False Wisdom

by David Rollert

Most religious groups want to be holy. And God’s word teaches us how to be holy (c.f. 1 Peter 1:15-16). If those desiring to be holy simply did what God says to do, then the world would be a much better place. But for many, just “doing what the Bible says” seems oversimplified and they feel that there must be more to it than that.

Some people feel that God’s commands are too much and they want to ignore what He said to do. Others feel that God’s commands are not strict enough and they want to add to God’s instructions. As contradictory as it might seem, too many people feel both sentiments at the same time. They feel that in certain areas God has been too strict, yet in other areas He has not been strict enough. The result is a mash up of theological rules that feel religious and super spiritual, yet they don’t reflect what God has commanded.

Paul speaks of this very thing in Colossians 2:16-23. At the very end of this section, Paul concludes that these are matters that have the appearance of wisdom but are of no real value. They are false wisdom. With that in mind, let’s examine some of this false wisdom.

In verse 16 Paul tells them: “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.” There are people who feel that certain diets make them more holy. This is false wisdom, because it is not food that makes one holy. There are people who feel that observing or ignoring certain holidays makes them more holy. However, this also is false wisdom. The only holiday God commanded Christians to observe is the first day of every week.

He then speaks about people who feel that certain religious practices make them more holy. He states:

“Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,” (Col. 2:18).

There are people now, who feel that treating themselves poorly makes them more holy. This too is false wisdom. Mistreating yourself does not make you more holy. There are those who feel that angels are more accessible than God. And there are those who believe they receive modern day revelations from God. While these sound super spiritual, they are examples of false wisdom. We are supposed to worship God alone, and His word is sufficient for us!

There are all sorts of religious practices out there that sound super spiritual but are in fact false wisdom. Human made practices such as these do nothing to bring us closer to God, and they do not make us holy. If you want to be holy, then read what God requires of us in the Bible and humbly do what He has commanded us to do.