"4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. 6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 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."
Colossians 2:4-8
It is not until we come to v 4 and come across the first overt mention of the false teachers, that we know Paul is warning the church in Colossae against some real danger. Having affirmed the truth of Christ, having laid down the standard of apostolic ministry and having explained the content and purpose of that preaching ministry as the preaching of the mystery of Christ for the sanctification of believers, Paul now expressly grapples with the 'hollow and deceptive philosophy' of the false teachers to correct and to refute it. As a complement to his positive teaching of the truth, Paul now sounds the alarm. It's almost as if everything that Paul has said in his letter so far has been laying the foundation, has been preparatory to an explicit exposure and refutation of the false teaching. Vv 6-7, then, are a turning point in the letter as for the first time Paul overtly warns the Christian community in Colossae. He urges them to continue in the teaching they have already received from Epaphras (which he has been reinforcing) and to remain immovable in their faith (v 6). He urges them not to be taken in by the very plausible teaching of the heretics and so be shifted from the foundation of Christ and the apostles, into the quicksand of error (v 7). He warns them to be on their guard against the empty and vain deceptions of the heretics (v 8). Throughout these verses Paul gives these warnings and admonitions in language intended to make the Colossians sit up and take notice. There is real danger here and Paul uses language which is urgent and commanding: He uses imperatives, urgent exhortations, to summon the believers to action. He summons the Colossians to put their faith into practice; v 6 'So, then, just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live in him...'; v 8 'See to it (Beware/look out) that no one takes you captive...'