Colossians 2:16-23
16: Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—
17: things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18: Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19: and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20: If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
22: (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23: These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Therefore—because of the triumph Jesus obtained for them—Paul told the Colossians no one was to judge them in regard to food, drink, or observing days (Romans 14). As we’ve previously seen, there were Jews who were still teaching the Law and that believers—Jew and Gentile—had to continue in it, which is contrary to the gospel of Christ (Galatians 3). Those teachings of the Law were just a shadow of what was to come, patterned after the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). The true substance—that which the shadow was patterned after—is Christ’s.
Paul told them not to let anyone lead them astray, defrauding them of their prize in Christ, by erroneous teaching of self-abasement or worship of angels. True humility is a good thing, but self-abasement is a false humility which actually draws more attention to oneself. True humility is a proper opinion of yourself and who you are in Christ. False humility gives an appearance of proper worship through self-denial, but it is not (Matthew 6:1-6).
Those who promote worship of angels have taken their eyes off the Head and become distracted by visions. They use these visions as a foundation instead of the gospel of Christ. One who has become “inflated” in his fleshly mind—arrogant over visions or revelations he’s seen—has cut himself off from the Head who is Christ—his source of life. It’s the Head which supplies everything the body needs to hold it together and function. If a body part becomes severed it will die.
Since they’d died with Christ and were to follow the higher law in Christ, Paul asked why they would submit themselves to the Law, which was nailed to the cross; or why would they submit themselves to superstitions of the world. That which requires severe treatment of the body is of no value against fleshly indulgence. It doesn’t work. There are teaching, commands, and religions of men which may appear to be wise but are self-made. The ideas of man are not truth. Only truth brings freedom. Only truth brings eternal life, and truth only comes from God. Only the cross of Christ works in changing the heart of man to follow that which is good and right.
17: things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.
18: Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
19: and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
20: If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
22: (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23: These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
***
Therefore—because of the triumph Jesus obtained for them—Paul told the Colossians no one was to judge them in regard to food, drink, or observing days (Romans 14). As we’ve previously seen, there were Jews who were still teaching the Law and that believers—Jew and Gentile—had to continue in it, which is contrary to the gospel of Christ (Galatians 3). Those teachings of the Law were just a shadow of what was to come, patterned after the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). The true substance—that which the shadow was patterned after—is Christ’s.
Paul told them not to let anyone lead them astray, defrauding them of their prize in Christ, by erroneous teaching of self-abasement or worship of angels. True humility is a good thing, but self-abasement is a false humility which actually draws more attention to oneself. True humility is a proper opinion of yourself and who you are in Christ. False humility gives an appearance of proper worship through self-denial, but it is not (Matthew 6:1-6).
Those who promote worship of angels have taken their eyes off the Head and become distracted by visions. They use these visions as a foundation instead of the gospel of Christ. One who has become “inflated” in his fleshly mind—arrogant over visions or revelations he’s seen—has cut himself off from the Head who is Christ—his source of life. It’s the Head which supplies everything the body needs to hold it together and function. If a body part becomes severed it will die.
Since they’d died with Christ and were to follow the higher law in Christ, Paul asked why they would submit themselves to the Law, which was nailed to the cross; or why would they submit themselves to superstitions of the world. That which requires severe treatment of the body is of no value against fleshly indulgence. It doesn’t work. There are teaching, commands, and religions of men which may appear to be wise but are self-made. The ideas of man are not truth. Only truth brings freedom. Only truth brings eternal life, and truth only comes from God. Only the cross of Christ works in changing the heart of man to follow that which is good and right.
Comments
Post a Comment