Playlist:

playlist Go to the Asceticism (topic) playlist

Abstinence - Asceticism or Christian Living?

'Ready Answer' by Martin G. Collins

Some equate abstinence with religious asceticism, but abstinence is broader. Christians may need to abstain from more than just sinful actions.


Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Two: Defining Gnosticism

Article by David C. Grabbe

We can glimpse Gnosticism in Paul's epistles to the Galatians and Colossians, in which he combats Gnosticism's twisting of the truth of Jesus Christ.


Beware of Philosophy

Article by Mike Ford

In the end, philosophy is merely man's search for answers without God. Real truth is found in God's Word, not in the minds of self-important, fallible men.


Are the Sabbath and Holy Days Done Away?

'Ready Answer' by Earl L. Henn

In order to justify not keeping the Sabbath, many use Colossians 2:16-17 as proof that Paul did not command it. Here is what they are overlooking.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Colossian Christians were criticized by ascetics for the way they were keeping the Sabbath and holy days. Paul argues against a philosophy, not the law of God.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Gnostics criticized by Paul in Colossians 2:16-17 were guilty of bringing in ritualistic ascetic discipline to propitiate demons.


Does Paul Condemn Observing God's Holy Days?

'Ready Answer' by Earl L. Henn

Galatians 4:9-10 is a favorite crutch of those who claim Christians no longer need to observe God's holy days. However, Paul's meaning is quite different.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has given us His Law, which shows us the way of sanctification and holiness. God is in the process of reproducing His kind — the God-kind.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

In Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:9-10, Paul was warning against mixing Gnostic asceticism and pagan customs with the keeping of God's Sabbath and Holy Days.


Whatever Happened to Gnosticism? Part Three: Satan's Three Heresies

Article by David C. Grabbe

When Satan confronted Adam and Eve, he fed them three heresies that Gnosticism incorporated into its parasitic philosophy and way of life.


The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Christ will empower us, but will not live our lives for us. The marching orders for our pilgrimage derive from God's Word, containing His holy law.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Fourteen)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God has sanctified no day other than the Sabbath. Sunday worship is a pagan deviation, perpetuated by Gnosticism, a movement that despises God's laws.


The True Gospel (Part 6)

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Paul marveled at the Galatians' turning away. It was only 20 years before someone perverted the gospel into something that was no longer good news!


The Colossian Heresy and Laodiceanism

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Colossae and Laodicea were susceptible to fast-talking teachers, whose plausible words eroded the true Gospel in favor of pagan thought and practice.


How Did They Overcome? (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The blood of the Lamb grants us eternal life, as well as entrance to the Holy of Holies, enabling us to come before the throne of the Most High God.


The More Things Change

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

We tend to think of the early Church as a 'golden age' of unity and momentum. But early church members experienced problems similar to what we face today.


Themes of I Corinthians (Part 6)

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Reminding us to stay sensitive to conscience, Paul suggests we become other-centered, doing everything to the glory of God, especially in our relationships.


Ecclesiastes Resumed (Part Twenty-Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The paradox of Ecclesiastes 7 shows an unrighteous man flourishing and a righteous man suffering. The solution to this conundrum is found in Psalm 73.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Ten)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The vast majority of Christian-professing churches has been saturated with pagan doctrines (like antinomianism and dispensationalism), derived from Gnosticism.