BobRyan
Well-Known Member
Colossians 2 - clearly teaches --
1. Paul is dealing explicitly with errors brought into the church (teachings of men - vs 22) errors that consist of man-made practices of judging others, man-made traditions - man-made religion. (vs 8,18,22)
2. Paul states that we stay in Christ by taking the same actions we took when we accepted Christ "as you have received Christ so walk in him" (vs 6) turning from sin and rebellion to Christ in repentance, surrender. Yielding to God's solution.
3. Col 2 points out that the problem is sin - we are all dead in sin and the solution is being made alive with him (vs 9-14) - accomplished by his substitutionary death for us. Christ pays our debt - consisting of "certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us" instead of nailing God's word, scripture, God's law - it is nailing our "certificate of debt" - the substitutionary sacrifices pays our debt.
4. Among the man-made errors listed - the error of judging is identified regarding the shadow-predictive-Sabbaths of Lev 23 - given as predictions of future events that were to be accomplished by the messiah on the cross. (dying for our sins). Vs 16-17
note: shadow Sabbaths are those that have their origin in the sacrificial system of animal sacrifices pointing to the death of Christ.
5. Paul does not condemn God's predictive-shadow-Sabbaths, he merely condemns the man-made error of judging Christians regarding them. Here he judges the judges who are condemning Christians based on something to do with the practice of observing these shadow Sabbaths. Judging others is already condemned pre-cross (matt 7) (vs 16-17)
6. Paul then condemns the error of worshipping angels, and fake visions, fake revelations. Here he judges those who observe these erroneous practices. (vs 18)
7. (vs 18-23) Paul is clearly condemning errors - fatal errors which negate salvation (defraud you of your reward - vs 18). These practices are not tolerated at all - judging others regarding their practice regarding shadow Sabbaths, practicing error in worship or false visions or made up religion of any kind.
Summary - extended
Colossians chapter two deals with abuses of God's word - that are abuses in any age not just the new testament.
Some try to make this into a "change from OT to NT" as if it was ever "right" to
"judge others" (Matt 7 Christ denies that this was right even before the cross or any change in dispensations).
It was never right to have a form of Godliness but lack its power.
It was always valid to
8 see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
According to Matt 7 -- In every age - it was right to
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;
Colossians 2:16 - festival, new moon, Sabbath
1 Chronicles 23:31 - fixed festivals, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 2:4 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 8:13 - annual feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 31:3 - fixed festivals, new moons, Sabbaths
Nehemiah 10:33 - appointed times, new moon, Sabbaths
Isa 1:13-14 - appointed feasts, new moon, Sabbath
Ezekiel 45:17 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
Ezek 46:1-11 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbath
Hosea 2:11 - festal assemblies, new moons, Sabbaths
In Lev 23 we see both annual feast days that are not Sabbaths (days of holy convocation) and those that are. (Passover and the feast of Unleavened bread being a good example).
With this in mind, Paul, incontrovertibly, pointing us to the annual feast days – and is telling us in Col 2:16 that judging others - is not allowed post cross even as we see it is not allowed pre-cross in matt 7 "do not judge".
Furthermore - he is identifying the "shadow Sabbaths" with the festival Sabbaths of Lev 23 - the annual Sabbath(s).
And Paul was saying this as one who not only kept the 10 commandments but also all the things of the law of Moses - Acts 21:20-26, 23:4-9, 24:14-18, 25:8,10-11, 26:20-23, 28:17
In fact he was not even offending in areas of "customs" let alone "laws of God"
As Colossians 2 observes – and as the pre-cross statements of Christ show -- in every age it was lawful - and wise to avoid deception and judgmental practices.
Paul says
quote:
Other texts (such as Hebrews 10) do show changes that took place in God's perfect purpose regarding his own laws (as the shadows - predictive laws - were fulfilled) but Colossians 2 deals instead - with abuses - not the transition between pre-cross and post-cross laws.
In Christ,
Bob
1. Paul is dealing explicitly with errors brought into the church (teachings of men - vs 22) errors that consist of man-made practices of judging others, man-made traditions - man-made religion. (vs 8,18,22)
2. Paul states that we stay in Christ by taking the same actions we took when we accepted Christ "as you have received Christ so walk in him" (vs 6) turning from sin and rebellion to Christ in repentance, surrender. Yielding to God's solution.
3. Col 2 points out that the problem is sin - we are all dead in sin and the solution is being made alive with him (vs 9-14) - accomplished by his substitutionary death for us. Christ pays our debt - consisting of "certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us" instead of nailing God's word, scripture, God's law - it is nailing our "certificate of debt" - the substitutionary sacrifices pays our debt.
4. Among the man-made errors listed - the error of judging is identified regarding the shadow-predictive-Sabbaths of Lev 23 - given as predictions of future events that were to be accomplished by the messiah on the cross. (dying for our sins). Vs 16-17
note: shadow Sabbaths are those that have their origin in the sacrificial system of animal sacrifices pointing to the death of Christ.
5. Paul does not condemn God's predictive-shadow-Sabbaths, he merely condemns the man-made error of judging Christians regarding them. Here he judges the judges who are condemning Christians based on something to do with the practice of observing these shadow Sabbaths. Judging others is already condemned pre-cross (matt 7) (vs 16-17)
6. Paul then condemns the error of worshipping angels, and fake visions, fake revelations. Here he judges those who observe these erroneous practices. (vs 18)
7. (vs 18-23) Paul is clearly condemning errors - fatal errors which negate salvation (defraud you of your reward - vs 18). These practices are not tolerated at all - judging others regarding their practice regarding shadow Sabbaths, practicing error in worship or false visions or made up religion of any kind.
Summary - extended
Colossians chapter two deals with abuses of God's word - that are abuses in any age not just the new testament.
Some try to make this into a "change from OT to NT" as if it was ever "right" to
"judge others" (Matt 7 Christ denies that this was right even before the cross or any change in dispensations).
It was never right to have a form of Godliness but lack its power.
It was always valid to
8 see to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.
According to Matt 7 -- In every age - it was right to
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;
Note: Paul is reproducing a familiar pattern regarding the annual feast days rather than "the Sabbath" it is "Sabbath{s}"Col 2:16-17, "therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
Colossians 2:16 - festival, new moon, Sabbath
1 Chronicles 23:31 - fixed festivals, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 2:4 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 8:13 - annual feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
2 Chronicles 31:3 - fixed festivals, new moons, Sabbaths
Nehemiah 10:33 - appointed times, new moon, Sabbaths
Isa 1:13-14 - appointed feasts, new moon, Sabbath
Ezekiel 45:17 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbaths
Ezek 46:1-11 - appointed feasts, new moons, Sabbath
Hosea 2:11 - festal assemblies, new moons, Sabbaths
In Lev 23 we see both annual feast days that are not Sabbaths (days of holy convocation) and those that are. (Passover and the feast of Unleavened bread being a good example).
With this in mind, Paul, incontrovertibly, pointing us to the annual feast days – and is telling us in Col 2:16 that judging others - is not allowed post cross even as we see it is not allowed pre-cross in matt 7 "do not judge".
Furthermore - he is identifying the "shadow Sabbaths" with the festival Sabbaths of Lev 23 - the annual Sabbath(s).
And Paul was saying this as one who not only kept the 10 commandments but also all the things of the law of Moses - Acts 21:20-26, 23:4-9, 24:14-18, 25:8,10-11, 26:20-23, 28:17
In fact he was not even offending in areas of "customs" let alone "laws of God"
And he went through great lengths to show His support EVEN for the ceremonial aspects of God’s Law –Acts 28
17 after three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
----------------------------------Acts 21:20"you see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
22“what, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23“therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
24take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the law.
25“but concerning the gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.”.
As Colossians 2 observes – and as the pre-cross statements of Christ show -- in every age it was lawful - and wise to avoid deception and judgmental practices.
Paul says
quote:
the idea is presented on this thread that these practices were "ok" in the OT but ended at the cross as no longer proper. But the context shows that Paul was condemning abuses that would have been condemned in any age.Col 2:18 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[b/],
Other texts (such as Hebrews 10) do show changes that took place in God's perfect purpose regarding his own laws (as the shadows - predictive laws - were fulfilled) but Colossians 2 deals instead - with abuses - not the transition between pre-cross and post-cross laws.
In Christ,
Bob