BEWARE
There are three Greek words, that appear in the New Testament, that are translated beware, and they show a progression of seriousness. Philippians 3:2.... Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Here, it is the Greek word blepo, meaning: to look at, perceive, be aware of. But there is no hint of any necessity to dwell on, or be fearful of, dogs, evil workers or mutilators (the concision). Revelation 22:15 says that those who fit these descriptions are without. i.e. they are not in Christ.
The second is the word prosecho which means: to hold in the mind, be cautious about; And is used by our Lord in Luke 12:1 where He warns about the leaven of the Pharisees.... i.e. hypocrisy...... because one day, all will be revealed.
The true Christian can be a hypocrite....see Galatians 2:11-13.
The last is phulasso, which means: to isolate, to watch, to be on guard. Much as prison authorities do with a dangerous prisoner. This word is found in Luke 12:15, where Jesus warns against covetousness (which is idolatry, Colossians 3:5); and in 2 Peter 3:17, where we are warned against complacency, and thinking that since ...all things continue as they were from the beginning... (3:4), that judgement is not coming. If we are ... led away by the error of the wicked... we lose our stability.
Hebrews 13:6 says that in light of the fact that ...He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. ...we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me. What we do have to watch out for is what we might do to ourselves!
2 Tim.3:16,17....... All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (that is, it is God-breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man (or woman) of God may be fully equipped unto all good works.
We must oppose error in the Body of Christ (which is the Church, Colossians 1:18,24), even as we must treat and eliminate infection in the human body. It is noteworthy that most of Pauls epistles were written to correct one or more errors (some of which were extremely serious) in the Church. When we remember that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), we can know that God is the One Who is primarily interested in correcting error.
The word Beware appears in Colossians 2:8, and there follows a listing of what the Believer is to be wary of:
#1. Be wary of any person (man or woman), who brings teaching that elevates one man or person above another.
#2. Be wary of the teaching. The great error in the church at Colosse was gnosticism. This term comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge; but a higher knowledge, which the average or ordinary Christian was ignorant of and incapable of obtaining (at least that was what the elite thought). Thus there was an elite group within the church, which were called pneumatikoi, or spiritual ones who claimed to have special knowledge of the truth. Ordinary Christians did not or could not possess this secret or higher knowledge (in the view of the spiritual ones).
The second major teaching of gnosticism was the separation of spirit and matter.
All matter, they taught, including the human body, was considered to be evil and the source of evil.
The spirit was considered to be good, and not subject to defilement by anything the body (matter) did. This allowed one (at least in the minds of the gnostics), to engage in all manner of sin and debauchery with the human body and believe that it had no effect on the spirit of that same person. And of course this belief was proclaimed to be the higher wisdom by the elite ones; the spiritual ones, and so it must be real and true. We have the same situation today in our government (public) schools, and especially in the universities. Evolution is taught as fact, when in fact it is fiction. And of course it is taught by the elite, the ones with special knowledge.
In reaction to gnostic teachings, there arose some who taught that rather than indulging in the sinful pleasures of the flesh (and claiming it had no effect on the spirit), one ought to delight in humility, and thereby elevate ones opinion of himself (and hopefully the opinions of others), for his piety....his real spirituality.!!
BUT, Lets GET Real....
The true Christian Believer is one who has put his or her faith in what Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary, not on a system of dos and donts. He died the death we deserve for our rebellion against God....for our wanting to elevate self to ...be as gods.... (Genesis 3:5)...... And now .... ...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (a new creation): old things are past away; behold all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). And so we are no longer subject to ...the rudiments of the world... (Colossians 2:20). We dont have to put on a show.....(Colossians 2:23).
Because why? Because if we are true believers, God considers us to have died with Christ (Col.2:20 and 3:3), and risen with Him (Colossians 2:12 and 3:1).
See also 1 Corinthians chap. 5. Paper written by: W.A.B.
There are three Greek words, that appear in the New Testament, that are translated beware, and they show a progression of seriousness. Philippians 3:2.... Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. Here, it is the Greek word blepo, meaning: to look at, perceive, be aware of. But there is no hint of any necessity to dwell on, or be fearful of, dogs, evil workers or mutilators (the concision). Revelation 22:15 says that those who fit these descriptions are without. i.e. they are not in Christ.
The second is the word prosecho which means: to hold in the mind, be cautious about; And is used by our Lord in Luke 12:1 where He warns about the leaven of the Pharisees.... i.e. hypocrisy...... because one day, all will be revealed.
The true Christian can be a hypocrite....see Galatians 2:11-13.
The last is phulasso, which means: to isolate, to watch, to be on guard. Much as prison authorities do with a dangerous prisoner. This word is found in Luke 12:15, where Jesus warns against covetousness (which is idolatry, Colossians 3:5); and in 2 Peter 3:17, where we are warned against complacency, and thinking that since ...all things continue as they were from the beginning... (3:4), that judgement is not coming. If we are ... led away by the error of the wicked... we lose our stability.
Hebrews 13:6 says that in light of the fact that ...He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. ...we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me. What we do have to watch out for is what we might do to ourselves!
2 Tim.3:16,17....... All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (that is, it is God-breathed), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man (or woman) of God may be fully equipped unto all good works.
We must oppose error in the Body of Christ (which is the Church, Colossians 1:18,24), even as we must treat and eliminate infection in the human body. It is noteworthy that most of Pauls epistles were written to correct one or more errors (some of which were extremely serious) in the Church. When we remember that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), we can know that God is the One Who is primarily interested in correcting error.
The word Beware appears in Colossians 2:8, and there follows a listing of what the Believer is to be wary of:
#1. Be wary of any person (man or woman), who brings teaching that elevates one man or person above another.
#2. Be wary of the teaching. The great error in the church at Colosse was gnosticism. This term comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge; but a higher knowledge, which the average or ordinary Christian was ignorant of and incapable of obtaining (at least that was what the elite thought). Thus there was an elite group within the church, which were called pneumatikoi, or spiritual ones who claimed to have special knowledge of the truth. Ordinary Christians did not or could not possess this secret or higher knowledge (in the view of the spiritual ones).
The second major teaching of gnosticism was the separation of spirit and matter.
All matter, they taught, including the human body, was considered to be evil and the source of evil.
The spirit was considered to be good, and not subject to defilement by anything the body (matter) did. This allowed one (at least in the minds of the gnostics), to engage in all manner of sin and debauchery with the human body and believe that it had no effect on the spirit of that same person. And of course this belief was proclaimed to be the higher wisdom by the elite ones; the spiritual ones, and so it must be real and true. We have the same situation today in our government (public) schools, and especially in the universities. Evolution is taught as fact, when in fact it is fiction. And of course it is taught by the elite, the ones with special knowledge.
In reaction to gnostic teachings, there arose some who taught that rather than indulging in the sinful pleasures of the flesh (and claiming it had no effect on the spirit), one ought to delight in humility, and thereby elevate ones opinion of himself (and hopefully the opinions of others), for his piety....his real spirituality.!!
BUT, Lets GET Real....
The true Christian Believer is one who has put his or her faith in what Christ accomplished on the cross of Calvary, not on a system of dos and donts. He died the death we deserve for our rebellion against God....for our wanting to elevate self to ...be as gods.... (Genesis 3:5)...... And now .... ...if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (a new creation): old things are past away; behold all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). And so we are no longer subject to ...the rudiments of the world... (Colossians 2:20). We dont have to put on a show.....(Colossians 2:23).
Because why? Because if we are true believers, God considers us to have died with Christ (Col.2:20 and 3:3), and risen with Him (Colossians 2:12 and 3:1).
See also 1 Corinthians chap. 5. Paper written by: W.A.B.
