Avoiding Spiritual Captivity

Colossians 2:8 ~ "​See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

Guard your steps, dear Christian, for there are snares abounding to take you captive. We have it as a command from God's word that we must take very good care not to be ensnared by those things that would lead us away from Christ. The very opening statement of our text today, a seemingly simple phrase, "see to it," is an imperative command that we must be openly discerning in order that we won't be tricked into believing something that is not of Christ. There are many who walk through this world with their eyes half-closed against the lies of the enemy and the wicked practices of this world. Shrouded in terminology that seems to be from Scripture, they twist the truth in order to facilitate their deception. But the discerning believer will turn to the truth of God's word in order to avoid such pitfalls. 

What does it mean to be taken captive? It is to be plundered by an outside agency. There are those in this world that want to plunder you, to take you captive through spiritual fraud and deception and lead you away from the truth in order to carry you off into all manner of lies. Galatians 4:17 says, "They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them." Understand, they will praise you for your sin, encourage your self-indulgent desires, and tell you that it is in your best interest to follow your own path. All the while, they will twist the Scriptures to try and justify themselves and convince you. Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for making proselytes under their deceptive practices, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves" (Matthew 23:15). 

Two cunning tricks are mentioned here: philosophy and empty deceit. And in these two we find a tremendous draw for those who are not discerning. Regarding philosophy, many might think that this is such an innocuous consideration, for philosophical discussions can be relatively harmless. But this is the love of wisdom, and not necessarily godly wisdom but more inclined to human wisdom. And then we find empty deceit to be the close companion to philosophy. It is the pandering lies that are hollow and void of truth. You find that these will appeal to emotions rather than truth and bring a person into captivity through the sinful self-interests that all mankind experiences. 

These philosophical and deceptive efforts are founded upon two very strong attractions--human tradition and worldly principles. Mankind is riddled with traditions that saddle people of all cultures with varied beliefs and practices that do not lead a person to the truth. And people cling to these traditions with firm resolve that they will not be moved from their lives. But what a rich warehouse of deceitful treasures the enemy has when a person is more inclined to cling to their traditions. And then there are the "elemental spirits of this world," otherwise known as "worldly principles." Epicurean or stoic, religious or atheistic, the governing principle is not the issue, so long as it keeps you away from Christ. That is the enemy's goal. Personal pleasures often govern the worldly heart, as 1 John 2:16 says, "For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world." And the enemy makes use of such personal pleasures in order to take captive those who are so inclined.

The problem with human traditions and philosophies is that people will cling to them as if they are treasures, but in truth they are chains. They bind people like shackles that must be severed. What a blessed truth that Jesus has come to set the captives free (see Luke 4:18). Beloved, do you measure everything according to Christ? Does the Word of God get opened by you when other teachings and traditions find their way to your interest? Let us strive with diligent discernment to understand everything according to Christ. Any other so-called wisdom must be measured, not by how it affects us or makes us feel, but whether or not it is of the truth--whether or not it is of Christ.

In His Grace,
​Pastor Michael

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