There is real danger to the Christian that drifts away from the teachings (doctrines) of the Bible. Paul continues to instruct the followers of Christ to adhere to the doctrines they have been taught.
1 Timothy 4:16 (NKJV) Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Here is the basic problem: Many do not continue in the doctrines (teachings) of the Bible. Why? Because of the temptations of the world. As we had discussed before, the Bible is our authority for all our faith and practice and the overall conduct of our lives. It is sufficient to meet all our truth needs so we do not have to look for divine truth anywhere else. Everything we encounter in life and in the world must be evaluated against the teachings (or the doctrines) of Scripture.
But whenever we make one little exception, we have opened the door to greater deviations from the word. Drs Draper and Keathley in their book “Biblical Authority,” give this example:
"In recent times, many people who advocate women as pastors are nonetheless strongly opposed to recognition of homosexual unions. Yet the arguments used by evangelical feminists to justify female pastors are in turn used by some activists to rationalize gay and lesbian marriages." [1]
Once he has shifted from divine revelation [in the Scriptures] to human reason as the basis of authority, he can go as far as desired from historic Christian conviction, and only personal choice will determine where to stop. Thus, even those who have themselves stopped relatively close to orthodoxy are still damaging to the faith because they have opened the door to as much defection as anyone wants to engage in. Those who are coming after them will go further still. Ultimately, historic, biblical Christianity will be in shambles. [2]
The warning is given over and over in Scripture. Much of the NT teachings concerns warnings against false teachings. Today’s scripture passage is one of those warnings.
Read Colossians 2:1–10
We do not have to live very long to know that it is easy to fool people, and that it is very easy to be fooled ourselves. Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, the great preacher and writer, used to illustrate this by telling of a practical joke which he and his teenaged friends played on some unsuspecting passersby in a large city.
His group stood on a busy street corner and stared intently into the air. One of them pointed, while another said (loudly enough to be overheard), “It is not.” A third friend argued, “It is so!” At this, one or two people stopped and began to look up in the same direction as Barnhouse and his friends. As the argument grew more heated, others stopped to gaze fixedly at the point his group discussed. Then, one by one, Barnhouse and his friends quietly slipped out of the crowd and gathered a few yards away to watch the results. By this time, some fifteen people were looking into the air. The crowd changed as new passersby came along and joined the group and those who had been staring longest left. Twenty minutes later several people were still looking upward. Several others had gone off to the side and were leaning against a building, looking up for something that was not there and never had been.
About his childhood trick, Barnhouse observed: That little incident is a good illustration of all the earth-born religions. People talk about having faith; they tell you to look in a direction where there is absolutely nothing. Some people are so desperately in need of seeing something that they will look till they are almost blind, yet they never catch a glimpse of anything real. [3]
In our passage today, Paul warns those in the church of Colosse as well as the church at Laodicea to:
Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
The heresies they were encountering were the beginnings of Gnosticism. Gnostic means “knowledge” in the Greek and Gnosticism was a secret knowledge one had to have to be saved. Like knowing the secret handshake to get entry to a secret club. What was happening, there were teachers who would combine Christian teaching with the philosophies of the current culture. They would equate good and evil and they question Jesus’ divinity saying he did not have a real body or that his divinity came and left. There were many variations.
Do not be fooled, Gnosticism is very much alive and well today, it is just under different labels. For example, beware of anything the labels itself as progressive Christianity. They have embraced all the politically correct norms of our current godless culture and with silver tongues, explained away the clear teaching of the Bible. Paul knew the devastating effect the heresy of Gnosticism could have on the church.
Colossians 2:1 (NKJV) For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
Paul’s "great conflict," or in other translations, his "struggle," for those in Colossae and Laodicea (10 miles away) was a metaphor for intercessory prayer. Paul wrestled in prayer before Almighty God on their behalf. He has never met them, because these churches was founded by another, Epaphras. We read about him Colossians 1:7. Paul’s prayer for those in Colossae and Laodicea was this:
Colossians 2:2 (NKJV) that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
He desire that they be encouraged by the teaching of Scripture, with full understanding. He wanted them to know the full mystery of God, as we discussed last week, the mysteries that have been hidden since from before the world began. What are the mysteries concerning both God the Father and Jesus Christ?
Colossians 1:27 (NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Christ in you! How good is that?
Colossians 2:3 (NKJV) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
We have access to all the wisdom and knowledge of the universe, Why would we need to look further. This is the sufficiency of the Scripture. All we need to know is there if we would only look for it. This verse is key, for to drift from Christ is to drift from the truth which is drifting from His word.
With all the wisdom and knowledge, the message of the Bible is not open to be changed by the culture, rather the culture should be changed by the message of Bible.
Colossians 2:4–5 (NKJV) Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.
Don’t be dragged away with fancy talk. Paul is telling the Colossians he his rejoicing over them staying the course, despite the those that want to lead them astray. “Persuasive words,” the NIV translates this as “fine sounding arguments.” You must be firm in the word to keep from being deceived. We are to be like the Bereans:
Acts 17:11 (NKJV) These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.
Don’t take my word for it, read it for yourself. We must remember that the scriptures were written, not for scholars, or for seminary professors, but for you and me. We can read it for it ourselves. Paul told the Corinthians that he was not an eloquent speaker, but the power was in the message.
1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (NKJV) And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
If a man does not have the truth, then he must seek to attract a following through the clever presentation of his message. That is exactly what heretics always do. They argue from probabilities and build a system of teaching on deductions. On the other hand, if a man is preaching the truth of God, then he does not need to depend on such things as eloquence or clever arguments. The truth is its own best argument and, like a lion, will defend itself. [4]
Colossians 2:6–7 (NKJV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
The emphasis is on Christ as Lord. Notice Paul did not say Lord Jesus Christ, but rather he said “Jesus Christ the Lord.” We have Jesus as our Lord but Jesus asks the question:
Luke 6:46 (NKJV) “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
We have His words in Scripture and we need to immerse ourselves in the word and live out the word. It is in the living out of the word we learn the word.
“so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him” We are to walk or “continue to live” (NIV) in him, putting down deep roots in biblical truths, so we can stand tall and be built taller in Him, establishing our faith in the truth as we have been taught form the word. And we do this with thanksgivings. Now for the warning:
Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Most other translation have “Be careful no one takes you captive.”
We get caught up in fades and group think. If the group or crowd wants it or is for it, it must be a good thing? We were never tasked to be part of the world. Paul scolded the Galatians:
Galatians 4:9 (NKJV) But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
We were captive to sin and the things of this world. Why is it that we are enticed to go back to those things?
“through philosophy and empty deceit” “Philosophy" means the “love of wisdom.” The Bible is not against wisdom, but Godly wisdom, as we have discussed, is so different from worldly wisdom. “Empty deceit” was been around since the Garden of Eden. Empty deceit will cause you to question what you know to be true. Look at the serpent in the Garden:
Genesis 3:1 (NKJV) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Eve knew the truth but the serpent deceived her into thinking God was holding back from her and Adam. The same thing happens today. What we are talking about is Spiritual warfare. Deceit is the enemy’s top weapon. How do we fight it?
Ephesians 6:11–12 (NKJV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We learn about the armor of God in the Word. We learn the teaching of the Bible to better able to spot the philosophies and empty deceits of the world and the enemy.
“according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world” Deceivers in the world will throw out a few Bible verse but will go off in tangent away from the word and away from Jesus. They are nice self-help with health, wealth and prosperity, but they are not the deeper things of Scripture.
These are things that satisfies “itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3). The things that lead you away are “not according to Christ.” Not according to the things of Scripture. They will temp you, because they will sound good and reasonable, and the arguments made are persuasive, but they are not according to Christ or His word.
Colossians 2:9 (NKJV) For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
You’ve heard me say this before, it is all about Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is fully God, and also being fully man we can relate to Him. So that question is, if Christ Jesus is all in all, why would we seek and try to be satisfied with anything else?
Colossians 2:10 (NKJV) and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
We are made whole, complete, or as other translation say, we are filled with Him. We have it all in Jesus. We have His word. To depart from His word is to depart from Jesus.
Jesus is our all in all. The world through it’s philosophies and empty deceits will try and take it away. We need to be deliberate in our walk. To be in His word and to walk in his word. The rest of the world is following the road to Hell. That road is filled with good intentions, good thoughts and good philosophies according to the ways and thoughts of the world. But Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6). Will you follow Him today?
[1] James T. Draper Jr and Kenneth Keathley, Biblical Authority: The Critical Issue for the Body of Christ (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001), 8.
[2] Ibid. 9.
[3] R. Kent Hughes, Colossians and Philemon: The Supremacy of Christ, Preaching the Word (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1989), 66–68.
[4] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2001.
