The Book of Colossians Pt. 29 Set Free To Stand Fast in Christ.

Colossians 2:20-22  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21)  (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22)  Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 

Paul warned the Colossians about law keeping again. He says "If as Christians, you are dead with Jesus Christ to the power of the ceremonial law, why are you subjecting yourselves to them?" 

When they received Christ, they professed that there was no hope of salvation from keeping the law and ceremonies. Those things were only rudiments, first elements, or the basic principles, that condemned the world of sin (Romans 3).

These rudiments were perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ, and since we are joined with Him in His death, we are dead to the law and have received His righteousness as our own.

Therefore, trying to live according to the law meant that they would be adding something to the perfect work of Christ, in order to gain favor with God by their performance. 

The idea of not touching or tasting certain things came from ascetics, who thought rigorous self denial and abstaining from certain things would make them pure. 

Under the law, there was a ceremonial pollution contracted by touching dead bodies, or things offered to an idol, or by tasting meats God said not to eat. 

None of these ceremonial commands were purifying in themselves. Observing them demonstrated obedience to God. However, ceremonial commands were temporary, passing away when Christ came.  

Rudimentary things were like manmade traditions of the elders imposed by the Jewish religious leaders upon the people. Washing hands and pots or walking only a short distance on the Sabbath day do nothing to transform hearts or make us acceptable to God.

Now, the moral law of God expressed in the ten commandments and other commands that regulate our actions with each other, remain as God's holy standard. 

We are not to lie, cheat, steal, covet, commit adultery, or murder. We are not to love or serve anything or anyone more than we love and serve God. 

We are to make Jehovah the priority for our lives. We are to honor our parents. We are to make the Lord's day a holy day, set apart to worship and reflect upon our merciful Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus also fulfilled all the moral commands of the law for us, but God gave us a new heart, a new spirit and a new life so that we might willingly follow His moral commands.

Traditions of man must be rejected.

Matthew 15:1,2  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2)  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 

Jesus constantly confronted the Judaizers in Jerusalem because they promoted the idea that if you keep the traditions of the elders, then you would be right with God.

Thus, they set faith in God aside and added their own works and performance as a requirement for salvation.

Mark 7:1-4  Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 2)  And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 3)  For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 4)  And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 

Mark's gospel records many aspects of the traditions of man that the religious Jews rigorously observed. 

Eating without first washing hands was a sin. Entering a home without having your feet washed was a sin. Not washing cups, cookware, tables and utensils was a sin. 

They did these things because they believed that in doing them they gained favor with God by their works. 

Following tradition and law keeping means setting aside God's Word.

Mark 7:6-9  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7)  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 8)  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 9)  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Here is Jesus' answer to those who think they can work their way to heaven by doing or not doing certain things. 

They were following the tradition of man rather than the commandments of God. In fact, the Lord said that they rejected the commandments of God in order to follow man made tradition. 

This is what Paul was getting at, when he encouraged the Colossians not to follow the Judaizers or be swayed by the ascetics. 

External pretense accomplishes nothing.

Colossians 2:23  Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Those who followed false teaching thought they were wiser than other people, by observing the law of Moses together with believing the gospel of Christ. This is a mere show or exhibition of wisdom, a mere pretence. 

They seemed to neglect the body by abstaining from certain meats, or mortifying their bodily pleasures and appetites. 

However, the gospel teaches us to worship God in spirit and truth and not by ritual observances. We worship the Father through the mediation of Christ alone and not with the help of angels.

Christians are freed by Christ from the ritual observances of Moses's law, and delivered from that yoke of bondage which God himself had laid upon them. 

Subjection to ordinances, or human traditions in the worship of God, is highly  contrary to the freedom and liberty of the gospel. 

All the rituals have an appearance of wisdom, and seem reasonable and logical.  But they demand a form of worship which God did not command. 

Stand fast in your faith and Christ's sufficiency.

Galatians 5:1-4  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2)  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3)  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4)  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Paul had to strongly confront the Judaiziers who filled the province of Galatia with false teaching. They were adding to repentant faith in Jesus Christ alone, and diminishing the work of Christ in the process.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Hold fast your Christian profession. It brings spiritual liberty: on the contrary, Judaism brings spiritual bondage.

The liberty mentioned by the apostle is freedom from Jewish rites and ceremonies, called properly here the yoke of bondage. It is liberty from the power and guilt of sin, which nothing but the grace of Christ can take away.

It appears that some Galatians renounced that way of justification which God had established through faith in Christ (See Romans 3:24; 28; 5;1; 9). 

While attempting to profess faith in Christ and keep the law, they became debtors to do the whole law, and no man can do that. Consequently, they revolted from Christ to build their hopes upon the law, so Christ would not profit them.

This was the danger Paul expressed to the Colossians and he wanted to make sure they stood fast in their faith, holding to Jesus Christ as all sufficient.  

Hear and heed what Jesus Christ says.

John 4:23,24  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24)  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

There is only one way to worship God and that is the way that He communicates to us. We cannot devise our own methods and means of worshipping God. 

We must worship God in Spirit and in truth. His Spirit indwells us when we express repentant faith in Christ, and He gave us His Word to read and obey. 

Leviticus 10:1,2 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. 2) And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. 

Aarons two sons took a censor and filled it with "strange fire" which Jehovah did not command them to do. They may have had good intentions in doing this, but if God does not specify doing it, then we must not assume it is okay to do it. Nadab and Abihu assumed they knew what God wanted them to do and it cost them their lives. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

First, we have a built in tendency to try to do things our way. Instead, we must read and heed the scriptures and seek to do all things as God tells us to.

Second, we tend to be like Cain in bringing the fruits of our own fleshly efforts. Our performance cannot earn salvation. Only faith in Christ opens the door to eternal life. 

There is a certain appeal in self denial or law keeping, but Jesus Christ is all sufficient for our spiritual needs. We are saved by grace through faith not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Therefore, we must reject the traditions of men and obey God's inspired Word. We must stand fast in our faith, and Christian liberty that Christ brought to us.

Bob