Following an early flight to France, my friends and I boarded a train to Paris. In a fog of jet lag, we disembarked somewhere underneath the city and yanked our luggage up a long stairway. Finally we emerged into the sunlight like a family of sleepy moles. That’s when we realized the surrounding streets were absent from our map. English was our only language. We were lost in limbo-land.
Many people today are spiritually dazed and confused—including some believers in Christ. This bewilderment is promoted by New Age gurus, talk show hosts, and self-help preachers who may be cozy with Christianity, but who tempt us with the promise of something more.
Those types of seducers have been around for ages, and they enjoyed special attention from the Colossian believers. That’s why Paul warned, “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” (v.8).
Jesus provides clarity for our souls when we acknowledge that He possesses “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v.3). This means we don’t need to search for any kind of secret understanding beyond the teachings of Jesus. Paul said, “This is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you the assurance of sharing His glory” (Colossians 1:27).
Because Christ lives in us, we are free from the “divine dementia” that accompanies the spiritual teachings of this world. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). When we acknowledge Him as the only way and allow Him to supernaturally guide our souls, the deceptive teachings of the world can’t entice us.
More:
• Jeremiah 33:3
• John 14:26
• Ephesians 1:15-23
Next:
How have you given in to the temptation to search for something more than Jesus? What can you do to disengage from the world’s “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense”?
Isaac on March 18, 2009 at 6:39 pm
This is very true. Indeed there are a lot of deviant teachings out in the world which look and sound fantastic and miraculous, with claims appearing somewhat similar to Christianity.
For example, the hyped movie The Secret which purports the thinking that we can control the universe to do or get whatever we want. Such philosophy is promoted by “New Age gurus, talk show hosts, and self-help preachers.”
I found the verse in Colossians to be refreshing as I looked at it in a new light.
Hannah C on March 2, 2011 at 9:13 pm
HOW HAVE YOU GIVEN IN TO THE TEMPTATION TO SEARCH FOR SOMETHING MORE THAN JESUS? I did this by turning to popular opinion whenever I had problems, instead of turning to Jesus. People can be sincere with what they say, but this doesn’t mean that they are right. People can give all sorts of advice that can actually sound good, but contradict the Bible. An example would be my experience at my previous workplace. Many of us altered some of the data that were to be given to clients. “You’re not hurting anyone. Everybody’s doing it, the client won’t know, and it’s not like we’re cheating big time, anyway,” that’s what people said. My boss called it “real dedication of an employee” — the Bible calls it “dishonesty”.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO DISENGAGE FROM THE WORLD’S “EMPTY PHILOSOPHIES AND HIGH-SOUNDING NONSENSE”? Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Set apart time to read God’s word everyday. Read, study, and meditate on it, until it gets into our hearts and minds. Only then can we tell the difference between wisdom that is from God, and empty philosophy from this world.