We are Captives of Empty Deceit

"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.” Colossians 2:8 

When the Apostle Paul wrote these lines to the Colossians, he believed they were under attack and in danger of being dragged away from their devotion to Jesus Christ by the deceitful ideas of false teachers. The meaning of “vain deceit” is re-phrased in newer translations as “high-sounding nonsense” and “empty deceit.”. The term “vain” means empty, vacuous, useless, fruitless, and devoid of significance, point, or benefit. False teachers were spreading dangerous lies and deceptive philosophies, but, to the Colossian believers, the ideas sounded appealing. Paul’s opinion was that it was all hogwash. Their greatly touted teachings were fruitless, pointless, misleading concepts that lacked any actual content. Without a solid foundation in the truth of God’s Word, Christians could quickly be captivated by the vain deceit (or high-sounding nonsense) of false religions.

Paul saw the roots of empty deception coming from two sources—“the tradition of men” and “the rudiments of the world.” God’s thoughts are certainly higher and wiser than the thoughts of humans. False teachers spew ideas spun from their own lowly mortal minds and not from the truth of God’s Word...if a person starts from a blatantly anti-spiritual standpoint, they are going to come to anti-spiritual conclusions. This reminds us that “wisdom” of fallen humans can be at odds with Christ's teachings. We must “test the spirits” to see if what they are teaching comes from God. The most effective defense against vain deceit is knowing the truth and holding fast to Scripture.

Before the Apostle Paul issued his warning against false teachers, Jesus alerted His followers to “false Christs and false prophets” who would rise up, mock the truth, and even attempt to deceive God’s believers; Paul used a Greek term that implies trickery or cheating. Christians must follow the Lord’s instruction and watch out that no one deceives us or leads us away from Christ. This challenge is overwhelmingly present in today’s world filled with vain prophets. 

Prayer: Dear Lord-Give us clarity of thought needed to critically evaluate the words we hear that intend to lead us away from a Christ-centered life. Help us sort through the cacophony of distracting events that draw us away from our principles and values. Guide us to find your path for us each day. Amen

Carol McClain