9 September 2025 - empty, seductive philosophy

Today's Readings
(Audio) 

See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy
according to the tradition of men

There are abundant examples of philosophies created by human beings and promising freedom in one way or another. Such political philosophies as communism and fascism both did this, identifying and absolutizing a problem, and making the eventual defeat of that problem the solution and the key to peace. We perhaps more frequently encounter philosophies of life make this promise of freedom. Whether we speak of relativism, hedonism, scientism, or many others, they all seem to promise freedom from constraints, and, in that freedom, fulfillment. Yet what these philosophies according to the tradition of men have in common is that they cannot deliver on what they promise. They tend to make one fragmentary element bear the weight of absolute importance, whether economics, pleasure, or something else. Not only does such a fragment always fail to bear such weight but the insistence that it should do so leads to a kind of spiritual captivity "to the elemental powers of the world". In seeking something less than God we find ourselves also seeking something that is less than human, or not human in the fullest and divinely revealed sense of the word. We thus allow ourselves to be dragged down by the elements, inanimate and lifeless things, like idols that cannot speak, see, or hear.

For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily,
and you share in this fullness in him,
who is the head of every principality and power.

We need not become captivated by the vain philosophy because we have everything we need in Christ. In him dwells the fullness of divinity. And he shares that divinity with us. It is for this that our hearts truly long. And if we open ourselves to it we won't be at risk of submitting to substitutes. 

Apart from Christ we first find ourselves with a predisposition to follow after elemental powers and misguided philosophies because of the problem of sin in our hearts. This sin renders us dead in transgressions, and causes us to look to dead idols for fulfillment. But Jesus transforms our hearts with a spiritual circumcision and brings us to new life along with him. Until this moment we are more our less fair game for the elemental powers because of the bond against us which we signed by our complicity in sin. Fortunately, Jesus took this bond so seriously that we read that he obliterated it by the power of his cross. In doing so he destroyed the claim the powers of darkness had on us and led them away in triumph.

Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

When we read of the healings performed by Jesus we are meant to understand not only the external miracle, but also and especially the inner transformation. If we understand this then we will know that we need not envy those who were privileged to receive particularly spectacular external signs. For what Jesus has done within us, canceling out our debt of sin, transforming our hearts from death to life, and making us to share in his own divinity- all of this is greater than any merely physical blessing.

Matt Maher - Alive Again