DOES COLOSSIANS
2:16 abolish the
WEEKLY SABBATH AND FEASTS of GOD?
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Many a man down through the ages - some famous, some not famous and some infamous - have tried reading the Bible, but ended up rejecting it as coming from an all powerful God. These individuals were stunned by the Bibles seemingly contradictions. "This book" they said, "can not possibly be inspired for it contains dozens of contradictions." And at first glance they would seem to be right. Some Biblical scholars on seeing this predicament have written whole books to answer the sceptics concerning these contradictions. These Biblical scholars knew that Jesus had said, "The Scripture cannot he broken'." God did not contradict Himself in His word. They knew that for every seeming contradiction there had to be a logical and harmonious answer. For those outside the "church" to be sceptical of how the Bible is written is one thing, and we should expect to find this. But it has never ceased to be of amazement to me when some Biblical scholars, ministers and lay people also believe, by what they say and write, that the Bible contradicts itself ! And what is even worse - they seem to be quite happy with that belief and make no attempt to untangle their mind. One of these seeming contradictions of the Bible concerns verse 16 of Colossians chapter 2. It is said by the apostle Peter that one reason Jesus came to this earth was to leave "us an example, that you should follower His steps: Who did not sin" ( 1 Pet. 2: 21, 22 ). The apostle John wrote, "He that says he abides in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). Now those verses are quite plain I think - it doesn't take a degree in a theological school to understand them. All we have to do is look in the four Gospels and see HOW Jesus lived - what HE taught, commanded and observed - and follow after Him - walk as He walked. But here's where the problems start for some. You see most have thought that Paul was telling the Jews and Gentiles at Colossae (in chap.2:16) through his letter that those old laws in the Old Covenant about eating and drinking, the 7th day Sabbath, the New Month days and the Feasts, were now ABOLISHED (no longer had to keep them) when one became a Christian. Ahhhhhhhh, but didn't Peter say Christ came to set us an example for us to follow? Jesus kept the "eating and drinking" laws - He kept the weekly Sabbath - He kept the Feasts of Leviticus 23. Jesus did not teach these things would no longer need to be observed after His death. He said nothing about.........abolishment of the things listed by Paul in verse 16. In fact the opposite is the case. Look at what He said in Mat.5:17-20. He first tells His disciples NOT to think He has come to abolish the law (first five books) then notice one of His plain teachings in verse 19, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, AND shall teach men so (to break what they think is the least commandments) he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven (doesn't say he'll be in the Kingdom), BUT whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven. FOR..." notice this, verse 20, "For I say unto you, that except your righteousness(see Ps.119:172) shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven." The scribes and Pharisees kept the laws of Col.2:16 externally at least. So to many Paul contradicted Jesus - he taught differently than Jesus - he changed the teachings of Jesus. But is that REALLY SO? PAUL CONTRADICTS HIMSELF? Not only do some think that Paul contradicted Jesus but that Paul contradicted Paul. He tells the Jewish/Gentile church at Rome (according to many) that they can choose their own days to keep holy to God, and the Lord will accept them - Rom.14. Now surely some - even some Gentiles - would have chosen the 7th day Sabbath and the feast of Pentecost or day of Trumpets, as would have some Jewish Christians. Paul teaches it would seem to many here - FREEDOM! Yet, to the Jews and Gentiles at Colossae he calls them out and instructs them to not let people teach them to observe the ways of eating and drinking, the weekly Sabbath, new month days and Feasts. At least many claim Paul is teaching this to the Colossians. With all this seeming to be, contradictory teachings of Paul, what do we find in the book of Acts on how Paul LIVED and the FEASTS he observed? Why we fined he kept the 7th day Sabbath - he kept the Passover (but the NT way as instituted by Christ) - he kept the feast of Pentecost. In fact Paul did nothing that his Jewish Pharisaical enemies could accuse him in breaking the laws of God, see Acts chapters 22 through 26. Some claim Paul was a Christian Jew and as such it was okay for him to still keep his Jewish heritage by observing the Sabbath and Feasts, but the Gentiles did not have to do this, or they could observe the 1st day of the week and different festivals other than those found in Leviticus 23. With this reasoning, let's ask some questions. A Jew that accepts Jesus as the Messiah - does he stop keeping the 7th day and start keeping the 1st day? Does he continue to keep the 7th day because it is national heritage and also start observing the 1st day as the Christian Sabbath? Or does he not observe either the 7th or 1st day but can choose another as Romans 14 would suggest he can do, according to how some interpret this section of scripture.
Does the Gentile have to keep Sunday as the NT "Lord's day" ? If so - what then is Romans 14 teaching? Does God have the 7th day for Jews and the 1st day for Gentiles? Does God have one set of Feasts for the Jewish Christians and another set of Feasts for the Gentile Christians? What does a person do if they are half Jew and half Gentile blood? And how does Romans 14 apply to all this? Does God have different ways of salvation for different people? It is not the purpose of this article to explain what Paul is teaching in Romans 14 - I have another article which does that - all I will say here is that the "days" of Romans 14 have nothing to do with Sabbaths or Feasts of God as found in the Old Testament. No Paul never contradicted himself either in what he taught or practiced. Now let's get to what Paul was teaching the church in Colossians chapter 2. THE CONTEXT OF COL. 2:16 Even the mightily inspired apostle Peter had to admit that some things Paul wrote were "...hard to be understood" and he went on to say that those who were unlearned AND unstable did wrest unto their own destruction (2 Pet.3:16). The reason why so many have trouble with Paul's writings is because they will not look at the context of verses like Col.2:16 and the context of Paul's life as recorded in the book of Acts. Too many want to isolate a statement by Paul from the verses around that statement and from other words of his in other letters. They read Paul with what we call "tunnel vision" or with blinders (like some horses wear over their eyes when racing) over their eyes so they do not see all Paul wrote. First, let's notice the basic spiritual condition that the people to whom Paul was writing were in. They had faith in Christ and love for all saints (chap.1 v.4). They had been alienated from Christ by the way they had lived but were now reconciled (v.21). Paul took pleasure in their order and steadfastness of faith in Christ (chap.2:5). They had been baptized (v.11-12). And their sins had been blotted out (v.13-14). Secondly, we need to see the apprehension and fear that Paul held for them and WHY. Paul wanted them to have full assurance of understanding(v.2). He was concerned about them being led astray by men with enticing words (v.4). He wanted them to WALK in the way of Jesus (we have seen Peter said to do the same - Jesus kept the Sabbath and Feasts of Lev.23) - see v.6. Paul warns them about men preaching deceit, wrong philosophies, teachings of the world, and ideas of men - that were opposed to Christ's teachings (v.8). He warns them against people who were entrapped in worshipping the spirit world, teaching observance to the physical, from man's commandments, and asceticism (v.18-23). He warns them about all this, the ways of the unconverted and deceived religious world of various false dogmas. With that background we can now start to understand what Paul is warning the Colossian church about. Here was a people who had been taught the gospel, had been shown the way and teachings of Jesus - they had come to recognize they were sinners in need of forgiveness - they had accepted Christ as Messiah and Savior - they had been baptized, had their sins and debt of death removed. They were now walking after Christ - living as He lived - practicing things as He practiced them. Then Paul gets word that sinister evil men were trying to shake and destroy their faith and walk with Jesus, by enticing them with many traditions, philosophies, doctrines, commandments of men and asceticism. These men are falsely telling them about how they have had contact with the spirit world. They are preaching to the Colossians that they have the spiritual truths not Epaphras their minister. These beguiling men are saying to those who will listen, that to follow this Christ and walk as He walked is foolishness, and that they have the correct traditions, customs, worship and commandments. Try to put yourself in the picture. You were a part of a false pagan or religious society - doing things contrary to the ways of Christ. Along comes a minister of Jesus and expounds the saving truth to you - and you see your sins - you see that what you have been believing and practicing have been the philosophies, traditions and commandments of MEN. You see you are a sinner in need of forgiveness - you see Jesus is the savior - you repent and are baptized - you start to live as He lived, walk as He walked. Your former friends and philosophical leaders see they no longer have any influence over you pertaining to your spiritual life. They do not understand your new faith - they think what you are now doing is crazy!! Then they make every effort to entice you back into their world and their man made concepts and traditions. SO IT WAS FOR THE CONVERTS TO CHRIST AT COLOSSAE! These converts to Jesus at Colossae had been in sin - but now are forgiver by the death of Christ on the stake. They now have repented or their old former way of life, and are now walking as Jesus walked - they are obeying God's laws concerning eating and drinking - they are keeping as Jesus kept, the festivals that God says are "my feasts" (Lev.23:1). Many are now observing the 7th day Sabbath as God commanded in the fourth of His 10 commandments (Ex.20). These followers of Jesus now observe the Jewish calendar and honor the new month days set by that calendar, together with the yearly Festivals as outlined in the books of Moses. Then after they start to live this way - the way Christ lived - along came men trying to criticize, sit in judgment, and govern them back into their man made, philosophies, commandments and traditions. Paul admonishes the Colossian church, "Let no man therefore judge you..." What does Paul mean by "no man"? Is he saying that their minister should not guide and govern them into God's way and truth? Does he mean that he Paul should not lead and guide them into the truth of Christ? Does the body of Christ - the church - have no leadership, guidance, or government among itself? Of course it does! See 1 Cor. 5 and 6:1-8. Paul is telling the Colossian Christians that they should let no man of these ENTICING, BEGUILING, vain, fleshly minded men of the world govern or sit in judgment over them concerning the way they now eat and drink, and the festivals they now observe. No PART of this way of life is to be governed by the outside people of this world who reject Christ, or who make up their own rules of religion for their spirit worship of the unseen. The Colossians are not to be governed by the fleshly unconverted minds of men in regards as to "...eating and drinking(as the Greek is), in regards festivals, new months or sabbaths." The day to day eating and drinking habits, the yearly, monthly, and weekly festivals, that God's people follow should not be influenced, determined or governed by the philosophies, traditions, doctrines and commandments of men who would entice them from walking in Christ Jesus. Now notice verse 17. Did Paul teach and believe the physical laws of eating and drinking were "done away"? Did he believe the Festivals, new month days, the weekly Sabbaths of God were "done away"? Look at what he says regarding these, "Which ARE" present tense in the Greek - "Which ARE (not were) a shadow of things to come..." A shadow leads to the reality! A shadow of a man appearing around a corner will lead you to the man. So it is with all of God's yearly, monthly and weekly festivals - they have GREAT MEANING about "things to come." The Passover lamb was slain on the 14th of Nisan - Jesus as the reality of the shadow was slain on the Passover day as the true Lamb of God. The Passover festival was a shadow of things to come. The feast of Firstfruits(Pentecost) was a shadow of things to come - the outpouring of God's Holy Spirit came on that precise day (Acts 2). The feast of Trumpets is a shadow of the coming last trump when Jesus will return to earth. All the weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals are a "shadow of things to come." They ARE, presently, today, continually a constant reminder of the wonderful plan of God for this earth and the people on it. If the Christian world had continued to observe God's festivals they would not be in confusion today as to what is the plan of Salvation that the Lord has for mankind. ....BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST? This phrase of Paul's has also been misused, abused, and not understood but by a few. It is claimed that Paul was telling the Colossians that laws to do with eating and drinking, festivals and sabbaths were not important - were "done away" - only accepting Jesus as the Messiah and Savior was now important. Just "give your heart to the Lord brother," just "come as you are," the law is "done away and it's only grace today" is what many teach that Paul is basically saying here in verse 17. Nothing could be further from the truth! In the inspired original Greek that the New Testament was written in, the little word "is" can not be found - it is not there. This phrase should read, "but the body of Christ" and that puts a whole different light on this passage. The word "but" is a connecting word, and what most miss is WHERE it is connecting. It is connecting with the thought of verse 16 - the phrase, "Let no man therefore judge you." Put these two phrases together and you have Paul's complete thought and statement with a parenthetical thought inbetween. So Paul's complete statement should be, "Let no man therefore judge you(parenthetical thought)but the body of Christ." The Greek contained no punctuation whatsoever. Today we would write verses 16 and 17 like this, "Let no man therefore judge you(in eating and drinking, or observance of a festival, or new month, or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come)but the body of Christ." The "body of Christ" are the collective remembers of the church. This can be seen from the following verses of scripture: 1 Cor.6 15; Rom.12:5; 1 Cor.12:12-27. It is the church of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit and the Ministry that God has established (Eph.4:11 12) that is to govern and guide the church as a whole in matters of Christian living and observance of Festivals, not those outside the church with their various ways of a so-called spirituality, based upon "the way that seems right unto man but which ends in death." Certain individuals were endeavoring to get the followers of Christ at Colossae into observing man made food and drink commandments (i.e. touch not, taste not, handle not - give up something during the Lent season. Or, do not eat fish on Friday) as well as their festive traditions (i.e. pagan Easter, Xmas, January lst and the Roman-Greek calendar), philosophical teachings, humanism, bodily flagellation (they still walk on their blood covered knees while reciting prayers to the altar, in some parts of the world) and spirit (angel-demon) worship. They wanted the Christians to give up following the physical and festival laws of the Hebrew God and reject Jesus as the Savior from sin. Paul tells the Colossian church to pay no attention to these fleshly minded men, but to let the body of Christ - the church - be their light and guardian over the things they were NOW ALREADY practicing (in the way of eating, drinking, festivals and sabbaths) as they walked in Christ. Contrary to the popular teaching or Colossians 2:16 this section of scripture is one of the greatest proofs in the New Testament that the Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity continued to observe not only the physical laws of God, but also the weekly Sabbath, the new month days(Hebrew calendar as governed by the Jewish authorities) and the Festivals of the Lord as outlined in Leviticus 23. ............. Foot note I've purposely stayed away from getting too technically scholastic with the Greek in this presentation, while at the same time bringing out what the Greek means. I do not believe God's children need a degree in NT Greek to understand what Paul is teaching in this part of his letter to the Colossae church. It is really quite plain to see from the whole context. For those who could desire a somewhat more technical presentation of this passage I refer you to the scholastic book FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi. Dr. Bacchiocchi has another way to explain this section of Paul's letter. While I personally do not agree with his explanation, it does still agree with the truth I have presented here - namely that the Christians (Jews-Gentile) of the first century A.D. continued to observe the Sabbath and Feasts of God as established in the Old Testament. One of the most technical study articles I've seen to date on this section of Paul's writings is by Larry Waker. He basically gives the same explanation as Dr. Bacchiocchi. I believe I have presented the most simple explanation from the whole context of what was going on during the time of the first apostles— a moving away from the simple following of Jesus’ teaching and His example of true worship of the Eternal God the Father. As Paul said in another epistle, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” And, “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” You know the mind of Christ as you read and study the four Gospels. ................... Written May 1987 by Keith Hunt |
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