Colossians 2:8
Moran Point
Since the beginning of Canyon Ministries, God has impressed the significance of Colossians 2:8 upon the heart of Tom Vail. Tom has faithfully shared that verse (and many others) with all who interact with Canyon Ministries. Canyon Ministries continues to grow and reach more and more people every year. There are very few days that Canyon Ministries is not at Grand Canyon humbly striving to serve and equip all whom God brings. Colossians 2:8 remains as an essential verse to engage and understand (and it always will). What does Colossians 2:8 say and why is it so important?
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (ESV)
We are given an ardent and clear warning to guard against the philosophies of this world that are steeped in the traditions of man rather than on the eternal truth of Christ. (John 14:6) These philosophies bombarded the church from the very beginning and continue to attack our confidence in and dependency upon God’s Word today. There are two significant philosophies at the heart of the Genesis interpretation discussion that are founded upon the traditions of this world rather than on Christ. As a result, captives are being taken and held.
1.) An Old Earth is not a fact
The rock dating methods provided for us through geology have been exposed to be unreliable. The myriad of assumptions that are foundational to these dating methods cannot be validated due to the fact that no one was there to observe the rocks for the past 4.5 billion years. Yet these assumptions are clung to as if they were as solid as the rocks with which they are associated. An old earth is not fact, but rather a theory based upon unfounded assumptions. A moment in a laboratory does not have the strength to define millions to billions of years. It can only determine what is observed in the moment. Thus this theory is dependent upon the “spirits of the world”.
2.) Evolution is not fact
Once again we run into the same problem as above. Nobody has ever observed macro-evolution (change from one kind to another), though we do observe adaption within species. It is a leap of wishful thinking to conclude the ability exists for one organism to become a completely new (different) organism. It has not been observed. It is not being observed. It is not being artificially caused in laboratories. The change in the thickness of a beak or number of spots on a wing does not factually point to the ability to become something entirely different. The theory of evolution is based upon the spirits of this world rather than on Christ.
Why would we embrace the foundation of either idea in light of the warning issued in Colossians 2:8?
2 Peter 3:3-7 adds further light to our discussion as well. We are living the fulfillment of the prophecy presented there. We are warned that as the end of time draws closer there will be those who rise up and scoff at God and His work. There are three specific truths mentioned as the focus of the scoffing. The scoffers will scoff at the idea that God created all things (verse 5), that the world was destroyed in a global flood (verse 6), and that Christ is going to return (verse 4). So now we have two very strong warnings given to us in love as a helmet to guard our minds in Christ. It behooves us to listen carefully to those warnings and cling to them rather than to the ideas of man.
God is who He says He is. God did what He said He did, does what He says He does, and will do what He has proclaimed He will do. He is the holy and whole truth upon which we stand! Let us not be held captive, but rather take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Praiseallujiah!
Jon
