We are continuing the book of Colossians. If you read last post, you may remember some of the background for this content. If you haven’t read, here’s a quick recap. The book of Colossians is a letter by Paul addressed to the “holy and faithful” brothers and sisters at the church in Colosse.
There was a lot of false doctrine spreading in this church. Some people believed in worshipping angels, some held on to Jewish Law and the practices that come with that, and others have become followers of a strange system of faith called Gnosticism. Gnostics believed unbiblical things about the creation and the Godhead. As for the creation many believed that all matter and physical things were created by a false God and are corrupt and evil. In reference to the Godhead, they thought that Jesus was an imperfect emanation of God, representing some of his qualities, but not his fullness.
Some Gnostics lived very strict lives to try to transcend their corrupt flesh. Other Gnostics just gave up any pursuit of holiness and simply lived for pleasure (because their flesh would never become uncorrupt, and they believed their spirit was a different thing altogether). Paul spends the first part of the book preaching the truth of the Gospel. He explains to the people that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins, is enough for one’s faith.
People in the church were kind of creating their own faiths, usually taking a little of Jesus, and adding Law or a little of Jesus and adding Gnostic Asceticism, or self denial. So Paul reiterated the true doctrine of the scripture. Paul then changed the tone of the letter around and wrote his first command or instruction. In Colossians 2:6 he told the people of the church to continue to live their lives in Christ in the same way they received Him as Lord. It’s profound that the way we can continue in our walk as believers is the same way we walked as receivers of Christ in our lives. Paul’s next instruction in Colossians 2:8 was telling them to make sure that nobody takes them captive to hollow and deceptive philosophy. The most dangerous thing to a faith in Christ is bad doctrine.
To the Gnostics, he reminded them that Christ is God’s fullness, and this deeper knowledge that they sought was found in Jesus. To the Jews, he reminded them that before Christ, they were dead in their sins and in the uncircumcision of their sinful nature. This group needed to be reminded that their righteousness is in Christ alone and not in their successful execution of Levitical or Mosaic law. These people’s hearts were suffering from feelings of pride and self-righteousness, so he reminded them that in Christ alone was forgiveness, and we all need that forgiveness, because even the most law abiding of them was at one point dead in their sins. Jesus Christ’s triumph over the powers and authorities was done by his work on the cross.
Now we’re at verse 16 in chapter 2. We are up to the point where Paul is ready to give the Colossian church his next action point. So far he’s only told them two things to do; 1) continue to live in Jesus just as you were when you received Him and 2) See to it that nobody takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy. Here’s the next one
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
The word “Therefore” references the last verse which proclaims Christ’s triumph over the written code and its regulations on the cross. So, Because Jesus has died on the cross, we have forgiveness and freedom from the regulations and laws that were standing opposed to us. In light of this forgiveness and freedom,
THEREFORE we are not to let anyone judge us. Why? The first reason is because Jesus commanded us not to judge one another, so people who judge us are going beyond the bounds of God’s authority. It’s like when someone tries to arrest you here for something that’s illegal in another country. For example, in Singapore it’s illegal to publicly chew gum, but a Singaporean policeman has no authority to ticket us if we chew gum, walking on the streets of Philadelphia. In Philadelphia, they are outside the bounds of their authority. Their rules have no claim over us, nor do they have power to enforce their law outside their land or jurisdiction.
As a quick aside, we are making the correct assumption that Paul is telling Christians that they should not let others judge them, but the corollary is also true: We Christians also don’t have that authority to judge. God doesnt give us a command to be his Judgement; the authority isnt given to us. Actually God tells us to be merciful. Luke 6:36-37
36 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.”
We aren’t to be agents of God’s Judgement, but we have been given something better. We have free reign to be merciful to people who wrong us! We’ve been given the command to forgive, give mercy, but we haven’t been given any authority to condemn or judge. If we usurp that authority, God will punish us and His punishment is condemning or judging us the same way we treated others. So Paul says we can’t let anyone judge us, and we remember that we can’t judge them either, because God hasn’t given anybody that authority. So that’s the first reason; no authority.
The second reason we are to not let anyone judge us is because by Christ dying on the cross, we are no longer under God’s judgement. Jesus was our propitiation, which means that he paid our penalty and took our judgement. If that’s the case, and we happen to be sinning by eating or drinking or improperly partaking in a religious festival, we are no longer guilty. Christ forgave us, and took away our guilt, so even if these people did have the authority to judge (they don’t) their judgement’s misguided. In this case, it’s like if I were in Singapore, walking aside another American who WAS chewing gum, but the police officer gave me the ticket or fine. The police officer’s judgement was misguided. He got the wrong guy.
If we truly believe that Christ took our sins and bore our blame, then any judgement towards us should really be directed to Christ. Is that fair? Not at all, but that is exactly what God did; He directed ALL of the judgement that we were owed and placed it on Christ. That unfairness of what Jesus has done is what’s so amazing about the Gospel and God’s grace. That unfairness is what we sing and rejoice about every Sunday.
Furthermore, even if we were eating and drinking properly, and celebrating all of the festivals, Sabbaths, and events properly, we still would be sinning. Isaiah 64:6 states it this way:
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
This is important to grasp. Remember, even if we act right, we are never righteous. Even when we are on our best behavior, we aren’t right with God. We don’t ever become righteous in God’s eyes until we put on Christ and are adopted into His kingdom. This fact is something that was forgotten by the Jewish legalists and the Ascetic Gnostics and anyone else judging the church. It’s impossible for us to do anything right, even if we attend the right festivals, eat the right foods, drink the right drinks, and avoid all the wrong foods and drinks. Our sinful nature can’t be overshadowed by a few seemingly righteous acts by us. Colossians 2:17 reminds the reader that all the regulations and festivals and Sabbaths were all a shadow of something greater, someone greater, and that’s Jesus Christ.
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Paul’s next instruction mirrors the one he mentioned earlier from Colossians 2:8. He wants to make sure nobody’s being taken captive by bad doctrine. In 2:8, he said make sure that nobody takes you captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy. In 2:18, he is speaking of a more specific kind of person. This type of person is someone who worships angels and delights in false humility. “These people go into great detail about what they’ve seen and are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.” What does this mean? There are people that can lead you astray by enticing you to something else. They will tell you, “There’s the gospel, but if you add this new experience or get this further enlightenment, you can get to a deeper spiritual level than what you’ve experienced in your conversion.”
Someone who goes into details about what they’ve seen or experienced could entice people away from the truth. With their words, they can paint a picture that’s more exciting than the one that you see. They say, “sure, you believe what you believe, and that’s great, but I have something more.” Maybe it’s a exciting story about some spiritual experience that they had, or maybe it’s a claim for a deeper understanding or vision into the unseen world. Whatever it is, it sounds more interesting than going to church or reading your Bible.
Fortune tellers and tarot card readers use this kind of a trick on people all the time. I admit, the prospect of seeing a prediction or some revelation of things unseen or unknown is kind of exciting. Occult studies are strictly prohibited throughout the Bible, and that should be enough to stop us from partaking in them, but there is an additional reason these pursuits are dangerous. Usually these ‘services’ tell people about themselves; it’s a trip of self discovery. So they draw peoples’ attention self-ward instead of towards God. One of the greatest hindrances to people receiving the Gospel is their own pride and self-absorption, and these mystic people feed that very unholy urge. Whether it’s an occult experience, or some sort of new-age angelic revelation, Paul dismisses these people and their experiences. He says they are merely puffed up with idle notions, and no matter how spiritual they seem, they are the most unspiritual types out there.
The worst part is even if you don’t follow them or let them indulge your pride like they want to, after simply talking to someone like this, you’re left with a feeling of lacking or discontentment with the present situation. People may ask questions like “Why haven’t I experienced this?” “Why can’t I see into this vast spiritual realm?” “What am I missing?”
Paul spends much of the letter to the Colossians reminding them, and I want to reiterate this: A person who has accepted the word of God and received salvation needs nothing else to be complete. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, by God’s grace, you were given this fullness and completeness. Anyone who tries to sell you on an idea promising an additional depth or fullness will lead you away from the truth. They have nowhere else to take you, because you are already complete in Christ. What these people ultimately do is destroy a foundation of truth because they testify that God’s provision is not enough in some area. When you feel empty or lacking, there is only one place you should be looking for fullness. And when in reality you are already full and complete in Christ, anything that makes you feel empty is introducing a lie that God’s provision is not enough. These people that Paul mentions have falsified this part of their doctrine, and in so doing, have ended up separating themselves from the Head (as it’s worded in verse 19). When a body part is removed from the head, the growth ceases. Development stops. The head keeps everything working and growing together, and apart from connection to the head, there is no hope for a lone body part (unless you are watching the Addam’s Family or the Evil Dead movies)
So going back to the idea of people discussing different things that they’ve experienced, there is a bit more. When you do encounter or experience God, it will look different for different people. Not having a certain experience does not mean that your conversion was lacking. Some Christians say they’ve heard God speak to them, or seen visions of angels or demons or spirits. What they may be doing without knowing it is making you feel incomplete. These supernatural experiences are very rare, and have actually never happened with me. I have had a few occasional dreams which have been vivid and enlightening, but I would say that they are the rare exception, and not the rule. Have I ever thought that my lack of supernatural or spiritual experiences is an indication of a spiritual emptiness or false conversion? No! My confidence is not in my experiences, but God’s word and his works. In fact, Romans 12:4-5
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
And 1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ… Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many… But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? … Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Paul loves the analogy of a body and different parts. Because we are different members of one body as Paul describes in Romans 12:4-5 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, it almost follows that our personal experiences will be different. It makes no sense for an Eye to explain how it heard God’s voice, or an Ear to walk the body to another place because of something it saw. No matter what experience we have or don’t have, we need to retain our connection to the Head, or Christ. Our experiences need to be kept subordinate to Christ and the Gospel, if they aren’t, then they will become a new, false doctrine.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
In verses 20-23, Paul seems to be talking to the people who are trying to live a pure and holy life, based on Gnostic philosophy. If he were speaking to the Jewish legalists, he would’ve never referred to the laws of Moses or the commandments as “rules of the world,” nor would he say they were “based on merely human commands and teachings”. So Paul is again attacking Gnosticism here. Gnostics had a sect that were very strict about how they lived in the flesh, because they wanted to rise above what they thought was a corrupt physical creation. Matter was bad, spirit was good. These people would deny themselves any creature comforts, in order to better themselves.
While living without sensual indulgence can focus the mind and spirit, these people took such practices to an extreme. They placed burdens and restrictions on themselves and each other that God hadn’t placed. Paul calls this Self Imposed Worship, because God didn’t command or require such behavior. When they lived their lives in denial of things, they felt a sense of humility because they didn’t have a freedom to enjoy things that were available to others. And when they were successful, it gave them a sense of accomplishment. This humble feeling, followed by the accomplishment from denial of self is what Paul calls “false humility.” We know that works cannot save us, which is why we as Christians are dead to these rules. For this reason, Paul says that these rules of the world lack any value in accomplishing what they are set out to accomplish. In most cases, the rules are unsuccessful, but in the rare case that you are successful in restraining your sensual indulgence, you are still not righteous because your motives were not right.
How can we live correctly? After describing how rules and regulations lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence, Paul moves onto chapter 3, which is strangely enough, rules! This post won’t continue onto chapter 3 in depth. But the key to understanding why Paul can attack the idea of rules in chapter 2, but immediately after that, list another set of rules in chapter 3 has to do with the logic behind the rules. The rules of Chapter 2 are based on a person trying to justify one’s self by complying to the rule. The rules of Chapter 3 have the justification of the cross of Jesus already taken into account. You follow the rules of chapter 3 because of your new identity. The rules of chapter 2 were followed because of who you were trying to become, but the rules of chapter 3 are followed because of who you are, and with whom God has associated you. Christ gives us a new identity, and a better standing before God. When we break these rules, we don’t act according to our identity in God’s eyes. But there’s mercy and justification and grace, and most importantly, we don’t lose our identity. In fact, our failures bring us back to our place of desperate need and acknowledgement of our savior. And because of our new identity we are given a promise. Let’s finish by reading the beginning of chapter 3.
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is yourlife, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.