Colossians 2:8-10
~15 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for this morning's message is taken from Colossians chapter 2, verses 8–10. Allow me to read this passage for you: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” The Lord blessed the reading of his holy and sacred Word.
I would like to begin by drawing your attention to the word “philosophy”. It is a compound word made up of two words: love (fileo) and wisdom (sophia). In other words, it means the love of wisdom.
The world has seen many great philosophers—people like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and so forth. Philosophy was invented by men. It is the view of men about the meaning of life, the purpose of our existence, our relationships, our values, the existence of God, the reality of heaven and earth, and so forth.
Throughout history, man has asked many pertinent questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going after death? So many philosophers came up with their own answers to all these questions, and people would support their own favourite philosophers. They would argue about who is the most reliable.
Therefore, there are many different groups and factions without absolute truth, and apart from God and his word, whatever is right and wrong would be based entirely on human opinions. When one rejects divine truth, he has no other option but to turn to human speculations.
We are not dismissing the amazing and remarkable discoveries that man had invented, especially in recent past centuries. Science and technology have developed so many products, machines, equipment, and medicines that have made great contributions to human life.
It is true that we Christians do not have the answers to everything. Many non-believers are more educated, brilliant, and experienced than the believers. If you want to fix your car, you need to bring it to the best mechanic—even though he is not a Christian. If you are sick, you go to the best doctor. If you want to get an education, you go to the best school with excellent teachers and a great curriculum. We thank God for all of them.
But if we want answers to what life is all about—answers about sin and the solution to sin, answers pertaining to God, heaven, and hell—we need to go to God and his word, Wot to the philosophers.
Without exception, the city of Colosse also had a fair share of philosophers. Some people believed that they were the Judaizers, Gnostics, mystics, and so forth. The Bible does not reveal to us, so we do not know for sure who they were or what they were teaching. Instead of speculating, we rather deal with what Paul was emphasising in this passage. This is what we want to learn for our message today.
The title is Human Wisdom versus God’s Wisdom.
I. The Command To Reject Human Wisdom
Firstly, the apostle Paul gave the command to reject human wisdom, beginning with verse eight: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”(Colossians 2:8)
The word “beware” is a command, which means to be careful, discerning, and pay close attention. The fact that Paul commanded the Colossians to beware tells us how important it was. Most likely these were the false teachers who had infiltrated into the church.
The phrase “any man” is a reference to the philosophers who would spoil you, which means to take you captive or to enslave you through their humanistic wisdom and vain deceit—like an invading army that attacked a particular nation and took the people into captivity.
Those false teachers had invaded the church with their so-called words of wisdom and captivated the people. Those who were weak in their understanding of the truth would be incapable of discerning between truth and error. They were the easy targets of those false teachers.
Today we live in a world that is filled with scammers, con artists, and cheaters of all sorts. We have false investment plans, fake charities, pyramid schemes—you name it, we have it. And almost every day we are being bombarded by telemarketers telling us to buy this and that, which are nothing but scams.
How do you describe a person who is easily scammed by all those con artists? Gullible. When someone is gullible and he is easily deceived, it will cost him his money. But when someone is spiritually gullible and he is being deceived, it will cost him his eternal soul.
Satan cannot do anything against the cross. When Jesus died on the cross and he said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), the work of salvation had been accomplished. What Satan would do is to deceive the people so that they would not believe in the truth of the gospel. And he would do that through the false teachers. And in the case of the Colossians, they were the philosophers.
Sadly, there are many such people in the church today who are lacking in discernment. When you have false teachers misrepresenting God and teaching falsehood, and you have gullible believers, the church will surely fall.
All it takes is for one false teacher to creep into battle and challenge the fundamental biblical truth that we have held on to all these years. And if the believers are gullible, they will start to switch sides. Surely the church will fall.
One thing we must understand is that false teaching is very seductive. Oftentimes they will take the truth of God’s word, mix it with lies and deception to make it more palatable for the people to accept. We must always bear in mind that God’s word need not be improved upon to make it more attractive. We just need to preach and teach it in all its purity, without compromise.
Another danger of false teaching is that it will slowly gain momentum from one person to another, and before we know it, the whole church will be affected.
Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse, the great preacher and writer, gave this wonderful illustration. This is what he said: Just like a group of teenagers playing a practical joke, they gathered together in a busy street corner and stared intently into the sky. One of them pointed up to the sky and said loud enough to be overheard, “It is there.” Another said, “No, it is not.” Yet another said, “Yes, it is.”
Soon, one or two other persons stopped by and looked up into the sky. As the argument grew heated, others stopped to gaze up as well. Then one by one, the teenagers quietly slipped away from the crowd and gathered a few yards away and watched the results. By that time a huge crowd had gathered, and they were all looking up into the sky. Twenty minutes later more people had joined in.
Dr. Barnhouse said, That is an illustration of all the false teachings. They talk about having faith. They tell you to look in a certain direction where there is absolutely nothing. Some people are so desperately interested in seeing something that they will look and look and look until they are almost blind, yet they never catch a glimpse of anything real. That is what false teachings would do, and it will slowly gain momentum.
The phrase “vain deceit” means empty deception, and it was connected to the word philosophy. In other words, their so-called words of wisdom, or love of wisdom, or pursuit for wisdom was nothing more than just empty deception.
It was empty deception because it was built upon the tradition of men. Tradition of men simply means something passed down from one to another over a period of time. Just because the previous generation believed and handed it down to the next subsequent generations does not make it true.
Do you realise that most philosophers would build their works upon the works of the previous philosophers, and they would often quote from their writings? And then they either redefine the system or add onto it. That is how it works.
The “rudiments of the world” means the elementary or basic principles of the world. In our modern-day English, we would say the ABCs. In the world, people would say these were the words of wisdom. But God said they are the ABCs. Perhaps using the illustration of ABC may not be the best expression because all of us know that the ABCs are the basic foundation to understand the entire English language.
Here Paul was not saying you need the rudiments of the world, the basic principles of the truth, but you need to proceed and move on to learn the whole counsel of God’s word. He was using this phrase with a sense of sarcasm. He was like saying when you abandon biblical truth for human wisdom and empty deception, you are just like returning to kindergarten after earning a doctorate. You are just like a man sitting in a library reciting his ABCs instead of reading all the great literature that surrounds him in that library. Instead of becoming mature and wise, he remains immature and ignorant.
Notice the last phrase at the end of the verse: “and not after Christ”. You are not trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. You are trusting in human wisdom and empty deception which is passed down after the generation of men, after the rudiments of the world, the basic principles of this world, for your salvation.
But salvation cannot be found in all those things. It can only be found in one person, and one person alone, and that is Christ. You miss him, you miss everything.
Dear friend, as far as salvation is concerned, the wisdom of men ought to be rejected because it is not true. How can human wisdom be true wisdom when it keeps changing?
The past generations had taught us many things. But interestingly, whatever the past generations believed in, this present generation no longer believes is true. They no longer believe it is applicable. What we once believed to be true wisdom is no longer accepted as true. When every generation keeps changing the things they believe in, how can that be true wisdom?
Have you ever bought a self-help book that claims to teach the wisest way to deal with an issue? Perhaps you have. You read it and thought it was the wisest thing you have ever read. Then five years down the road, the author came up with a new edition and added more things into that book, or another author came along and said his book is better than the last one.
We see that happening all the time. How can that be true wisdom? True wisdom never changes. True wisdom abides forever. How can human wisdom be true wisdom when it cannot deliver what it promised? Worldly wisdom has promised many things, but they cannot deliver what they promised.
Take for example at every election of new politicians. We hear some of those persuasive politicians talking about wise plans to change the economy, environment, living conditions: ‘Vote for me. Peace and prosperity are just around the corner.’ They appeared to be very wise, said many things, and people were bought into their persuasion. But that corner never came around after they were voted into office. They never delivered what they promised.
How can human wisdom be true wisdom when it cannot give us the true ultimate answer to life? Worldly wisdom has said many things about our health, our wealth, our possessions, how we should live our lives, etc. But they do not give us the true ultimate answer to life. And they leave us dangling, confused, feeling more anxious than before.
Today with the advancement of technology, people always receive those WhatsApp greetings that contain words of wisdom, and they like to forward those messages to their friends. Sounds very wise and impressive. But the problem is, except those Christian quotations, none of them would give you the true ultimate answers to sin, salvation, God, heaven, and hell.
How can human wisdom be true wisdom when it is not lasting, when it keeps changing, when it cannot deliver what it promises, and most importantly, when it cannot provide us with the answers to sin, salvation, God, heaven, and hell?
All that a man knows, all that a man has, and all that a man understands can be removed just like that—simply by losing his memory. Many of those philosophers claimed to have true wisdom, but one after another, they grew old, they lost their memories, died, and ended up in hell.
Do you know what is the most tragic thing? It is when whatever they had taught, they had brought along with them thousands if not millions together to hell. It is so sad because so many were deceived by their so-called words of wisdom and empty deceptions, believing that: ‘This is the way to salvation. This is the way to live my life. This is the only life I have on this earth. After I die, there is no such thing as life after death.’ And with that, they ended up in hell.
II. The Reason To Reject Human Wisdom
So the command given was to reject human wisdom. Next, Paul moved on to speak about the reason to reject human wisdom. Look at verse 9: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
All the wisdom of this world cannot save us because salvation cannot be found in all those things. Salvation can only be found in one person, and that is Christ alone. “For in him” —that is Christ— “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9).
Jesus Christ, the second person in the triune God, completely, perfectly, and 100% God, became 100% man, and took on bodily form, and became the Saviour of the world.
Is it really that important to believe in Jesus as 100% God and 100% man? It is most important, because otherwise he could not have been the Saviour of the world. The Saviour of the world is 100% God and 100% man.
To be the Saviour of the world, Christ had to be 100% God in order for his sacrifice to be perfect and to be able to atone for the sins of mankind.
Christ also had to be 100% man in order to represent mankind and take the penalty of sin upon himself on man’s behalf. It was man who sinned against God. It was man who was under the curse of the law. It was man who was condemned. And unless and until a perfect substitute was able to bear our sins on the cross, you and I cannot be saved.
Therefore, Jesus could not be that substitute to bear our sins had he not taken upon himself the likeness of men. You can read about that in Philippians 2:6–11. He had to be 100% God to have the power to save, and he had to be 100% man to be qualified as the Saviour.
So it was not just any ordinary man who can save the people from their sins. Buddha cannot save, Muhammad cannot save, Sai Baba cannot save, Mary cannot save, because they were all men and women, and they were all sinners. We all need a Saviour who is 100% God and 100% man to save us from our sins.
Some people would argue it is impossible for God to be both God and man, because God and man are totally different. It is like trying to put a square into a circle. It defies logic for God to become a man. In reality, they do not understand the omnipotence of God, and they are limiting His omnipotence. Omnipotence means all powerful. There is no limit to his all-powerful ability.
If the all-powerful God could appear to Moses in the burning bush, if the all-powerful God could speak in an audible voice on Mount Sinai, if the all-powerful God could be a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, why is it impossible for Him to become a man? God can choose to be who he wants to be. It is not about logic. It is about his omnipotence. The all-powerful God became 100% man for you and me.
Both the words ‘fulness’ and ‘complete’ come from the same original Greek word. One is a noun, the other is a verb. In other words, because Christ is who He is, He is complete. We who believe in Him, we have been made complete in Him. His fullness is imparted to us.
John Calvin said, ‘The Son of God became the Son of man, so that the sons of men can become the sons of God.’ What a wonderful way to express this teaching.
Dear friend, as sinners, you and I are spiritually incomplete, because we are totally out of fellowship with God. We are physically incomplete because we have to die: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
We are eternally incomplete because we are separated from God forever and ever. We are also morally incomplete because we live outside of God’s will. We always do that which is contrary to his word. We are mentally incomplete because we do not know the ultimate truth.
But our Lord Jesus, he came and he saved us. The Holy Spirit opened up our eyes that we are able to see the truth of the gospel, convicted our hearts of our sins, and we turn to the only Saviour — 100% God, who became 100% man to save us. And because of our salvation, we became partakers of his divine nature, and we are made complete.
Today you and I are complete because we have fellowship with God. One day we may still die, but we will be raised from the grave to have a glorified body. We have eternal life. We recognise and understand God’s will through the wonder-working of the Holy Spirit and through the word of God. And we know and believe in the ultimate truth — we are complete. We are saved.
Finally Paul said, contrary to all the false teachers who said that Jesus was just one of the ways to salvation - that is absolutely false. He was the only way to salvation, for He was the head of all principality and power. He was not just one of a series of lesser gods that God had sent. He was God himself who became a man. He was head over all the angelic realm.
Dear friend, we can never find salvation through human wisdom. No matter how hard we try, no matter how logical, eloquent, or brilliant they may appear to be. The salvation of sinners, the saving of souls, goes beyond the logic, eloquence, and brilliance of men.
It takes the Son of God to become a man, to come into this world, live a perfect life, ultimately to die on the Cross, and shed His precious blood to pay the penalty of sins.
To believe in Jesus, the only way of salvation, to live our lives in fellowship with him, to have eternal life, to recognise and understand his sovereign will, and to know that this is the ultimate truth, the ultimate answer to sin, salvation, God, heaven and hell. That is true wisdom.
And I pray that as believers, there may be some who will come and challenge our faith. But unless you and I abide in the wisdom of God — what God has revealed to us through His Word — and we cling on to it, never letting it go, otherwise the church will surely fall.
This is what human wisdom versus God’s wisdom is all about. As believers, we believe that God’s wisdom is the only true wisdom, absolute wisdom. And this is what we must hold dearly to our hearts and live it out in our lives to the glory of His precious name.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we give thee thanks for this opportunity for us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Indeed, it had happened to the Colossians almost 2,000 years ago. How there were these philosophers, false teachers with their empty deceptions, which were built upon the traditions of men, the rudiments and basic principles of the world, which cannot save the souls of a man. Yet many were deceived.
Today likewise, in our modern times there were people who will teach things alike. But those we recognise also as human wisdom and empty deceptions that cannot save, no matter how logical, eloquent, articulate, and brilliant they may appear to be.
Human wisdom is always changing. It is not lasting. It cannot provide the ultimate answer to life, sin, salvation, God, heaven, and hell. Only the true wisdom of Thee revealed to us in Thy precious Word is true wisdom.
And thou hast taught us that the Son of God became the Son of man, so that all of us can become the sons of God. Indeed, no man can ever, ever comprehend the salvation plan of Thee. Even in thy plan of salvation, we see this true wisdom. We believe in it, and in it we have fellowship with thee. We have eternal life. We recognise and understand Thy will, and we want to walk in obedience today. So help us to cling onto Thy Word every day of our lives. All this we do is to the glory of Thy precious name.
We pray all this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANSA Faith And Love That ShinesA Faith And Love That ShinesColossians 1:1-4
The Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeThe Blessedness Of Our Christian HopeColossians 1:5-6a
The Transforming Power Of The GospelThe Transforming Power Of The GospelColossians 1:6b-8
The Need For PrayersThe Need For PrayersColossians 1:9
Prayer for Spiritual ExcellencePrayer for Spiritual ExcellenceColossians 1:9-12
Walk Worthy Of The LordWalk Worthy Of The LordColossians 1:10-11
What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?Colossians 1:12a
What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?Colossians 1:12b-13
I Am Redeemed And ForgivenI Am Redeemed And ForgivenColossians 1:14
Christ, The Invisible GodChrist, The Invisible GodColossians 1:15
Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowJesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I KnowColossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39
What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?Colossians 1:18
What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?Colossians 1:19-22
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 1:23a
Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?Colossians 1:23b-24
How Faithful Are We?How Faithful Are We?Colossians 1:25-27
What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?Colossians 1:28-29
The Indispensable Component In Serving GodThe Indispensable Component In Serving GodColossians 2:1-2a
This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeThis Is What I Wish For You To Have And To BeColossians 2:2b-5
Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!Colossians 2:4-9, 19
The Evidence Of Our SalvationThe Evidence Of Our SalvationColossians 2:6-7
Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!Colossians 2:7
Our Spiritual Union With ChristOur Spiritual Union With ChristColossians 2:11-12
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Human Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomHuman Wisdom Versus God’s WisdomColossians 2:8-10
