Complete in Christ

A good read….

8 Beware lest there be any man that spoil you through philosophy, and vain deceit, through the traditions of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:8-9 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The Greek word used here for ‘spoil you’ is συλαγωγῶν (sulagōgeō). It was commonly used to describe the plundering of cargo from a ship. False teachers attempt to do this very thing to believers through their philosophy and empty deceit and according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world. These are all contrary to Christ. Think of the ’emergent’ movement. Its leaders seemed to be very well read, but they had elevated the teachings of the skeptics to a level where they saw God’s Word as somewhat flawed and unreliable. What they did not understand is that they had been συλαγωγέω by these philosophies and became victims of their empty deceit. They insisted that all they were doing was attempting to get back to the pure elemental form of Christianity that existed in the 1^st Century AD. However, in this, they stumbled into lying spirits who deceived them. We know this because they were constantly attempting to cast doubt on the veracity of the Word of God. This is one of the clear signs of a false teacher. How do we avoid this? We never take our eyes off of Christ for in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily! Amen!