Complete in Christ (4): Beware of Philosophy (Colossians 2:8) by Rev. Angus Stewart
I. The Meaning
II. The Reasons
III. The Danger
R. L. Dabney: “The Colossian Christians were enticed to leave this prophet [i.e., Christ] for a shadowy philosophic theory of their day. This was a mixture of Oriental, Rabbinical and Greek mysticism, which peopled heaven with a visionary hierarchy of semi-divine beings, referred the Messiah to their class, and taught men to expect their salvation from their intercession, combined with Jewish asceticisms and will-worship. Thus we are taught, both by uninspired, but authentic history, and by intimations of the holy apostle in the Epistle itself. This fanciful scheme was supported by the ‘traditions of men’; that is to say, by the inculcation of favorite masters of this vain philosophy; and by ‘the rudiments of the world,’ by this world’s first principles, instead of Christ’s declarations. But the apostle solemnly reminded them that this philosophy was vain and deceitful; and moreover, that the price of preferring it to the Christian system was the loss of the soul. Thus, the real aim of the seducer was to despoil the soul of its salvation, and to make it a captive to falsehood and corruption” (Discussions of Robert Lewis Dabney, vol. 3, p. 153).