See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, 
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather 
than on Christ. (Colossians 2:8 NIV)


 
It is absolutely useless, dear friends, to refer to tradition and say, “Well, 
God did this in the beginning, and this is the place where the oracles of God 
are found and the temple of God is and the great tradition of Israel as the 
chosen people. It is here, and we rest on that.” No, tradition will not support 
now. History will not support now. Institutions will not support now. It seems 
as though God has no regard, at length, for temple or ark or altar or 
priesthood. He cries through the prophets: “Away, away with you. I want none 
of your sacrifices” Isaiah 58. What a chapter! “Cry aloud, spare not, 
lift up thy voice.” Then, what follows? “Yet they seek Me daily, and 
delight to know My ways.” “I will have none of it”, says the Lord. “I will 
have none of it. These are not the sacrifices I want. This ritual is not what I 
am after. This traditional system is not what I desire. It is a spiritual 
state.” And only on that can the Lord associate Himself, ally Himself, to 
Zion....
 
If you look again at this letter to the Hebrews, you will see that we are come 
to Zion. We are not come to some thing, some religious thing, some tradition, we 
are not come to historic Christianity – if I may put it that way – we are come to a 
spiritual situation which is calculated to startle us. Oh, we say, “We are in 
the day of Grace. This is the dispensation of Grace.” True! Is the Letter to the 
Hebrews on any other ground than the ground of Grace? Surely not, but do you 
know that in this letter the most awful things in the Bible are written? “How 
shall we escape (we, we escape, 
we Christians, we believers of this dispensation) how 
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? ...Our God is a consuming 
fire... it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.” 
This is said to these people, these Christians; and other things like that are 
said. But I am pointing this out, that this letter is written in the day of 
Grace; and it is a day which brings into view not some new Christian system, not 
the formation of a new Christian tradition, but a spiritual condition, without 
which everything else is as nothing. You have come to Zion, yes, but you have 
come to the controversy of Zion. You have come, we have come, to the great 
battle of Zion; and it is a spiritual battle.

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

But Ye Are Come Unto Mount Zion - Chapter 4

 The Spiritual Condition 

The word which Phillips translates "intellectualism" here is the one from which we get the word "philosophy." Basically it means the love of wisdom, but then it has acquired a further meaning, namely, the search for reality and the purpose of life.Most human philosophies are expressed in complicated, highsounding language. They are above the head of the common man. They appeal to those who like to use their intellectual powers in clothing human speculations with words that are difficult to understand.Frankly, human philosophies are inadequate. Phillips speaks of them as "intellectualism and high-sounding nonsense." They are based on man's ideas of the nature of things and disregard Christ. As famous a philosopher as Bertrand Russell is quoted as saying toward the close of his life, "Philosophy has proved a washout to me."The wise Christian is not taken in by the high-sounding nonsense of modern intellectualism. He refuses to bow at the shrine of man's wisdom. Instead he realizes that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. He tests all human philosophies by the Word of God and rejects all that is contrary to the Scriptures.He is not moved when philosophers hit the headlines with some new attack on the Christian faith. He has the maturity of judgment to realize that he cannot expect anything better from them.He does not feel inferior that he cannot converse with the philosophers in words of many syllables or follow them in their involved reasonings. He is suspicious of their inability to state their message simply, and rejoices that the Gospel is such that wayfaring men, though fools, can grasp it.He detects in modern philosophies the lure of the serpent, "…ye shall be as gods" (Genesis 3:5). Man is tempted to exalt his mind above the mind of God. But the wise Christian rejects the devil's lie. He casts down human reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5).

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"Be careful that nobody spoils your faith through intellectualism or high-sounding nonsense. Such stuff is at best founded on men's ideas of the nature of the world and disregards Christ!" (Colossians 2:8, Phillips)

For Reading and Meditation:      Colossians 2:1-15We are seeing the suffering and persecution we experience can be due to our own tactlessness and folly. Today I want to go a stage further, and suggest that in relation to this matter of suffering and persecution, some Christians have developed a "martyr complex". A "martyr complex" is an attitude of mind that finds strange emotional satisfaction in being persecuted. Why should this be? Well, if, for example, a person does not experience a good sense of personal worth, they become motivated to secure that worth in other ways. And one of those ways can be that of making an impact upon their immediate environment or society through taking a stand on some "Christian" issue. Now I am not saying, of course, that all of those who take a stand on such issues as pornography, violence, and other serious moral problems are motivated to do so because of a "martyr complex". That would be foolish to suggest and foolish to deduce. But it must be seen that some Christians strike out on issues, not because of an overriding concern for Christian values, but because of the satisfaction they get out of being noticed. And when being noticed leads to severe persecution, they draw from this the emotional charge they need to compensate for their low sense of worth. Such people almost court suffering and persecution, but it has to be said that they are not suffering for righteousness' sake - they are suffering for their own sake. May God give us grace and wisdom to understand when we are doing things to meet our own emotional needs, rather than out of love for Him. Father, I see even more clearly that unless my needs are met in a close relationship with You, then I am a vulnerable person - and prone to go astray. Draw me closer to You this day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>2 Corinthians 11:16-33</li><li>2 Timothy 2:8-9</li><li>3:10-11</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>List some of Paul's sufferings.</li><li>What was Paul's testimony?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"' you are complete in Him '" (v. 10, NKJ) 

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Colossians 2:8

 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Colossians 2:8 KJV

Colossians 2:8 KJV

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