John Calvin Commentary Colossians 2:8

"Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:" — Colossians 2:8 (ASV)

Beware lest any one plunder you. He again instructs them about the poison, which the antidote he presented should counteract. For although this, as we have stated, is a common remedy against all the deceptions of the devil, it nevertheless had at that time a particular advantage among the Colossians, to which it needed to be applied.

Beware, he says, lest any one plunder you. He uses a very appropriate term, for he alludes to plunderers, who, when they cannot carry off the flock by violence, drive away some of the cattle fraudulently. Thus he makes Christ’s Church a sheepfold, and the pure doctrine of the gospel the enclosures of the fold.

He intimates, accordingly, that we who are the sheep of Christ rest safely when we hold the unity of the faith, while, on the other hand, he likens the false apostles to plunderers that carry us away from the folds. Would you then be counted as belonging to Christ’s flock? Would you remain in His folds? Do not deviate a nail’s breadth from purity of doctrine. For unquestionably Christ will act the part of the good Shepherd by protecting us if we but hear His voice, and reject those of strangers. In short, the tenth chapter of John is the exposition of the passage before us (John 10).

Through philosophy. As many have mistakenly imagined that philosophy is here condemned by Paul, we must point out what he means by this term. Now, in my opinion, he means everything that people contrive on their own when wishing to be wise through their own understanding, and not without a specious pretext of reason, so as to have a plausible appearance.

For there is no difficulty in rejecting those human contrivances which have nothing to commend them, but there is difficulty in rejecting those that captivate human minds by a false show of wisdom. Or if anyone prefers to express it in one word, philosophy is nothing other than a persuasive speech, which insinuates itself into human minds by elegant and plausible arguments.

I acknowledge that all the subtleties of philosophers will be of such a nature, if they are inclined to add anything of their own to the pure word of God. Hence philosophy will be nothing other than a corruption of spiritual doctrine, if it is mixed with Christ.

Let us, however, bear in mind that under the term philosophy Paul has merely condemned all spurious doctrines which originate from the human mind, whatever appearance of reason they may have. What immediately follows, regarding vain deceit, I explain this way: “Beware of philosophy, which is nothing other than vain deceit,” so that this is added by way of apposition.

According to the tradition of men. He points out more precisely what kind of philosophy he condemns, and at the same time convicts it of vanity on two accounts—because it is not according to Christ, but according to human inclinations; and because it consists in the elements of the world.

Observe, however, that he places Christ in opposition to the elements of the world, equally as to the tradition of men, by which he intimates that whatever is hatched in the human brain is not in accordance with Christ, who has been appointed for us by the Father as our sole Teacher, so that He might keep us in the simplicity of His gospel.

Now, that is corrupted by even a small portion of the leaven of human traditions. He also intimates that all doctrines are foreign to Christ that make the worship of God—which we know to be spiritual, according to Christ’s rule—consist in the elements of the world, and also such doctrines as fetter human minds with such trifles and frivolities, while Christ calls us directly to Himself.

But what is meant by the phrase—elements of the world? There can be no doubt that it means ceremonies. For he immediately afterwards adduces one instance by way of example—circumcision.

The reason why he calls them by such a name is usually explained in two ways. Some think that it is a metaphor, so that the elements are the rudiments for children, which do not lead to mature doctrine. Others take it in its proper meaning, as denoting outward things that are liable to corruption, which are of no value for the kingdom of God. I rather approve of the former explanation, as also in Galatians 4:3.