Philosophy and Empty Deceit

Introduction

Influencers and coaches on platforms like TikTok and elsewhere teach that if you “embody the right vibration,” you can attract whatever you desire, and that “the universe supports you on your spiritual journey.”

This is a system that sounds compassionate and empowering.

It borrows spiritual language but replaces the living Christ with an impersonal “universe.”

It turns repentance into self-affirmation.

It makes personal desire the highest authority.

This is exactly the kind of thing Paul warns against in our text for today.

False teaching was starting to infiltrate the fledgling church in Colossae.

Their pastor, Epaphras, had rushed to Rome to see Paul and solicit his help against the false teaching that was emerging in Colossae.

So, Paul wrote this masterful letter to the Colossians.

Scripture

Let’s read Colossians 2:8-15:

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. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Lesson

Colossians 2:8-15 teaches us about our union with Christ.

Let’s use the following outline:

We Must Denounce the Insufficiency of Christ (2:8-10)

We Must Define Our Identity in Christ (2:11-15)

I. We Must Denounce the Insufficiency of Christ (2:8-10)

First, we must denounce the insufficiency of Christ.

The Colossian Christians were being taught that Christ was not sufficient for them.

They needed more.

They needed spiritual add-ons, religious upgrades, and mystical enhancements.

Our contemporary culture attempts to entice us with persuasive philosophies and empty deceits that undermine the person and work of Christ.

The perpetrators of these philosophies and empty deceits subtly seek to render our faith ineffective.

As Christians, however, we must resist these dangerous influences.

We must denounce the insufficiency of Christ.

Paul helps us discern between false teaching and faithful teaching.

A. False Teaching Deceives Us and Denies Christ (2:8)

First, false teaching deceives us and denies Christ.

Paul writes in verse 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.”

Paul warns his readers of the imminent danger with serious consequences.

False teaching is devious.

It distorts the victim’s entire perspective.

It is misleading and worthless.

And it completely disregards God’s eternal truth.

The fundamental flaw in false teachers is that they ignore the gospel, the person, and the work of Jesus.

In his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther wrote,

“Whenever you are occupied in the matter of your salvation, setting aside all curious speculations of God’s unsearchable majesty, all cogitations of works, of traditions, of philosophy, indeed and of God’s law too, run straight to the manger, and embrace this infant, and the Virgin’s little babe in your arms, and behold him as he was born, sucking, growing up, conversant among men, teaching, dying, rising again, ascending above all the heavens, and having power above all things. By this means, you will be able to shake off all terrors and errors, like as the sun drives away the clouds” (Martin Luther, Commentary on Galatians [Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997], Gal 1:3).

And in his commentary on Colossians, R. Scott Pace writes,

While the deceptive philosophy and values of this world may not explicitly reject Christ, their failure to affirm his sole sufficiency ultimately denies him (R. Scott Pace, “Colossians,” in Exalting Jesus in Colossians and Philemon, ed. David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary [Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2021], 60–61).

B. Faithful Teaching Edifies Us and Exalts Christ (2:9-10)

And second, faithful teaching edifies us and exalts Christ.

Paul writes in verse 9, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily....”

Paul uses the expression “in him,” that is, referring to Christ, here in this verse.

This is the first of seven expressions of “in him” or “with him” in verses 8-15.

In contrast with false teaching that deceives us and denies Christ, Paul characterizes faithful teaching as that which edifies us and exalts Christ.

I want to note two points.

First, Christ is the one in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily.

“Fullness” may have been a term the false teachers used to describe God, who could be reached only through mediators.

In later Gnostic thought, Christ was seen as the last in the line of mediators.

But Paul asserts that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells directly in Christ and that this indwelling is permanent.

The obligation of God’s creation is to give him all honor, praise, adoration, and glory because he is the holy and divine creator.

Worship is to be given to God only (Exodus 20:3; Matthew 4:10).

Jesus, being God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9), was and is rightly worshipped (Matthew 2:2, 11; John 9:35–40; Hebrews 1:6) (Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations [Biblical Studies Press, 2002], n.p.).

Paul continues in verse 10, “...and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”

And second, believers have already “been filled in him.”

That is, in our union with Christ, we have already received fullness of salvation.

So we do not need to stoop down before the spiritual powers of the universe or to observe their rules to attain this fullness, as false teaching demands.

The one in whom we are complete is the head, that is, the ruler over every power and authority, Jesus Christ (see 1:18).

Phillips Brooks, former minister of Boston’s Trinity Episcopal Church, is perhaps best known as the author of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”

He was a very busy pastor, yet he always seemed relaxed and unburdened, willing to take time for anyone in need.

Shortly before Brooks died, a young friend wrote to him, asking for the secret of his strength and serenity.

In a heartfelt response, Brooks credited his still-growing relationship with Christ.

He wrote,

“The more I have thought it over, the more sure it has seemed to me that these last years have had a peace and fullness which there did not used to be. It is a deeper knowledge and truer love of Christ…. I cannot tell you how personal this has grown to me. He is here. He knows me, and I know him. It is the most real thing in the world. And every day he makes it more real. And one wonders with delight what it will grow to as the years go on” (Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations[Biblical Studies Press, 2002], n.p).

Faithful teaching edifies us and exalts Christ.

II. We Must Define Our Identity in Christ (2:11-15)

And second, in addition to denouncing the insufficiency of Christ, we must define our identity in Christ.

Believers are in union with Christ.

What does that mean practically for you as a believer?

Paul lists five truths by which we must define our identity in Christ.

A. Christ Circumcised Our Hearts (2:11)

First, Christ circumcised our hearts.

Paul writes in verse 11, “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ.”

Paul now referenced the Jewish rite of circumcision.

It was the sign of entrance into the covenant community under the old covenant.

It set God’s people apart from the pagan nations (see Genesis 17:9-14).

It not only signified the covenant relationship; it also indicated the means by which the covenant would be ratified and fulfilled in the promised Christ through Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:1-7) and the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).

Paul is addressing the positional status of believers by emphasizing the work Christ did by his life and death to secure it.

It is through Christ’s substitutionary atonement that our hearts have been circumcised so that we as believers might receive covenantal status as members of God’s family.

B. Christ Conquered Death (2:12-13)

Second, Christ conquered death.

Paul writes in verse 12, “...having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”

After Jesus died, he was buried.

Baptism symbolizes death and burial.

A real death has taken place, and so the old life is a thing of the past (Romans 6:4).

Jesus’ resurrection has already occurred, and so believers have been raised with Jesus as a past event.

The same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead now also lives in all believers.

Thomas K. Beecher could not bear deceit in any form.

Finding that a clock in his church was habitually wrong, he hung a placard on the wall with these words: “Don’t blame my hands—the trouble lies deeper.”

That is where the trouble lies with us when our hands do wrong, or our feet, or our lips, or even our thoughts.

The trouble lies so deep that only God’s power can deal with it.

Sin indeed goes deep, but Christ goes deeper still (Walter B. Knight, Three Thousand Illustrations for Christian Service, p.368).

Thank God!

He has the power to remove the grossness of sin by cutting it out of our hearts.

And more than that, he has the power to give us new life.

Paul continues in verse 13, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses....”

Paul no longer views the Colossians as having been joined with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Rather, Paul contrasts their pagan past with their present status.

Paul gives a picture of a dead person.

A dead person can do nothing.

Similarly, they had no power to overcome sin or atone for it.

By his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus powerfully liberated the Colossians from both the power and the consequences of their sins.

He has given them a new life so that it can be said that they have been raised from the dead.

Further, Jesus has done this for both Jews and Gentiles.

He does this for all believers.

In ancient Rome, a gladiator proved victory by taking his enemy’s spear, snapping it in half, and throwing it to the ground.

It was a public declaration that the defeated foe no longer had the power to harm.

The weapon was broken.

The threat was over.

Picture death in that arena—undefeated, armed with a spear that had pierced every human being.

No one escaped it.

No one broke its weapon.

Until Christ stepped in.

On the cross, it looked as though death had won again.

But on the third day, Christ rose—and in rising, he snapped death’s spear in half.

The weapon death used—sin—was paid for.

The penalty death demanded—judgment—was satisfied.

Now death stands unarmed at Christ’s feet.

For believers, this means death is no longer a prison but a doorway, no longer a terror but a defeated enemy.

Because Christ lives, we will live also.

C. Christ Cancelled Our Debt (2:14)

Third, Christ cancelled our debt.

Paul writes in verse 14, “...by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

Paul knew that in his world, important documents were written on either papyrus, a kind of paper made from the pith of the bulrush, or vellum, a substance made from animal skins.

Both were expensive and could not be wasted, unlike modern paper.

Ancient ink contained no acid.

It lay on the papyrus or vellum and did not bite into it as our modern ink does.

Sometimes, to save paper, a scribe reused papyrus or vellum.

When he did that, he took a sponge and wiped out what had been written there.

Because the ink was only on the surface of the paper, the ink could be wiped off as if it had never been there.

God, in his mercy, wiped (canceled) the record of our sins so completely that it was as if a trace did not remain.

God did so by nailing it to the cross of Jesus.

Juan Zamora of Richland, Washington, owed a bill he did not incur.

After filling up with gasoline and charging the $26 to his PayPal debit card, he arrived home to a message on his answering machine.

The message from PayPal asked him to verify a gas purchase of $81,400,836,908 and notified him of a $90 overdraft fee.

Imagine that.

Juan did not have $81 billion in his PayPal account to cover the charge.

The debt we owe is our own, but we could not pay it any more than Juan Zamora could pay his $81 billion debt.

Juan eventually convinced the company that, while gas prices may be extremely high, his Camaro would not hold $81 billion worth of gas.

In our case, Jesus paid our debt for us (Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell, “Unable to Pay an $81 Billion Debt,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema [Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015], n. p.).

D. Christ Condemned Our Enemy (2:15a)

Fourth, Christ condemned our enemy.

Paul writes in verse 15a, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame….”

The Father disarmed the spiritual powers through Jesus’ death on the cross.

Unbelievers are kept under the rule and authority of Satan.

But Christ’s death on the cross condemned our enemy, Satan.

Christ’s death disarmed Satan and his demons.

When a Roman general won a victory over another people, he was allowed to march his victorious Roman army through the streets of Rome.

The general and all his soldiers were dressed in their brilliant battle uniforms.

Behind the Roman army came the defeated kings, leaders, and people.

They were naked and carried no weapons.

The procession was intended to humiliate the defeated army and exalt the victorious Romans.

Paul used this idea to teach that Satan and his demons are a defeated enemy.

Jesus defeated them at the cross, and they are now like a defeated army walking in shame.

E. Christ Confirmed Our Victory (2:15b)

And finally, Christ confirmed our victory.

Paul concludes in verse 15b, “… by triumphing over them in him.”

By his death on the cross, Christ triumphed over Satan and all his demons.

“But,” you say, “how can you be so sure?”

I can be sure because three days after his crucifixion and death, the Father raised Christ back to life again.

Christ’s resurrection is proof of his victory over death, demons, sin, and Satan.

In ancient empires, when a king defeated a rebel governor or a treasonous general, the victory wasn’t complete until one final act: the public stripping of authority.

The defeated ruler would be brought into the capital in chains.

Before the watching crowds, the king would remove the symbols of that ruler’s power—his badge, his seal, his sword.

Then the king would parade him through the streets, not to humiliate for humiliation’s sake, but to show the people: “This enemy can no longer rule you. His authority is finished.”

Now picture Christ at the cross.

The demonic rulers and spiritual authorities believed they had him cornered.

They wielded accusation, guilt, fear, and the curse of the law like weapons.

But in his death and resurrection, Christ didn’t just escape their grip—he disarmed them.

He stripped their badges, tore off their authority, and led them in a triumphal procession.

They still exist, but they no longer reign.

They can still shout, but they cannot command.

Their power is broken, their jurisdiction revoked.

And since believers are in Christ, they are also victorious in him.

Conclusion

My dear Christian brother and sister, you are in Christ!

You must denounce any insufficiency of Christ.

And you must remember your identity in Christ.

You have incredible blessings because of your union with Christ.

And if you are not yet a Christian, let me call on you to turn to Christ and put your faith in him today. Amen.