The false teachings may have been more than just one person promulgating the doctrine and it may have spread to a group of churches. Everyone has heard of church splits where doctrine divides. Paul warned, "I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument" (Col 2:4). He continues saying, "See to it [beware] that no one takes you captive [kidnaps, seduces, enslaves]" (:8). The new ideas are speculative and hypothetical and have the "appearance of wisdom" (:23) but are only "empty deception" (:8). Paul warned Timothy to "guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing argument of what is falsely called 'knowledge'-which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith" (1Ti 6:20-21). "Let no one deceive you through empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph 5:6). If someone "takes you captive" (Col 2:8) it is "with all the deception of wickedness" (2Th 2:10) with "a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged" (:11-12). "It was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression" (1Ti 2:14).
The false teachers were mixing philosophy with Christianity. However, Peter "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ac 4:8) told them "'there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved'" (:12). Those teachers were misled when they combined human ideas with scripture creating a universalism or syncretism and diluted the supremacy of Christ. Paul set them straight because he "was made a minister . . . [for] preaching the word of God" since he had "received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:12). You could say that those false teachers were confused because it had been "the mystery which has been hidden from past ages" (Col 1:26) and therefore the opportunity had been presented to "speak forth the mystery of Christ" (4:3) to enlighten them. The mystery is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (1:27) and by their understanding this it would result "in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself" (2:2).