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Colossians 2:13-17
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made alive together with him, having
forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling
the record of debt that stood against us
with its legal demands. This he set aside,
nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the
rulers and authorities and put them to open
shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in
questions of food and drink, or with regard
to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
These are a shadow of the things to come,
but the substance belongs to Christ.”
“The law of God shows us the sinfulness
of mankind and demands death as the
punishment. It is like a book that records
sinners' debts, then demands their death
because they cannot pay those debts. But God
forgave the sins and wiped out the debts,
because Christ paid the full penalty on
behalf of repentant sinners. He destroyed
the power of the law—as if he took that book
with its record of sins and debts and nailed
it to the cross with himself. Therefore,
believers need no longer fear the power of
the law (Colossians 2:14). Nor need they
fear the power of the spiritual forces of
evil, for Christ has conquered them, taken
away their power and displayed his victory
over them (Colossians 2:15).” [1]
“Colossians 2:13-14. Before a person is
liberated to this new life in Christ, he is
dead in his sins and in his sinful nature
(cf. earthly nature: Colossians 3:5; old
self: Colossians 3:9). Death means
separation, not annihilation. Even the
unsaved still bear the image of God (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9), but they are separated from
God. Cut off from spiritual life, they still
have human life. But now God made you alive
with Christ (cf. Ephesians 2:1-6). The same
"power" (energeias; cf. "energy" in
Colossians 1:29) that raised Christ from the
dead (Colossians 2:12) resurrects believing
sinners to spiritual life (Colossians 2:13).
This new life came when God forgave
us all our sins for He canceled the written
code. Before God's written Law, His "written
code," people stood condemned (cf. Romans 3:19), so it worked against them and opposed
them. But in Christ the Law is fulfilled
(Romans 8:2) and done away with (Galatians 3:25; Hebrews 7:12). Legalism is wrong
because believers are dead to the Law in
Christ. He fulfilled its demands in His life
and by His death, and Christians are in Him.
This written code, the Law, was like
a handwritten "certificate of debt" (NASB).
Since people cannot keep the Law, it is like
a bill of indebtedness. So people, unable to
pay the debt, are criminals. But Jesus
took... away this criminal charge, this
certificate of indebtedness, by His death.
It is as if He were nailing it to the cross
with Him, showing He paid the debt. He wiped
the slate clean...
Colossians 2:15-17. By fulfilling the demands of the
Law, Christ disarmed the demonic powers and
authorities (cf. Colossians 1:16; 2:10),
triumphing over them (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14). As a result believers are delivered
from these evil powers which inspire
legalistic rules about foods and festivals.
No one should judge you by what you eat or
drink because Christians are free from the
Law's legalistic requirements (such as those
in Leviticus 11; 17; Deuteronomy 14). God
does not condemn those who eat everything
(Romans 14:1-4).
In fact, God says
that all foods may be eaten since they were
"created to be received with thanksgiving by
those who believe and who know the truth" (1 Timothy 4:3). The teaching that forbids
this, Paul wrote, is "taught by demons" (1 Timothy 4:1) whom Christ has disarmed
(Colossians 2:15). This liberation of
believers pertains also to festivals such as
a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day (cf.
Galatians 4:10). Those who would bring
Christians under the bondage of the Law make
artificial distinctions between the
"ceremonial" and "moral" law, and so they
say the Sabbath has not passed away.
That this is false can be seen from the
following: (1) The Sabbath command is the
only one of the Ten Commandments not
repeated in the New Testament. (2) The early
believers, following Christ's resurrection
and appearance on Sunday (Mark 16:1; John 20:1), met on Sundays (Acts 20:7;
1 Corinthians 16:2). (3) The Bible nowhere
distinguishes between the so-called "moral"
and "ceremonial" laws (this distinction was
not made before the 13th century a.d.) (4)
This Colossian passage explicitly condemns
those who command Sabbath obedience. (5) As
Paul put it, the Old Testament Law
(including the Sabbath) was only a shadow of
the things that were to come. The reality or
"substance" (sōma, lit., "body"), however,
is to be found in Christ (cf. Hebrews 8:5; 10:1). What the Old Testament foreshadowed,
Christ fulfilled (cf. Matthew 5:17; Romans 8:3-4). A "shadow" (skia) is only an image
cast by an object which represents its form.
Once one finds Christ, he no longer needs to
follow the old shadow.” [2]
Having
been set free from the bondage of sin
through Christ's death, Christians should
not get into bondage again by becoming
slaves of religious regulations that people
want to impose upon them. To make laws to
live by is the way of the worldly person,
not the way of the Christian. No matter how
clever and religious those laws may appear,
they will not succeed in controlling the
desires of the body (Colossians 2:20-23).
“Because they have died to sin,
Christians are not in bondage to things of
the world as the Gnostics are. Christians
have been raised with Christ to new life in
a higher world, where their desires and
conduct are like Christ's (Colossians 3:1-2). Through Christ they have life
directly in God. In contrast to the
Gnostics, they do not try to climb a ladder
of countless intermediate spirit beings.
Neither the Gnostics nor any other
unbelievers can understand this life,
because the life is 'in Christ' and
therefore is hidden from their view. Its
true character will be fully shown on the
day when Christ's glory is revealed
(Colossians 2:3-4).” [3]
(For further
study on "Food and Drink" Leviticus 11;
Romans 14:3, 10, 13, 17; Hebrews 9:10;
"Feasts and Festivals" Leviticus 23:2;
Deuteronomy 16:1-17; Nehemiah 8:9; Psalms 42:4; "New moon" Numbers 28:11; "Sabbath"
Leviticus 23:2; Exodus 20:9; 31:17;
Galatians 1:6-9; Galatians 4:10-11;
Galatians 4:21; Galatians 5:1-4; Hebrews 4:1-12)
References:
1. Concise
Bible Commentary: Colossians 2:6-15
2.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Colossians
2:13-17
3. Concise Bible Commentary:
Colossians 2:16-3:4
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