Philosophical Apologetics

by John R. Greene

The Greek provides insight into many thoughts and Philosophical Apologetics is no different. The combination of the two words is what has puzzled me for years. I understand apologetics as Peter clearly taught us to have an answer for those who would ask us why we have hope(1Pet3:15). What I can not come to understand is the combination of Philosophy and Apologetics! Philosophy is two Greek words phileo + sophia put together. Sophia is translated wisdom, and phileo is the temporal emotion and feeling for a brother or family friend based solely upon "because you are this" then I will love you. Together these words have formed an interesting marriage that I can't agree has any purpose other than contradiction and confusion.

The basic argument against philosophy can be found in Col 2:8, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." However to understand what Paul is talking about and the depth of his words for Epaphras who is the pastor in Colosse, we must first start with some background.

Colosse was facing some critical attacks from the enemy of the church, and its pastor, Epaphras (Col 1:7,8; 4:12,13) who founded the church in circa 52AD had asked for guidance. The church met in Philemon's home (Philemon 2) and was being bombarded with doctrinal assaults that an apostle must answer because of the authority and position Paul was in. Paul did so, and from his first imprisonment circa 61Ad wrote Colossians.

Colosse was planted as a church circa 52-55AD when Paul was in Ephesus explaining the similarities of style and content with the two Epistles. The heresy lambasting Epaphras was the pre-cursor to gnosticism. The basic error was that of the position of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Lord and King of all! This false teaching placed Jesus in the position of Hercules and like semi-deities. These mythological people were demi-gods, part man and part god.

Paul placed a solid application of doctrine together presenting Jesus Christ's supremacy based upon His uniqueness as God's eternal Son. In Col 1:13-15, "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." We see clearly the Son has a kingdom, and His image is that of the invisible God! Only in the Son can there be found any redemption which happens through His blood. Speaking of Firstborn is the Asian custom of heirship and authority from which the blessing flows. Truly in Jesus is our blessing, our redemption.

The Father was pleased to present the fullness of the Godhead to dwell in Jesus Christ!! Col 1:19, "For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell," reveals this perfectly. And Col 2:9, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;" completes this doctrinal stand. Jesus was not a demi-god as the gentile world placed Him and we in today's society place Him!

Gnosticism is the placement of knowledge and the deepness of thought provoking questions into a position of higher aspirations which may be attained only by the elite thinkers, the eloquent and wise of the time. From this basic worldly philosophy came the doctrinal stand that temporal things those things that could be touched by the flesh didn't matter, but truly those things that mattered were that of the spirit. Thus the spirit was good and the flesh was evil. Once the thoughts became important only those capable to think the thoughts of a higher elitist position mattered. The conclusions were matter of fact. Knowing God became the purpose of life and this could only be done through a higher thought or those who had the deepness needed to invade the realm of philosophy.

Gnosticism led to many heretical doctrines that cults of this day propagate. The most damaging was that of Jesus Christ only coming in the Spirit because their conclusions of the flesh were of the highest regard and would cancel out the Scriptures no matter what they said. Jesus had to come in Spirit only because He would never have put on evil flesh. Next in line doctrinally would be the flesh, the house that we dwell in. Whatever we do in the flesh did not affect the spirit. May I put it in today's jargon Once saved always saved because your prayer affected the spirit and what you do in the flesh would not cancel out that time of prayer because you are eternally secure.

Paul tells Epaphras and the Colossians three main things about Jesus. In Col 1:16, "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him." Jesus is Creator! Next Jesus is preeminent! In Col 1:18, "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." He is the Head, the Beginning, and must have the preeminence! Finally we see Jesus as Savior! In Col 3:11, "In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ," we are made without the circumcision on earth, but in Him circumcised by His circumcision. Salvation can only come through Jesus Christ! We must be circumcised spiritually!

Epaphras was facing this degrading of Christ by worldly wisdom and worldly thought. Those perhaps more eloquent and more knowledgeable in the worldly arena were the ones who were being placed upon pedestals and using their doctrinal positions with their worldly positions and the body of Christ in Colosse was suffering as a result. False doctrine will destroy many people's faith as we see throughout the NT where others left Christianity because of false teaching!

The gospel of Paul was a simple gospel. He taught merely what was written and how the Lord had explained to him the Words of the OT. In 1 Cor 2:1-2, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Paul gives the Corinthians a basis of his position. Paul didn't speak with excellence of speech, and he made sure that they understood he didn't speak of wisdom but stated to them clearly Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Now you will have the occasional liberal who questions the value of 1 Corinthians so that they may escape the doctrines that Paul clearly lays out for them. In vs 3-5, "I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Paul tells them that he wasn't persuasive from a worldly perspective. He presented the truth of the Word, but not from an Apicurean point of view or a Stoic point. Paul preached the Word and the Holy Spirit did the miracles to confirm that precious Word. This is why the debate to rid our Bibles of 1 Corinthians because it deals with doctrines of the Holy Spirit.

Philosophical Apologetics in my opinion must be placed in the same category as gnosticism. Look at what Paul says to the Corinthians in vss 6-8, "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." The wisdom of this age damns man to eternal torment. The wisdom of this age makes a mockery of Paul's simplistic teachings on faith. The call to go "deep" and for the "thinker" to ask questions that lead to debate and unbelief are from this mode of thinking, Philosophical Apologetics or gnosticism. Paul stated clearly that we must speak the wisdom of God.

Let's go back and re-read Col 2:1-8, "For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."

Paul lays out his heart for the Colossians and the Laodiceans, for them to know the Lord, his full assurance of understanding, to know the mystery of God which are hidden in Christ, the One attacked by the false teachings that has led to so many being troubled in the faith. Why are these people of faith being troubled? Because of philosophy, empty deceit, teaching that is based upon pre-gnosticism basic worldly thought and traditions of man. This is no different today. Unless the person who states anything from the Word has many papers upon his wall in his office, the church world states they don't want to hear it.

Where does this philosophy lead? Where does gnosticism end up? What condition is the church left in? These must be answered to see the end of the thought process. We don't have any information that is negative about Colosse, so we know that they listened to their pastor and the apostle Paul, but Paul also mentioned that this Epistle was for another group, the Laodiceans. What about this church?

In Rev 3:14-18, "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see." Jesus Christ speaks about the Laodiceans. They have a perspective! They say,"'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," but Jesus had His perspective, as He said, "And do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked!" The Laodiceans thought one thing about themselves, and Jesus said the truth was something else about them. Jesus said that He would vomit them out of His mouth! You can say what you want, but these are not Christians!

How could these Laodiceans think they were okay when Jesus said clearly they were not okay? It goes back to what Paul told the Colossians. "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Gnosticism is man's wisdom and philosophy doing away with the Word of God by placing man's wisdom above the Word. The Word of God can and is voided out when worldly wisdom supersedes God's Word in any way, shape, or form! The Laodiceans lived life the way they wanted believing the doctrinal positions they had placed together as their belief system. Unfortunaetely, their belief system was what we could call a deck of cards and when the bottom is blown over the whole house falls.

Paul encourages the Colossians and Laodiceans to walk in Christ the same way they received Him!! It was their choice to be vss 6-7:

Let's go back to 1 Cot 2:9-14, "But as it is written:'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Paul makes it clear that wisdom can only be searched out by the Holy Spirit! We can't understand and be accurate in the Word of God with man's wisdom. The manly wisdom comes from the natural man. Gnosticism comes from the natural man. Philosophical Apologetics comes from the natural man. The Spirit of God leads us into all truth, not man's form of study, not man's wisdom of higher learning, a higher consciousness.

Man's learning, man's wisdom replaces the need to be rooted and grounded, replaces walking in the Spirit, replaces being built up in Him, replaces being established in the faith. Man's wisdom is from below, and is temporal, thus able to reduce Jesus to a demi-god! Paul finished Chapter 2 to the Corinthians with this, "But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For 'who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." Again the natural mind is certainly not the mind of Christ, but His mind is sound and Spirit led! Those who are walking in the Spirit, those who have put off the old man, those who reject the gnostic teaching of Philosophical Apologetics have the mind of Christ.

If we take this further we find that Paul said in Gal 4:3, "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world." that the elements of this world held us in bondage. The Greek word for elements has to do with placement and order, advancing in steps which Paul applies here for Judaism, and in Colossians for gnosticism or Gentile religion. Look at what Paul says in vs 8, "But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods." The Gentiles served those things which aren't gods! The very essence of an idol is a demon power! Paul is clearly teaching that the gods of this world are demonically controlled. What's the conclusion? Simple enough for me, the philosophies and wrong teachings are demon controlled and seductive in nature. This easily explains why people would rather believe a lie or false doctrine rather than the truth.

So why did the Laodiceans feel they were okay? Because they believed the demonic seducing principle of eternal security! Why did the Colossians make Christ their Lord? Because they listened to Epaphras and Paul who told them that gnosticism was evil, that Philosophical Apologetics was evil, and they place their trust in the Lord Jesus, fully God and fully man! He was their sufficiency and any doctrine that challenged this doctrine would not be accepted. If Jesus said it, I believe! That's the whole point.

No matter who has what paper to back up his name, no matter who uses what wisdom to state his case, no matter who has what word power to speak his points, the Word of God is simple and accepted for what it says, period. Do we ask questions? Sure, but not at the expense of the truth, our faith or Jesus' divinity!

Jesus is Savior, in Him is our sufficiency, and we are secure in Him as we allow the root of the Word to be driven deep into the soil, watered by His Spirit, and established by Him. Philosophy and Apologetics do not fit together and will never fit together. Apologetics is having a doctrinally correct answer for the Hope in each of us, where as philosophy is the elevation of knowledge to that of gnosticism only labeled philosophy. Let me preach the truth of His Word in the demonstration of the Holy Spirit and His miraculous gifts allowing the truth to penetrate and challenge worldly thought. The world hated Jesus and crucified Him for His truth, and it will do the same for all those who will accept the simplicity of the gospel.

Email me!! John Greene