Colossians 2:8 - Beware of Philosophy without Christ.

Col.2:8: Beware of Philosophy without Christ.

Col 2:8 (KJV)  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.

Col 2:8 (NCV)  Be sure that no one leads you away with false and
empty teaching that is only human, which comes from the ruling spirits
of this world, and not from Christ.

Col 2:8 (NJB)  Make sure that no one captivates you with the
empty lure of a 'philosophy' of the kind that human beings hand on,
based on the principles of this world and not on Christ.

Col 2:8 (EAV)  See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or
makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and
intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following
human tradition (men's ideas of the material rather than the spiritual
world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental
teachings of the universe and disregarding [the teachings of] Christ (the
Messiah).

Col 2:8 (TLB)  Don't let others spoil your faith and joy with
their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men's
thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said.

Paul writes against any philosophy of life based only on human
ideas and experiences. Paul himself was a gifted philosopher, so he is
not condemning philosophy. He is condemning teaching that credits
humanity, not Christ, with being the answer to life's problems. That
approach becomes a false religion. There are many man-made approaches to
life's problems that totally disregard God. To resist heresy you must
use your mind, keep your eyes on Christ, and study God's Word.
[Life Application SB]

Beating The System
A small percentage of people defend against rejection by buying
into the dog-eat-dog system of the world and learning to compete and
scheme to get ahead of the pack. These are the movers and shakers,
people who earn acceptance and strive for significance through their
performance. They feel driven to get on top of every situation because
winning is their passport to acceptance. They are characterized by
perfectionism and emotional insulation and they struggle with anxiety and
stress.
Spiritually, the beat-the-system individual refuses to come
under God's authority and has little fellowship with God. This person
is committed to controlling and manipulating people and
circumstances for his own ends, so it is difficult for him to yield control in
his life to God. In our churches this person jockeys to be chairman
of the ruling board or the most influential member on a committee.
His motivation is not to serve God in this position, however, but to
control his world because his self-worth is dependent on it.
Beat-the-system controllers are some of the most insecure people you will meet.

Sadly, the controlling individual's defensive strategy only
delays inevitable rejection. Eventually his ability to control his
family, his employees, and his church diminishes and he is replaced by a
younger, stronger controller. Some survive this mid-life crisis, but many
who make it to retirement don't enjoy much of it. Studies show that
high-powered executives live an average of nine months after they retire.
They base their lives in the world system they seek to conquer, but
inevitably the world claims its own. "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" (Colossians 2:8).
Prayer: Gracious Lord, teach me to be in this world but not of
it. I choose Your kingdom to be my standard. [Neil Anderson]

Salvation by faith in Christ sounds too easy for many people.
They would rather think that they have done something to save
themselves. Their religion becomes one of self-effort that leads either to
disappointment or pride, but finally to eternal death. Christ's simple way is
the only way, and it alone leads to eternal life.  [Life Application
SB]