Teaching the faith, steeling the faith.

Col. 2:1-5 (ESV)
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, [2] 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, [3] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [4] I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. [5] For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

This verse has to be taken in conjunction with the conclusion to the first chapter of Colossians. Col. 1:27-29 (ESV)
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

That which Paul struggles to do is proclaim, preach, and teach Christ to present everyone mature in Christ. This is what the pastoral ministry is. It is a ministry of teaching. We want all to know the intricacies of the faith, to have full knowledge of the Christian faith. Faith is not knowledge. At least, it is not knowledge alone. We don’t know what babies do or do not know, but we know that they have faith when they are baptized. If faith is a gift of God, it can just as easily be given to a baby as it can and adult. Yet, we teach in order to steel the faith if you will. We baptize babies and then we send them to confirmation as preteens. The point? To solidify their faith that they don’t fall away, that they are not deluded by “plausible” arguments. That is what Paul says.
The Christian faith is a funny thing. You could be completely incapable of articulating it, and still have it. The simplest understanding of it is more than sufficient for salvation. I say more because our salvation isn’t actually dependent at all on our understanding of it, but on the death of Christ. But it is in its essence simple enough that a 2 year old can understand it. And yet you could spend a life time of studying it, receive 50 PHD’s from your studies, and there would still be more to learn. And there is always more to teach.
Someone asked me the other day; why we have confirmation if all that is needed is given in baptism? I think this is the answer, so that they aren’t deluded by plausible arguments. That’s all. We care enough about our children that we want to see their hearts knitted together in love, and reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and knowledge of God’s mystery, the gospel, before they reach the turbulent years of young adulthood. It doesn’t always keep them from falling away, but that is the point. They don’t need it for salvation. But it might help them resist temptation to false belief. Did me.