Tag: law

Is Trusting Jesus Enough for Salvation? (Colossians 2:16-23)

On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Colossians, Imago Dei ClassLeave a comment

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!

    Continue reading “Is Trusting Jesus Enough for Salvation? (Colossians 2:16-23)” →

    Matthew 5:1 & Jesus as the Greater Moses

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

    As we begin considering the content of the Sermon on the Mount, we’ll quickly notice that every verse is packed with meaning, including the very first one. Matthew 5:1 reads, “Seeing the crowds, he [Jesus]went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.” In this verse, Matthew begins to reveal Jesus as the greater Moses. How? By the little phrase, “he went up on the mountain.”[1]

    In Exodus 19:3, Moses “went up on the mountain” to receive God’s law and deliver it to the people of Israel. In the Greek Old Testament (The Septuagint), which Matthew was undoubtedly familiar with, the phrase describing Moses’ ascent reads, “ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος.” Even if you can’t read Greek, you can see the identical nature of Matthew 5:1, which reads, “ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος.” This phrase is used only three times in the Septuagint, each referring to Moses’ ascent to Sinai (Ex 19:3, 24:18, 34:4). This limited use makes the argument for Matthew’s intentional quotation compelling. He clearly wants his readers to note the connection and realize that Jesus was ascending the mountain to teach God’s people just like Moses did.

    Continue reading “Matthew 5:1 & Jesus as the Greater Moses” →

    Russia, Ukraine, and the Reality of Right and Wrong

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn MiscellaneousLeave a comment

    Just about every morning I wake up and think about the people of Ukraine. Though I try to avoid looking at my phone for the first hour of the day, I have been waking and checking it regularly, eager to read of new developments. This morning I listened to Albert Mohler’s edition of The Briefing, which reminded me of a peculiar trend I have seen in the media. The trend is this: individuals, countries, and organizations are almost all unified in their denunciation of Russia’s wrongdoing. This collective condemnation raises the question: does this mean there is such a thing as right and wrong?

    In the last few decades, post-modern thought has trained societies to reject moral absolutes (i.e. concrete, black-and-white claims of right and wrong). In fact, many assert that any claim to moral authority or to a recognition of moral truth is simply a tool of power and oppression (critical theory). Thus, what is right for you may not be right for me. What is true for you may not be true for me, and so on. A rejection of moral absolutes may be able to survive in the petri dish of theoretical frameworks, but it cannot survive in war-torn reality.

    Continue reading “Russia, Ukraine, and the Reality of Right and Wrong” →

    John 2: Jesus Turns Water To Wine: Amazing Symbolism

    On By Jarrett Ray FletcherIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

    slide-8-water-into-wine

    **Please note: I originally wrote the below post many years ago as a part of a project at the University of Georgia. I am leaving up the original post in case something in it may prove helpful to anyone. However, I have had the opportunity to teach on this subject more recently and I believe my latest presentation of this passage is more nuanced and substantive.

    Here is a link to my more recent blog on this passage:

    Why Did Jesus Turn Water Into Wine?

    Most people have heard about Jesus turning the water into wine, but do they really know what it means? Do you really know what it means?

    If you have not read this portion of scripture, please read John 2:1-12 now so that we may be taught of the Spirit together as we analyze this passage! This miracle of Jesus packs a deep meaning that radically sets the stage for the rest of his life, ministry, and purpose.

    First, its important to know the setting for where He performed his first miracle. We see that he performs it at a wedding feast (John 2:1), one of the most treasured celebrations in 1st century Jerusalem. He is attending with his mother and a few of his disciples, and it is brought to his attention that there is no more wine to be served. To us, this doesn’t seem like a big issue, but the point of all Jesus’ miracles is to demonstrate spiritual truth, and what a amazing truth he reveals through this miracle!

    Key Point: Jesus uses the ceremonial cleansing jars to create the wine. (John 2:6)

    We need to note what Jesus used to turn the water into wine. He used ceremonial cleaning jars, which probably already had a decent amount of old water sitting in them. The Jews would use these water jars to purify themselves: to wash themselves, and make themselves “clean” before God. By using these jars, Jesus is giving us a sneak peek of what is to come. Jesus is showing us that the cleansing of His blood (as we know, in the Bible, the blood of Christ is represented by wine -Matt 26:28) is far greater than any ritual washings – and the transformation of this very water into wine symbolizes the transformation of Judaism.
    The fact that Jesus changed the ceremonial washing water into wine proves that he will do away with the rituals of Judaism, and that we will be made clean before God through his blood. Jesus filled the containers to the brim (John 2:7) to show that no space is left for ritual washings after his sacrifice.

    Jesus instructs the servants to take a pitcher of this water to the master, and so they did. We don’t actually know when the water turns to wine, but when the master of the feasts takes a sip, he says, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now” (John 2:10). Is this recorded just to show us that Jesus should start a new career as a wine-maker? Certainly not. The Spirit is showing us something here:

    The statement made by the master of the feast implies this: That typically, the best wine is served first, so that the people “get their fill” (get drunk) and can’t tell when a cheaper wine is introduced. In the same way, The Jews had been “drinking wine” (aka. performing their ritual washings) for so long that they weren’t able to recognize when something better came along (Jesus)!

    Jesus conveys this truth again in the same chapter when he drives out the temple. He exclaims, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Jesus was talking about his own body, and it was through the “destroying of it” and his rising from the dead that was able to accomplish this new system, where his blood covers our sin, not our ritual washings or other works.

    Jesus came to make everything new, and he clearly demonstrated that by turning old water used for bathing into brand new wine. He also came to make the heart new. We will see that tomorrow in John 3!

    (please email me at jrfletch@uga.edu for further explanation or questions)