I EXPOUND THESE VERY IMPORTANT PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE, AND PUT THEM IN THE CONTEXT OF "THE HEART OF TRUE CHRISTIANITY" BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN USED TO TRY AND TEACH THE 10 COMMANDMENTS HAVE BEEN ABOLISHED, AND/OR THE 7TH DAY WEEKLY SABBATH OF THE 4TH COMMANDMENT, HAS BEEN ABOLISHED OR CHANGED TO WHATEVER DAY YOU CHOOSE.
Eph.2:15 and Col.2:14-16 and Rom. 14
Many say these verses abolish the weekly Sabbath, and/or the Ten Commandments. Nothing could be further from the facts. Here is the truth of the matter
by Keith Hunt
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There is, and has been a movement afoot among some churches and preachers to ABOLISH the 10 Commandments. They tell you that there are verses in the NT that say the LAW (which to them means the Ten Commandments) is DONE AWAY in Christ. They say the old 10 were only TILL Christ, since then we are no longer under obligation to observe these ten laws. These preachers of NO LAW use just a few of, not Jesus' teachings, not Peter's teachings, nor James' or Jude's, or John's teachings, but a few verses of Paul. Two of these verses they say, that show the 10 Commandments are ABOLISHED in Christ, are EPHESIANS 2:15; COL. 2:14. When reading and studying the writings of Paul, we do well to heed the warning and advice of Peter, who wrote, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also....has written unto you. As also in all his epistles.....in which are SOME THINGS HARD TO BE UNDERSTOOD which they that are UNLEARNED and UNSTABLE WREST, as they do also the OTHER SCRIPTURES, unto their own destruction. You, therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, BEWARE lest you also, being LED AWAY with the ERROR of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness " (2 PET.3:15 - 17). Peter calls these people who wrest and pervert the writings of Paul and other scriptures THE WICKED! Now let me give you a BIBLE definition that clearly shows who the wicked are. The Biblical wicked are described in PS 119:53, "HORROR has taken hold upon me because of the WICKED that forsake your LAW." Plainly, those who FORSAKE, DO AWAY WITH, ABOLISH the 10 point LAW of God are called the WICKED! Peter called their teaching ERROR. He said it would lead them to "their own destruction." Peter said these teachers were not only unstable, but UNLEARNED. Oh yes, some may have gone to the THEOLOGICAL schools of their day as some have today, but as far as UNDERSTANDING the word of God, Peter said they were unlearned. Why are these LAW ABOLISHERS indeed unlearned in the word? Because that which they are willingly ignorant of does testify to their face. Let's put a few simple verses together and ask a few simple questions. Are Christians to freely sin? Answer, "My little children, these things I write unto you, THAT YOU SIN NOT...." (1 JOHN 2:1). John wrote this to Christians years and years after Jesus died on the cross: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in SIN, that grace may abound? God forbid...."(ROM 6:1). Paul wrote this to Christians years after Jesus died on the cross. What is SIN? Answer, "All unrighteousness is sin...." (1 JN 5:17). What is RIGHTEOUSNESS? Answer, "....for all they COMMANDMENTS are righteousness" (PS 119:172). What is sin? Answer, "Whosoever committeth SIN transgresseth also the LAW; for SIN is the transgression of the LAW " (1 JN 3:4). What LAW is it SIN to transgress? Answer, "....I had not known sin, but by the LAW: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, YOU SHALL NOT COVET " (ROM 7:7). Which LAW says, You shall not covet? Answer, the law found in EX. 20 and DEUT. 5. THE TEN COMMANDMENT LAW! Is SIN accounted for anyone if there is NO LAW? Answer, "....SIN is not imputed WHEN THERE IS NO LAW" (ROM. 5:13). Using simple logic and reasoning power with the verses we have just read, we should be able to deduct that: 1. If the 10 commandment law was abolished when Jesus died on the cross - if the ten commandment law was only until Christ, then there has been NO SIN since the cross. 2. If there has been no sin since the cross, then there have been NO SINNERS either. 3. If there have been no sinners since the cross, because there has been no law to define what sin is, then NO ONE since then has needed a SAVIOR! Now do you see why those who preach and teach that the 10 Commandment law was abolished with Christ are indeed UNLEARNED, men who wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction!
So what about COLOSSIANS 2:14 and EPHESIANS 2:15? Was Paul really teaching that God's spiritual, holy, just and good 10 Commandment law (ROM. 7:12, 14) was abolished at the cross of Christ? Many of the early Protestant theologians and Bible Commentators (who taught obedience to the Commandments of God) never understood these verses and sections of Paul's letters to the Ephesians and Colossians to mean that Christ did away with the 10 Commandment law. They were not unlearned, as many are today. They even upheld the 4th commandment, but taught it was changed to Sunday. Quite frankly, even today MOST Protestant churches teach the Ten Commandment law is still in effect, it is a relatively small group of North American fundamentalists (I call them funny-mentalists, as their theology would be funny if it was not so mentally serious) who teach grace abolishes law. Three of the most famous Bible Commentators of yesterday were MATTHEW HENRY, ADAM CLARKE and ALBERT BARNES. Here are their comments on EPH. 2:13-16. MATTHEW HENRY: "We are now come to the last part of the chapter, which contains an account of the great and mighty privileges that converted Jews and Gentiles both receive from Christ. The apostle here shows, that they who were in a state of enmity are reconciled. Between the Jews and the Gentiles there had been a great enmity; so there is between God and every unregenerate man. Now Jesus Christ is OUR PEACE, v. 14. He made peace by the sacrifice of himself; he MADE BOTH ONE, by reconciling these two divisions of men, who were wont to malign, to hate and to reproach each other before. He BROKE DOWN THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION, the ceremonial law, that made the great feud, and was the badge of the Jews' peculiarity; called THE PARTITION-WALL, by way of allusion to the PARTITION in the temple, which separated the court of the Gentiles from that into which the Jews only had liberty to enter. Thus HE ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH THE ENMITY, v.15. By his sufferings in the flesh, taking away the binding power of the ceremonial law, so removing that cause of enmity and distance between them; which is here called THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES, because it enjoined a multitude of external rites and ceremonies, and consisted of many institutions and appointments about the outward parts of divine worship. THE LEGAL CEREMONIES WERE ABROGATED BY CHRIST, HAVING THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT IN HIM. By taking those out of the way, he formed one church of believers, whether they had been Jews or Gentiles. Thus he made IN HIMSELF OF TWAIN ONE NEW MAN. He framed both these parties into one NEW SOCIETY, or body of God's people uniting them to himself as their common Head; they being RENEWED by the Holy Ghost, and now concurring in a NEW way of gospel-worship: SO MAKING PEACE between these two parties who were so much at variance before. 2. There is an enmity between God and sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles; and Christ came to slay that enmity, and to reconcile them both to God, v. 16. Sin breeds a quarrel, and to bring it to an end, by reconciling both Jew and Gentile, now collected and gathered into one body, to a provoked and an offended God: and this BY THE CROSS; or by the sacrifice of himself upon the cross: HAVING SLAIN THE ENMITY THEREBY. He, being slain or sacrificed, slew the enmity that there was between God and poor sinners. The apostle proceeds to illustrate the great advantages which both parties gain by the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ" (emphasis Henry's).
ADAM CLARKE: ".......YE WHO SOMETIMES WERE FAR OFF] to be FAR OFF, and to be NEAR, are sayings much in use among the Jews; and among them, to be NEAR, signifies, 1. To be in the APPROBATION or FAVOUR of God; and to be FAR OFF signifies to be under his DISPLEASURE. So a WICKED Jew might be said to be FAR OFF from God when he was exposed to his DISPLEASURE; and a HOLY MAN, or a genuine PENITENT, might be said to be NIGH TO GOD, because such persons are in his FAVOUR. 2. Every person who offered a SACRIFICE to God was considered as having ACCESS to him by the BLOOD of that sacrifice: hence the priests, whose office it was to offer sacrifices, were considered as being NIGH TO GOD; and all who brought gifts to the altar were considered as APPROACHING the Almighty. 3. Being FAR OFF, signified the state of the GENTILES as contradistinguished from the JEWS, who were NIGH. And these expressions were used in reference to the tabernacle, God's dwelling-place among the Israelites, and the sacrifices there offered. All those who had ACCESS to this TABERNACLE, or were NIGH TO IT or encamped about it, were said to be NIGH TO GOD; those who had NO ACCESS to it were said to be FAR OFF. Hence the latter phrase is used to distinguish the GENTILES from the JEWISH people; and this appears to be the meaning of the prophet, Isa. lvii. 19: I CREATE THE FRUIT OF THE LIPS; PEACE, PEACE TO him that is FAR OFF, AND TO him that is NEAR, SAITH THE LORD; i.e. I give cause of PRAISE and REJOICING to the GENTILE as well as to the JEW. And to this scripture, and to this thing, the apostle seems here to allude. You Gentiles, who were UNACQUAINTED with God, and were even WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLDS, are brought to an ACQUAINTANCE with him; and are now, through Christ Jesus, brought into the favour and fellowship of God. And as the Jews of old APPROACHED God by the BLOOD of their SACRIFICES, so YOU APPROACH him BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. FOR HE IS OUR PEACE] Jesus Christ has died for both Jews and Gentiles, and has become a PEACE-OFFERING .....shalom, to reconcile both to God and to each other. WHO HATH MADE BOTH ONE] Formed one Church out of the believers of both people. THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION].......Some think it refers to their ancient manner of living among the Gentiles, as they always endeavoured to live in some place BY THEMSELVES, and to have a RIVER OR A WALL between them and their heathen neighbours........ When, at the death of Christ, the VEIL of the temple was RENT from the top to the bottom, it was an emblem that THE WAY TO THE HOLIEST WAS LAID OPEN, and that the people at large, both Jews and Gentiles, were to have ACCESS to the holiest by the BLOOD OF JESUS. Some think there is an allusion here to the wall called CHEL, which separated the COURT OF ISRAEL from the COURT OF THE GENTILES....... HAVING ABOLISHED IN HIS FLESH] By his INCARNATION and DEATH he not only made an atonement for sin, but he appointed the DOCTRINE OF RECONCILIATION to God, and of LOVE TO EACH OTHER, to be preached in all nations; and thus glory was brought to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will were diffused among men. The ENMITY of which the apostle speaks were reciprocal among the JEWS and GENTILES. The FORMER detested the GENTILES, and could hardly allow them the denomination of MEN; the LATTER had the JEWS in the most sovereign contempt, because of the peculiarity of their religious rites and ceremonies, which were different from those of all the other nations of the earth. THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS] Contained in, or rather CONCERNING, ORDINANCES; which law was made merely for the purpose of keeping the Jews a DISTINCT people, and pointing out the Son of God till he should come. When, therefore, the END of its institution was answered, it was no long NECESSARY; and Christ by his death abolished it. TO MAKE IN HIMSELF] To make one Church out of both people, which should be considered the BODY of which Jesus Christ is the HEAD. Thus he makes ONE NEW MAN - one new Church; and thus he MAKES and establishes ............ THAT HE MIGHT RECONCILE BOTH - IN ONE BODY) That the Jews and Gentiles, believing on the Lord Jesus, might lay aside all their causes of contention, and become one spiritual BODY, or SOCIETY of men....... HAVING SLAIN THE ENMITY THEREBY] Having, by his death upon the cross, made reconciliation between God and man, and by his Spirit in their hearts removed the ENMITY of their fallen, sinful nature. Dr. Macknight thinks that ABOLISHING THE ENMITY is spoken of the removal of the HATRED which the Jews and Gentiles mutually bore to each other because of the DIFFERENCE of their RESPECTIVE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP; and that SLAYING the ENMITY refers to the REMOVAL of evil LUSTS and AFFECTIONS from the heart of man, by the power of Divine grace....... AND CAME AND PREACHED PEACE] Proclaimed the readiness of God to forgive and save both Jews and Gentiles" (emphasis Clarke's). ALBERT BARNES: "BUT NOW, IN CHRIST JESUS. By the coming atonement of the Lord Jesus, and by the gospel which he preached. YE WHO SOMETIMES WERE FAR OFF. Who were FORMERLY - (he gives the Greek - Keith Hunt). Tindal translates it A WHYLE AGOO. The phrase FAR OFF - (he gives the Greek - Keith Hunt) - means that they were formerly far off from God and his people....... ARE MADE NIGH. Are admitted to the favour of God, and permitted to approach him as his worshippers. BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. The Jews came near to the mercy-seat on which the symbol of the Divine Presence rested, (Notes on Rom. ii. 25,) by the blood that was offered in sacrifice; that is, the high priest approached that mercy-seat with blood, and sprinkled it before God. Now we are permitted to approach him with the blood of atonement. The shedding of that blood has prepared the way by which Gentiles as well as Jews may approach God, and it is by that offering that we are led to seek God. FOR HE IS OUR PEACE........The PEACE here referred to is that by which a UNION in worship and in feeling has been produced between the Jews and the Gentiles. Formerly they were alienated and separate. They had different objects of worship; different religious rites; different views and feelings. The Jews regarded the Gentiles with hatred, and the Gentiles the Jews with scorn. Now, says the apostle, they are at peace. They worship the same God. They have the same Saviour. They depend on the same atonement. They have the same hope....... Reconciliation has not only taken place with God, but with each other. THE BEST WAY TO PRODUCE PEACE BETWEEN ALIENATED MINDS IS TO BRING THEM TO THE SAME SAVIOUR....... WHO HATH MADE BOTH ONE. Both Gentiles and Jews. He has united them in one society. HAVING BROKEN DOWN THE MIDDLE WALL. There is an allusion here undoubtedly to the wall of partition in the temple, by which the court of the Gentiles was separated from that of the Jews. See Notes and the plan of the temple, in Matt. xxi, 12. The idea here is, that that was now broken down, and that the Gentiles had the same access to the temple as the Jews. The sense is, that in virtue of the sacrifice of the Redeemer they were admitted to the same privilege and hopes. HAVING ABOLISHED. Having brought to naught or put an end to it.......IN HIS FLESH. By the sacrifices of his body on the cross.......THE ENMITY. Between the Jew and the Gentile....... The idea is, that the ceremonial law of the Jews, on which they so much prided themselves, was the cause of the hostility existing between them. That made them different people, and laid the foundation for the alienation which existed between them. They had different laws; different institutions; a different religion. The Jews looked upon themselves as the favourites of Heaven; and as in possession of the knowledge of the only way of salvation; the Gentiles regarded their laws with contempt, and looked upon the peculiar institutions with scorn. When Christ came, and abolished by his death their peculiar ceremonial laws, of course the cause of this alienation ceased. EVEN THE LAWS OF COMMANDMENTS........ This does not refer to the MORAL law, which was not the cause of the alienation, and which was no abolished by the death of Christ, but to the laws commanding sacrifices ....... These were the occasion of the enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles, and these were abolished by the great sacrifice which the Redeemer made; and of course when that was made, the purpose for which these laws were instituted was accomplished, and they ceased to be of value and to be binding....... HAVING SLAIN THE ENMITY. Not only the enmity between Jews and Gentiles, but the enmity between the sinner and God. He has by that death removed all the obstacles to reconciliation on the part of God and on the part of men" (emphasis Barnes'). Do you see? It was the peculiar ceremonial laws of the Jews, those rules that kept the Jews and Gentiles separated, laws such as that which pertained to the TEMPLE, where the Jews(not God) had enacted a dividing wall that if a Gentile crossed, it would cost him his life. Notice also, this ENMITY (the law of commandments in ordinances) was abolished by the FLESH of Christ, by the CROSS (death) of Christ. This enmity was upon BOTH Gentile and Jew - both were under the power of this enmity that had now been slain by the death of Jesus. What was this enmity as expressed in "the law of commandments in ordinances" ? The Greek word for "ordinances" is "dogma." It is used only FOUR other times in the NT. In ALL FOUR places it is expressing the DECREES OF MEN, not of God's commandments! It is with the fourth Scripture that we want to specifically take note, for this verse actually explains and says the same thing as EPH. 2:15 but in a clearer way. This Greek word is again used by Paul in COL.2:14. Notice the CONTEXT! In verse 8 Paul tells the Colossians to BEWARE lest any MAN through PHILOSOPHY, DECEIT, TRADITIONS OF MEN and THINGS OF THE WORLD, should SPOIL them - TAKE THEM AWAY FROM CHRIST! For, he tells them in verse 11 that through Jesus they had PUT OFF the body of SINS, whereas (v.13) they had been DEAD in their sins (they were found to be sinners by the law of God, as we have seen in 1 John 3:4; and Romans 7:7 and so under the death sentence, see Rom. 6:23). God, through Christ had given them LIFE (by removing the death sentence in their stead), having DONE WHAT? Removing the 10 Commandment law so there would be no sin henceforth? NO! ".......having FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES" and "blotting out" WHAT? God's spiritual, holy, just and good, ten point law? NO! "Blotting out the HANDWRITING of ORDINANCES (dogmas) that was AGAINST US, which was CONTRARY to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross" (v.14). What is the context? What has Paul been speaking about? Has he been talking about the "terrible ten" or that "ten point law of bondage" as some like to call the Ten Commandments today? NO! He has been talking about SIN! He has been talking about PHILOSOPHY, DECEIT, THINGS OF THE WORLD, the TRADITIONS (decrees - dogmas) of MEN, that the Colossians had been guilty of practicing, and in so doing, had SINNED! They had built up a WALL of enmity between themselves and God the Father. But now, Jesus had come - taken their sins upon Himself - taken their DEATH sentence upon Himself. Taken the ENMITY that stood between man and God, upon Himself, died on the stake for the sins of the whole world, that all men, both Jew and Gentile (for ALL have sinned - Rom.5:12) might "reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (v.16). Jesus slew the enmity that stood between man (Jew and Gentile) and God the Father. That enmity was SIN and DEATH! The "handwriting of dogma (decrees) that was against us" (v.14) that Jesus took away by His death on the cross, were the DOGMATIZOMAI (akin to the Greek "dogma" - a verb, of which "dogma" is the noun), the decrees of the world, the ordinances, philosophies, traditions "AFTER the commandments and doctrines of MEN" (verses 20-22). All persons have been, at some time in their lives, guilty of following the dictates, opinions, and traditions of the society around them. Many of those customs, philosophies, and teachings of mankind have been CONTRARY to the WAY of the Lord God. They have been the way of SIN and DEATH (Prov.14:12; Mark 7:7; Rom.3:23; 6:23).
Those sins were written down, so to speak, in a book. They stood AGAINST US (Col. 2:14). We had a DEBT to pay to the heavenly Father, which debt was DEATH! The holy law of God showed us we were sinners and it condemned us to death. It was powerless to FORGIVE sins. What was holy, just and good, what was ordained to bring life, joy, blessing and happiness, was as Paul said, "found to be unto death" (Rom. 7:10). The righteous law of God, and the word of God, could only be, as James wrote, a MIRROR - showing us that we have sinned, that our sins have been recorded, written down and STAND AGAINST US. All have incurred ENMITY between themselves and God, by sinning. All have followed at some point in their life, the laws, commandments, traditions and philosophies of MEN as contained in DECREES or Dogmas of those men and societies and have so broken the perfect law of God. The 10 Commandment law cannot blot out those sins written down. The word of God as such cannot blot them out. We, of our selves cannot blot them out. We stand before God as good as SLAIN men - the enmity between us and the Father - SIN, says we must pay our debt - we must DIE! But, "God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should NOT PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE " (Jn. 3:16). Jesus came to take our sins upon Himself, to take the death penalty that was upon us and to die in our stead. His death on the cross BLOTTED OUT, the bond of debt (sin and death) that was written down against us. His death took it out of the way. The enmity was SLAIN so we could have our trespasses, our sins FORGIVEN. As we stood as good as dead in our sins, we who were FAR OFF are now made nigh - now reconciled to the Father by the blood of Christ, having dissolved - broken down the wall of SIN that stood between us and God and having rendered powerless (abolished) the dogmas, philosophies, traditions and doctrines of men which led us to sin. He, having slain this enmity of sin that both Jew and Gentile had incurred, came and preached peace to those who were far off (Gentiles) and to them that were nigh (Jews). For through Jesus all peoples have access by one Spirit unto the Father. All have sinned, but all can be made near or reconciled to the Father through the blood, dead, and cross of Christ. For further reading on Col. 2:13-15, I recommend the comments of MATTHEW HENRY. As for the phrase "Blotting out the handwriting" in Col. 2:14, there is an illuminating comment concerning this in the FOREWORD (page 9) to VINE'S EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF NT WORDS (old edition). Neither Jesus, Peter, Paul, John or any other apostle of the NT ever taught, wrote, or preached that God's 10 Commandments were ABOLISHED at the cross or any time after. THESE OLD FUNDAMENTAL COMMENTARIES HAD THE BASIC TRUTH, THAT MANY NEW FUNDAMENTAL TEACHERS JUST DO NOT GET CORRECTLY; I WONDER IF THEY EVEN READ THE BIBLE COMMENTARIES OF OLD FUNDAMENTAL TEACHERS, IT SEEMS MANY DO NOT. For further in depth study on what the word of the Lord says regarding SIN, REPENTANCE, LAW, GRACE and SALVATION, see the other studies on those subjects on my Website. ..................................... Written in 1984 COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 2 By Keith Hunt VERSES 1-6. |
Paul has admitted that they are strong in the faith, but he tells them he
has great pain and discomfort. Though he is absent from them in a
physical way, he is present with them in a spirit way, and he then
beholds their order and steadfastness of the true faith of Christ.
He tells them it is only through God andChrist that true treasures and
wisdom of knowledge can come. He is confident they have the correct
hold of things, but yet he knows there are those in their midst who can
use cunning and enticing words of deceit, to beguile and lead them
away from the truth they received and held fast to, when they heard the
Gospel preached.
Paul encourages them to stay with Christ, to walk with Him, to let
Him live in them. If they look to how Christ lived and walked,
while on earth, if they have their roots in Him, they will be established
in the true faith, and will abound in the way they were taught. They will
have thanksgiving as it really is, with the true way of Christ Jesus the Lord.
VERSES 8-15
Now Paul starts to get to the main problem the Christians
were encountering at Colossae. Verse 8 is a key verse. There were
men among them who were using the slight of hand of "philosophy"
- "vain deceit" - AFTER ... notice it "the TRADITIONS of MEN,
after the elements of the WORLD, and NOT after Christ.
Staying with Christ, how He lived and what He did in word
and action and observances, one can NEVER go wrong. But as soon
as you allow the "traditions" and "elements" of men and the world
to enter, then you are on a slippery path to the ditch of
spiritual destruction. It is Christ that is the complete answer,
in Him is the fullness of the Godhead. Listening to the ideas of
men, who want to follow the traditions of men and elements of the
unconverted world, is a sure way NOT to follow Christ.
Paul gives emphasis that it is Christ they need to look as
to how to live their lives, in all actions, thoughts, and in what
they observe. He reminds them that they are circumcised with the
true circumcision that is the putting away of sins of the flesh,
through Christ. They have had the baptism which is in Christ, and
have risen through faith from sure death to life, by the
forgiveness of those sins. All our sins as it were, were
written down on paper like a legal document, for all to see that
we were sinners and so had come under the penalty of sin - death.
This document of our sins stood against us, to condemned us, it
proved we were sinners, hence worthy of the judgment of sins -
the penalty of sins - death. But Jesus came along and said He
would take our sins upon Himself and die on the cross for us. He
had His blood shed in dying for us, in our stead, and it was as
if His blood was taken and thrown all over that document of our
sins, hence blotting our those sins. They could no longer be
found on that legal document, for blood had covered them all. No
one could read or see any of our sins listed on that paper.
This was God's answer to all those legal documents of the
sins of all people - the blood of Christ blotted them out and
away. There was indeed great TRIUMPH for God. It was shown to all
the universe in an open way when all the universe could see Jesus
dying on the cross, shedding His blood for all sinners and all
sins ever committed by any human. God and Jesus triumphed over
the evil fallen angels and powers of darkness of Satan and the
way of sin.
VERSES 16-23
"Let no man" - which no man? Was Paul telling them to NOT
follow him and others who had preached the true Gospel to them?
This can hardly be the case when we consider what Paul had
already said to the Christians at Colossae. The CONTEXT would
clearly show it was the men of verse 8 that Paul was speaking
about - the clever philosophic talkers who wanted to follow the
traditions of men and the elements of the world. It was THESE
MEN who Paul said should NOT judge, or govern, or decide this
or that way of living, for true Christians. Christians should never
let those who still wanted to cling to the ways of men and the
ways of the deceived world, even if cloaked in some "mystic"
religion of the world that looked "religious" or pious or
theologically sanctimonious (verses 18-23), but were still bottom
line, after the commandments and doctrines of men and not God
(verse 22).
Verse 16 and "Let no man judge you" should be joined with
"but the body of Christ" at the end of verse 17. What is between
is parenthetical. Paul often wrote with parenthetical thoughts,
as most scholars who have seriously studied how Paul wrote
know. This is one of those parenthetical thoughts. The word "is"
in verse 17, is NOT in the Greek. The whole complete sense is
"Let no man judge you, but the body of Christ." As Paul wrote
elsewhere, the body of Christ is the CHURCH of Christ. There is
correct judgement in the body of Christ (a classic example is 1
Corinthians 5). The body of Christ, does have the right to judge
matters as Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 6.
The Christian Colossians had received the truth of the
Gospel. They had been slaves to sin and the traditions and
elements of the world. They had been Gentiles in the main,
following traditions of Sunday worship, Eater worship, Christmas
worship, and a whole host of other traditions NOT FOUND in the
Word of God. They had followed mystic religions, spiritual angel
worship religions, outward forms of what looked like pious
theology (like cutting yourself, or walking a mile on your knees
to a god's throne), or not eating chocolate bars during the
"lent" season (putting it in modern terms). They had followed
this or that idea and commandment of MEN, from whatever crazy
imagination men thought up as a way to worship his gods, which
were and still are, many.
Then the Colossae Christians found the true way of the true
God, and in reading and studying that way in God's Word, they
discovered God's weekly Sabbath, God's festivals, God's calendar
and when the new month start. They now got in harmony with
the Father's true customs and observances, which DO HAVE A
MEANING FOR WHAT IS YET TO COME, they do have a
SHADOW that is cast forth that leads you back (follow the shadow)
to the ways and teachings and plans of the true God.
Then after getting in harmony with the true ways of the true
God, here come along these men with vain deceit and philosophical
talk, based on religious falsehoods of the traditions and
elements of the world, which had an outward look of pious
worship, with a physical element of the body (like the giving up
of candy or wine or pizza, during the "lent" season), who were
judging the Colossae Christians, and telling them they needed
to worship THEIR way, with their commandments, doctrines, and
NOT to look into the Bible to see how and in what way they should
live, think, act, and certainly NOT to observe the only festivals
that can be called God's festivals as found in Leviticus 23.
Paul very plainly tells the Colossae Christians NOT to
follow such deceitful talk by those men of the world, who follow
the commandments of men, traditions of men and elements of the
darkened world. They are to follow Christ. They can NEVER GO
WRONG if they follow Christ. And Christ DID observe the Sabbath
and Festivals of the Lord as found and proclaimed in Leviticus 23.
THE ABOVE IS TAKEN FROM MY BIBLE COMMENTARY——
THE NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY—— ALL ON MY WEBSITE.
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……………….. ROMANS 14—— by Keith Hunt FIRST SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE WORDS “HOLY” “SANCTIFIED” “SABBATH” “NEW SABBATH” “YOUR SABBATH TOWARDS GOD” “SABBATH CHANGE FOR YOU” “GOD ACCEPTS ANY DAY AS YOUR SABBATH” SUCH WORDS ARE NOT THERE! SECOND; IF PAUL IN COL. 2:16 WAS “DOING AWAY WITH THE SABBATH COMMAND AS IN THE 4TH COMMANDMENT; AND WAS IN ROMANS 14 TELLING PEOPLE COULD PICK WHICHEVER DAY OF THE WEEK FOR OBSERVANCE OF THE WEEKLY SABBATH; THEN WE HAVE A HUGE CONTRADICTION FROM PAUL. IN MAKING PAUL CONTRADICT HIMSELF, IT IS NO WONDER THAT ATHEISTS LAUGH AT CHRISTIANITY. ROMANS 14 IS ABOUT “EATING” AND “FASTING”—— SOME ARGUMENTS AROSE AMONG “MEAT EATERS” AND “VEGETARIANS” AND FASTING ON THIS OR THAT DAY OF THE WEEK. BOTH SIDES WERE PROUD AND VANITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AROSE BETWEEN THEM. SOME SAID CERTAIN DAYS FOR FASTING WERE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN OTHER DAYS. SOME SAID VEGETARIANISM WAS NOT AS HOLY AS MEAT EATERS, OR MEAT EATERS KNEW THE SCRIPTURES BETTER AND LOOKED DOWN UPON IGNORANT VEGETARIANS. THE TRUTH OF ROMANS 14 IS CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT PLEASE! BY NOT READING THE CONTEXT ALL KINDS OF FALSE IDEAS COME FORTH. AGAIN THE ATHEISTS SAY TO CHRISTIANS, “YOU CAN MAKE THE BIBLE SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO SAY.” AND THAT IS VERY TRUE AS WITNESSED BY THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY. FROM MY—— NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STORY
Paul writes Romans - Part seven CHAPTER FOURTEEN |
This chapter has special significance towards the “strong”
and the "weak" in the faith. It is quite natural that the Church
of God would always be made up of those strong and weak in the
word and faith of God. Obviously those who have been a long time
in the Lord's word and as Christians, should be grounded deeper
in the ways of God, and those "new" to Christ and the heavenly
Father would be weaker in understanding the deep things of the
Lord.
The Christians at Rome were indeed comprised of these two
groups. Some, who were according to Paul "weak" in the faith,
believed that God's perfect diet of physical eating should be
that of a vegetarian. Others, who were stronger in the word and
understanding of the Lord, knew that eating meat was fine and
within the food laws of God.
The problem was that each group did not merely "judge" each
other but were CONDEMNING each other, both groups claiming
the other was sinning by what they practiced on the physical side of
eating food, and in this specific case, the eating of flesh meat or not
eating it.
The context has nothing to do with "clean and unclean" food
laws that God gave to Israel in the Old Covenant. That question
is not raised at all by Paul here. If it was to do with the
question of eating clean or unclean foods, then it cannot be
possible that Paul would have NOT clearly addressed the issue
with plain words. And the word used in verse 14 is NOT "unclean"
(as to do with clean and unclean food laws under the Old
Covenant) but is as the margin of many KJV Bibles gives you,
"common" or "ceremonially unclean." And of course in the mind of
some, ANY flesh meat, even from clean animals (as given under the
Old Covenant in Lev.11 and Deut.14) is unclean to eat, in that
they believe God's original food laws in the first chapters of
Genesis, taught the holiest way of eating was by being a
vegetarian.
Paul is addressing here this concept of theology as opposed
to the theology that God allows flesh meat to be eaten if
desired. It is also very obvious if admitting to yourself, which
idea was the "weak" and which one was the "strong" theology. No
matter what a person understands from other Scriptures on this
subject, Paul makes it very clear, under inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, that to hold the theology that being a no meat eater is
the correct way to live, is the "weak" theology of the faith, and
that knowing God's does allow a person to eat flesh meat, is the
"strong" theology of the faith. But condemning others as if
sinning or as if not as close with God, is also NOT the way to
be thinking or acting.
We need to realize that there are SOME issues regarding HOW
we live as Christians, that have NO right or wrong side to them.
Both sides of the issue are very acceptable to God. Yes, there
may be a more correct stance in a technically correct theological
position, but with God the bottom line is that people on BOTH
sides of the matter, are acceptable before Him. It is with the
Father not an issue of salvation importance.
The same goes for FASTING, not eating at all on this or that
day. The Pharisee Jews had TWO days of the week they would often
fast upon. Some were noted as always following this man-made law
and traditions of their religion, and the followers of this practice
would often hold it up as a kind of "super righteousness" of the way
of God. In reality, the word of God had no such law, nor ever came
even close to such a law like this, that the Pharisees had invented
and established. Yet, some in Rome were obviously thinking that
"their" day to fast upon was greater than some other day that others
fasted upon. They were condemning each other in such a way as to
make each other feel LESS "righteous" or further away from God's
pathway of living.
Paul, noting these two topics of "flesh eating and not flesh
eating" and "fasting on certain days" was making an OVERALL very
important point. Not everyone, on SOME ways of living HAVE to be
EXACTLY doing the same thing.
We do not all have to be wearing exactly the same kind of
suit or dress, or color of suit or dress, at Church services.
Milk in its natural form, without man-made pollutants in it, is a
very healthy and nutritional drink, but we have freedom in God's
sight to either drink it or not drink it. Grapes may be good for
you to eat, but I do not HAVE to eat them. God accepts the grape
eater and the no grape eater. And so it goes with many other
things. There is freedom in God's sight to do or not do many
things, neither the doing or not doing, is sin. But as human
nature goes, some people do want to make sin issues out of that
which is not sin.
Condemning one another over such "no salvation" matters,
Paul makes plain, should never be done. He tells us that Christ
died for those on both sides of the matter. And God will judge
us according to how we have judged and even condemned others,
on matter the points that are quite within His law, and upon
which He gives us no absolute right or wrong way to live (verses
1-12).
But in all of this, there is one VERY important point that
Paul wants everyone to understand. A Christian who technically
KNOWS the "stronger" basic truth of God's word on a particular
matter, such as on the subject of eating meat or not eating meat,
that stronger in the faith Christian, is NOT to offend the yet
"weaker in the faith" brother or sister. Those stronger are to
make sure they follow the way that makes "peace."
Sometimes flouting your superior knowledge of God's word,
sticking it in the face of someone who does not have that
knowledge, or trying to cram it down their throat at we
say, is NOT the correct way to live with your Christian brother.
Sometimes in giving out that which is perhaps technically "good"
or "stronger in the faith" we end up having our "good" evil
spoken about. It does not bring about the desired results we may
have thought would have materialized from "giving forth our
good."
We see from this whole context of Paul in this chapter, that
the subject is all to do with "meat and drink" - physical things,
where God accepts both sides of practicing certain physical
things such as eating meat or not eating meat, fasting on certain
days different from other days that others fast one, and drinking
wine or alcohol or not drinking alcohol.
The important point is as Paul stated in verses 21, "It is
good neither to eat flesh, not to drink wine, nor any thing
whereby your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak."
We are to live in the physical aspects of our lives, trying
to make sure we do NOT offend our Christian brothers and sisters.
Paul does end by stating that yes the person can be happy
who does understand, who is strong in the faith, and who knows
what God allows him or her to practice in the physical part of
their lives. Yet, for those who still have doubts, who do not
have that strong faith, it can be damaging, if they try to comply
with certain physical practices, because they are not doing it
from faith, hence to them it is still sin and wrong to do
(verses 13-23).
………………..
Written 2004
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