See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forcesof this world rather than on Christ.
The sport of Football has been an enormous spirit in my life ever sense Jr high school. And with this increase in my dedication to football there was a greater focus on weight training, conditioning and an attitude of being the best. When you see the difference that this weight training makes, it becomes easier to understand why some young people of today begin messing around with anabolic steroids. Imagine being told that this little pill would make you stronger and more menacing yet.
But there is a dilemma. Physicians have discovered that these steroids can have a bounce back effect. The same pill that at first made you stronger will devour away the body you thought you were developing. You ingest them, and they annihilate you. Not just for a few years, but for life. If you give in to the salesman who is hyping muscles in a bottle it could destroy you.
In Colossians 2 the Apostle Paul warns the people of Colosse that those who sell bottled doctrine may sound good and look harmless . . . but in fact they are pushing spiritual death.
In chapter two the apostle encourages the Colossian church in their spiritual maturity. But even in the midst of this discussion he says that he is telling them these things so that "no one would deceive you by fine-sounding arguments." (2:4). He comes back to this idea again in verse 8. "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Error was surrounding the Colossians. False teachers were ever-present and Paul wanted to guard these trusted followers.
Never has Paul's warning taken on a greater measure of urgency than the present. There has never been a time in the history of our country when there has been more diverse teaching going on. The mixture of religious ideas has become much more pronounced as they are mixed with many man-made ideas. You might be at an event with a follower of another religion on one side of you and a New Age devotee on the other. This is a difficult issue and I encourage you to work hard as we try to travel, think through this important command. This is not easy matter . . . but it is important.
Paul warns us to beware of hollow and deceptive philosophy. Now give notice that Paul does not tell us to beware of Philosophy in any form. The word "philosophy" means "lover of wisdom". This is a good thing. There are a number of people who will hear Paul's instruction and distrust anything that smells like a philosophical discussion. Paul was not against education or the discipline of philosophical inquiry. In fact, in the book of Acts we see Paul engage in philosophical debate of his own with the Greeks.
What Paul does say is that we must beware of HOLLOW and DECEPTIVE philosophy. He is cautioning us that not every idea is a good idea. Not every new thought is a true thought or change for the sake of change may not be good either. In this age of information, it is increasingly important that we sort through the information and distinguish between that which is true and that which is false. Our times are much more dangerous than ever before. People are now experts on how to sell an idea. We are experts at packaging and presentation. And at this same time the discipline of logic has been abandoned and people are much less qualified to examine the propositions presented in such a slick fashion.
Paul further identifies this hollow and deceptive philosophy as that which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. The point is clear: a false teaching will always present itself as a new discovery of some hidden truth but is really something that comes from the mind of men. It has a common characteristic: it leads us to depend upon something or someone other than Christ. False teaching will always encourage us to be more dependent on ourselves, or our systems. They will always turn us gradually away from complete dependence on our Savior.
The message of the Gospel is this: You matter to God! He sent His Son to die for you. Now He invites you to trust and receive Him as your Savior and your Leader for life. It is a matter of saying "Yes". "Yes, I will trust you to cleanse me, to remake me, and to bring me home. But wait, currently in my delusions, my heart feels broken from trust; during this time of hurt from a broken affiliation within the materialism of governance structure within this house of deception, I named the “company”; the message of the gospel has become clouded and my eyes and focus has been on “self “and not on God. At least at a minimal it requires taking one day at a time, praying for God’s guidance, and reading and meditating on God’s Word. This healing can never come from our own efforts, as we comprehend this; it comes only from the Lord, then we waken with a different uniform and comment:
“I have finished the race” which makes I for one reflect on Paul’s struggles in preaching the gospel of Christ and his victory over those struggles. (2 Timothy 4:7) You see every believer runs his own race (1 Corinthians 9:24). Each of us is enabled to be a winner. Paul exhorts us to “run in such a way as to get the prize,” and to do this we must set aside anything that might hinder us from living and teaching the gospel of Christ.
It's simple. It's profound. It's life-changing. And though there are lots of philosophies that are attractive and seductive, none of them can do what this simple act of faith can do. There is only one way to where you really want to go. That way is Christ. Everything else is just a dead end. Choose your course carefully.
Although Paul addresses many areas, the basic application for us today is the total complete sufficiency of Christ in our lives, both for our salvation and our sanctification. We must know and understand the gospel so as not to be led astray by subtle forms of legalism and heresy. Christianity is a family, a way of life, and a relationship- for me and I hope for you not a religion. Good deeds, astrology, occultism and horoscopes do not show us God’s ways. Only Christ does. His will is revealed in His word, His love letter to us; we must get to know it!
God Bless You and This Ministry!
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