1. FALSE TEACHING EXPOSED Col 2:8

2. Tip  Beware lest any man spoil you  Watch---look out---pay attention  Acts 17:11  I John 4:1  Make booty of you---take captive, lead you astray (ultimately this is the work of false teachers)  There are religious people (leaders) who only want you to follow them  Acts 20:29-30  Some people will compromise the truth for popularity and numbers  Pro 30:5-6  I Pet 4:11  Must pay attention to EVERY word that is being preached  Many times false teachers will teach false doctrine sandwiched in truth!  Gal 3:1, 1:8

3. Theory  Through philosophy  The search of wisdom  This wisdom is not Godly wisdom but worldly wisdom  The Gnostics place major emphasis on their philosophies  True wisdom cannot be found in worldly philosophy  Job 28:12-28  Paul encounter men such as these on Mars Hill  Acts 17:18  Paul does not condemn knowledge and understanding  Col 2:2  Paul condemns vain knowledge  I Tim 6:20

4. Trickery  Vain deceit  This is descriptive of the Gnostic philosophy  Any worldly philosophy used as the basis of spirituality is ultimately worthless  The word of God is true wisdom  Pro 3:5  Man does not think the way God does  Some Gnostics believed that self-denial was the way to a greater spirituality  I Tim 4:1-5  Do not be tricked!  Worldly wisdom and philosophies only lead men down a path of destruction without the word of God  John 6:63

5. Tradition  The tradition of men  Refers to something that has been passed on  Tradition is not bad in itself  There are good traditions  II Thess 2:15, 3:6  There are bad traditions  Mar 7:7-9  The Gnostic traditions were worthless in comparison to the commandments of God  It does not matter who has been doing it, and it does not matter how long they have been doing it  If it is a tradition of man it does not override the word of God  “Ye have hear that it hath been said, but I say unto to you”

6. Teaching  The rudiments of the world  Paul is referring to the basics of the Jewish religion  The ABC’s  Washings, Circumcision, celebrating holy days and feast days  Col 2:16-17  The Gnostics were leading people astray by teaching the Jews and Gentiles that they had to follow the O.T. rituals to be saved  Acts 15:10; Gal 4:9  Some people today are still being lead astray by false teachers teaching things that are elementary in doctrine  Heb 5:12  Ex: Tithes  I Cor 16:1-2

7. Truth  And not after Christ  The truth is that if any man teaches anything but CHRIST he is exposed as a false teacher  No politics, no philosophies, no traditions only Christ!  Gal 1:8  There is only one thing that can save and that is the gospel  Rom 1:8  The gospel is man’s life jacket  No man can be saved without it and all men are doomed to sink and drown in this world of sin with out it  Satan is too strong  Listen to the truth obey the truth and you will be saved in the end  Rev 22:14

8. FALSE TEACHING EXPOSED Col 2:8