Standing Firm Together

In Colossians 2, Paul begins by writing, “I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you … that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ” (vv. 1–2).

One detail that is often missed in our English Bibles is that the word "you" is second-person plural. Paul is not addressing isolated individuals but the church as a body—what we might say in Horry County as “y’all.” In this week’s text, Paul goes on to express his desire that the Colossians remain firm in their faith and not be deceived by “plausible arguments.” This raises an important question: What role does the church community play in guarding believers from teachings that sound convincing but are untrue?

1. The Church Exposes Blind Spots

When we are saved, we are not only united to Christ but also incorporated into His body. False ideas often take root in isolation, where interpretations go untested and unaccountable. Many major ancient heresies involved individuals or small groups elevating private interpretations of Scripture and refusing correction by the church’s settled confessions.

Heresy, therefore, is not simply misunderstanding a difficult doctrine. If that were the case, young children and new believers might be heretics. Rather, heresy occurs when a person persistently rejects the unified and historic teaching of the church on a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith.

Life together in the body of Christ guards against this danger. When believers are known within a Christian community, others are able to identify patterns of thinking or living that drift from Scripture and lovingly call one another back to the truth. The author of Hebrews exhorts the church:

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12–13).

Left to ourselves, interpretation and application quickly become subjective, shaped by personal preferences, blind spots, and unexamined assumptions. Within the church, however, Christ has given fellow believers, who are indwelt by the same Spirit, the responsibility to exhort, correct, and restore one another. In this way, the corporate life of the church serves as a safeguard, helping us order both our beliefs and our lives according to the Word of God. This does not deny that Scripture is clear or that individuals can truly understand it. Rather, it reminds us that faith and practice are best nurtured and tested within the community Christ has established.

2. The Church Anchors Belief in the Ordinary Means of Grace

Regular participation in the life of the church –through the preaching of the Word, the sacraments (or ordinances), prayer, and church discipline–forms believers over time. These are the ordinary means Christ has appointed to strengthen faith and promote spiritual maturity. As our roots grow deeper through these means, we become less susceptible to novel or persuasive errors that promise quick spiritual growth apart from Christ. This is precisely the kind of danger Paul warns the Colossians against, and it is why a steady, ordinary pattern of church life is so essential for remaining firm in the faith.

3. The Church Provides Pastoral Oversight

As the head of the church, Christ has given shepherds to lead, feed, and protect His people. Scripture teaches that pastors are called to “watch over your souls” (Heb. 13:17). This includes guarding the doctrine of the church and caring for the spiritual well-being of its members. Faithful pastors instruct, exhort, correct, rebuke, and encourage as needed, helping believers discern truth from error and remain anchored in Christ. Pastoral oversight is one of the ordinary ways Christ preserves His people from being led astray.

4. The Church Cultivates Humility

Life in the church also teaches us that we do not see everything clearly on our own. Accountability reminds us that we need the wisdom of others. We need the wisdom of those who have walked the Christian life longer than we have, those who have faced similar struggles, and those called to teach and shepherd God’s people. We need brothers and sisters who will lovingly hold us to our profession of faith and gently warn us when we begin to drift. Such accountability cultivates humility, fostering dependence on God’s wisdom rather than personal insight.

In Colossians 2, Paul rejoices to see the church’s “good order” and “firmness of faith in Christ” (v. 5). That kind of stability does not develop in isolation. It is cultivated within the shared life of the church, where believers are encouraged, instructed, guarded, and held fast to Christ together.