Discerning False Philosophies Through Christ

My fingers scrolled mindlessly on my dirty phone screen; only pausing for a few minutes to read—no, skim—the caption of each aesthetic instagram photo. A selfie from a college friend, my cousin’s wedding pictures, a sunset. Not every social media post in my feed was so harmless, however. My aimless scrolling barely comprehended other messages: an acquaintance dabbling in astrology, another friend posting an angry deconstruction rant, a wellness influencer reminding the public that the only way to detoxify their body and avoid early death was to purchase an (expensive) product from them.

Rather shamefully, I began to realize that each post represented a unique philosophy and worldview. And some were—convincing. People were talking confidently about their beliefs; how is a Christian to be on guard and discern what is true and what is false?

Thankfully, what I experienced in a small way is nothing new. Christians have been struggling to navigate cultural messages and false philosophies since the early church days. But though the problem has transcended the ages, there is a solution, and it is relatively simple.

Colossians

Paul was addressing a multitude of dangerous philosophies when he wrote the book of Colossians. Colossians 2 describes his desire for the people in Colossae: “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col. 2:2-3) Paul wanted the believers to understand that Christ, the heart of the Gospel message, was the only real source for knowledge and wisdom. The words used, such as wealth, full assurance, true knowledge, and treasures convey the importance of Christ, to the original believers in Colossae and to Christians today. Believers should see Christ as exalted, and then “walk in Him” (3:6).

Captivity

Paul’s motivation for this message is so that “no one will delude you with persuasive argument.” (3:4) Later on, in verse 8, he adds, “see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” These are clear warnings to discern between the many false worldviews that both distract from Christ and hold believers captive.

The alternative philosophies that the believers in Colossians were embracing included astrology, legalism, asceticism, worship of angels, and other mystical teachings. The heart of each false philosophy was that it not only took away from the Gospel message—Christ’s death and resurrection (2:13-14)—but it was “of no value against fleshly indulgence” (2:23). These false philosophies could not deal with the problem of sin and eternal salvation, and certainly could not help the Colossians to deal with sin in their everyday life. On both a philosophical level and practical level, these alternative philosophies were only a shadow compared to Christ (2:17).

The Colossian believers may have lived hundreds of years ago, but they were not so different from Christians today. We interact with many different worldviews on a daily basis; I realized that simply from scrolling my social media feed. Some of today’s popular philosophies are similar to ones the Colossians dealt with; we group them under the umbrella of “New Age religions”. Other times, Christians today get caught up in legalism and asceticism, both of which are a cruel twisting of the Gospel message. And others are easily convinced by “persuasive arguments” from any false teacher, neglecting to thoroughly study and trust God’s Word for wisdom.

Christ

Paul wanted the believers to remember the Gospel, and with it, the supremacy of Christ. Jesus Christ didn’t only die on the cross and rise to life again; he is also the source of wisdom and knowledge for a Christian’s walk. How we need this reminder today! When we are not grounded in the truth of God’s Word or clinging to the exalted Christ, then we easily lose focus to be deceived by any number of problematic worldviews.

Sisters, let me encourage you that if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior, then “…so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith…” (Colossians 2:6-7). We trust in Christ alone; now, we must not be deceived or taken captive by culture’s false philosophies and arguments. This is not a daunting task when our focus is on Christ! Truth can be discerned when everything is compared to Christ; as Paul says, other philosophies are “a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (2:17). The entire book of Colossians discusses Christ’s exaltation and the Christian’s responsibility to walk in Him; read it and be encouraged. And while you are discerning worldviews, even if it is simply a social media post, remember Colossians 3:1: “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”