Truth #161 - Christ is sufficent; why return to the world's ideas? Galatians 4-6

Galatians 4:9
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Truth: Christ is supreme, which means we don't need to return to the world's philosophy.   In the early church the false teachers of the day were trying to water down the sufficiency of Christ and the need for grace alone.   Their beliefs and teachings were to add to Christ the thoughts of man: Paul refers to them in the above verse as "weak and worthless elementary principles of the world."   He stated the same thing a few verses above in Galatians, as follows:

Galatians 4:3
In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

Paul is telling us that we were once slaved to these principles but now that we have Christ, we have NO need for them.   Yet, the churches in Galatia were being enticed by and were beginning to be enticed by this teaching.   It was the same in the church of Colossae.  Note what Paul says to them:

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

Despite our being taught that Christ is the all sufficient one and all we need is Him, some in the church and most in the world attempt to lead us far from Christ, back to the elemental spirits of this world ... typically human knowledge and human accomplishment.  We have a large emphasis in this world on education.  People are enticed to "further" their lives via education, not the pursuit of Christ.  People are told the can make more money and have higher status and be more confident with a diploma or a certificate in their hands, or on their walls.   What Paul is telling us is that Christ is the one only we need for a strong productive and fruitful life.   If that is true, why would we turn back to the ideas of the world?   Yet, we do.  We turn back to the ideas of the world in regard to job selection - picking an occupation that gives us a great life rather than seeking God's thoughts.  We turn back to the ideas of the world in regard to retirement - seeking comfort rather than service for Him to the end.   We turn back to the ideas of the world on how to handle struggles in our lives - seeking to get back at others rather love those who hate us.   We turn to the ideas of the world on how to handle money - seeking to save and secure our future.  Think about the practical elements of your life and decide if Christ's sufficiency is at work, or if you have given the ideas of the world a stronghold.