Colossians 2:11-17 Does It Do Away With God’s Law?
By Peter Salemi
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When discussing the Law of God to some people especially people of the Christian faith, most of them say that the law was done away on the cross, and that Jesus death did away with law keeping. Are there scripture to prove this position? There are many such proof text that Christians use to prove that theory. In this article we will focus on just one, and most often used to try and prove that God’s law is done away.
The passages quoted most often is of course in the book of Colossians which says, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
“Blotting out 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;
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” At first glance it may seem that God’s law is done away. But on closer inspection of the verses we see a totally different message. In actuality, the Apostle Paul was actually confirming that the Gentile church was KEEPING THE SABBATH AND FESTIVAL DAY, NOT DOING AWAY WITH THEM!
Let’s examine this verse by verse, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:” This is the spiritual circumcision of the heart that God wants all of us to have. This is the “gift of righteousness” given to us at conversion and baptism, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Paul says again in Romans 2, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:...But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (vv.28-29). A true follower of God is circumcised of the heart. God intended this all along for his people, to follow him heart, mind and soul. This is an Old Testament law that Paul gave, in Deuteronomy, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked...And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live...Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart” (10:16; 30:6; Jer 4:4). This is a real Israelite, those who follow the Lord God by keeping his laws. This is what Colossians is telling us in verse 11, the people in the church that were circumcised of the heart and were followers of God now, not the fleshly appetites they once used to follow.
“Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (vv.12-13). This is how the forgiveness of sins and the circumcision of the heart happens, through baptism, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38). With the Holy Spirit which “beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Rom 8:16), when it dwells with our “spirit” which is the heart of man, God circumcises the fleshly heart, spiritually, so that we receive that “gift” of righteousness, and are children of God. Circumcised in the heart, “...the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom 8:4), we walk in the law of God, the Old & the New Testaments shows that this is what is meant to be circumcised of the heart, the obedience the law of God through the method of repentance and Baptism.
“Blotting out 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;” (v.14). This is the quote everyone seems to quote to say the law is done away, but as we shall see this is not the case. First everyone forgets the context of the verse that says in verse 13 that God forgave us “all trespasses” which is sin, and that we are “dead” in our sin the uncircumcision of the flesh is gone and circumcised in the heart obeying the law of God.
Now continuing the thought Paul says, “Blotting out 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;” Now does it make sense to say that God’s law is done away now that we are obeying it circumcised in the flesh? Of Course Not! Is God’s law “contrary to us.” No God’s law is for our benefit, is it everything that is right good and it shows the way of Love. God says, “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess” (Deuteronomy 5:33). No, God’s laws are not contary to us. So what is? SIN! Sin is the way of death, contrary to life, “For the wages of sin is death;” (Rom 6:23). God’s Laws are life, sin is death, it works against us. It does not profit man. Jeremiah wrote, “they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit” (2:8). And what is sin? “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). So what has been nailed to the cross? What is contrary to us? The answer is obvious, but let’s examine first what are these “handwriting of ordinances”?
In the Greek language the word for “handwritten” is “cheirographon” (Strong’s # 5498). This word as Biacchiocchi writes in his book Sabbath in the New Testament says, “Recent studies have shed light on the meaning of cheirographon which occurs only once in the Scripture (Col 2:14). Its usage in apocalyptic literature indicates the cheirographon is the ‘record-book of sins or a ‘certificate of sin-indebtedness’ but not the moral or ceremonial laws This view is supported also by the clause ‘and this he has removed out of the middle’ [“and took it out of the way,” KJV] (2:14). ‘The middle’ was the position occupied at the center of the court or assembly by the accusing witness. In the context of Colossians, the accusing witness is the ‘record-book of sins’ which God in Christ has erased and removed out of the court” (p.111, emphasis added). The Handwriting was the record of our sins that we committed. The “ordinances” which it speaks of, which our sins are “in,” the King James has ““handwriting of ordinances” but the literal is “handwriting in the ordinances” (Young’s).
The “ordinances’ in the Greeks is “dogma” (Strong’s # 1378). This word “dogma” means, “decree.” Vines writes, “transliterated in English, primarily denoted ‘an opinion or JUDGMENT’ (from dokeo, ‘to be of opinion’) hence an ‘opinion expressed with AUTHORITY’, a doctrine, ordinance, decree” (p. 153, emphasis added). So God has “blotted” out the “judgement” for our sins. What is that judgment? “Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them....
“And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
“And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
“And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
“Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
“Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Ex 21:15-17, 23-25). The “wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). The judgement for breaking the law which is sin (1 John 3:4) is the death penalty. Jesus nailed the judgment for our sins to the cross, it has nothing to do with the law being done away, but the penalty of breaking it. Biacchiocchi concludes as well, “We conclude then that the document nailed to the Cross is not the law in general or the Sabbath in particular, but rather the record of our sins. Any attempt to read into it a reference to the Sabbath, or to any other Old Testament ordinance, is unwarranted, gratuitous fantasy, (p.111, emphasis added).
Now it’s interesting that the Apostle Paul uses the expression “Blotting out” in verse 14. In connection with Baptism (v.12), our sins have been forgiven (v.13), the record of our sins have been “blotted out” with the waters of baptism and the death penalty nailed to the cross with the Sacrifice of Christ. He paid the penalty for our sins. Like in the Old Testament, the sins of the person was transferred to the innocent victim, and sacrifice was made, and the “ blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Lev 17:11). Jesus’ blood, “cleanseth us from all sin....And he is the propitiation [Gr. “Atonement” Strong’s # 2434] for our sins:’ (1 John 1:7, 2:2). The sacrificial lamb in the Old Testament paid the penalty for the sinner, as in the New with Jesus Christ.
The “blotting out” with water Paul here “is probably an allusion to Num 5:23, where the curses written in the book, in the case of the woman suspected of adultery, are directed to be blotted out with the bitter waters.” (Clarke’s Commentary, emphasis added). Numbers says, “And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:” (v.23). The word “curse” in this passage was “alah” (Strong’s # 423) which means, “The ‘oath’ was a ‘curse’ on the head of the one who broke the agreement” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary, p.54, emphasis added). Because we have broken God’s law, the record of our sins written in the book was washed away with the waters of baptism, and the curse on our head, for breaking the law of God was nailed to the cross, through the sacrifice of Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17-“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” When people see the church of God celebrating the festivals of God and the weekly Sabbath, many will point to this scripture and say “its all be done away with in the New Testament.” Waltar Martin in his book Kingdom of the Cults in his weak refutation of some of the beliefs of the church of God boldly asserts that, “law keeping, dietary prohibitions, the Mosaic ordinances which were binding on Israel, and the Jewish custom of observances of Feasts etc... were abrogated by the Holy Spirit...” (Herbert W. Armstrong and the World Wide Church of God Tract, p.45, emphasis added). It is interesting how he contradicts himself a few pages earlier and says, “It is certainly true that no informed Christian believes in the destruction or setting aside of the laws of God...” (p.42). He uses the very scriptures we are dealing with here to prove God’s law has been done away, which we have so far shown is not true. God’s laws are forever and will never be taken away. This is the very nature of God!
The Colossian Heresy- Back to Colossians, we must understand the background of the letter to understand what Paul was speaking. In the book God’s Sabbath Rest, it explains the historical context of the letter, “Taking into account the historical context, the answer becomes clear. As the Church grew and developed in the first century, it had to deal with the progressive infiltration of gnosticism. The influence of this thought and practice is particularly noticeable in the New Testament writings of Paul, Peter and John.
“Gnosticism ‘was essentially a religio-philosophical attitude, not a well-defined system’ (Curtis Vaughan, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 11, p. 166). As such, it wasn’t a competing religion, rather an approach to one’s existing beliefs. The central theme of gnosticism was that secret knowledge (gnosis is the Greek word for “knowledge,” hence the term gnosticism) could enhance or improve one’s religion.
“Its central teaching was that spirit is entirely good, and matter is entirely evil. From this unbiblical dualism flowed...important errors” (The New International Version Study Bible, introduction to 1 John). Among these errors were beliefs that “man’s body, which is matter, is therefore evil. It is to becontrasted with God, who is wholly spirit and therefore good”; salvation “is escape from the body, achieved not by faith in Christ but by special knowledge”; and, “since the body was considered evil, it was to be treated harshly. This ascetic form of gnosticism is the background of part of the letter to the Colossians.”
“In addition to these beliefs, ‘Gnosticism, in all its forms, was characterized by belief...in mediating beings.” Further, “The knowledge of which the gnostics spoke...was knowledge acquired through mystical experience, not by intellectual apprehension. It was an occult knowledge, pervaded by the superstitions of astrology and magic. Moreover it was an esoteric knowledge, open only to those who had been initiated into the mysteries of the gnostic system”’ (Vaughan, p. 167).
“All of these elements are seen to have been influencing the Colossian congregation. It is clear that Paul was combating the supposedly special knowledge claimed by the Gnostics by claiming that he was making known to the Colossians the higher, saving knowledge of God and Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:9, 25-29; 2:2, 3).
“Paul wrote to them ‘lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words’ (verse 4). He called this secret knowledge nothing more than ‘philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ’ (verse 8). The more important knowledge, wrote Paul, was that of God and Christ, ‘in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (verse 3).
“Adherents to the heresy included people who advocated obeisance to angels and other spiritual powers. Paul warned the Colossians of those who delight in ‘worship of angels’ (verse 18). In the light of Christ’s atoning sacrifice, these supposed spirit ‘principalities and powers’ were useless as a means of access to God, he said (verses 10, 15).
“Based on their belief that spirit was good and the flesh was evil, these teachers taught strict asceticism, denying the self any physical pleasure. Through ‘neglect of the body’ (verse 23), they hoped to attain increased spirituality. Paul described their rules as ‘Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle’ (verse 21). These regulations concerned only ‘things which perish with the using,’ he wrote, because they are based on ‘the commandments and doctrines of men’ (verse 22), rather than teachings from God.
“This early Gnostic asceticism probably integrated gentile concepts with elements of Judaism such as circumcision (verse 11). ‘It is likely, therefore, that the Colossian heresy was a mixture of an extreme form of Judaism and an early stage of gnosticism’ (The New International Version Study Bible, introduction to Colossians).
“From the specific teachings Paul addressed, it appears that one or more branches of Judaism were influenced by gnosticism and infiltrated the Colossian congregation, teaching an extreme form of ascetic Judaism blended with Gnostic beliefs. The ascetic approach advocated by these false teachers led them to condemn those whose religious observances were not up to their ascetic spiritual standards. Thus Paul cautioned the Colossians ‘not [to] let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink...’ (verse 16, NIV)” (pp.44-46). Now that we understand the background of the letter, and when Paul says “let no man” we understand that he is speaking of the Gnostics and their teachings of the “commandments of men” and not the Commandments of God.
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (v.16). Who is he speaking of in this passage? The Gnostics and their false teachings. “Let no man [Gnostics and false doctines] therefore judge you” The word “judge” “Krino” (Strong’s # 2919) means, “to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong” (Thayers Lexicon). The Gnostic were expressing there opinion TO THE CHURCH OF GOD on HOW THEY WERE KEEPING THE HOLY DAYS AND THE SABBATH! This was NOT a question of “IF” but “How” they were keeping them. In this light, the scripture shows that the New Testament Gentile Church were KEEPING THE HOLY DAY OF GOD! Notice the context, “Let no man [The Gnostic] therefore judge you [give their opinion] in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days
“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Paul adds “Which are a shadow of things to come” to the thought, then gets back to the point, “but the body is of Christ.” First, “is” in this verse is italicized and not in the original Greek Text, but added by the translators, so it should read, “BUT THE BODY OF CHRIST” The bible says that the body of Christ is the church of God (see 1 Corinthians 12:27). The point Paul is making here is not to let the false teachers tell you HOW to keep God’s holy days, but these things should be determine by the true people of God, the CHURCH. The church determines doctrine by what is inspired by the holy word of God the Bible. Truly, the two verses can read, in its proper context, “Let no man [False brethren, Gnostic teachings etc...] therefore judge you [give their opinion] in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:...but the body of Christ [therefore judge you on how to observe these days].”
What were some of the things they had problems with, when it came to how the church was celebrating the festivals of God? “...they [the church] observed those times, apparently in a joyous and festive manner. These days were, after all, given by God as festivals and celebrations. This approach was entirely contrary to the Gnostic approach of stolid self-denial so evident in this chapter...Paul addressed is that Christians should not be criticized for observing these days in a festive manner. Paul cautioned that members should not let others judge them by those misguided ascetic standards in what they ate or drank or how they observed the Sabbaths or festivals (verse 16)” (ibid, p.46, emphasis added). The conclusion the booklet draws is, “Paul didn’t question whether they should be kept. The obvious implication of these verses is that these gentile Christians were in fact observing these days, and in no way were they told to desist.” (p.46, emphasis added).
“Shadow of things to come”-What does Paul mean, when he said “Which are a shadow of things to come”? Many feel that this means that these all point to Christ therefore not to be observed. But that is not what it says. Paul said they “are a shadow of things to come,” indicating they have a future fulfillment. The Greek word translated “to come” is “mello,” meaning “to be about to do or suffer something, to be at the point of, to be impending” (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament, p. 956).
Mello means “to be about (to do something), often implying the necessity and therefore the certainty of what is to take place” (W.E. Vine, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, “Come,” p. 207).
Paul uses the same word construction in Ephesians 1:21, stating that Jesus Christ is “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (NIV). He contrasts the present age with one “to come,” showing there is clearly a future fulfillment.
This future fulfillment is also made clear from the phrasing in Colossians 2:17 that these things “are a shadow.” The Greek word esti, translated here as “are,” is in the present-active tense and means “to be” or “is” (Zodhiates, p. 660). For Paul to have meant that the Sabbath and festivals were fulfilled and became obsolete in Jesus Christ, it would have been necessary for him to say they “were a shadow” and to have used entirely different wording.
Paul’s choice of wording makes it clear that the Sabbath and festivals “are a shadow” of things still to come and not “were a shadow” of things fulfilled and made obsolete in Jesus Christ.
The way to understand this, is, suppose there is a large tree out in the sun, there is also going to be a shadow. The shadow leads you to the tree. If you take away the shadow, then there is no tree. The shadow right now is the Sabbath and Holy Days, which lead us, or teaches us about redemption, salvation, the kingdom of God, the blood of the lamb, and the spiritual rest we will have in the Kingdom of God, which is represented in the Sabbath, see Hebrews 4. This is the future reality about to come! The shadow teaches us, and we learn these amazing truths and the plan of salvation of God!
Conclusion-Colossians 2:11-16 does not teach that the law is done away, but, the law was kept by the New Testament church, and that these things point to, and teach us about the Kingdom of God, salvation etc...
By Peter Salemi