The Apostle Paul cautions grace-age believers about fallen man’s philosophies.

“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 (KJV)

But there is legitimate Biblical Christian philosophy that is understandings we learn today from Paul as “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13). Another word for Biblical Christian philosophy is Biblical ‘epistemology’: meaning ‘the study of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and its validity.’

Paul brought “the gospel of the grace of God” by which all men may believe and be saved today. Then after Acts 28, Paul additionally introduced “the revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25) which he teaches and explains beginning with his prison epistles of Ephesians and Colossians, and then also Philippians.

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, ² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: ³ How that by revelation he [Christ] made known unto me THE MYSTERY; (as I wrote afore in few words,⁴ Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in THE MYSTERY of Christ) ⁵ Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;” Eph. 3:1-5 (‘Mystery’ is Greek mustrion, meaning: a God ordained Secret)

Paul’s “knowledge in the mystery of Christ” applies today to all those who understand and read it and believe it. Christians today can read and spiritually prosper from studying to gain the understandings that would affect us in relation to living our life in union with the indwelling Christ as our “hope of glory” (cf. Col. 1:27).

In the first few centuries a Christian philosophy began to emerged with the aim of reconciling science and faith, starting from natural rational explanations with the help of Christian revelation. Thinkers such as Origen and Augustine of Hippo believed that there was a harmonious relationship between science and Biblical faith. Certainly the God who created all knows how the creation is often a metaphor for our relationship with God in Christ. E.g., “Abide in me [Jesus], and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 (KJV).

As we study His “word of truth” we realize God’s truth was progressively revealed, until finally through the Post-Acts epistles of the Apostle Paul, we have the full, completed, word of truth for us today.

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me [Paul] for you, to fulfil [Gk., pleroo, ‘complete’] the word of God;” Colossians 1:25 (KJV)

It is a sad thing that most human beings have little interest and no understanding of the issues of life because they reject the God of the universe and the revelation of Himself in the Bible. Rather, most see themselves as ‘the god of their own lives.’ This thought that is at the root of rejecting God. In rejecting God they refuse to receive the immeasurable riches of the eternal spiritual blessings that He has provided for all believing mankind in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died to reconcile all mankind to God. He then rose from the dead to become their indwelling “life-giving spirit” (1Cor. 15:45b). The ‘life’ that He offers us is the multiplied resurrected ‘life’ [Gk. zoe, God’s life] of Christ Himself… that is, “to as many as receive Him.” (Jn 1:1).

When studied comparing “Scripture with Scripture,” the written “word of God” that we call the Bible, provides the Christian with answers to satisfy their questions concerning man’s; ORIGIN, MEANING [Purpose], MORALITY, and ULTIMATE DESTINY.

Christian ‘Philosophy’ concerns religious thought that is based on the written “word of God” under the light of the spiritual insight of “the Holy Spirit” concerning the divine nature of things. The newly converted believer… unknowingly has received and Him and entered the realm of knowing God’s love, grace, and wisdom, by which he may come to understand and deal with all of life’s issues and concerns, as God would have him to do. The phrase “we have the mind of Christ" is found in 1 Cor, 2:16 of the KJV Bible, indicating how believers possess a spiritual understanding and perspective that aligns with Christ's thoughts and intentions. This verse emphasizes the unique insight and wisdom that comes from having such an intimate relationship with the indwelling Christ. We grow in such knowledge as we study of His “word of truth.”

Thereby the intelligized Christian enjoys “the riches of the glory of His [Christ’s] inheritance” (Eph. 1:18) being already seated “in Christ” “in the heavenly places,” These riches are ours by our spirit-union with Christ’s resurrected “spirit of life” (cf. 1Ccor 6:17). Thus we find Him and His written “word” sufficient to answer every concern, situation, and circumstance, encountered in life.

Romans 8:35-39 (below) emphasizes that nothing can separate believers from “the love of God in Christ Jesus,” regardless of hardships, persecution, or any other challenges. This passage reassures Christians of their eternal security and God's unwavering love, highlighting that even the most difficult circumstances cannot diminish their relationship with Him.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39 (KJV)

This knowledge, when combined with the innermost resource of Christ’s “Spirit of life,” the believer is supplied with the strength to endure all the negatives of life and we learn to prosper spiritually by them. Having ALL in Christ, the Christian has the basis for a joyful outlook on all that he must endure while he yet in this life on earth, before we “appear with Christ in heaven’s glory” (Col. 3:4b), there to dwell for eternity.

These Four Key Questions Innately Manifest the Heart of Every Human Being:

1. Our ORIGIN – Our understanding of God’s creative power and His inclusion of mankind according to His eternal purpose.
2. Our PURPOSE – The Christian’s purpose of life touches all his experiences in this temporal life on earth by which he comes to know God experientially, is unto his eternal destiny to dwell with Christ eternally “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3).

The Christian life is ultimately one devoted to living for God’s eternal purpose. Instead of being changed by the world, the Christian’s soul faculties become renewed by the work of God in Christ (cf. Phili. 2:13, 1:6). His life includes growth in self-denial, endurance, and perseverance that comes to us only by the innermost power of “the spirit of life in Christ” who indwells the believer’s “spirit of man.”

3)     MORALITY – A moral life is the spontaneous “fruit” of believing a proper understanding of “the word of truth.’ Proper living comes by nurturing one’s intimate relationship with God by the Spirit of Christ within. We become ‘willingly’ subject to Him as our LORD and master.

The mature Christian today does not live a heteronomous or autonomous life.

• Heteronomous – We aren’t under external ‘religious law’ - under which we chafe.
• Autonomous – We don’t rely upon our self-effort [works] - which negate “the grace of God.”

Rather, the mature Christian is Theonomous – The mature Christian lives subject to God’s

spontaneous, “law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2), by the power of Christ’s indwelling “Spirit of life” at his innermost spirit-core. We were created to live for God’s glory (cf. Isa. 43:7), not our glory. We are to pursue God’s desires, not ours. We are to live for the One who died for us.

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15 (KJV)

• DESTINY – We today are to look to;

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in [heaven’s] glory. ⁵ Mortify therefore your [body] members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” Col. 3:4-5 (KJV)

We are ^“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJV)