Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. Colossians 2:8
With the internet and social media, it is easier than ever to spend a lot of time being taught about the Bible, but never actually studying it for oneself. Now, it is good and helpful to have people teaching us about the Bible. It is vital to our spiritual growth. This teaching, however, cannot be our only source of learning. You see, educators across the world would agree that the most impactful learning style is self-discovery. This means that, for many, they will learn best when they discover truths for themselves rather than being taught in a lecture-style teaching. Because of this, in our study about the Bible, we must be sure that we are not only listening to teaching, but also doing our own individual studying of it and testing to discern whether what we are being taught about God and the Bible is the truth that we have come to know, believe, and love.
The apostle Paul addresses this tension when he writes in Colossians chapter 2. "Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ" (verse 8). In saying this, Paul was issuing a warning to believers to not be influenced by the false teaching of others. This kind of mindset involves preparedness. It involves evaluating what you read and hear and asking if it holds true to Scripture and what you know to be true about God.
My friend, "don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking… rather than from Christ." Make it a habit for you to think for yourself. Evaluate what you read and hear so that you can test whether or not it is from Christ. This will take practice and consistency to become a habit, but it is a habit worthy of your effort and time.
Yesterday you were given a list of questions to ask and write on an index card to help you discern if what you are being taught about Christ is true to Scripture. Today, take that list and add to it. Add questions to ask to discern if what you are being taught about Scripture is consistent with what Scripture itself teaches us. Begin with these questions: "Is what I am being taught true to what I know Scripture teaches about itself?" and "Where can the teaching I have just read or heard be supported by Scripture." Next, add two more of your own questions. Remember, keep this list in your Bible so that you can discern whether what you are hearing is truth from Scripture or not.
And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.
You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
