Beware of Philosophy?

The following are some initial thoughts toward a passage of scripture which I am going to prepare a sermon from for one of my classes. Your thoughts on the matter would be appreciated and perhaps considered as I prepare my outline.

In Colossians chapter 2 beginning in verse 8 Paul begins to give several warnings to the cosmopolitan church at Colossae. He begins by warning them to beware of philosophy and empty deceit which follows the tradition of men and the elementary principles of the world, and thus stands opposed to Christ (is this a good summary?).

When I was a kid I used to pass out flyers to homes for my father’s business. Whenever I would go near a house, the first thing I would look for was the notorious sign (usually found on the fence) “Beware of Dog.” Now, when I saw this sign I would immediately jump into my fight or flight mode. I would purposefully remain completely aware of my surroundings hoping (no, praying) that some huge dog wasn’t going to bust through the fence and come running after me. However, it’s important to understand that just because a house had the infamous sign doesn’t mean that I avoided the house altogether. Rather, I simply was cautious in my approach.

I believe that Paul is making a similar point. Paul is telling us to (blepo) watch out, be alert, be discerning, pay careful attention. Paul uses this word in 1 Cor. 1:26 to say “consider your calling.” In other words, weigh the evidence; don’t jump into this blindly. For the same reason that we don’t blindly walk up to a fence that says “Beware of Dog,” we shouldn’t approach philosophy in this manner either.

There have been a lot of poor interpretations of this text. Many have written that Paul is telling us to stay away from philosophy, and by philosophy usually these people mean Philosophy. That is, philosophy as a discipline or as a means of gaining knowledge. I don’t think Paul is saying that we should avoid Philosophy. First of all Paul is not referring to philosophy in the etymological sense. For indeed if he were, this would be a contradiction to other passages of scripture which teach that wisdom is something to be sought after and gained. Indeed, wisdom (sophia) and right-mindedness (phronesei), along with redemption, is something which God has freely given to those whom he has predestined before the “laying down” (kataboles) of the world (cf. Eph 1:4-8). Further, this would render his statement self-refuting since he is arguing that we need to use wisdom to avoid the search for wisdom. In other words, it is self-refuting to assert that we should be discerning about avoiding discernment. It’s like saying “Watch out, you should never write a sentence that contains more than three words.”

If Paul is not referring to Philosophy then what is he referring to? He is referring to a specific philosophy. Namely, philosophy which is empty and deceptive. This empty and deceptive philosophy is philosophy which is patterned after the “tradition of men” and the “elementary principles of the world.” Notice two things. First, this philosophy is patterned after “tradition.” Paul goes on to talk about this tradition which we might broadly refer to as “legalism.” Second, this philosophy is patterned after the elementary principles of the world which Paul goes on to talk about, and we might broadly refer to these elementary principles as “Gnosticism.”
It is these two kinds of philosophies which stand opposed to Christ and therefore warrant our utmost caution and care. Good philosophy should take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” This really is the issue. Paul is not commanding us to avoid Philosophy, but he is warning us to beware of philosophy which ultimately does not “seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1).

Of course, I can keep going but I think that this will suffice. Comments, corrections, and contributions are desired and welcomed.