It's Right There Behind the Milk

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

                                                               Colossians 2:8

From: Chief Executive Officer Solomon Enterprises

To: Director of Purchasing Solomon Enterprises

Attached please find a purchase order for the following items:

         Shampoo – the kind that has conditioner in it.

         Dental floss – the mint flavored kind that glides

         Mildew Remover

         Fish oil – 1500 mg. (get it at BJ’s)

         Thin spaghetti

         Ketchup

Thank you for you prompt attention.

Signed,

Science Guy

CEO Solomon Enterprises

I buy stuff.  That is my job.  We have a semi-traditional home.  My husband brings home the non-cured turkey bacon and I microwave it for 1-2 minutes (“rather than fryin it up in a pan”).  Yeah that’s us.  This is how we do life.  It works. My husband works hard, really hard, and so my job is to make sure that every purchasing need is fulfilled in the house.  From dental floss to mildew cleaner to any food item to house hold linens to …everything.  It is my job.  I really don’t mind.  I am good at it.  I have mad bargaining skills so it makes sense.  I have been doing this a long time.

In all honesty, these skills have been slipping over the last several years.  It seems my middle–aged mind is having a meltdown and my memory isn’t what it used to be.  In the past, all anyone had to do was mention a need and I was on it.  The item was purchased and delivered with the expected speed and precision that my family has become accustomed.  Not anymore.  We have been reduced to a pad on the refrigerator where said request needs to be documented.  If it isn’t on the pad, there are no guarantees.  

While the list has become an invaluable tool and seemed a rock solid solution, there are still problems with the system.  Invariably, I will take this list and buy the items on said list to come home and realize we already have this item in our house.  I am just wondering, why can’t even one of three grown men find the ketchup behind the milk in the refrigerator?  I digress.  So there I am with another giant bottle of ketchup when I already have a full one begging to be released from its bondage in the back of the refrigerator.  It isn’t always their fault.  I do it all the time as well.  I buy something I already have.  Something that I forgot about and is already in my possession. 

This is exactly what Paul is addressing in this and in the following verses. The Gnostics were attempting to convince the church at Colossae that what they needed was something other than what they already had in Christ.  Something else that would fulfill their deepest needs.  Paul is going to refute their arguments one by one in verses 9-15 in chapter 2 of Colossians. 

But first he starts with a warning. 

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

                                                               Colossians 2:8

Paul is warning the Colossians about a philosophy that the Gnostics were trying to sell.  We can immediately see several things about this philosophy from the verse 8. 

1)   It was hollow and it was deceptive. 

2)   It depended on human tradition and basic principles of this world rather than Christ. 

3)   Lastly, and most important.  It led to slavery.  Paul uses the terminology of being taken captive.  The meaning is even stronger in the Greek.  It is as if you are kidnapped.

I thought a good summary statement might help for application. 

Make sure that you aren’t deceived by the basic principles of the world.  They are empty and lead to slavery. 

Since my goal is to make the scriptures applicable and practical, I thought that I would share some basic principles of the world that I see prevalent today that are clearly not rooted in Christ.  Principles that lead to slavery.

- My success is rooted in my academic degrees.

- Healthy and strong is to be admired – weakness is to be pitied.

- Money will make you happy.

- Self-made man/woman is to be exalted.

- Prosperity is gauged by how much stuff I have.

- Love is entirely an emotion rather than an action.

- Love is not about others.  It is about self.  Self-love is most important.

- Tolerance means I have to agree with you rather than accepting what you believe but not agreeing with you.

- Jesus was not God but a great prophet and teacher.

- Memorizing a book of the Bible makes you spiritual (or weird) rather than desperate for God. (Slipped that one in there to see if you are paying attention.)

- If I do enough good works I will hopefully go to heaven.

- There is no heaven or God.

- People can’t change.

- Contentment lies outside of our selves.

- Our value and identity lies entirely on what we do rather than on who we are.

- Money is the basis for all my decisions.

- My happiness is the basis for all my decisions.

- If it feels good do it.

- Morality is what ones own self thinks is moral.

- If you disagree with me you don’t love me and are a bigot and judgmental.

- The Bible is an antiquated book that has no relevance for today.

- The Bible is a book about morality.

All of these worldly mindsets might have an appearance of wisdom but they aren’t dependent on Christ.  Any philosophy that is not dependent on Christ will not satisfy.  It is empty and deceptive.  If adhered to, it will lead to slavery. 

In the next several verses, Paul is about to refute some arguments.  While we don’t know what those arguments are specifically, we can conclude by Paul’s defense that they might have stressed a need apart and in addition to Christ.  Jesus plus something else.  Paul is going to prove that all you really need you already have in Christ.  There is no need to go elsewhere.  You already have it. 

I think I forget this concept.  I forget that all I really need, all my deepest desires have already been fulfilled in Christ.  Sometimes my understanding of this truth gets shoved into the back of my mind not unlike my much ignored and thoroughly forgotten bottle of ketchup.  I need to understand what Paul is defending.  I want to be able to clearly identify what this is that I already have.  Paul is definitely going to expand and illuminate us.  He gets specific.  I need to be illuminated.  I think you might too.  Please say tuned.  It just might change everything for you. 

Jesus blew everything apart, and when I saw where the pieces landed, I knew I was free.

                                             George Burman Foster