Six months after I trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for eternal life, I had a major trial. When I came home one Saturday night, a friend of my parents, a Jehovah’s Witness, was waiting for me. He’d heard about a spiritual awakening within me, and he had come with the mission to pull me into the fold of their teaching. For well over an hour, we talked about doctrine. Even though I was still a babe in Christ, I had quickly learned many key doctrines and was able to refute many of the things he was teaching by quoting Scripture. Had I not been established in the faith to the extent I was, my life would have likely taken a far different spiritual path.

Satan often sends his human messengers to derail and recruit unsuspecting souls. This is exactly what was happening at Colossae and the reason Paul wrote to them. He warned: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). After beginning to correct false doctrine they had already embraced, Paul warns: “Let no man beguile you of your reward…” (2:18) by following errant teaching. What were some of the errors they had been convinced to believe? False teachers had convinced them that they had to keep the Mosaic Law to have a proper standing before God. But Paul shared good news saying: “And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power” (2:10). The moment we trust in Christ, we have His complete righteousness and complete forgiveness of all our sins (2:13). This makes us entirely complete apart from all religious rituals. Some at Colossae were “intruding” into areas they ought not, such as the “worshipping of angels” (2:18). This meant they were no longer properly esteeming, or were “not holding the Head” of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, as their exclusive focus of worship (2:19). Believers can be truly saved by Christ and yet become so confused by false doctrine that they even turn from their Savior. These confused saints were also embracing many legalistic “ordinances” (2:20-23), which did nothing to enhance true spiritual growth.

How established are you in sound doctrine? If you’re not, you’re vulnerable to Satan’s deceptive attacks with false doctrine. Begin a daily time of Bible study, and sit regularly under the sound teaching of someone who feeds you the Word of truth rightly divided.