"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)
"Rudiments" appears only twice in the Bible. Paul uses it, however,
with surgical precision to describe the nature of the choice that all
of us must make between the natural, carnal or materialistic world view
or the spiritual, "in the beginning God …" perspective.
Rudiment means "the first principles or elements of a subject; those
points which are first taught to, or acquired by, one commencing the
study or practice of a branch of knowledge." It is a "first principle;
an initial step or stage." Rudiment is "the imperfect beginnings of
some (material or immaterial) thing; those parts which are the
foundation of later growth or development" (Oxford English Dictionary).
Essentially, rudiment is "the part to be learned first, the beginning,
earliest training, the first lesson or experience" (The Origins of
English Words).
Paul begins this teaching by reminding his readers of the "riches of
the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the
mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; in whom are hid all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3). He teaches
this "lest any man should beguile you with enticing words" (verse 4).
He reminds us that since we have "received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him" (verses 5 and 6). Paul is
concerned that if we are not vigilant we will wander from the true way
which is "after Christ" into the false way, which is based on
"philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world" (verse 8). Paul hammers this point home by
telling us "let no man beguile you of your reward" since man with his
"vainly puffed up ... fleshly mind" cannot see spiritual things (verse
18) so that with Christ we are dead "from the rudiments of the world,"
though we live in the world we should not walk "after the commandments
and doctrines of men" (verses 18, 20 and 22).
The word rudiment, then, is carefully chosen to teach us that by
accepting the right way and following after Christ, we must confront
and reject those first lessons and early training which the world, by
nature, imposes upon all mortals. Therefore, we are required to make a
conscious choice to exchange the soil in which we are naturally rooted
and become rooted in a new soil — being built up by our faith in the
Savior. Paul defines this choice as setting our "affection (mind) on
things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2).