And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
Paul warns believers not to let persuasive speech and clever false reasoning beguile and draw them away from Christ and the simplicity of the gospel. He spoke it out of deep concern for the Colossians and Laodiceans and others he had never seen, who stood amid pagan influences and needed Christ as their only safe guide, a warning that reaches present believers amid the perils of the last days. Safety is found only in hearts knit together in love into full assurance of understanding of the mystery of God in Christ, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, so that those rooted and built up in Him and complete in Him as head of all power cannot draw them from any other source. The enticing words are philosophy and vain deceit after human tradition and the rudiments of the world rather than after Christ, met now in deceptive theories, spiritualistic readings of Scripture, and claims of new and original light that flatter their bearers while snaring minds away from godliness. Protection calls for studying the Word and holding its rich promises, keeping eyes fixed on Christ and moving steadily in His path, since turning to human help closes the door to divine power and words that do not reflect His mind lead astray.
Meaning and Original Setting
The verse is a warning not to be beguiled, deceived, misled, or drawn away from Christ and the simple gospel by persuasive, enticing words, speech, or false arguments. Its guard stands alongside the call to find all wisdom and knowledge in Christ and to remain rooted, built up, and established steadfast in the faith as received from Him. To turn from Christ to humanity for help and guidance is folly, closing the door against the divine Helper and forfeiting power. The safeguard is hearts comforted and knit together in love unto full assurance of understanding and all riches of the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
That protection includes completeness in Him who is the head of all principality and power, against being spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. It calls for receiving the large, rich, full, abundant and assuring promises of God, appreciating Jesus so as to see the salvation of God, learning what Christ is to believers and what they may be to Him as His helping hand, with grateful hearts that overcome grievances, meet difficulties in the spirit of Christ, and pray for patience, perseverance and forbearance. It exposes teaching like that of the Jewish teachers whose minds were filled with maxims and suppositions, who interpreted the Word to mean what was never designed and forced their odd ideas upon the common people.
It was spoken out of great conflict for the Colossians and for those at Laodicea and others unseen, that their hearts might be comforted in this assurance. The Colossians, surrounded by pagan influences, needed to look to Christ as their only safe guide. The warning was for Colosse and Laodicea and comes down along the line to present believers amid the perils of the last days, when temptations come as enticing words to unsettle minds.
Security in Christ Alone
Safety against persuasive speech that would mislead is found in hearts comforted and knit together in love unto the full assurance of understanding, unto all riches of that assurance, unto the acknowledging of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and that wisdom and knowledge cannot be derived from any other source. The warning stands joined to steadfastness and order of faith in Christ, and to completeness in Him who is the head of all principality and power, as the guard against being spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.
Believers are to walk in Him as they received Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as taught, steadfast in the faith with thanksgiving. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and believers are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. Human reasoning cannot be trusted for security, for the world is full of deceptive theories that are dangerous to listen to, so Christ alone is the only security.
Protection requires studying the Word and securing its large, rich, full, abundant and assuring promises. It is folly to turn from Christ to humanity for help and guidance, for that closes the door against the divine Helper and forfeits power, while believers are to appreciate Jesus, learn what He is to them and what they may be to Him as His helping hand, and remain rooted in Him. Safety is in placing oneself in right relation to God, letting His glory and grace flood the heart, keeping the eyes fixed on Christ and moving steadily forward in the path He marked out, being keen, wide awake and spiritual-minded. Christ gives both the defense and the pattern, for He came to give the principles of truth and teach obedience to them in order to place human beings on vantage ground, and bearing human nature He conquered where the first Adam failed, withstanding every temptation and living a life free from spot or stain of sin. He is to be lifted up as the Man of Calvary so that sinners see that all who believe may be saved, with heaven's angels ready to sweep away fog from the mind and God present to help in laboring with all given power to win perishing souls to Christ.
Present Forms and Vigilance
The enticing words are philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. They include human suppositions and reasoning and teachings built on tradition rather than on Christ. The world is full of men and women who cherish such deceptive theories, so it is dangerous even to listen to them. They are like the teaching of those whose minds were filled with maxims and suppositions, who made the Word mean what was never intended and forced odd ideas upon the people. To yield to them imperils the soul through the enticements of the enemy.
They are the deceptions of the one who deceived Adam and Eve and who still works through his angels even now to deceive God's children wherever they go. They will be met especially in spiritualistic interpretations of the Scriptures, which must be rejected in favor of ideas grounded in Christ's teaching and the eternal truths of the Bible. There is constant danger of becoming unsettled by seeking originality, taking up ideas that are new and strange and flattering oneself with having new truth and a new message to bring. Such a course is only a snare to captivate minds and withdraw them from the truth which is the mystery of godliness, so productions from human minds presented as new light are not to be accepted.
The danger calls for vigilance, for words that do not reflect Christ's mind lead in the wrong direction and personal judgment is not flawless. It is folly to turn from Christ to humanity for help, for looking to man for guidance closes the door against the divine Helper and forfeits power. Disregarding the scriptural commands about unity transgresses the law of God as truly as transgressing the fourth commandment. Safety bears fruit in grateful hearts that overcome grievances, meet difficulties in the spirit of Christ, and pray for patience, perseverance and forbearance. It bears fruit in self-denying and self-sacrificing service that keeps individual holiness and consecration in view, so that through sanctification of the truth believers abound in works of benevolence for the uplifting of others, with the thankful heart continually overflowing in blessing like a well of living water springing up into everlasting life.
Paul warns believers not to let persuasive speech and clever false reasoning beguile and draw them away from Christ and the simplicity of the gospel. He spoke it out of deep concern for the Colossians and Laodiceans and others he had never seen, who stood amid pagan influences and needed Christ as their only safe guide, a warning that reaches present believers amid the perils of the last days. Safety is found only in hearts knit together in love into full assurance of understanding of the mystery of God in Christ, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, so that those rooted and built up in Him and complete in Him as head of all power cannot draw them from any other source. The enticing words are philosophy and vain deceit after human tradition and the rudiments of the world rather than after Christ, met now in deceptive theories, spiritualistic readings of Scripture, and claims of new and original light that flatter their bearers while snaring minds away from godliness. Protection calls for studying the Word and holding its rich promises, keeping eyes fixed on Christ and moving steadily in His path, since turning to human help closes the door to divine power and words that do not reflect His mind lead astray.
Meaning and Original Setting
The verse is a warning not to be beguiled, deceived, misled, or drawn away from Christ and the simple gospel by persuasive, enticing words, speech, or false arguments. Its guard stands alongside the call to find all wisdom and knowledge in Christ and to remain rooted, built up, and established steadfast in the faith as received from Him. To turn from Christ to humanity for help and guidance is folly, closing the door against the divine Helper and forfeiting power. The safeguard is hearts comforted and knit together in love unto full assurance of understanding and all riches of the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
That protection includes completeness in Him who is the head of all principality and power, against being spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. It calls for receiving the large, rich, full, abundant and assuring promises of God, appreciating Jesus so as to see the salvation of God, learning what Christ is to believers and what they may be to Him as His helping hand, with grateful hearts that overcome grievances, meet difficulties in the spirit of Christ, and pray for patience, perseverance and forbearance. It exposes teaching like that of the Jewish teachers whose minds were filled with maxims and suppositions, who interpreted the Word to mean what was never designed and forced their odd ideas upon the common people.
It was spoken out of great conflict for the Colossians and for those at Laodicea and others unseen, that their hearts might be comforted in this assurance. The Colossians, surrounded by pagan influences, needed to look to Christ as their only safe guide. The warning was for Colosse and Laodicea and comes down along the line to present believers amid the perils of the last days, when temptations come as enticing words to unsettle minds.
Security in Christ Alone
Safety against persuasive speech that would mislead is found in hearts comforted and knit together in love unto the full assurance of understanding, unto all riches of that assurance, unto the acknowledging of the mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and that wisdom and knowledge cannot be derived from any other source. The warning stands joined to steadfastness and order of faith in Christ, and to completeness in Him who is the head of all principality and power, as the guard against being spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.
Believers are to walk in Him as they received Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as taught, steadfast in the faith with thanksgiving. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and believers are complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. Human reasoning cannot be trusted for security, for the world is full of deceptive theories that are dangerous to listen to, so Christ alone is the only security.
Protection requires studying the Word and securing its large, rich, full, abundant and assuring promises. It is folly to turn from Christ to humanity for help and guidance, for that closes the door against the divine Helper and forfeits power, while believers are to appreciate Jesus, learn what He is to them and what they may be to Him as His helping hand, and remain rooted in Him. Safety is in placing oneself in right relation to God, letting His glory and grace flood the heart, keeping the eyes fixed on Christ and moving steadily forward in the path He marked out, being keen, wide awake and spiritual-minded. Christ gives both the defense and the pattern, for He came to give the principles of truth and teach obedience to them in order to place human beings on vantage ground, and bearing human nature He conquered where the first Adam failed, withstanding every temptation and living a life free from spot or stain of sin. He is to be lifted up as the Man of Calvary so that sinners see that all who believe may be saved, with heaven's angels ready to sweep away fog from the mind and God present to help in laboring with all given power to win perishing souls to Christ.
Present Forms and Vigilance
The enticing words are philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men and after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. They include human suppositions and reasoning and teachings built on tradition rather than on Christ. The world is full of men and women who cherish such deceptive theories, so it is dangerous even to listen to them. They are like the teaching of those whose minds were filled with maxims and suppositions, who made the Word mean what was never intended and forced odd ideas upon the people. To yield to them imperils the soul through the enticements of the enemy.
They are the deceptions of the one who deceived Adam and Eve and who still works through his angels even now to deceive God's children wherever they go. They will be met especially in spiritualistic interpretations of the Scriptures, which must be rejected in favor of ideas grounded in Christ's teaching and the eternal truths of the Bible. There is constant danger of becoming unsettled by seeking originality, taking up ideas that are new and strange and flattering oneself with having new truth and a new message to bring. Such a course is only a snare to captivate minds and withdraw them from the truth which is the mystery of godliness, so productions from human minds presented as new light are not to be accepted.
The danger calls for vigilance, for words that do not reflect Christ's mind lead in the wrong direction and personal judgment is not flawless. It is folly to turn from Christ to humanity for help, for looking to man for guidance closes the door against the divine Helper and forfeits power. Disregarding the scriptural commands about unity transgresses the law of God as truly as transgressing the fourth commandment. Safety bears fruit in grateful hearts that overcome grievances, meet difficulties in the spirit of Christ, and pray for patience, perseverance and forbearance. It bears fruit in self-denying and self-sacrificing service that keeps individual holiness and consecration in view, so that through sanctification of the truth believers abound in works of benevolence for the uplifting of others, with the thankful heart continually overflowing in blessing like a well of living water springing up into everlasting life.