Colossians
Monday, July 5, 2004
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, I thank You that in this world, which is so filled with “empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking” that You are the God of truth. Your truth is the foundation of all true wisdom. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit today that I may know You more deeply, and live more boldly and confidently in Your grace and power. Use me today to bring light to those living in darkness through Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is truly the light of the world. Amen.
God's Word For Me Today
Colossians 2:6-15
6And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.
8Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. 9For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, 10and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.
11When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
13You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 14He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. 15In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.
Reflecting on God’s Word
Why do you suppose that folks are so willing to accept “empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense” as truth in our day?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
What comes from human thinking and the evil powers of this world, according to the Apostle Paul? (2:8)
What is to be the source of our truth and wisdom, according to Paul? (2:8)
Understanding God’s Word
How does Paul’s advice for the Colossians apply to the situation in the America in our day?
What does this Scripture tell us about absolute truth?
Applying God’s Word to Our Lives
What one action does today’s Scripture call you to take in your life right now?
Thoughts...Empty Philosophy and High-Sounding Nonsense...
The Apostle Paul was none too kind with His assessment of the sophisticated Greek philosophical systems of his day! He called them empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense, and said they came from one of two sources: human thinking and the devil. His comments are instructive in many ways, but let’s consider two: Paul makes it clear that the teachings of Scripture are superior to any human teaching no matter how “high-sounding”; and he makes it clear that not every bad thing comes from the devil—sometimes we make it up ourselves! Human thinking that is not influenced by God is bound to be filled with fallacies if not blatant untruth, because we are all lost apart from Him and His truth. In our day, the “sophisticated” and “educated” “elite” of society think that their thinking is superior to the “antiquated” and “mythological” teaching of the Bible, but we ought not be surprised by such assumptions. After all, the Greek philosophers of Paul’s day held the same assumptions. They were wrong then, too! Truth is always true, and the Bible IS God’s truth!