To Encourage You

Colossians 2:8-10 “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 know what it means to be “captivated” by something?  One dictionary definition of this word is “having one’s interest or attention held or captured by something or someone charming, beautiful, entertaining, etc.”  A person can be captivated by a beautiful sunset, totally absorbed in the wonder of it all.  Perhaps you’ve been captivated by a good movie or a favorite book.  Maybe you’ve heard a public speaker that drew you in with his presentation style, and you were captivated by his words.  In the passage above from Colossians 2, Paul warns us against being taken “captive,” i.e., captivated if you will, by philosophy. Here he’s talking about human philosophy, ways of thinking, human belief systems. There are many of them.

I recently looked up a list of “isms.” These are ways of thinking about the world, or “a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy,” again per the dictionary.  It listed things like “agnosticism – the doctrine that we can know nothing beyond material phenomena,” “ascetism – the doctrine that self-denial of the body permits spiritual enlightenment,” and “humanism – the belief that human interests and mind are paramount.” You can add to these all sorts or religions, like animism, Hinduism, Islamism, and Confucianism.  Paul tells us that all of these things, these human-centered ways of thinking, are empty and deceitful in one way or another.  If we are taken in and captivated by them (and millions of people are) they will lead us to nothing but a dead end.    Paul contrasts all of this with Christ.  He tells us that in Him and in Him alone is the fullness of God.  To follow Him is to not be left empty.  To follow His teaching will fill our minds and lives with that which is wonderful and good. 

So, are you doing this? Are you captivated by His words? We are told that when Jesus taught, that was the effect He had on people.  In Luke 4:22 we are told that “all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” After Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 5-7, we are told that “the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught as one who had authority and not as their teachers of the law.”  Even the temple guards who were sent by the Pharisees to arrest Jesus were stopped in their tracks by His words as they reported back to the authorities, “No one ever spoke the way this man!” (John 7:46). 

Yet, so many never avail themselves of Jesus’ magnificent teaching, although it’s available to us in black and white in the words of the Bible.  In fact, the entire Bible is filled with this wonder, for we are told “All Scripture is breathed out by God,” and thus, it is all “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).” 

Do you hear that?  “Complete.” It’s the opposite of empty deceit.  May God help us to not be taken captive by human philosophy. Might we rather have the wisdom to be captivated by every word of Christ.