Understanding Colossians 2:16: Freedom in Christ

Colossians 2:16

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:

It's wonderful to delve into God's Word together! Colossians 2:16 is a passage that often brings up questions, and understanding it correctly truly helps us grasp the liberty we have in Christ. Let's explore what the Holy Spirit reveals through the apostle Paul in this verse. 🙏

Understanding Colossians 2:16

The verse says:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:" - * Colossians 2:16*

To truly understand this verse, we need to consider the context of the letter to the Colossians and the broader teachings of Scripture regarding God's law. There has sometimes been confusion about whether this verse refers to the weekly Sabbath, but when we compare Scripture with Scripture, a clearer picture emerges.

Two Distinct Laws

The Bible makes a clear distinction between two types of laws given by God: the moral law and the ceremonial law.

1. The Moral Law: This is God's eternal law, His holy character, summarized in the Ten Commandments. It was given at creation, long before sin entered the world, and it defines righteousness for all humanity. The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself from Mount Sinai and written on tables of stone, emphasizing their enduring nature. As it is written:

   "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." - * Genesis 2:2-3*

   And later, God commanded through Jeremiah:

   "Thus says the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do you any work, but hallow you the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers." - * Jeremiah 17:21-22*

   The moral law, including the Sabbath commandment, reveals sin, for "sin is the transgression of the law." - * 1 John 3:4*. It is a reflection of God's unchanging nature.

2. The Ceremonial Law: This law was instituted because of sin. It consisted of rituals, sacrifices, feast days, new moons, and various ceremonial sabbaths that pointed forward to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. These were "shadows of things to come." - * Colossians 2:17. They were temporary provisions until Christ, the "body," or the reality, came. For instance, the Passover lamb foreshadowed Christ, "our passover is sacrificed for us." - * 1 Corinthians 5:7.

The "Sabbath Days" in Colossians 2:16

When Paul speaks of "sabbath days" in Colossians 2:16 the context points to the ceremonial sabbaths rather than the weekly Sabbath of the Ten Commandments. Notice what accompanies "sabbath days" in that verse: "meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon." These elements—meats, drinks, holy days (feast days), and new moons—were all parts of the Jewish ceremonial system, which foreshadowed Christ.

The book of Leviticus clearly distinguishes between the weekly Sabbath of the Lord and the annual ceremonial sabbaths. For example, Leviticus 23 lists many of these feast days and their associated sabbaths:

"These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’s passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the LORD: seven days you must eat unleavened bread. In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein." - * Leviticus 23:4-7*

And further:

"Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath." - * Leviticus 23:39*

These were annual "sabbaths" tied to specific ceremonial feasts, not the weekly seventh-day Sabbath that commemorates creation.

Paul clarifies this distinction in the very next verse:

"Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." - * Colossians 2:17*

The "sabbath days" he refers to are "shadows." The weekly Sabbath, however, points back to creation, a completed work of God, not forward to a future event that would be fulfilled in Christ. It is a memorial of God as Creator. "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." - * Exodus 31:17*

Freedom in Christ

Therefore, Colossians 2:16 teaches that believers should not be judged for not observing the ceremonial laws, which included certain dietary restrictions, specific feast days, new moon observances, and the ceremonial sabbaths. These were fulfilled in Christ. They were the "handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." - * Colossians 2:14*.

This passage is a beautiful declaration of Christian liberty from the ceremonial burdens that no longer apply now that Christ, the reality, has come. It encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus, who is the fulfillment of all these types and shadows, rather than getting caught up in outward rituals that have lost their original purpose.

Application for Our Lives

The message from Colossians 2:16 is one of freedom and focus. We are freed from the obligation of the ceremonial law because Christ has fulfilled it. Our salvation is not dependent on observing these shadows, but on our faith in Jesus Christ.

However, this freedom does not abolish the moral law—the Ten Commandments. Jesus Himself declared:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." - * Matthew 5:17*

To "fulfill" means to fill up, to give the full meaning, to live it out perfectly, not to abolish. The moral law continues to serve as a guide for righteous living and a mirror revealing our need for Christ's atoning sacrifice.

May we rejoice in the freedom found in Christ, living by faith and allowing God's eternal law to be written upon our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. ❤️📖✨