Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: One of the greatest puzzles of life is how strongly a person will believe that some philosophy or way of life is absolutely and universally correct, simply because it makes sense to him or her. People kill each other by the millions, absolutely convinced about the universal truth of communism, or the right of their race or tribe to dominate, or one of a hundred philosophical or political systems. Our minds and intelligence are so limited, and our viewpoints are so narrow, and yet we are convinced of the infallibility of our ideas. And often, we are amazed and infuriated when others disagree. In this short passage, Paul warns us about becoming captive to ideas. We must, of course, live in the world. Nothing in the Bible forbids us from voting, or believing that democracy or socialism or something else is a better form of government, or that slow drivers should stay to the right or that people should keep their front lawn mowed. Should we spank our children? Should people eat meat? Put people in jail for smoking pot? Spend an extra $3,000 for leather seats in our new car? We have to answer a lot of questions for ourselves; the Bible does not tell us every detail about how to live our lives. Most people probably would say that they have a philosophy about various aspects of life; but this is not what Paul is talking about when he speaks of a “hollow and deceptive philosophy.” What Paul means is that we must always subordinate ideas to faith, and thus to God’s Word when He has given us a command. The Apostle Paul
Rembrandt 1657 The Apostle Paul Rembrandt 1657 Watch out for the term “theology,” because it means two different things. People sometimes use it to mean a systematic study of what the Bible tells us. For example, one might say “the theology of Paul.” But Paul calls his theology his “gospel,” and that is how we take it. Paul’s epistles are divinely inspired and no different, in effect, from the ten commandments or the teachings of Jesus. The Bible indicates this at least 20 or 30 times, e.g. Romans 16:25, 2 Timothy 2:8, Ephesians 3:7. But theology can also mean something slightly different in approach, but utterly different in meaning and impact. Most theologians (and most churches) will draw inferences from the Bible, combining something written in the Bible with their own thoughts, and treat it as if the Bible said it. To present such a “theology” is to create a philosophy, “hollow and deceptive.” The most common use of the word “theology” is just this, some Christian principle tainted by the human mind. Theology is not “inspired by the breath of God.” Like any other type of philosophy, theological arguments can become bitter, divisive, and even cause of wars. We take the Bible as divine truth. And theology or other commentary may be tremendously helpful, even critical and necessary, for our spiritual growth. But we must always remember that what people say about the Bible is not the Word of God, but ideas created in a human mind based upon it. Stained glass depiction of Jesus And even in our own minds, we must not become captive to our thoughts and opinions, to the point that we ignore some basic commandment that comes from God. For example, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is a rule that most Christians would agree is a universal, God-given commandment. Yet, how often will we ignore such an actual truth, and hate someone or wish them dead because they hold some 'hollow and deceptive philosophy' that disagrees with our own hollow and deceptive philosophy? So this is what Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8. Do not take the first step in the process in twisting Biblical truth into philosophy, the start of a process which ends in ignoring such simple clear commandments as “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Scripture is the ultimate yardstick against which any idea must be measured. We must learn to examine our thoughts, actions, and personal philosophies against it with blunt honesty; for it is always a temptation to bend what we read in the Bible to our pre-existing conclusions and biases, rather than changing our ideas to match the Scripture.