A Shadow of Things to Come (Colossians 2:16-17) - 119 Ministries

[Music] hello and welcome to another teaching from 119 ministries our ministry believes that the whole bible is true and directly applicable to our lives today if you would like to know more about what we believe and teach please visit us at testeverything.net if you enjoyed this video don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel by hitting the button down below we hope you enjoy studying and testing the following teaching does paul teach that god's laws about the sabbath festivals and foods have become irrelevant to believers in the messiah many have said yes citing colossians 2 16-17 as proof let's take a look at these two verses colossians 2 16-17 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 as we can see paul refers to things like the sabbath and festivals as shadows that point forward to christ based on these verses some argue that now that christ the substance has come the shadows are no longer of any importance those commandments were set aside and nailed to the cross consequently since these parts of the torah are now irrelevant we shouldn't let anyone judge us for not observing them or so the argument goes pastor john mcarthur's comments are representative of the traditional interpretation of these verses don't let anybody hold you to a sabbath and that's referring to the weekly sabbath because the other festival sabbaths are covered under the term festival and new moon don't let anybody hold you to the sabbath it was part of the system that included the temple the priesthood the sacrifices it's gone it was only the shadow not the substance paul is saying you no longer need the shadow you have the substance is that really what paul is saying in colossians does he declare commands like the sabbath and festivals to be irrelevant now that messiah has come that seems unlikely for a couple of reasons first such an interpretation doesn't fit with the broader biblical witness of paul's perspective on these commandments for instance throughout the new testament we see that paul regularly attended and participated in the synagogue services on the sabbath luke records that paul's custom was to worship on the sabbath moreover we see paul expressing a desire to be in jerusalem for the feast of shavuot or pentecost in 1st corinthians 5 7-8 paul instructs his readers on how they are to observe passover based on paul's behavior and teaching elsewhere in scripture it's difficult to imagine him thinking that these parts of the torah became irrelevant in light of the messiah's coming instead these examples of paul observing and teaching these commandments are what we would expect if he believed they were still important second the false teaching paul addresses in colossians is characterized as quote according to human tradition it is quote according to human precepts and teachings that description does not seem to apply to the sabbath festivals and dietary laws those things were not human teachings they were commanded by god moreover this false teaching is characterized further as being quote not according to christ but we know that christ affirmed every iota and dot of the torah as having enduring authority in the lives of his followers he said his followers are to do and teach even the least of the torah's commandments when we consider paul's record of observing the biblical sabbath and festivals along with the fact that in colossians 2 he is coming against what he calls human teachings it seems strange that he would discourage sabbath festival and dietary law observance in colossians 2 verses 16-17 but aside from simply doubting the traditional interpretation of these verses do we have any good reasons for accepting an alternative interpretation to understand paul's admonition here it might help us to gain a fuller understanding of what scholars call the colossian heresy what was this heresy that paul counters in his letter the colossian heresy paul warned the colossian believers about a false doctrine that certain people were teaching we are given a description of this false doctrine in colossians 2 verse 8. colossians 2 verse 8 see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to christ the false doctrine influencing believers at colossae is characterized first as philosophy and empty deceit the greek term translated philosophy philosophia generally carries the sense of manner of life and often addresses ethics for instance josephus describes the essenes sadducees and pharisees as different sects of philosophy in the hellenistic jewish literature the word takes on what the scholar nije gupta calls a moralistic edge he writes a number of texts presume that a good and true philosophy has the ability to restrain sin and control wanton passions and desires gupta cites three historical sources that demonstrate this idea for instance in four maccabees written in the first or second century a.d antiochus pressures the jews to eat unclean foods eleazar defends the dietary laws of the torah as well as judaism more broadly calling it our philosophy you scoff at our philosophy as though living by it were irrational but it teaches us self-control so that we master all pleasures and desires and it also trains us in courage so that we endure any suffering willingly according to the letter of aristeas written in the 3rd or 2nd century bc tolmi asks the question what is philosophy to which a jewish sage responds to deliberate well in reference to any question that emerges and never to be carried away by impulses but to ponder over the injuries that result from the passions and to act rightly as the circumstances demand practicing moderation philo a first century jewish philosopher also has some relevant remarks philosophy teaches temperance with regard to the belly and temperance with regard to the parts below the belly and also temperance and restraint of the tongue these historical sources give us an idea of what paul means by the word philosophy broadly it's a manner of life intended to develop self-control the doctrine influencing the colossian believers could be considered a type of philosophy but according to paul it is empty deceit it doesn't actually deliver what it promises paul says it is of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh another problem with this false teaching is that it is according to human tradition from paul's perspective mere human teachings are useless in overcoming the power of sin finally this false teaching is according to the elemental spirits of the world which likely refers to spiritual beings that were believed to have control over nature and the cosmos philo writes about nations that made divinities out of the four elements of earth water air and fire the wisdom of solomon a book written in the first century bc speaks similarly about ignorant people who believe that the elements such as wind fire water and so forth were gods who ruled the world passages from the pseudepigrapha and dead sea scrolls give some additional evidence of these types of ideas floating around the judaisms of the second temple era it appears that the false teachers at colossee were enamored with cosmic authorities supernatural powers over nature and angels they exalted and feared these spiritual entities believing them to have control over the universe and their destinies these superstitions were also combined with religious practices including biblical holy days in practice the false philosophy strictly regulated foods drinks and festivals and involved ascetic rituals and worship of angels by adhering to the practices and regulations of these false teachers people believed they could attain wisdom and be protected from the evil spirits that troubled them hippolytus of rome a late second early 3rd century christian theologian wrote about the heretical teaching of a man named elkasai elkasai's teaching gives us a fitting parallel to what we see happening at colosse where some teachers mixed elements of judaism with astrological beliefs and practices citing hippolytus the scholar clinton arnold writes this there is one figure who may help us better understand how a christian teacher may have combined magical astrological jewish and local pagan cult traditions into a new teaching at the end of the first century during the time of trajan a christian leader named alchesai combined aspects of jewish gnomism circumcision and law observance with astrological beliefs and practices the resultant secretistic teaching emphasized the hostility of the stars viewed as angels and the need to regulate one's life according to the calendar especially the sabbath and the courses of the moon colosse was certainly not afflicted by the teaching of elkasai but the philosophy bore many similarities at the minimum the example of alka-sai points to emerging forms of localized syncretistic christianity at an early stage the elka site teaching also demonstrates how a magical astrological interpretation of sabbaths could surface in early christianity in summary the false teaching at colosse was a type of philosophy a manner of life intended to develop self-control but according to paul it failed to deliver what it promised because it was according to mere human tradition and it wrongly exalted elemental spirits and powers it incorporated the observance of some biblical practices mixed with ascetic rituals a big problem with this mystical false teaching is that it ultimately resulted in minimizing the messiah's exalted position as the head from whom the body derives its life these false teachers worshiped angels and tried to appease the elemental spirits instead of looking to the messiah so how does paul counter this false teaching he proclaims the preeminence of the messiah paul teaches that the messiah is the real embodiment of wisdom and knowledge messiah is the image of the invisible god that is god's full character is embodied in messiah messiah is the firstborn of all creation which is an old testament title expressing royal status and authority it was by through and for messiah that all things were created in heaven and on earth visible and invisible whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities importantly the invisible creations in heaven would include angelic beings paul's point is that messiah the one by whom through whom and for whom all things were created has authority and power over all created things in heaven and on earth messiah is before all things and in him all things hold together that is messiah has priority in terms of time and rank and he is the sustainer of the universe paul hopes to encourage the colossian believers not to try to find coherence in the universe by turning to angels messiah is the one who holds all things together messiah is also the head of the body the church that is he is the lord over the church as well as its source of life the head from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments grows with the growth that is from god messiah is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in everything he might be preeminent the messiah's resurrection has inaugurated the kingdom his resurrection being the first fruits assuring us of the full harvest to come at the end of the age in the meantime the messiah exercises his rule through his body the church the messiah is one in whom all the fullness of god was pleased to dwell as ff bruce puts it all the attributes of god his spirit word wisdom and glory are disclosed in him paul made this proclamation to set the record straight about who was really in charge he wanted to warn the colossian believers not to be led astray by mystical teachings involving things like angel worship his concern was that these false teachings relegated the messiah who is head over all rule and authority and creation to the theological background thus paul encouraged the colossian believers to look to the messiah alone to satisfy their yearning for spiritual fulfillment this is why he goes to some length to express the supremacy of the messiah paul makes one more significant point in his argument for the messiah's preeminence he proclaims that only the messiah's work on the cross provides forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with god redemption cannot be found anywhere else least of all through a strict observance of ascetic rituals to appease angelic powers the messiah's work also had the effect of defeating the spiritual rulers and authorities to demonstrate his point about redemption and reconciliation paul uses the metaphors of circumcision baptism and the record of debt paul's circumcision metaphor here expresses our dying in messiah's death that is putting off the body of the flesh paul then moves to baptism to express our being buried and rising in union with messiah in his burial and resurrection when we put our faith in the messiah we die with him enter his tomb with him and are raised with him the third metaphor paul uses the record of debt has caused some confusion some have supposed paul teaches that messiah took away the torah and nailed it to the cross let's look at the passage colossians 2 13-14 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 the interpretation that messiah set aside the torah is unlikely first the greek word that the new testament always uses to refer to the torah nomos is nowhere to be found in this passage second the idea that messiah took away the torah doesn't fit with paul's argument how would getting rid of the torah assure forgiveness of sins that simply doesn't follow a better interpretation is that the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands refers to the record of our sins and the punishment required for them god's torah legally demands death as payment from those who break it however the messiah has cancelled our record of sins that stood against us the messiah did not cancel the law but rather the written record of our transgressions of the law because he provided forgiveness for the sins that we had committed by canceling the record of our sins the messiah disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them that is he has removed any power these spiritual forces might have had over us therefore we need not seek out the wisdom or protection from any inferior spiritual entities the messiah has already provided everything we need now that we have a better understanding of the false teaching and colossians and paul's answer to it let's turn again to paul's admonition concerning certain torah commandments colossians 2 verses 16 through 17 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 once again this passage is traditionally interpreted to mean that the sabbath festivals and so forth are now irrelevant in light of the messiah therefore the colossian believers should not be judged for not observing them but based on what we've learned about the false teachings paul is dealing with it seems clear that there is more going on here paul does not state that the commandments are invalid he states that the judgment of these false teachers is invalid a better understanding which is consistent with the context is that the colossian believers are not to accept judgment from these false teachers regarding how to observe these commandments the false teachers at colosse applied esoteric meanings and ascetic rituals to these torah commandments and judged those who didn't follow their teachings as unenlightened paul says not to accept their judgment their form of torah observance is really no torah observance at all it's a false religion mixed with a distorted misuse of the torah the scholar douglas moo likewise has recognized that these aspects of the torah have been connected to a broader religious philosophy in colossians on the whole then it seems best to view the practices in verse 16 as basically jewish in origin and perhaps even orientation while still recognizing that they have been taken up into a larger mix of religious ideas and practices in other words proper observance of these torah commands was not the problem in colossians the problem was that false teachers had mixed things like the sabbath and festivals with their mystical teachings paul's admonition to the colossian believers then is not to accept judgment on these matters from these false teachers these false teachers misuse and distort the biblical commandments in their worship of various cosmic powers over which the messiah has triumphed again the problem is the perversion of these torah commands within a false religious philosophy not the commands themselves as the scholar peter o'brien puts it for israel the keeping of these holy days was evidence of obedience to god's law and a sign of her election among the nations at colossae however the sacred days were to be kept for the sake of the elemental spirits of the universe those astral powers who directed the course of the stars and relegated the order of the calendar so paul is not condemning the use of sacred days or seasons as such it is the wrong motive involved when the observance of these days is bound up with the recognition of the elemental spirits this added context perhaps could bring some clarity to what paul means in verse 17. let's read it again colossians 2 17 these are a shadow of the things to come but the substance belongs to christ here paul says that things like the sabbath and festivals serve as shadows pointing toward the things to come but the substance belongs to christ that is these aspects of the torah ultimately are intended to reveal the work of the messiah notice that paul says these torah commandments are a shadow of things to come not just things that have already happened these commands function not only in memorializing yeshua's work of atonement on the cross but also continue to point forward to his future work to occur at the end of the age paul's point is that the sabbath festivals and so forth were intended to point beyond themselves to the messiah who is the substance they were not meant to be the end in themselves and they definitely were not meant to be used in angel worship as we've seen like other difficult passages in which it appears on the surface that paul diminishes the value of the torah a closer look at colossians 2 16-17 reveals that he spoke against only a misuse of the torah not the torah itself in conclusion a contextual understanding of these verses implies that paul does not regard things like the sabbath and festivals as unimportant he condemns only an improper observance of these laws in connection with mystical false teachings that downplay messiah and his work once again the problem was with human precepts and teachings not god's commandments themselves but when we observe these parts of the torah appropriately with a focus on the messiah and his work of redemption there's no problem in fact recognizing the substance that these shadows point to ought to make us value them that much more we pray that you've been blessed by this teaching and remember continue to test everything shalom it is because of you our generous supporters who make it possible to offer these high quality teachings completely free of charge if you feel led to support 119 ministries so that we can continue this effort please 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Channel: 119Ministries

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Keywords: 119Ministries, torah, bible, hebrew roots, Colossians 2:16-17, Colossians, Colossea, Colossea church, gnostics, heresy, asceticism, feast days, moedim, appointed times, sabbath, shabbat, Apostle Paul, Peter, 1st century church, early church, church history, God's law, the law of moses, New Testament, Christian, Christianity, Messianic, Judaism, Bible study, epistle

Id: Mgq5O-wDIEs

Length: 24min 52sec (1492 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 02 2021