Is trusting Jesus enough for salvation? Can it really be that simple? Or is there a deeper, hidden meaning within Christianity? Are there religious practices for the spiritually elite that make us more acceptable to God and draw us closer to him? These are some of the questions the Colossians wrestled with. Fortunately for them (and us), Paul addresses in our text this week, Colossians 2:16-23. The passage reads,

^“16 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. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

²⁰ If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ²¹ “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” ²² (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? ²³ These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

There are two commands in this passage. The first, to not let anyone pass judgment on your faith. Second, to not let anyone disqualify you. Let’s consider each of these in turn.

1. Let no one pass judgment on you (2:16-17)

The believers at Colossae were being judged by those who thought they needed to add another element to their faith. Followers of Jesus were being told by people of Jewish background that they also needed to practice Sabbath, keep Jewish festival days, and observe dietary laws. In other words, their faith in Christ was not enough, unless the Jewish traditions were observed in addition to it.

Paul tells the Colossians, “don’t let these people judge you.” We can’t keep people from judging us. But we can shrug off their judgments. This is what Paul is telling the Colossians to do- they are to pay no attention to those who judge them in this regard. Why? Because all of these things are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Take the Sabbath, for example. The Sabbath was a day of rest from work to enjoy God and his blessings. The Sabbath was a shadow that pointed to the future substance, who is Christ. He has provided ultimate, eternal rest for God’s people. There’s no working for our salvation, but rather resting in what Christ has done for us. He beckons those who are weary and heavy laden to come to him and find rest (Matt 11:28).

So it is with all of the Jewish traditions. They were shadows that pointed to Christ! He is the true temple, the true Passover lamb, the true sacrifice, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king! There is no going back to these shadows, the substance has come!

2. Let no one disqualify you (2:20-23)

The second command is like the first. “Let no one disqualify you by insisting on asceticism and worship of angels,” (2:18a). Paul likely has in mind here a different group who is also insisting on adding another element to faith in Christ. Trusting Jesus is enough if you practice asceticism: disciplining your body through denying yourself the basic necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing, etc.) and worshipping angels.

Pagan religious rituals were also being introduced to the church- “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” Paul says these things are according to “human precepts and teachings” (2:22). Thus, they are either manmade additions to Jewish law or pagan religious practices. Either way, they are not of Christ.

Furthermore, these regulations are useless, because they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (2:23). The monks left society to pursue a holy life, but quickly found out that wherever they went, their sin went with them.

Paul tells the Colossians: don’t let anyone disqualify you. This command can have two senses. Similar to the command on judgment, Paul can be saying to not let anyone say or act like your not really a Christian unless you do these things, thus disqualifying you. But he could also mean that if you take up these practices in addition to faith in Christ, believing that you must do them to be acceptable to him, in some way you have disqualified yourself!

Because You Died

Paul gives a simple answer to why the Colossians should obey these commands: Because you died with Christ to the world (2:20). He is the fulfillment of the God-given Jewish traditions. They looked forward to and pointed to him. They are not obsolete; they are fulfilled in him. Therefore, since you died with Christ, the one who has fulfilled them, there is no need to keep practicing them.[1]

With regards to the pagan rituals and worship of angels, these things pertain to the “elementary principles of the world.” In other words, they are the typical self-made religion that man comes up with apart from Christ. We have died with Christ to self-made religion, too, and thus, there’s no going back!

Summary

Christ = Everything. Christ + Anything = Nothing. This was true for the Colossians, and it is true for us. We must be careful not to add anything to faith in Christ and make it a salvific or first order issue. Unfortunately, I know brothers and sisters who insist on observing Jewish dietary laws. I know brothers and sisters who insist on men having a certain hair style and women wearing a certain style of clothing. I know other Christians who believe there’s only one kind of worship music, only one way to raise kids, etc. And here’s the main issue: they will judge and disqualify anyone else who disagrees as if they don’t really trust Christ.

If we are not careful, we can quickly elevate our preferences to the level of orthopraxy (what should be normative for every Christian to practice). Paul says don’t do that. Christ is enough. Trust and obey him, and allow the Spirit to lead you in applying biblical truth to your context!

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[1] Please note here that I am referring to Jewish traditions that were practiced (such as Sabbath days, festivals, dietary laws, etc.) and not moral laws or principles that can be derived from the Old Testament. I believe that the latter should still guide Christian morality and practice, as they reveal God’s character and the image he wants his children to display!