Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070617.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part VIII: Applying Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Movements
A. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Philosophies
(Colossians 2:8-10)
  1. Introduction
    1. Philosophy is man's "pursuit of wisdom . . . a search for truth through logical reasoning rather than factual observation," Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary , s. v. "philosophy." From the discipline of philosophy has sprung differing systems of thought like Stoicism, Epicureanism, Platonism, Skepticism, Pythagoreanism and Aristotelianism to name just a few of the more famous schools.
    2. Yet, the fact that these key philosophies DIFFER from one another reveals man has failed by his reason to come to a consensus on what constitutes true wisdom! This difference illustrates the truth in Romans 1:21 NIV, ESV that lost man, in failing to acknowledge and heed God, has become futile in his thinking.
    3. Thus, man needs God's special revelation in Christ's supremacy and all-sufficiency to counter his darkness and the deception of the world of evil in which he lives, a truth revealed in Colossians 2:8-10:
  2. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Philosophies, Colossians 2:8-10.
    1. In Colossians 2:8-10, Paul began to critique the Gnostic error itself that distracted his Colossian believing readers from Christ and His supremacy and all-sufficiency, cf. Bible Knowledge Com., N. T., p. 677.
    2. An element of this error was its reliance on human philosophy, and coupling other Scriptures with Paul's critique of this philosophy, we have a Biblical critique to all errant philosophy (Col. 2:8-10 et al.):
      1. Paul warned his Colossian Christian readers against letting anyone carry them off as captive booty (sulagogon) by human philosophy (filosophias), Col. 2:8a; U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1963 ed., p. 697; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., p. 784 and 869 respectively.
      2. The Gnostic philosophy they faced was marked by a lack of content (kenays) and deceit (apatays), Colossians 2:8b; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T. ; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 428-429 and 81 respectively.
      3. It was based on errant sources of insight that would inevitably mislead (as follows), Colossians 2:8c,d:
        1. The Greek term, kata used after the "empty deceit" expression, signal the basis upon which the philosophy involved had been formed, Ibid., U. B. S. Greek N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Ging., p. 408.
        2. Thus, the false Gnostic philosophy the Colossian believers faced was based on (1) man's traditions and (2) the "rudimentary, elementary teaching of material and external things," J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians, p. 180. [Apologist Norm Geisler (Ibid., Bib. Know. Com., N. T.) suggests the "rudimentary" things may be "elemental spirits'", or "the evil spirits who inspire such heresy and over whom Christ triumphed (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:11-12)."]
        3. Regardless, the Gnostic philosophy had failed to be based on (kata) Christ in His supremacy and all-sufficiency for insight into the truth, Col. 2:8d; Ibid., U. B. S. Greek N. T.
        4. Indeed, Isaiah 8:19-20, 9:1-2 confirms Paul's claim: unless man in his spiritually dark world of evil spirits and darkness within himself began with God's special revelation in Scripture or with the Great Light Who would appear in Galilee, the Incarnate Christ, he had no light! Thus, philosophy apart from God's special revelation in Scripture and in Christ is a dangerous exercise in futility!
      4. Paul added that in huge contrast to the error that Gnostic philosophy had presented about Christ in its claim that since the material world is evil, Christ could not exist as God in bodily form, all the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in Him in bodily form , Col. 2:9; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., p. 1770!
      5. Thus, the believer is complete in Christ, Head over all creation, including the Gnostics who tried to lead the Colossians to live not "according to Christ," Col. 2:10; Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.
Lesson: Philosophy, man's effort to use reason to discern true wisdom, is empty and deceives due to the sin within man and his exposure to the evil in the world. Only Christ and Scripture are right starting points for knowing the truth, and all we need is in Christ, our Supreme, All-Sufficient God Incarnate!

Application: May we AVOID heeding man's futile philosophies and START with written Scripture and Christ, finding in HIM, God Incarnate and our Supreme, All-Sufficient Lord, all we need for fulness.