thirty- six

heavenly bodies, their heads like formless dogs. . . . I asked them, saying, “Well, who are

you?” With one voice, they said, “We are thirty-six heavenly bodies [stoicheia], the

world rulers of the darkness of this age.” . . . Then I, Solomon, summoned the first spirit

and said to him, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am the first decan of the zodiac (and) I

am called Ruax. I cause heads of men to suffer pain and I cause their temples to throb.”23

17 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 229 18 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 234-44 19 Gary M. Burge, Lynn H. Cohick & Gene L. Green, The New Testament in Antiquity: A Survey of the New Testament

within its Cultural Contexts (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Co., 2009), 804. 20 Burge et al, The New Testament in Antiquity, 804. 21 Burge et al, The New Testament in Antiquity, 806. 22 Burge et al, The New Testament in Antiquity, 806. 23 Burge et al, The New Testament in Antiquity, 807.

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This was in support of the fact that this element had also caught up with the Jewish community.

Flemming agrees that this inflates the control of the supernatural powers over Christians. On the

other hand, it drastically diminishes Christ Lordship over the cosmos and the scope of the

Salvation he offers to the Church.24 In response to this element, Paul asserts that Christ Jesus has

won victory by disarming these powers. Lightfoot support the fact that there are basically two

elements in this heresy but argues that this second element discussed was Gnostic element

(Theosophic speculations in terms of mysticism and certain spiritual intermediaries).25

Christ Jesus was seen as one of the intermediary spiritual being and therefore unable to offer full

deliverance from the fearsome forces that threatened peoples’ daily lives.26 But this is clearly a

devaluation of the role of Christ.

Flemming, like Arnold rather argues for three elements separating Gnostics elements from the

Cultic mysticism belonging to the Phrygian region. Arnold refers to the cultic mystic element as

Folk belief which is native to the area.27 Flemming asserts that Paul’s frequent and polemical

references to “wisdom” (1:28, 2:3, 23, 3:16), “knowledge” (1:9, 10, 2:3, 3:10), “understanding”

(1:9, 2:2) and “fullness” (1:19, 25, 2:9, 10) are the Gnostic elements.28 These false teachers saw

their “philosophy” as a means of gaining access to a fuller knowledge of God than was available

in the gospel they received from Epaphras.

24 Flemming, Contextualization of the New Testament, 217. 25 J.B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1897), 71-

72. 26 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 216-217. 27 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 4. 28 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 217.

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THE AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION OF CHRIST

Moule says the single most striking aspect of the letter was its presentation of Christ and his

position in relation to the universe and the church.29 According to Arnold, Paul needed not just to

counteract the teaching but also to empower the community to change elements of their basic

worldview, beliefs and behaviour patterns.30 Paul’s response to the threat is twofold. Negatively,

he confronts the syncretistic teaching and exposes the dangers of submitting to it. Positively, He

affirms what is central to the gospel offering a fresh contextualization of that gospel for a new

life setting.31 The author’s presentation of Christ is a direct response to the situation. He

introduces Christ in 1:13-14 as the one in whom we have redemption (apolutrōsin). But most

importantly the author introduces the definite article (tēn) right in front of redemption to buttress

the fact that redemption was found in him alone and not in any other supposed intermediary. The

author is also careful to explain the redemption as the forgiveness of sin (afesin tōn hamartiōn).

This clearly shows that the redemption God offers through Christ Jesus is in terms of forgiveness

of sin and not in terms of escape of the soul from the body. The redemption is also explained in

terms of the fact that God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transplanted

(metestēsen) us into the kingdom of his son. This clearly shows that our rescue had to do with

forgiveness of sins which was entirely moral and spiritual conception of the kingdom of God

(Christ) and had nothing to do with the nationalistic Messianism of the Jews or fancies about the

escape of the soul into immortality of the Greeks.32 The author then gives a detailed description

29 Moule, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, 3. 30 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 245. 31 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 215. 32 Moule, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, 58.

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of the Christ from 1:15-20 and the elements of this description are a clear response to a situation

in Colossae. J.D.K. Ekem summarizes the Christological present as follows:

“The Owner and Sustainer of the cosmos who genuinely became flesh and died a real

death on the cross. Plērōma is found in Him alone and He is God’s means of apolutrōsis

(redemption) and katallagē (reconciliation) for a cosmos whose equilibrium has been

seriously disturbed by sin.”33

The author uses great rhetorical skill to develop his thought in careful respond to his opponents;

and with each choice of word having reference to the catchwords of his opponents.34 Christ is the

image (eikōn) of the invisible God (1:15), the first born (prōtotokos) of all creation (1:15). For in

him were all things (en auto ektisthē ta panta) created in heaven and on earth, visible and

invisible whether thrones (thronoi), dominions (kuriotētes), rulers (archai) and authority

(exousiai); all things (ta panta) through him and for him have been created (1:16); and he is

before all thing (pro pantōn) and in him all thing hold together (sunestēken)(1:17), and he is the

head of the body, the church; he is the beginning (archē), firstborn (prōtotokos) from the dead, in

order that he might come to have preeminent (proteuōn) (1:18), for in him all the fullness

(plērōma) was well pleased to dwell (katoikēsai) (1:19) and through him reconcile

(apokatallaxai) all things to him making peace through his blood on the cross (haimatos tou

staurou) whether things on earth or things in heaven (1:20). This description or hymn as some

have termed it has been described as the Great Christology or the Cosmic Christology.

According to Moule, the terms of this description are to a large extent a reminiscent of the

Wisdom Literature of the Jews.35 And he cites common examples such as Job 28, Psalm 38 and

Proverbs 8 which talks of Wisdom, Spirit and the word of God.36 Another issue worth noting

33 Ekem, New Testament Concepts of Atonement in an African Pluralistic setting, 66. 34 Ekem, New Testament Concepts of Atonement in an African Pluralistic Setting, 68. 35 Moule, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, 59. 36 Moule, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, 59.

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about this description is the uniqueness of such statements like “created through him and for

him” (1:16) which presents us with the fact that Christ is the purpose or goal that the created

world is destined to move. Again, this description presents the supremacy of Christ over all

creation including those hierarchical spirit beings themselves (1:15-18).37

The first of these interesting descriptions is Christ as image (eikōn) of God (1:16). The Old

Testament presents Man as the image of God, but here Christ is the image of God par excellence.

The fullness (plērōma) of God dwells in him and it is only in him (1:19). Christ Jesus is also

supreme or preeminent over both creation (prōtotokos pasēs ktiseōs) (1:15) and all those from

the dead (prōtotokos ek tōv nekrōn) (1:18) which is the Church. He is the leader of both the old

creation and those who have experience the new birth. Interestingly, firstborn (prōtotokos) has

been misunderstood by some who claim that Jesus Christ was created and not God. It is possible

that Christ was accepted in the Colossian Church but in a limited way and one needed to make

terms with other powers so as to secure ones salvation in terms of fate and mortality.

Again, the author carefully presents Christ as both the instrument and the location of the

universe. “In Him” (En autō) (1:16) shows that Christ is the means by which creation and all that

is in them came into being and yet it also shows that all things are in him (1:17). He is the one

who holds all things together in himself and outside of him nothing can exist or hold together.

Moule concludes that the cumulative effect of the catalogue of powers, that is thrones (thronoi),

dominions (kuriotētes), rulers (archai) and authorities (exousiai) is to emphasize the

immeasurably superiority of Christ over all.38 Whether 1:15-20 is an original composition of the

author or an existing hymn which he infuses in his composition, it did serve his purpose as a

37 Ekem, New Testament Concepts of Atonement in an African Pluralistic Setting, 68. 38 Moule, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and to Philemon, 60.

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response to the false teaching and the rightful place of Christ in both the entire universe and in

the church.

Outside the hymn, the author also presents Christ Jesus as the mystery (mystēriou) of God (2:2)

and the gospel as the mystery of Christ (4:3). This is in direct response to those advocating

mysticism and some sort of secrecy limited to a few. This mystery that was formerly hidden has

now been revealed (1:26). According to Flemming, Paul’s understanding of “mystery”

(mystērion) is rooted in the Old Testament and apocalyptic Judaism, not in the Greek mystery

religions of the day.39 But Arnold suggests that elements of the heresy stemmed from the

mysteries that were related to local deities.40 Whatever the use is, Paul redefines mystery to refer

not only to God’s eschatological plan of salvation, but even to Christ himself. And God has made

known the content of the mystery which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (1:27). Barclay

observes, “It seems to be no accident that Colossians portrays Christ as ‘mystery’, since this term

represented the supreme commodity offered both by Jewish apocalyptic theology and by Graeco-

Roman mystery cults.”41 Paul’s presentation of Christ as the mystery of God is to the end that the

Colossians need look for no other “mystery” because according to God’s eternal purpose they

have received the mystery: Christ, who now indwells their lives and embodies their hope for the

future.42 This clearly shows that they should abandon any search for higher spiritual truth since

all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ, the mystery of God (2:2-3).

The entirety of this presentation of Christ with such rich language is to indicate the completeness

of God’s self-revelation in Christ and that God’s interaction with the entire cosmos is summed

39 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 219. 40 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 272. 41 John Barclay, Colossians and Philemon (New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 79. 42 Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 219.

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up in Christ. This is to the end that all we needed is in Christ Jesus. And that He was first and

foremost supreme and also sufficient. He is the answer to the fullness (plērōma) that the people

in Colossae were seeking. In a church where people were involved in self-abasement and

worship of angels, based on the belief in some hierarchy of spirit beings, aimed at the attainment

of fullness, Christ Jesus was the fullness they needed. In a church, were people were being taught

or even forced to practice certain ascetic practices and other Jewish practices all aimed at

attaining the full measure, Christ Jesus was the answer to their problem.

This presentation of Christ is also an answer to the effect of the teaching by these false teachers

on the members of the church. It is believed that this astrological superstition had put a sort of

crippling fear in the members and had gradually enslaved them. It has denied them of the

freedom they were to enjoy in Christ Jesus. This sort of fear can also be seen in the Greek

philosophy of the body [matter] being evil and the soul of man being enslaved in the prison of

the body. Moule postulate that references to the hierarchical order of thrones, etc. “had ample

evidence from Jewish and Christian apocryphal literature [e.g. Enoch 41:9, 61:10] that these

terms refer to the non-human, angelic or demonic powers thought of as peopling the universe and

controlling the planet.”43 And the false teachers had gradually or were gradually making

members succumb to a false fact that these powers were still in charge even when you have

believed in Christ. The author’s reference to them does not in any way suggest his believe in

such superstition but even if he did, he did not share the fear but knew that Christ is head over all

and therefore Christians had the freedom of the universe. Surprisingly, this crippling fear of these

demonic powers is still with us today in the Ghanaian Church.

43 C.F.D. Moule, “Colossians and Philemon” in: M. Black and H.H. Rowley (eds.), Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

(Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd., 1962), 991.

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THE USE OF PLĒRŌMA

In both chapter 1:19 and Chapter 2:9, we read of the use of fullness (plērōma) of God [deity]

dwelling in Christ and there are other references of fullness throughout the corpus and the fact

that the believers in Colossae have come to peplērōmenoi [fullness] in him (2:10). Moule asserts

that the author may be deliberately borrowing a technical term from the teaching which he is

attacking. According to Ekem, “a closer look at the letter suggests the existence of a sectarian

group that used the word fullness (plērōma) to back their teaching. What does plērōma mean

both to the false teachers and the author of Colossians and why did he seek to use it repeatedly?

As already intimated, Moule, Beare, Ekem and a host of other scholars believe the Colossians

false teaching was in relationship to this word and the belief that Christ could not sufficiently

guarantee fullness to the Colossian Christians, hence the need for self-abasement and worship of

angels who served as mediators. With respect to the meaning of plērōma, Carson writes:

“If we take the verb to fill (plēroō) in its derived sense – and this is a frequent usage – as meaning

to complete or to fulfil, the fullness [plērōma] then means the completion or the totality. It is used

in classical Greek of the complement of a ship or the population of a city, signifying that number

which makes the group complete. In the Gospel it is used of filling up of the hole in a patch. Paul

uses it in Romans 13:10 of the fulfilling or completing of the Law. The meaning thus oscillates

between a passive and an active sense; but the main idea is of completeness or totality.”44

The word fullness (plērōma) is from the verb plēroō “to fill or complete” but in the LXX it also

has the sense of “fully executed” (2 Chronicles 6:4, 15) which suggest that we could be looking

at a situation of Christ not having completed or fully executed what was needed for our

salvation. This will be from the Gnostic teaching but the author’s presentation of Christ in

relation to fullness is also in response to certain Jewish beliefs. For instance, God as the one who

fills all things both heaven and earth (mē ouchi ton ouranon kai tēn egō plērō; legei kyrios)

44 Herbert M. Carson, The Epistle of Paul to the Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary (Grand

Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), 45.

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[LXX] and the fullness of this God, the author says, dwells in Christ and therefore in him all

thing hold together (synestēken). God fills the world and he also sustains it and his fullness dwell

in Christ.

A careful study of plērōma most especially outside the New Testament is needed to completely

understand the sense with which the author uses it in his presentation of Christ. In Gnosticism

particularly Valentianians, fullness (plērōma) was used in reference to the totality of the thirty

aeons of which God, the father did not belongs for he has brought forth these aeons. And this

plērōma is closest to God but it is his product. It is the fullness of being.45 Gnosticism pictures

Philippians 2:7 as Jesus leaving the plērōma [the supreme spiritual world] but Jesus did not come

alone, he came with other angels from the plērōma and they cannot return without the Gnostics.

In another sense, it is the plērōma of the aeons who have brought forth the perfect fruit, Jesus

Christ and everything of spiritual origin is found in the plērōma. Hence the use of plērōma

conveys the sense of perfection. Again, plērōma was also seen in another sense of the angelic

partner of the Gnostics, for instance, it is believed that the husband of the Samaritan woman

(John 4:17) is [to plērōma autēs] with whom she must be united to achieve salvation.46

Christ Jesus is the plērōma himself and in Jewish terms too, he replaces the Jewish temple where

the Shekinah dwells fully. The word plērōma emphasizes the fact that the divine fullness of love

and power acts and rules in all its perfection through Christ. This use does not just catch up a

slogan of the false teachers but presents the full unity of the work of God and Christ in such a

45 Gerhard Friedrich (ed.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol. VI (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans

Publishing Company, 1968), 300. 46 Gerhard, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 301.

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way that the distinctness of person is preserved and monotheism is not disputed. God works

through Christ in His whole fullness (1:19), in His full deity (2:9)47

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE GHANAIAN CHURCH

The author’s presentation of Christ as the plērōma of God is very much relevant to the Ghanaian

church today. Especially, of interest is the author’s direct warning of the believers at Colossae of

certain specific beliefs and practices in 2:18 “Do not let anyone disqualify you (katabrabeuetō),

insisting on self-abasement (tapeinophrosynē) and worship of angels (thrēskeia tōn angelōn),

dwelling on visions (embateuōn ha heoraken), puffed up (physioumenos) without cause by a

human way of thinking (sarkos tou noos)”. These things result from “philosophy (philosophias)

and empty deceit (kenēs apatēs), according to human tradition (paradosin tōn anthrōpōn),

elemental spirits of the universe (stoicheia tou kosmou), and not according to Christ.” (2:8).

The religious airwaves in Ghana, is filled with teachings which are syncretic in nature and which

seem to be gradually putting a kind of fear into believers. People are teaching blend of

Traditional African religious practices with Christianity, a kind which threatens the place of

Christ in our beliefs as Christians, a kind which seem to suggest that though we have Christ, we

need something extra; a kind of syncretism which started with self-styled prophets playing a kind

of intermediary role, mediating between the believer and the spiritual world. A recent publication

in one of the dailies captioned “A Prophet demand money from members to go to heaven to

47 Gerhard, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 304.

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check if their names were there”48 got me unsettled. And this is just an aspect of what have come

to be known as entering the Spirit world (honhom wiase) and giving spiritual direction

(akwankyer1).

Interestingly, these terms have been borrowed from our Traditional Religion. There is nothing

basically wrong in borrowing terms, for that is what the Biblical writers have done, for instance

with, the use of logos and plērōma. Asamoah-Gyadu describes this as the invariable shaping of

Religious movements by the cultural and political milieu in which they arise.49 What is worrying

is the kind of emphasis which seems to place the potency of Jesus in a list of other ways and

means of receiving Salvation in terms of healing, deliverance and prosperity. One completely

agrees with Kwame Bediako who writes:

“First, Jesus is seen above all else as the Christus Victor (Christ Supreme over every Spiritual

ruler and authority). This perception arises from African’s keen awareness of forces and powers at

work in the world that threaten the interests of life and harmony. Jesus is victorious over the

spiritual realm, particularly over evil forces and so meets the needs for a powerful protector. …

The needs of the African world require a view of Christ that meets those needs. And so who Jesus

is in the African Spiritual universe must not be separated from what he does and can do in that

world”50

We must be careful not to equate indigenization with syncretism because the kind of

indigenization proposed of Bolaji is not the kind of religious syncretism currently going on.

Syncretism in Christian writings, according to the Evangelical Dictionary, generally refers to the

replacement or dilution of the essential truths of the gospel through the incorporation of non-

48 http://www.kevindjakporblog.com/2015/03/shocking-end-time-church-business-see.html, 26/01/2016,

10:49am. 49 J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, African Charismatics: Current Developments within Independent Indigenous

Pentecostalism in Ghana (Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2005), 12. 50 Kwame Bediako, Jesus in Africa: The Christian Gospel in African History and Experience (Akropong: Regnum

Africa,2000 ), 22.

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Christian elements.51 In the Ghanaian church, a number of questions needs to be answered; what

are the signs and symbols of it? What significance do these carry in the context? What direction

is the syncretistic flow going? What are the local expressions of the Christian faith that we may

anticipate coming out of it?52 Syncretism, according to Flemming, is the mixing of incompatible

religious ideas and practices which eventually pose constant challenge to the gospel, particularly

when converts have recently come out of a pagan religious background.53 There is an on-going

debate about syncretism especially in modern terms with much talk on inculturation and this

document is not meant to wade into the argument but to mention few things. P. Schineller in his

work on “Inculturation and syncretism: What is the Real Issue?” poses the following questions:

“In the process of Christian mission and inculturation of the gospel, is syncretism always wrong?

Are syncretism and inculturation incompatible? Is syncretism inevitable? Is syncretism a

necessary step in the process of inculturation? Is there any clearly agreed upon definition of

syncretism?”54

He argues that syncretism has varied meaning and emphases a broad meaning with a positive

connotation. He cites indigenous Independent churches in Africa as one such positive syncretism

“Often in their ritual, song, and dance, African independent churches incorporate many elements

of traditional religion and culture, placing these side by side or even above elements from the

Christian tradition. Many of these churches feature healing at the centre of their worship. A glance

at the Gospels reminds us that healing was often at the centre of the ministry of Jesus. This healing

ministry has been lost in many western, modern expressions of Christianity.”55

51 Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 1158. 52 Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 1158. 53 Dean Flemming, Contextualization in the New Testament, 214. 54 Peter Schineller “Inculturation and Syncretism: what is the Real Issue?” which appeared in Gerald H. Anderson

(ed.), International Bulletin of Missionary Research, April ed. (New Haven: Overseas Ministries Study Centre, 1992),

50. 55 Peter Schineller, Inculturation and Syncretism, 50.

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This notwithstanding, Schineller is careful not to leave out a criteria for such a venture since

there will always be disagreements as to whether a particular practice is inculturation or

syncretistic. The number one on his list is “Faithfulness to the Christian message”. And I wish to

submit that any attempted Inculturation which is not solidly ground on the gospel and faithful to

the interpretation of the Christ event is syncretic and ought to be rejected by the church.

Inculturation which displays or dethrone Christ is one that must be corrected. Arnold Clinton

argues for the case of the Colossians, the current form of syncretism being experienced in Ghana

stems from our “Folk religion”56 specifically, the practice of magic with powers other than Jesus

Christ.

Three of such situations are worth mentioning. Recently, a Pastor preaching on one of the Accra-

based radio stations said to the congregants, “Adam and Eve committed sin by eating the apple

God said they should not eat and since then we have all inherited their sins. It is in our blood.”

He then presented to the congregation, some apples he had prayed over and said “When you eat

these apples which I have specially anointed, it will go into your blood to neutralize the effect of

the first apple eaten by Adam and Eve”. Interestingly, when he finished speaking a number of the

members rushed for the anointed apple at a high price and there was shortage.

In another instance, a young prophet was advertising soap in the church and other social media

with the inscription “Soap that washes away Sin”. The Prophet announced that any member who

bathed with the soap he had specially made with some special anointing oil will be cleansed of

his/her sin.

56 Arnold, the Colossian Syncretism, 5.

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In both the first and second story, the “Men of God” first preached messages from the Bible and

mentioned Christ Jesus as the son of God who died for the world but immediately after that they

introduced something in addition to Christ Jesus. Coincidentally, they both presented a means of

being forgiven and being freed from the power of sin, something Christ Jesus offer freely and

fully. But the third story is a case of the type of magic we saw in Ghana when we were growing

up.

Currently, a number of Ministers and Prophets are offering a sort of protection for believers

which is worth mentioning as the third story. Kessben TV, a television station based in Kumasi,

telecasted a church service where a woman came to testify that since, he bought a stick of the

Minister and placed it at her door post, some people who used to watch TV in her room can no

longer enter, even at her own invitation. Apparently, the prophet had promised that the stick and

bangles he was selling was going to protect them from witches. In a related incident, others who

bought some rings from another prophet were promised that the ring would warn them of an

impending accident if they are travelling. These instances clearly show that religious pluralism

and syncretism are woven into the very fabric of the Ghanaian life.

What is the place of Christ in all these? One cannot dispute the fact that the use of things like

handkerchief etc. from the early apostles brought healing to certain individuals (Acts 19:12). We

are in a situation where emphasis is placed on the item used and not on Christ Jesus. Coming

from a background where there were many deities competing for recognition, it is not surprising

if Christ Jesus is dethroned intentionally or unintentionally from his place as the one who offers

the redemption which is the forgiveness of sin and in whom alone we have the fullness.

In reference to Magic, Aune writes:

20

1“Magic is defined as that form of religious deviance whereby individual or social goals are sought

by means alternate to those normally sanctioned by the dominant religious institution”

2“Goals sought within the context of religious deviance are magical when attained through the

management of supernatural powers in such a way that results are virtually guaranteed”57

Arguing from the point that Aune raises in his definition, the certainty of the outcome being

guaranteed is an element found in the third story. This certainty is also very much present in

what has become known as “Akwankyer1” in our sitz im leben. This involves the giving of

specific directives and things one has to do which automatically or certainly, will yield a desired

result. According to Arnold, in the magic world, these people are called Shamans and they claim

to possess special insight into supernatural powers and could use their knowledge to accomplish

a variety of purposes.58 Quite similar to our situation is when the “Man of God” enters into the

spiritual world (Honhom wiase) and presents knowledge from that world which will secure

one’s salvation from inimical forces. The Colossian case suggests veneration of angels in magic

which is clearly see in our Churches today. The danger is not just in the problem of placing

emphasis on certain borrowed practices from our traditional background but also the use of

certain underlying powers apart from Christ which is a threat to the place of Christ in Ghanaian

Christianity. What has worsened the case is how local priests like “Kweku Bonsam” have openly

accused certain prophets of coming to him for extra powers to work miracles. The author of

Colossian presents Christ as the answer to these problems. Christ Jesus, by the cross has won

victory over these inimical forces which the believer fears.

The average believer is in search of solution to problems of marriage, finances, child-birth etc.

but unfortunately there are some preachers of the gospel who promise to offer solution but end

57 David E. Aune, Magic in Early Christianity (Berlin: De Gruyter Publishing Company, 1980), 1515. 58 Arnold, Colossian Syncretism, 13.

21

up enslaving members with so much fear. They promise solution and give supposed guaranteed

directives which invariably displace Christ in the understanding of the believer.

CONCLUSION

Our churches are filled with a kind of syncretism which challenges the place of Christ in our

redemption. This situation is quite similar to the situation that necessitated the composition of the

book of Colossians in which there were competing ideas or teaching. The author presents Christ

as supreme in all these competing ideas in whom the fullness of God dwells and as sufficient for

our salvation. It is in him alone that we have the redemption, which is the forgiveness of sin. The

author stresses the fact that in Christ we have the fullness and we must not be deceived and taken

captive by philosophy, human tradition or basic principles of this world.

In the context where people have misunderstood Inculturation and are deliberately or ignorantly

championing alternative sources of salvation or extra rituals for our redemption, the fullness

found in Christ Jesus is very much needed to displace these sort of teaching. A close look at

plērōma was given with issues from the gnostic beliefs. It is Christ Jesus who gives true

liberation from the inimical forces that threatens the peace we ought to enjoy as Christians.

But it is worth mentioning that the subject of plērōma in Christ Jesus needs to be fully explored

especially in relation to our worldview as Africans for proper understanding of this subject

matter will serve to answer many questions in relation to what Christ totally, completely and

perfectly accomplished through his death.

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