This is week 6 of our study of Colossians “Look Up! Living Below For Who Is Above!”
Introduction
Last week, we looked in more detail what Paul was warning the church about. This week, we will continue with Paul’s warnings against selfishness, judgmentalism, human wisdom, false teachers, and world based philosophies. Paul reminds us of all of the obligations believers have for promoting and pursuing the truth.
16 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
Let’s unpack these verses.
Verse 15- Paul declares no one had the right to judge the Colossians based on religious practices because they have been brought into a perfect relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The false teachers judged the Colossians on the basis of two things: forbidden practices and required rituals. The forbidden practices probably refer to the dietary laws of the Jewish system, which required abstinence from certain foods and drink (Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14). The false teachers were condemning the Colossians for not following these practices. They were also requiring them to observe the religious celebrations and observances. “Festival” refers to the yearly celebrations. “New Moon” refers to the monthly celebrations. “Sabbath” refers to the weekly sabbath celebration.
Verse 17 is one of the key verses in this letter. It defines the heart of the issue and a clear resolution of the problem. The Law was not intended to save them/us or make them/us holy. Its purpose was to point us to Christ, who saves and makes us holy. Therefore, we are able to live out the intent of the Law, rather than just the rules of it. The Law represents the “shadow of things to come.” What is the reality the Law foreshadowed? The reality of Jesus.
Verse 18 – Paul warned the Colossians not to be disqualified by the false teachers in their midst. To allow these people to judge them was to lose the prize God had for them: being complete in Christ.
The picture that Paul painted of the heresy is that of a teaching that requires denial of earthly things in order to achieve a spiritual reality. The humility of these teachers is false because it a denial of the flesh but has no spiritual substance to it. Though it might appear to be a sign of humility to simply deny worldly pleasures, it is no humility at all if it not based on Christ. To find spirituality by self-will is not the teaching of Christ.
Side Note: There is an indication that the false teachers were involved in some type of angel worship. While the actual practice described here has been debated, it is likely that this heresy taught that God was too holy to be worshiped directly, and therefore, a mediator was needed. These teachers may have considered this to be the angels’ role thereby denying Jesus’ role as that mediator.
Verse 19 – The significance of this verse is that we are joined together as one body. The reality of this is that what we do individually affects the entire body. If one member of the body buys into false teaching, the entire body will be affected.
Verses 20-23 – These verses summarize the warning that Paul had just given. In verse 20, he said we have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world. In this context, the world represents the system that is opposed to Christ and His grace. The elementary principles refer to the philosophy mentioned throughout the chapter that says humanity can become right and righteous without the finished work of Jesus.
Not only are we as believers free from this godless philosophy, but that we are also free from the Law. The rules Paul referred to did not have any eternal value; they only dealt with the here and now. Notice the way Paul explained it: these rules refer to things that will perish (verse 22), not the condition of the heart or the state of the soul. Paul said that these matters seem to appear wise, but they are of no use in the battle against sinful desires (verse 23). We cannot, on our own, keep from sinning. That is why Jesus came. That is why Jesus died. That is why God raised Him from the dead: to change our hearts, to modify our behavior, and to become a new creation.
Concluding Remarks and Application
We diminish Christ’s sacrifice every time we add something to it.
We divide the church body every time we add something to Christ’s sacrifice.
As believers, we do not follow certain rules in order to maintain our faith; we choose their practices and lifestyles because of our faith.
In Christ, we have all that we need. So look up rather than down at what we can do in order to be right with God.
Note: Much of this message was taken from Week Six of the Easthaven Baptist Church Small Group Study Book, Look Up Living Below For Who Is Above.
