2:18Colossians 2:18

Let no one cheat you out of your reward by a self-chosen, outward, pretended lowliness and a self-invented worship done for show to win attention rather than to honor Christ, including the worship of angels.SG4 243.1+4 That false lowliness is noisy self-display that boasts of great faith and fullness of the Spirit while lacking love and the other fruit of the Spirit, and it also appears in fanatical bodily humiliations and in carelessness about person and dress, whereas true humility is orderly, tender to the weak, teachable, and careful to have everything right and proper.GW92 162.1+3 The worship of angels is fulfilled when evil spirits are received as departed loved ones or angels in a higher sphere and their messages are put above God's word, with pleasing deceivers poisoning the mind, blinding judgment, and destroying faith in Christ and reliance on His blood.SG4 243.1+4 At its root the error is failing to hold fast to Christ the Head, from whom the whole body is nourished, knit together, and made to grow with the increase of God, turning instead from Him to human beings for help and power.17MR 39.3–40.2+3 Safety is found only by remaining rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith with thanksgiving, for those who tamper with the unseen out of curiosity leave the safety of truth and cannot free themselves, but deliverance comes through God's power sought in earnest prayer.17MR 39.3–40.2+4

Voluntary humility and will-worship in the verse mean self-chosen, outward, pretended humility and self-invented worship done for show to attract attention and reverence rather than to honor Christ.LS 86.2–88.3 It was a practice associated with forms of fanaticism opposed in New England.SG2 303.2–3

That false humility is noisy, harsh, rough self-display that boasts of great faith and fullness of the Holy Spirit while lacking love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness and temperance.LS 86.2–88.3 It exalts self instead of Christ, making a parade of extra lowliness such as refusing to sit at table and eating apart with shouts, breaking the rule that all things be done decently and in order.LS 86.2–88.3 It shows no tenderness to the weak and fainting, boasts of running over others, and regards itself as an eminent, specially led exhibition of goodness.LS 86.2–88.3 It is unteachable, jealous of attention, and angry when corrected.LS 86.2–88.3 It beguiles of reward, is controlled by Satan, makes its possessor a dangerous medium to mislead Christ's flock, has always existed and will exist while Satan strives to wrest souls from Christ, and must be met by watching and praying and refusing its influence lest vain religion be woven into experience.LS 86.2–88.3

The verse condemns fanatical bodily humiliation, such as creeping when one could walk and other groveling acts, as a man-made test and duty with no sanction in God's Word.8MR 229.2–230.1+1 It is the fruit of fanaticism going to extremes, manufactured by inconsistent ones, which misleads sincere and honest souls who want to be right and humble, brings reproach upon the cause of God, and wrongly makes human invention seem like Christian duty.8MR 229.2–230.1+1 God does not require such humiliation of His children.8MR 229.2–230.1+1 The true tests and duties contained in His Word are of a different character that elevate people, appeal to sound judgment and conscience, and commend themselves to the good judgment and consciences of sincere children.8MR 229.2–230.1+1 They preserve the dignity belonging to followers of Jesus Christ who expect to be translated to heaven by receiving the finishing touch of immortality.Lt 2, 1874, par. 5–8

The verse's voluntary humility and neglecting of the body include carelessness about person, actions, and apparel, especially in those who preach holy truth.GW92 162.1 That is not the humility that savors of heaven.GW92 162.1 True heavenly humility is particular to have person, actions, and apparel right and perfectly proper, so that every item connected with believers recommends the holy religion.GW92 162.1 Dress itself thus becomes a sermon to unbelievers.GW92 162.1

The worshipping of angels in the verse is fulfilled in modern Spiritualism, where evil spirits are treated as deceased loved ones or as angels in a higher sphere and their supposed messages are trusted above God's word.SG4 243.1+3 Those who receive the most absurd and erroneous ideas from those they believe to be dead friends now in a higher sphere give those spirits undue reverence and allow their words greater authority than the word of God.SG4 243.1+3 This beguiling turns reliance away from Christ and the merits of His blood toward trust in one's own merits and supposed powers, so that faith is destroyed and the reward is lost.SG4 243.1+3

The teachers to be guarded against come in a pleasing, bewitching manner with the object to deceive, and those who listen to their fables are beguiled by the enemy of righteousness.ST Nov 13, 1884+1 When a person is overcome by this fascinating influence the mind is poisoned, the eyes are blinded and the judgment is so perverted that the evil is not seen.ST Nov 13, 1884 Faith in Christ as the Son of God is thereby destroyed.ST Nov 13, 1884+1 The danger is also connected with flattery of corrupt persons through claims that the spirits of dead friends communicate with them, fostering pride in the fleshly mind.SG4 246.2

In this deception voluntary humility means willingness to make sacrifices, to debase self, and to yield the mind to the belief of supreme nonsense and absurd erroneous ideas.SG4 243.1+3 Such sacrifices and self-debasement express reliance on one's own merits for salvation rather than on Christ and the merits of His blood.SG4 243.1+3 Faith and reliance are thus destroyed and the victim is beguiled of reward.SG4 243.1+3

Intruding into things not seen warns against pride in claims about unseen things arising from a proud, earthly mind.RH Feb 18, 1862+3 The warning applies to tampering with Spiritualism out of curiosity, for even those who do not believe it or do not intend to become mediums venture onto Satan's ground and forbidden ground, leave the safety of truth, and expose themselves to Satan's control.RH Feb 18, 1862+3 Indulging curiosity in forbidden spiritual matters is itself intruding into what is unseen.SG4 244.1+2

Those thus ensnared can be taken captive and held against their will and cannot free themselves by their own power.SG4 244.1+2 Deliverance comes only through God's power sought in earnest prayer.SG4 244.1+1 The safety of God's truth is left behind when the devil is tampered with in this way.SG4 244.1+2

Being vainly puffed up by the fleshly mind includes being flattered into high thoughts of self and believing oneself more capable and worthy than one is, leading to deception and unbalanced experience.SG4 246.2+2 Especially the most licentious and corrupt are highly flattered by the spirits they believe to be the spirits of dead friends.SG4 246.2+1 This pride means laying aside Christ as Head and denying Him who ministers strength so that every member may increase with the increase of God, attempting instead to act and progress to perfection by fixed laws without a head under vain philosophy.RH Feb 18, 1862

The danger warned against is failing to hold fast to Christ the Head, from whom the whole body by joints and bands is nourished and knit together and increased by God as He gives the growth.6T 235.2–4+2 Christ is the one center and Head over all lines of work and over all the institutions God has established.Ms 167, 1899, par. 1–4 The cross must occupy the central place as the means of atonement, with its influence reaching every part of the divine government.Ms 167, 1899, par. 1–4

God's work in the plan of salvation is not to be done in any disjointed way or at random.6T 235.2–4+1 The same plan that provided the influence of the cross also provided the methods of its diffusion, simple in principle yet comprehensive in plain lines, with part connected to part in perfect order and relation.Ms 167, 1899, par. 1–4 He has brought His people together in church capacity to reveal the wisdom of Him who formed this organization, and adherence to His outlined plans enables them to testify of the divine authorship of His plan for the restoration of the world.Ms 167, 1899, par. 1–4

Applied to unity, no line of work, including the medical missionary work, is to be made independent of the conferences, because the different lines are but parts of one great whole that must remain joined together under Christ rather than becoming disjointed.6T 235.2–4+1 Those who take part must be led and guided by God, with every human ambition submerged in Jesus Christ.Ms 167, 1899, par. 1–4 To let any man beguile of the reward is to turn from Christ to humanity for help, guidance, and power.17MR 39.3–40.2 Treating the Saviour indifferently and closing the door against Him and looking to man leaves no power, for salvation and spiritual power come only by being rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith with thanksgiving.17MR 39.3–40.2 Believers must receive God's rich, full, abundant and assuring promises in Christ, appreciate Jesus, and keep the door open to the divine Helper.17MR 39.3–40.2

The verse belongs to a treasure house of encouragement showing what Christ is to believers and what believers may be to Him as His helping hand.17MR 39.3–40.2 With a heart filled with gratitude, love and thanksgiving flow forth to refresh others, little grievances are not noticed, and larger difficulties are met in Christ's spirit with prayer for patience, perseverance and forbearance.17MR 39.3–40.2 Through sanctification of the truth believers become self-denying and self-sacrificing, keeping individual holiness and consecration in view and abounding in works of benevolence to the uplifting of others.17MR 39.3–40.2+1 The thankful heart continually overflows in blessing to others like a well of water springing up into everlasting life.17MR 39.3–40.2+1