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.
18. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
19. He has 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.
20. Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:
21. "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?
22. These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.
23. Such 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.
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Reflection |
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The Sufficiency of Christ (2:16–19)
False teachers are telling the Colossian Christians that Christ is not enough. They are taking away from the work of Christ, telling them they must eat and drink in certain ways and observe several Jewish traditions (v. 16). These teachers attribute their spiritual growth to extreme disciplines and testify of high spiritual experiences to add weight to their arguments. We struggle with these same lies today. It is an issue of relying on something other than Christ. We must not trust in our own efforts or spiritual discipline, but in the person and work of Christ alone. All our efforts and all our discipline should focus on knowing Christ and understanding the work already accomplished for us through the cross.
The Lasting Power of Christ (2:20–23)
These verses reveal the futility of all other means of transformation apart from Christ. Laws can change behavior for a short while but are insufficient to change the heart. Those who submit to human rules may have the “appearance of wisdom,” but it is actually foolishness. Even their worship is self-imposed. True worship is a response. You do not worship out of discipline; you worship because you have encountered something or someone worthy of it. We do not change our hearts by molding them with our own hands. Christ gives us a new heart, one that beats for Him, one that is shaped by Him. Lasting change, lasting worship, begins and ends with encountering Christ and dwelling in Him.
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Application |
- Do you trust in your spiritual discipline or in the person of Christ? The goal of prayer and fasting is to draw near to Christ and commune with Him.
- Are you struggling with habitual sin? Do not put all of your effort into fleeing from temptation. Rather, put all of your effort into running toward Christ.
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A Letter to
God |
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Jesus, it is all about You. You are more than enough for me. I confess this now, and I desire to live by this confession all of my days. Please give me the grace to be able to do so. In Your name. Amen.
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