Thought to share? Send me a text...

In this episode, we trace how confident-sounding rules and secret knowledge can pull us from the center of faith, then anchor ourselves in Colossians 2 where Paul calls us back to Jesus as the true source. We explore legalism, licentiousness, spiritual disciplines, and practical steps for discernment shaped by Scripture and the Spirit.

• the pull of persuasive but inaccurate teaching
• Paul’s warning to the Colossians about shadows vs Christ
• legalism defined and contrasted with grace
• licentiousness as abusing God’s grace
• practices as disciplines, not requirements for worth
• how to test teachings with Scripture, counsel, and conviction
• the Spirit as wisdom and the church’s growth from the Head
• courage to resist spiritual bullying and walk in freedom

If you'd like to dive deeper into this teaching, I encourage you to download the Companion Guide Part 2. It's designed to help you ponder and discover more from God's Word. 

Companion Guide: https://betsymarvin.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/colossians-companion-guide-without-transcripts.pdf

0:03 Welcome & Purpose

0:28 The Danger of Confident Misinformation

2:29 False Teachers in Colossae

3:55 Shadows Versus Christ

5:15 True Source and Eyewitness Authority

7:30 Legalism, Licentiousness, and Grace

10:22 Spiritual Disciplines Without Legalism

12:26 Discernment, Conviction, and Wisdom

14:58 Blessing & Companion Guide

To find out more about me, or to book a speaking engagement, head to
https://betsymarvin.com/

For access to past podcasts and transcripts, head to
https://betsymarvin.com/podcasts/

You can follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/betsyjmarvin/
and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/betsy.marvin.98