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Food for Thought - Controversies

A Bible Study on Colossians 2:16-17

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17, KJV)

Colossians 2:16-17 is one of the passages most used to document the claim that the Sabbath and Holy Days are not required to be kept in the new covenant. The conclusion is that the "judging" refers to Judaizers trying to put pressure on the Colossians to keep these days, which Paul allegedly says should not be kept because they are only a shadow of the spiritual reality--Jesus Christ.

Let's take a fresh look at these verses to see what they mean. Proper exegesis is necessary to clarify the meaning of this controversial passage. If we carefully examine the verses in question based on grammatical points and historical facts, we can eliminate errors of interpretation and clearly understand what Paul meant.

Heresy at Colosse

By way of historical background, it is widely known that the Colossian heresy was not Judaizers but Gnosticism. Many have assumed that both elements were present due to the references to circumcision, Sabbath, and Holy Days. However, Gnosticism was not a separate religion but a religious concept that could be combined with an established religion with the promise of "improving" it. It was a sort of spiritual "hamburger helper" in the sense that it was a belief system that combined with, and allegedly improved, the host religion. So Gnostic Judaism was a blend of Jewish religious practices with a Gnostic flavor (to extend the hamburger helper analogy). It is most important to bear in mind that Gnostic Judaism, seeking to absorb the newly emerging Christian religion into its syncretic admixture, was the main culprit Paul was combating in this epistle, as it was in Galatians and other New Testament books. This fact provides a perspective which is vitally important to understand the points Paul makes in Colossians 2:16-17.

A summary of the basic tenets of Gnosticism will enable us to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the problems in Colosse that Paul was addressing.

Basic Beliefs of Gnosticism

Gnosticism gets its name from its claim of higher knowledge (Greek gnosis) which it promised to its disciples. It was comprised of a few schools of thought, that had conflicting beliefs.

One of the basic tenets of Gnosticism was that matter is evil. This belief led many down the road of asceticism to avoid physical pleasure, which was considered evil. The idea was that one must purge himself of evil matter by asceticism (avoiding physical pleasures) and by punishing the flesh.

The libertine element of Gnosticism took an opposite approach that since one cannot avoid matter, and being spiritual is totally unrelated to matter, one could do as he pleases and indulge the flesh to the limit and still be spiritual. The ascetic aspect is the obvious target of Paul's warnings in Colossians chapter 2.

Angel worship was also a fundamental aspect of Gnosticism. This took many forms, including celebration of special days and other religious customs based on astrological concepts of time.

Book of Colossians

After Paul's customary salutation, he stressed his wish for the Colossians to be filled with, and increase in, knowledge (1:9-10). This is an oblique reference to, and subtle putdown of, Gnosticism.

The word knowledge in the Greek is epignosis (gnosis preceded by the preposition epi), which means complete knowledge, implying Gnosticism was not complete despite its lofty claims.

The primacy of the incarnate Jesus Christ is a major point of emphasis throughout the epistle because of the heretical Christological claims of Gnosticism. One significant point is the emphasis on the body of Christ, both literally and figuratively. Divinity and humanity as well as spirit and flesh were totally incompatible according to the dualistic Gnostic concept of evil matter. It was utterly inconceivable to the Gnostic mind that God could appear in literal flesh and blood. Paul also uses sõma (the Greek word for body) to stress the corporal reality of Christ (1:22, 2:9), a point which is fundamental to the message of the cross. He also emphasizes by the figurative use of sõma that the Church is the body of Christ (1:18,24; 2:17,19; 3:15).

Paul clearly identifies the Colossian heresy in 2:4-8 as a philosophical system based on worship of "the elemental spirits of the world" (Moffatt for Greek stoicheia tou kosmou, cf. RSV, NRSV). The Expositor's Bible Commentary explains:

"Understood in this manner, the passage means either (1) that the "philosophy" of the errorists was a system instigated by the elemental spirits (perhaps thought of as the powers of evil) or (2) that it was a system having the elemental spirits as its subject matter. The second meaning is more likely the one intended by Paul, for we know from 2:18 that the Colossian heresy made much of the "worship of angels" " (vol. 11, p 198).

Paul tells the Colossians, "See to it that no one takes you captive" (NIV) ("plunder you or take you captive" NKJV margin). The Expositor's Bible Commentary points out:

"The word translated "takes captive" (sylagõgõn), which was regularly used of taking captives in war and leading them away as booty, depicts the false teachers as 'men stealers' wishing to entrap the Colossians and drag them into spiritual enslavement" (vol. 11, pp 197-198).

This is the same source of bondage that many of the members in Galatia had already gone back into (Galatians 4:3,8-10). Gnosticism was the culprit there also as Walter Schmithals explains in his blockbuster book entitled Paul and the Gnostics. Identification of the Gnostic influence in the apostolic Church is a major key to understanding many scriptures that have long been erroneously explained in an anti-Judaizer context and thus used to denigrate anything Jewish. Syncretism does not lend itself to either/or reasoning when identifying the source of heresy in the early Church. Gnosticism was combined with Judaism, which was the catalyst for introducing Gnosticism to Christianity. One must recognize the Gnostic twist behind the alleged Judaizing to avoid "throwing the baby out with the bath water." In other words, Paul is not condemning Jewish customs but the way they were being observed.

From the context of the second chapter we see that the pressure upon the Colossians was decidedly not from Judaizers. Paul issues a series of three warnings linked together to identify the same source of danger. The terminology in Colossians 2:8 and 2:18 (before and after the passages in question) clearly identifies Gnosticism and just as clearly rules out Judaism. It therefore would make no sense to read Judaism into verse 16. The main point of verses 16-17 is that the Colossians should not allow these heretics to judge them.

Since Christ wiped out our debt of sin and disarmed principalities and powers (wicked spirits in high places - Ephesians 6:12) by His death (cf. Hebrews 2:14, Romans 8:38-39), angel worship (climbing the ladder of emanations to work one's way up to God, the idea behind Gnostic angel worship) was unnecessary and inappropriate. The false humility (v. 18) involved ascetic practices of Gnostic Judaism, as Rienecker explains, "... the consequence of this ascetic practice is entrance into the heavenly realm." (A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, by Fritz Rienecker, vol. 2, p 230). "This philosophy ... regarded these spirits as powers capable of preventing a person from attaining the fullness of salvation (cf. v. 9), if that person did not submit to them by following certain religious practices such as worship of angels, partial renunciation of food, etc." (vol. 3, p 278).

Mistranslation

The expression in meat or in drink in verse 16 (KJV) is an inaccurate and misleading rendering of the Greek words en brõsei kai en posei. A better translation is "eating and in drinking" not food and drink, for which Paul would have used brõma and poma (Expositor's Greek Testament, by W. Robertson Smith, vol. 3, p 530). The two practices under attack were eating and drinking (proper translation) and part of the matter observance of Festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths. It was not the fact of what should or should not be eaten or drunk but the act of eating and drinking in the process of worship, because feasting would be considered indulging the flesh and thus sinful.

So, the topic in question was decidedly not clean and unclean meats but asceticism versus Christian rejoicing and feasting.

Summary

Let's briefly summarize the conclusions we have drawn in this article.

1. The Colossians were observing the Festivals, New Moons, and Sabbath, just as they were eating and drinking.

2. The ascetic, Gnostic heretics were criticizing them for eating and drinking and rejoicing in celebration of these festive occasions.

3. These occasions still have symbolic value and should continue to be observed as a continual reminder and source of instruction about the basic historic truths of the plan of God, past, present, and future.

4. Therefore, the members should not allow anyone to stand in judgment of them or criticize them for keeping these days.

5. Rather, they must continue to look to Christ to determine the way they observe these days. They must also look to Christ to keep God's people united. The Sabbath and Holy Days also help promote this unity by bringing members together in commanded assembly and reminding them they are sanctified members of the family of God.

Here is a paraphrased version of what Paul is saying in Colossians 2:16-17, based on the points made in this paper:

Don't let any man judge you for eating or drinking or for any portion of your observance of a Festival, New Moon or Sabbath, but let the body of Christ be your judge in these matters.

In his final appeal Paul admonishes the Colossians, "Let no one defraud you of your reward ..." by means of the deception of the pagan Gnostic heresies that were being foisted upon them. Vincent explains:

"... from "kata" "against", "brabeuo" "to act as a judge or umpire." Hence "to decide against one, or "to declare him unworthy of the prize ..., which ... I think must be retained, in continuation of the idea of judgment in ver. 16, "let no man judge," etc. The attitude of the false teachers would involve their sitting in judgment as to the future reward of those who refused their doctrine of angelic mediation (Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 1, ch. II, p 494).

Those who allowed their thinking and conduct to be swayed by these heretics from outside the Church were " not holding fast" (Greek krateõ) to the Head [Jesus Christ], from whom all the body [the Church], nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments [individual members -- cf. Ephesians 4:15-16], grows with the increase which is from God. (Colossians 2:18-19).

This recalls a very sobering and timely warning issued by Jesus Christ to the church at Philadelphia to "Hold fast [same Greek word krateõ] to what you have, that no one may take your crown." (Revelation 3:11)

In the words of Jesus Christ Himself in Revelation 3:13,

"He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Written by: Larry J. Walker

Did the Principle of Love Abolish the Sabbath?

Argument: "The principle of love abolishes the law." Does expressing love towards God and our fellow man allow Christians to specifically avoid obeying commandments? For example, it’s been argued that because Paul said loving our neighbor "fulfills" the law, therefore, the specific points of the Ten Commandments have been abolished (Romans 13:8-10):

"Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law."

But do we seriously believe that the specific commands against stealing, adultery, or murder have been abolished? Why does the principle of love abolish the Sabbath, but not the laws against coveting or idolatry? Here Paul was merely summarizing in the shortest possible form the overall principle of the law: We are to show love to our neighbor and God. But just as reading a book review doesn’t eliminate the need to read the book it describes if one wishes to know it in depth, the principle of love doesn’t abolish the specific points in the law. The law defines love so that human beings don’t go around cooking up their own definitions of "love" to suit their own convenience or desires. It still must have specific points that express God’s will for guiding our actions and thoughts, or else we’re left on our own to invent definitions of "love." After all, couldn't a ‘60’s hippie, given his or her value system, plausibly define "love" to include fornication and/or adultery?

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," Is a quote from Leviticus 19:18. How does citing from the law abolish the law? When Jesus Himself quoted the two Great Commandments (Matthew 22:37-40), He obviously wasn’t abolishing any specific points of the Old Testament law by merely commenting on them. Likewise, Paul’s citation of these laws in Romans 13 shows that he believed that they were still in force. After all, would he cite the Tenth Commandment (against coveting) in Romans 7:7 only to abolish it six chapters later?

Was the Sabbath Nailed to the Cross?

Argument: "The law, including the Sabbath, was nailed to the cross." The seemingly most relevant text cited to support this assertion is Colossians 2:13-14: "And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

The NASB translation here prevents the misleading interpretation read into the KJV’s translation, which has "blotting out the handwriting of ordinances," which would seem to be a reference to the Old Testament law in general. The term translated "handwriting" in the KJV and "certificate of debt" in the NASB is "cheirographon," which means "a (handwritten) document, specifically a certificate of indebtedness, bond," according to the Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon (p. 880).

Hence, it was our sins (i.e., our debts owed to God) committed for violating the law, not the law itself, that were nailed to the cross. Here it’s necessary to keep the terms in their proper logical relationship with each other, since being forgiven for our sins for breaking the law doesn’t entail abolishing the law itself. Does anyone really believe that God abolished the laws against stealing, murder, idolatry, lying, coveting, or adultery when His Son died? It was a sin, a transgression of the law, to murder the day before Jesus died, and it remained a sin the day after He died. Why is the Sabbath command singled out as a law abolished by Jesus’ crucifixion and death, but not the others?

We find that the priests in the millennium "shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed Feasts and sanctify My Sabbaths" (Ezekiel 44:24).

Now, if the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice was to rid us of this terrible monster forever—God’s law (which, incidentally, Paul calls holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12))—why is it back among us during the millennium?

Other Arguments

It was said that certain Sabbatarians made Christ of no effect and put Him on the sidelines by believing in the Sabbath. Why doesn’t the Sunday-observers’ belief in the laws against murder, idolatry, or theft also put Christ on the sidelines? If having Christ as the Christian standard in place of the Old Testament law abolishes the Sabbath, why doesn’t that also abolish the law against murder?

If imputed righteousness (Romans 3:21-22; 4:1-9) or God’s gift of grace abolishes the Sabbath, why doesn’t it also abolish the law against theft? If new covenant Christians don’t have to literally observe the Sabbath because they daily experience a salvation rest in Jesus, why doesn’t that let us off the hook from obeying the laws against taking the Lord’s name in vain or dishonoring our parents?

Written by: Eric Snow

The Sabbath and Redemption in the New Testament

The fact that the Sabbath served to nourish the hope of messianic redemption in Old Testament times helps us appreciate the relationship between the Sabbath and the Savior in the New Testament. It was on a Sabbath day that Jesus, according to Luke, inaugurated His public ministry by quoting the sabbatical passage of Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19.

We noted earlier that in this passage Isaiah announces the mission of the Messiah through the imagery of the liberation of the Sabbath years (Luke 4:18-19). The Lord undoubtedly must have startled the congregation when He briefly but emphatically claimed to be the fulfillment of the messianic redemption promised by Isaiah through the Sabbatical year: "Today," Jesus said, "this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21).

In other words, Christ presented Himself to the people as the very fulfillment of their messianic expectations that had been nourished by the experience of the Sabbath peace, rest, and liberation.

In His subsequent ministry, Christ revealed the nature of His redemptive mission especially through His Sabbath healing and teaching ministry. Seven Sabbath healing episodes and ensuing controversies are reported in the Gospels (Matthew 12:1-8; 9; 14; Mark 1:21-28; 2:23-28; 3:1-6; Luke 4:16-30, 31-37, 38, 39; 6:1-5, 6-11; 13:10-17; John 5:2-18; 7:21-24; 9:1-41). God consistently uses sets of seven to make a fullness statement, patterned off of the creation week example.

It is noteworthy that in all cases Christ intentionally acted against prevailing tradition by healing chronically ill persons on the Sabbath. By offering on the Sabbath physical and spiritual liberation to souls "whom Satan bound" (Luke 13:16), the Savior made the day a time to celebrate and to experience the blessings of His redemptive ministry.

In the light of the cross, the Sabbath is the weekly celebration and jubilation of a liberated people. It is the day we cease from our work to allow God to work in us. It is the day to experience through the physical rest the greater rest of Christ's forgiveness and salvation.

The Sabbath: good news of final restoration

In an age in which the forces of chaos and disorder appear to prevail, when injustice, greed, violence, corruption, suffering, sickness, and death seem to dominate, God through the Sabbath reassures us we need not fear these destructive forces, because "there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9).

God's people need not fear the threat of nuclear war or population explosion because the Sabbath reassures us that God is still in control of this world, working out His ultimate purpose. The Sabbath tells us that God has conquered chaos at creation, that He has liberated His people from the bonds of sin and death at the cross and that now He is working to establish a new world where "from Sabbath to Sabbath all flesh shall come to worship before God" (Isaiah 66:23).

Summing up

The Sabbath contains three significant messages for the human family:

• The Lord has created us perfectly.

• He has redeemed us completely.

• will restore us ultimately.

The Sabbath invites us weekly to joyfully celebrate creation, redemption, restoration; the past, the present and the future divine accomplishments for the human family; man, nature and God; this world and the world to come.

Written By: Samuele Bacchiocchi