Lessons From Colossians – Lesson 4
Last time we saw a warning.
Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
And not after Christ. That clarifies what type of tradition of men this warning is talking about. Any tradition that are contrary to who Jesus is and what He wants for us. It also says after the rudiments of the world. That is the base element way that this sinful world system works. The use of a talisman would be an example. Thinking that a crucifix or a saint’s metal protects you. Or a rosary bead set. Or praying to Mary. All of those are traditions of men and not after Christ.
Many of the traditions of the Jews would be examples. But it also includes Philosophy and traditions of the world that are not after Christ.
Evolution is an example. The current gender mess. The list is almost endless. We are to beware of any teaching and or tradition that is not after Christ.
And right after that is a wonderful truth.
Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Jesus said if you have seen me you have seen the Father. And because Jesus is God and because you are in Him, then you are complete in him.
Jesus is God, you cannot get more than that. If you have Jesus then you have it all. There is nothing higher to gain. Jesus is greater than all. Jesus is the head of all. Jesus has all power.
These two truths are connected. Basically why go after anything teaching or tradition that is not after Christ because you are complete in Christ. Only in Christ are you complete. Why chase, go after, or even listen to stuff that cannot make you complete. In fact they will spoil you. And then came a reminder that Jesus has made us alive spiritually and given us a new nature and has forgiven us all trespasses.
We are going to pick up on verse 16. I had to give a quick reminder of what went before because verse 16 has a therefore. So because of what went before then therefore. So because traditions of men spoil you and because you are complete in Christ and because of all He has done for you, then
Therefore, act this way and think this way. One of the things that I have said a thousand times plus is He is worthy.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Let no man therefore judge you. No man. No matter his position, no matter the title or how well he is respected. And the bible is clear in what area this is talking about. This is not talking about breaking the law of the land and then not letting the police, the court, or the judge bring judgment upon you.
Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Those things all have to do with the law in the Old Testament. This is talking about letting someone else judge you according to the Old Testament law.
The new moon was a big deal to the Jews. The new moon was what determined the changing of the month. And they were to do certain things on certain months and they were to celebrate the coming of a new month. If you did not celebrate the new moon or not celebrate it correctly, then guess what others would judge you. The same with the Sabbath days. Days plural. We all know there were other Sabbaths than just the weekly Sabbath.
Since we are complete in Christ then therefore do not let anyone judge you about not obeying the law. The law had it place in its time. It had many purposes. 1) Was to show that none could keep all of God’s law. The law showed that all are sinners. 2) The purpose of the law was to point the way to Jesus.
If we had an uncaring god, then the purpose could have stopped with number 1, just showing us our sin. But praise the Lord we have a loving God so the law had another purpose and that was to point the way to Jesus.
The book of Galatians sheds light on this subject.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The law was a schoolmaster, a teacher, something that pointed to, the laws purpose was to bring us to Jesus. The purpose was to show us our need for a savior. And the purpose was to give so many details about Jesus that we could recognize Him when He came. The law taught the substitution principal. The innocent paying for the sins of the guilty. This was portrayed from the very beginning. When Adam and Eve sinned. God killed an innocent lamb to make a covering for their sin. Abel had to bring a lamb as a sacrifice and it was accepted. Cain brought works and it was rejected.
Later when they had the tabernacle, every year on the day of atonement a lamb was slain as a substitute. A temporary covering for their sin. And the blood was then sprinkled on the mercy seat that was below the shekinah glory, which was the presence of God and the mercy seat was above the broken law of God that was put in the Ark. When the children of Israel were worshipping a golden calf when Moses came down carrying the law of God, Moses then threw down those tablets showing that they had broken God’s law. Those broken pieces were placed into the Ark.
The picture is instead of God seeing the broken law, God looks down and sees the blood of the sacrifice. And then you have mercy. But for them that mercy only lasted a year, then they had to do it again. This was teaching that yes the sacrifice of the innocent is needed to pay for the sins of the guilty. And it showed that they needed a better sacrifice. It was to teach them to put their sights on a coming savior whose sacrifice would be sufficient.
And once Jesus came and went to the cross, then all of the law and its pictures were not needed.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
People are no longer saved by putting their faith in a coming Messiah. What the schoolmaster pointed to has come. Therefore we are no longer under a schoolmaster. We no longer have to do what the school master says. Back to Colossians. Colossians says that those things in the law like holy days and Sabbaths were just a shadow of things to come.
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Why go after the shadow, when you are on the other side of what the shadow pictured and foretold. Why the shadow when you have the real thing.
You are complete in Christ. The church body is of Christ. The real, and visible, and clearly seen, fully revealed Christ. Now Paul is going to get specific and deal specifically with two errors that were creeping into the church at Colossae.
First is that gnostic teaching about worshipping of angels.
Col 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
There is that word again beguile, which is to deceive, to impose on by artifice or craft. Do not let those teaching this stuff about angels to deceive you out of your reward. If you get into this stuff you can lose your reward. What reward? Fair question. Well we know from a large amount of scripture that once you have eternal life, it is eternal. It is a gift and will not be taken away. So this has to be talking about losing your reward for how you live for Jesus. How you witness for Him and walk with Him and follow Him. For all of those you get rewarded at the judgment seat on top of the gift of eternal life.
And then Paul brings up a very good point.
Intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, The men teaching these things can in no way know what they are talking about. They cannot even see angels. What they are teaching is just things they made up and puffed themselves up with in their fleshly mind.
Those teaching this are not even saved, they are still in their sins. They do not have a new spiritual nature. They are only operating from their fleshly mind. They are not getting this nonsense from God.
Paul is really shutting this down hard here. He does not need to go any further. No need to write a whole chapter on it. These teachers are deceiving you, they will cause you to lose reward, and they can’t know what they are talking about, and what they are teaching is just coming from their fleshly mind.
Add that to what Paul taught about being complete in Christ and I think you can say case closed.
In verse 20 Paul is going to address the 2nd error.
In verse 19 is an illustration about how Jesus is the Head of the Church, and Christians are the different parts and how we are put together by God and nourished by God and God is the one that gives the increase.
Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
The “not holding” is referring to those false teachers. This is another reason to not listen to them. They are not following Jesus, they are not holding on to the one who is over the church and takes care of Christians.
Now we get to the second error. This has to do with those who were teaching that they had to do certain Jewish Old Testament rituals.
Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
Col 2:21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
Col 2:22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Col 2:23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Paul has already covered that we are complete in Christ, that the Old Testament was a school master, and that we are no longer under a schoolmaster, and that the Old Testament holy days and Sabbaths were only a shadow of what was to come. Now Paul is adding to that you’re dead with Christ from the worldly system and that you are not subject to ordinances. And then these very strong words.
Touch not; taste not; handle not
Don’t touch those ordinances, do not taste them, and do not handle them. Don’t even touch them with your little finger. Touch not. Paul has left no loophole here. No way to work around it. This is strong language. It is a strong emphatic, No. Have nothing to do with it.
This right here is why we had to first take the time to look at the life of Paul before we started teaching Colossians.
Some might look at this and just say Paul you hypocrite. We know Paul that you left the young church at Corinth so that you could perform a Jewish ritual and cut your hair off because you were keeping a Jewish vow. And we know that Paul went to Jerusalem in a head strong way, not listing to the Spirit because he desperately wanted to keep one of the Old Testament feasts at Jerusalem. Some might look at what Paul is teaching in Colossians and say hypocrite. Paul you have no room to be teaching this because you do the Jewish rituals yourself.
We know better. This is not hypocrisy. It is something else entirely. If you remember when Paul got to Jerusalem for the feast that James got ahold of him and judged Paul according to the Jewish rituals.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Paul knows personally about that because that is what James did to him. James judged Paul for not doing some Jewish ritual and Paul fell for it.
Paul shows up and James basically says Paul look at all these other believers here. They are all zealous of the law. The implication is Paul why aren’t you like them. You should be. That is what James is saying.
Act 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
James says Paul look at how many thousands of Jews are here that believe and every one of them are all zealous about keeping the law. James goes on to say that he has already written that Gentiles don’t have to keep the law, but Paul you are not a Gentile. Paul you are a Jew and you need to keep the law like a Jew.
James is judging Paul in respect to holy days and ordinances.
You remember what happened. Paul goes on to do the ritual with other Jews. A mob forms and is going after Paul. Paul then gets arrested and has to stay in prison for 2 years. 2 years with God not using him. Just sitting there. No one coming to him to hear the gospel, no writing scripture. Only twice does Paul get to witness during those 2 years and all he hears is you almost persuadest me to become a Christian. Almost.
That is it. Paul has 2 years to reflect on what happened. How did I get into this situation? What did I do wrong? Obviously God did a work in Paul’s heart during those two years. Obviously Paul confessed it to God.
Paul gets shipped to Rome and God is using him once again. He is writing scripture and preaching in his hired house. And then a preacher comes to see him from Colossae and Paul gets to write about this topic and what a change.
Instead of doing vows and rituals, Paul now writes let no man judge you in Jewish rituals. And then says Touch not; taste not; handle not
Paul gets it now. Stay away from all of that. 100 percent away! Don’t touch it at all. Don’t eat it. It is like get away from that.
During those two years in prison Paul had time to think and pray and learned.
We are complete in Christ. He is telling these Christians and all Christians thru the ages, don’t make this mistake. Don’t get spoiled by traditions, don’t chase after the shadows, don’t get distracted from following Jesus. You don’t need anything else. You are complete in Christ. And let no man judge you in this!
This is something that is still an issue to this day.
I was listening to a 3 min video from a man that has a huge podcast. It was about how much of our meat at the grocery says USDA but because they quietly undid a source labeling law that much of the meat comes from foreign countries. The man he was talking to had a company that sold American meat.
At the end he says it is good meat we use it for all of our Seder’s. I go what? A Seder is a ritualist Jewish meal. In the rock and roll church that he goes to they are teaching that Christians should do certain Jewish rituals and celebrate certain Jewish feasts.
Two years ago a man was judging me because I would not stop work Friday at 6pm because the Jewish Sabbath starts at that time.
Unfortunately this issue is still with us today.
Fortunately the answer has been plainly given to us in the book of Colossians. Don’t touch those things, don’t handle them. Leave them alone and don’t let any man judge you in those matters.
You are complete in Christ.