To Encourage You

Colossians 2:8-9 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

Do you realize that there is a world-wide contest of ideas at work in the world today?  You see, men have their ideas and God has His, and often they are in conflict with each other.  We call these ideas “philosophies.” They are ideas on why things are as they are in the world, and how they can be made better. They are the underlying concepts to explain how things work, i.e., how they really are.  There are thousands of them. Some of these philosophies find their expression in the world’s religions or in cults. Others come from those professing no religious influence.  Whole systems of thought have been developed by men who have observed the world around them and from those observations derived philosophies that they are so eager to share with others.  We’ve all seen them as they sell their CDs and books on TV.  I heard many human philosophies in my college years in classes such as anthropology, sociology, and psychology.  I found it interesting that elaborate theories had been derived by men, one on top of the other, and I always wondered what would become of these seeming “houses of cards” if the first guy’s theory was in error. 

The Bible has much to say about such things, and one such place is in the verses above from Paul’s letter to the Colossian church.  He warns us that human systems of thought, those based on human philosophy and tradition, are a means of bondage, slavery, captivity – whatever word you want to use.  While they may promise freedom and other wonderful things, they do just the opposite.  They keep a person back from wonderful things that would be available to them if their thoughts and actions hadn’t been influenced by such philosophies and traditions. 

“Traditions” is a good word to describe these things. They can be passed down through many years and generations, thereby seemingly acquiring legitimacy because they’ve been around so long.  Just think about such ancient religions as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and various forms of Christianity as examples of this.  Other examples are the ideas of Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, and Karl Marx.  They all wrote books and others have written more books to follow them.  However, no matter how seemingly legitimate, the Bible warns that man’s philosophies, developed in a vacuum apart from Him, are “empty deceits.” They have nothing but bondage and error to offer, and to follow after them is an exercise in futility in the end.  They are all fashioned after the “elemental spirits of the world” and we know that to be a friend of the world is to be in hostility to Christ (James 4:4). 

So, what does Christianity, a system of beliefs based on the teachings of the God of the Bible, offer?  It’s an ancient thing too.  Is it any better?  The answer given in the verses above is that “Yes, it is better. In fact, it is much better.” Whereas the philosophies of this world are described as “empty deceits,” the Word of God (which is the same as the Word of Christ) offers “fullness.”  That means it’s complete.  It falls short in nothing. It tells us everything we will ever need to know about the truth behind why things are as they are, why we are as we are, and how things can be made better. It is the very mind of the omniscient Christ provided to every believer and taught to that believer by the indwelling Spirit of the living God.  All of it, every word of the Bible, has been “breathed out by God and (is) profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  God’s Word is filled with truth that we can stake our lives on because it’s not an empty philosophy dreamed up by fallible men. It’s the infallible and inerrant Truth given to us as a gift by an infinite and all-knowing Creator.  It’s something that men could never have come up with on their own.  In fact, it’s something that men are apt to call foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14), while on the other hand, man’s “wisdom” is nothing more than foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19).  In fact, it is so empty, and man is so void of God’s wisdom, that we are told that “None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8).” 

So, what are you listening to? Who or what are you following?  If it is anything but the Word of God, God’s warning to you is that you are being robbed by empty and foolish ideas.  And all the while the full measure of His divine Truth and wisdom is available to each and every one of us if we simply and freely want to receive it.