Sunday, April 25, 2021

COLOSSIANS 2: 16--- WEEKLY SABBATH AND FEASTS OF GOD?

 DOES COLOSSIANS

2:16 abolish the

WEEKLY SABBATH AND FEASTS of GOD?



     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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