Don't Be Cheated

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:8-10 NKJV

There are many ways we can be deceived. In Colossians 2:4 it says we can be deceived with persuasive words. Have you ever supported someone because of the things they said and only later realized they said those things, just to get your support? Frustrating, isn’t, like being betrayed, suckered, or made the fool.

In today’s verse, Paul tells us we can be deceived through philosophy, empty deceit, such as flattery, traditions of men and basic worldly principles. With philosophy, some people spend so much time trying to figure out life, they come up with half cocked ideas with a sprinkling of truth that may sound good, but really leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”

Many have been deceived by the traditions of men. It’s easy to fall into this category. There is nothing wrong with traditions, as long as they lead you closer to Christ. However, people have this insatiable desire to earn their way. If they use traditions, to prove their worthiness to be accepted by God, they are deceived. No one deserves God’s love. Romans 3:23 “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory”. No one deserves to go to heaven based on their own good works. Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” It’s a gift God’s given to us, to understand our sin condition, agree with God that we deserve death and to accept Jesus’ death on the cross as a substitute for us. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Basic principles of the world can lead us astray also. The motto “He who dies with the most toys win” puts the priority on acquiring material possessions. A rich young ruler came to Jesus one day in Matthew 19:16-22. He wanted to know what he needed to do to get to heaven. While he had “supposedly” keep the law his whole life, he was still searching for something more. Jesus told him sell all you have, give to the poor and follow me. The rich ruler went away sorrowful because he had many possessions. A classic story of how possessions had stolen the young ruler’s heart. While having material possessions are good, they can easily turn into a hindrance when you get sucked into believing the only thing that matters is getting a bigger and better things.

The saying “as long as your good, everything will work out” is also a big fat lie. This one is tricky. It sounds like a good proposition. If I’m good, then good will come to me. This is also a crooked way of getting us to believe we can earn our way, which is false thinking. First off, no one is good according to the bible. Psalm 53:3 “Every one of them has turned aside;They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.” Even Jesus said no one is good, but God in Mark 10:18 “So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Even if we were good, no one ever experiences all good through his/her life. There will always be times of disappointment, sorrow, pain, fear, and trials.

By wise therefore and follow Christ. Study what Jesus taught. Live by His standards and you’ll find life to the fullest. Learn to walk by the Spirit and not after the flesh and these things will have less of a pull on you (Galatians 5:16).

For in Him, Jesus, dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And the very good news is He dwells within you (2 Corinthians 1:21-23). That means we have the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form living inside of us. He is right there with us every moment! All we need to do is turn to Him, allow Him to work through us, changing us into His image.

John’s motto from John 3:30 “I must decrease and Him increase”, therefore, should be our motto too. Jesus should be increasing in us, as we, ourselves are decreasing. Christ is the head of all principality and power. Everything that exists, even the spiritual realm we can’t see, was created by Him for His pleasure. He thought it all up, knowing everything about us before we were even created. He knew exactly what we would need to get along in this life.

Did you know you have everything you need to live out a godly life until Christ returns? You do according to 2 Peter 1:3. We are complete in Him. We need nothing more, because absolutely everything that’s required has already been given to us.

Stand firm, cling to Christ and do not be deceived.