PT-4 The Deficiency of Philosophy (Col. 2:8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/12/2017 7:10 PM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus: PT-4 The Deficiency of Philosophy

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Colossians 2:8

            Message of the verses:  “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

            We promised to look at the second source for “vain speculations,” which is “the elementary principles of the world.”  MacArthur writes that it is difficult to reconstruct the meaning of the phrase “elementary principles” which in the Greek is stoichea.  The following comes from my Greek/English dictionary that is on my Online Bible program:

“1) any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise, an element, first principal e.g. the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline {#He 5:12 }

1a) the elements of religious training, or the ceremonial precepts common alike to the worship of the Jews and of the Gentiles {#Ga 4:3,9 }

1b) the ceremonial requirements esp. of the Jewish tradition, minutely set forth by theophists and false teachers, and fortified by specious arguments {#Col 2:8,20 }

1c) the principles and practices of the old covanent world order {#2Pe 3:10,12 }”

 

            MacArthur adds that “elementary principles” refers primarily to the letters of the alphabet.  It literally means ‘things in a row.’  Hence, Paul might be describing the false belief system of the Colossian errorists as rudimentary, too simplistic for mature spiritual adults.  To accept their teaching would be to descend, to regress from the mature teaching of Scripture to the infantile teachings of an immature religion, based not on advanced thinking and wisdom but on silly and childish thoughts.  To abandon biblical truth for empty philosophy is like returning to kindergarten after earning a doctorate.  Paul writes:

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

We will now look at another verse where this Greek word is also found which is Galatians 4:3 “So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.”  As you look at this verse you can see that Paul uses the verse to talk about children, children was what the Galatians were before they came to Christ, but not they are not because of their belief in Christ, however they could slip back into wrong thinking, but never be lost those who are genuinely saved.

            At the end of this section John MacArthur give another possible thought as to what this word stoicheia means, but then states that it is highly unlikely.  He states that this could “refer to elemental spirits—either supposed emanations from God, or the spirit beings that the people of the ancient world associated with the stars and planets…In either case, what these heretics offered was not an advance in spiritual knowledge, but a retreat to spiritual infancy and demonic doctrine (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1).”  I want to mention that astrology goes back very far in the Word of God, all the way back to Genesis chapter eleven where the account of the tower of Babel is talked about.  The things that these people were worshiping the stars and built what is called “ziggurats” which were used to chart the stars.

3/12/2017 7:37 PM