Paul's Warning

[Matthan]

As a Christian, what does this warning from Paul mean to you?

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

(Colossians 2:9)

Matthan <J><

 

[Iollain]

Puffy vain human 'knowledge'.

 

[Sword-In-Hand]

Stay away from people who claim to be "enlightened" or have this mundane human knowledge that man is smarter than what he really is.

It's these philosophies of the world that get put into people's mind and then begin to question God and His existence. Just all these haughty people that say something on the lines of "why can't you possibly conceive that there are other things than God."

We are squid brains compared to God's knowledge.

 

[Gwenyfur]

Puffy vain human 'knowledge'.

ayuppers....
lot of rot that human knowledge

 

[ZiSunka]

Making believe that they have special intelligence or knowledge, they convince you that what you know to be true is false and what you know to be false is true. They pervert the worship of God and take the glory away from Christ and give it to themselves as if they were performing some special essential service without which God. would not be able to have power on earth.

 

[newbeliever02072005]

We are squid brains compared to God's knowledge.

Thank you for the great laugh


God Bless!
newbeliever

 

[seebs]

As an example, I consider this to apply when I feel a plain teaching of the Gospel is being ignored or subverted because it's too dangerous, or because "common sense" proves it won't work.

 

[Andyman_1970]

Jesus referred to the "traditions of man" or the "traditions of the elders" as in the 1st century this was stuff added to the Scriptures by man (typically the Pharisees) in addition to the Scritpures and many times Jesus teaches against those traditions and how they are misused.

This is what Paul was talking about when he referrs to "tradition of men" with reference to those Jewish Christians who insisted Gentile Christians become fully Jewish as a requirement for salvation - Paul alludes to this further later on in Chapter 2 when mentioning feasts/festivals/what a person eats, and in Chapter 3 with reference to circumcision.

 

[If Not For Grace]

Don't be a know it all. (Lean not to your own understanding..)

Sometimes the more "educated" we become the more we think we have a "right" to question God. When IMHO the more educated we become the more we know we find the less we know.

 

[TwinCrier]

This is a great thread. Don't know what I could possibly add, but there is some good stuff in here folks. Note to self: rep everyone in this thread tomorrow.

 

[rural_preacher]

Paul's statement in Colossians 2:9 is presented more comprehensively in I Corinthians chapter 1...

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."


Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."