Know The Struggle

1 For I desire to have you know how greatly I struggle for you and for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2 that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. 4 Now I say this that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

6 As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it in thanksgiving.

8 Be careful that you don’t let anyone rob you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elemental spirits of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily, 10 and in him you are made full, who is the head of all principality and power.

It takes active effort not to be robbed.

philosophy — some take this as a criticism of philosophy categorically. That cannot be the case since v.2-3 Paul wants them to gain understanding of mystery revealing all wisdom and knowledge. That’s proper philosophy! The problem is some philosophy robs, namely any that does not originate from Christ, or, more properly, the Father and Christ (v. 2)

vain deceit — lit. “empty tricks” which is exactly what originates from philosophy constructed apart for the Father and Christ — mental and spiritual “slight of hand”.

tradition of men — specifically the religious systems underlying culture of the day, in this case the influence of rabbinical Judaism that was influencing the church in the matters settled at the Jerusalem council (AD c. 48-50) but which still troubled the new movement. The modern allegory would be the traditions of Christendom, many of which were negotiated in the long conversation of the Early and Catholic church with the State and then the evolution of that conversation within the Reformation giving eventual rise to Evangelicalism. These give rise to philosophies based on dogmas of social cohesion and contain many “vain tricks” of social manipulation that make people “sons of hell” (Mt 23:15).

elemental spirits of the world — lit. “elements” or “principals” στοιχεῖον stoicheion from the idea of “ranks” and “series” — Elements of Schema in my language; in the philosophical world of the day it would extend this meaning to the principal entities and characteristics of creation that constitute the material universe: see TDNT VII, pgs 670-687. This included “the 4 elements” of classical Greek thought, but would often be expanded into a cosmology of beings responsible for creation and the material universe in some way. The modern day correlation would be science which offers elemental physical, chemical, and biological principals for understanding the material universe and which informs philosophy and, in the pop-sci sense, may “vain tricks” that weave science or pseudo-science into misinformation to entrap or rob people.

What theft is Paul referring to? See verses 16-19 for clues as to the specific controversies. Apparently, they are the same NT controversies of food/festival rules and “cosmic” doctrines.

In him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily — according to 1John 4:2 this testimony of the incarnation (spiritual in the flesh) verifies that something is of the Spirit of God. All other spirits will tend towards hedonism (only flesh) or Gnosticism (only spirit).

11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us. He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. 15 Having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.