the measure of truth. Such a philosophy is utterly unconscious of its finite limitations,

nor does it realize the human mind has been affected and blinded by sin.

The wise believer on the other hand comes to the Word of truth in humility to hear

what God has to say to him. He is conscious of the limitations of his intellect and is

willing to be taught by the Holy Spirit and not make his own reason the final arbiter of

truth. It is still true to say with the Apostle Paul "the world by wisdom knew not God"

(I Cor. 1: 21). The false philosophy at Colossae had two supports, the tradition of men

and the rudiments of the world. Tradition is used in both a good and bad sense in the

Scriptures.  The word refers to knowledge that is passed on to others and while the

New Testament was being written, this was done orally from the apostles. Consequently

Paul in II Thess. 3: 6 warns the one who walks disorderly and `not after the tradition

which he received of us'. Thus it is used here in a good sense. This was the truth in its

purity. But, alas, truth often gets human additions which finally swamp it. Christ

accused the Jewish leaders of transgressing the commandment of God, and making it of

none effect by their tradition (Matt. 15: 2-6) and this has been a characteristic of

Christendom ever since. How many tenets are held by professing Christians because they

have personally tested them from the Word of God? For the most part they are believed

because a certain church teaches them, or they are looked upon as the accepted thing and

not questioned. This is disastrous to the appreciation of God's Truth, and brings the

person into bondage who blindly accepts such tradition. Both Peter and Paul knew the

binding power of tradition (see Gal. 1: 14 and I Pet. 1: 18).  We need to make quite

certain we are not being held by its shackles. Many a belief, hoary with age, has become

attached to the pure Word of God and been accepted as truth. This then was what Satan

was using at Colossae to ensnare the believers there.

The third means of the enemy's attack was the `rudiments of the world'. Stoicheion

means a `first step' or the elements or beginnings of learning, the ABC of any subject as

it were. In Heb. 5: 12-14 it is translated `first principles' and so linked with childhood

and immaturity as contrasted with `full age' (perfect A.V.).  The word also means

elemental substances, the basic elements from which everything in the natural world is

made. Peter assures us that the time is coming when these shall melt with fervent heat

(II Pet. 3: 10, 12) and a new heavens and earth created by God. Its third meaning is

heavenly bodies, the signs of the zodiac and then the elemental spirits which were

supposed to control the planets. Hence the reading of the R.S.V. in Col. 2: 8:

These `elemental spirits' are the evil spiritual rulers supposedly in control of the seven

planetary spheres to which we referred in our last study. Modern astrology, which has

now become so popular, is a first step towards this sort of conception. It is difficult to

decide which of the two meanings represented by the A.V. and R.S.V. obtain in Col. 2:

Probably there is truth in both as regards to error in the Colossians church. Both could be

means that the enemy of truth was using to lead the believers at Colossae away from

Christ and the rich fullness they had in Him.  The vain and deceitful philosophy