Jesus, Period. Colossians 2:16-23

 There are some things in this world that simply do not need augmenting/supplementing/adding to. For instance, as I shop and travel down grocery aisles I notice all the new varieties of Oreos (double-stuffed, mega stuffed, mint, peanut butter, vanilla, inside out, etc.) and wonder if any of them can truly stack up against the original. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are another example. You now have Reese’s with extra chocolate, some with extra peanut butter, other made with white chocolate, some filled with pretzels, and even others stuffed with Reese’s Pieces! Dr. Pepper is another thing. Now you have cherry, vanilla, cherry vanilla. These are not nearly as good. Coca Cola was nearly undone when years ago they tried to alter the original recipe and sold “New Coke.” You simple cannot improve on certain things. While all these examples may be motivated by my hunger for lunch, the same principle can be applied to certain spiritual realities. I remember growing up in the first church I attended seeing a sign above the front door of the main entrance that read “Jesus.” “Jesus period” was a mantra of the church that suggested that ultimately it was all about Christ—He is the one who saves, inspires, encourages, informs, reveals, leads, etc. The church taught that Jesus needs no augmenting/supplementing/adding to. This idea has been and continues to be challenged today. Instead of “Jesus period,” many believe it must needs be “Jesus plus this or that.” This can prove a real problem for the church. Paul addresses this issue by giving three warnings in Colossians 2:16-23.

1. Don’t Let People Condemn You Based on Trivial Matters-2:16-17

As Paul continues to warn the church against falsehood and heresy that threatened the church, he lays out some practical prohibitions designed to protect the congregation from potential problems. The first of these is “Don’t let people condemn you based on trivial matters.” One of the empty philosophies that was prominent in the context of Colossae was asceticism which endorsed strict rules on eating, drinking, and celebrations designed to help people “conquer their flesh.” Those who held themselves to such demands sought to project these demands on others, judging those who were not committed to their regulations as “less spiritual” or “ungodly.” Paul wanted to put an end to this kind of critical and dominating kind of thinking/accusing behavior. To this end he says, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--…” (2:16).

False teachers attempted to enforce regulations on the church which were foreign or even against the spirit of Christian freedom for which Paul so vigorously fought.

Galatians 5:1-“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:15-18-“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

2 Corinthians 3:17-“ Now the LORD is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom.”

 Unnecessary demands made on people concerning trivial/secondary matters did not deserve a place in the congregation and could only serve to divide and disrupt the fellowship.

What were those matters that some seemed so unnecessarily preoccupied with? Paul lists two: food laws and special days. Concerning the food laws, although the Christian movement had already settled what was free to eat (see Acts 10:15), pockets of resistance existed and there were some who wanted to pull people back under the authority of Old Covenant food restrictions. Also, while some believed they were free to eat food that may have been offered to idols, others were strongly against it. Concerning festivals, some believed in worshipping on Sundays while others Saturday. Others wondered whether or not they were free to participate in pagan holidays. The apostle was warned that Christians were becoming overly concerned with these things and strongly forbade the Colossian Christians to establish strict regulations (one way or the other) on such matters. To do so (majoring on the minor) may look spiritual, but ultimately, such regulations steal attention away from what was most important—a relationship with Christ. By even suggesting that shallow prescriptions must be met in certain ways to be right with God (as the Pharisees had in the life in times of Christ), these false teachers undermined God’s work in Christ and unnaturally exalted manmade efforts for righteousness.

Paul reminds the church that much of what was being “judged” or “considered” by those given to this kind of knit picking was “a mere shadow of what is to come” (2:17a). In other words while the Old Testament law and its many regulations served an important purpose in pointing forward to something, temporarily setting people apart unto the Lord, and demonstrating the character of God, the law and regulations were never intended to be ultimate. They are mere “shadows.” “A shadow is less significant than the object which causes it. A shadow is temporary, lasting until the substance arrives in view. A shadow is inferior in that it imperfectly resembles the object” (Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 268).

What is ultimate is Jesus—“but the substance belongs to Christ” (2:17b). “No one prefers the shadow to the substance. Thus the reality (Christ) is of more significance and value than the shadow (the law)” (Melick, Phlippians, Colossians, Philemon, 268). The law, Paul argues elsewhere, was temporary and inferior to that which has come and was fulfilled in Christ. Because Christ has fulfilled the law and serves as the substance of all that the law represented, it would be foolish to establish or insist on a law (old or new) to be made right with God/“earn spiritual points.” Don’t let people condemn you based on trivial matters.”

2. Don’t Let People Con You with Powerless Pursuits-2:18-19

The next warning Paul offers is against powerless pursuits as in “Don’t let people con you with powerless pursuits.” As in the first warning, Paul begins with a command. This time he says, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels” (2:18a). The verb “defraud” means “to judge as a referee that someone is not worthy to receive a prize” (Louw & Nida). In this case, false teachers were conning people (tricking/judging them out of their joy in Christ) by distracting them with wacky worship practices that were self-centered and inappropriately focused. In Paul’s day, people were being led to believe that certain spiritual rigors could bring someone a heightened form of worship. Some think that this may have involved things like fasting and/or depriving one’s flesh of certain things so as to induce unusual spiritual experiences, including worship “with the angels” (as the phrase should probably be interpreted). “Consistent with the Jewish traditions that the angels were higher than humans and that they worshiped and served God, the false teachers seem to have developed a procedure to induce a higher spiritual experience equivalent to the angel’s experience. To effect this, however, required severity to the flesh” (Melick, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 271). Through certain practices, false teachers taught that the mind and spirit could be sensitized to higher spiritual realities and these became an evidence of spiritual superiority over others. Paul believed such pursuits were dubious and should be avoided. Those chasing such experiences will often be disappointed when they do not receive the warm fuzzies and when the fuzzies do occur it leaves many highly susceptible to pride.

Paul explains how this happens in the remainder of verse 18 and into verse 19. First, Paul says that such a person, “takes a stand on visions he has seen” (2:18b). Instead of remaining tethered to the revelation of God as found in Christ and in his Word, these would rather depend on personal subjective experiences which can’t be confirmed or questioned. Such dependence is characterized by a lack of accountability and can lead in any number of directions.

An unchecked dependence on personal visions very quickly leads to arrogance. Paul continues, “inflated without cause by his fleshly mind” (2:18c). These, the apostle argues, are unjustifiably haughty before others and being controlled, ironically enough, by their carnal flesh. How is this for an interesting paradox: in some people’s pursuit of spiritual ecstasy, they actually hand themselves over the base and carnal tendency toward the oldest sin in the book—pride.

Paul also describes such people as “not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God” (2:19). Inasmuch as the “head” of which Paul speaks is Christ (see 1 Cor. 11:3), this depicts a spiritual pursuit that is disconnected from Jesus in any meaningful way. It is true that the enemy can use a spiritual trip to lead people away from Christ. Just because it is said to be “spiritual” does not mean it leads to a better understanding of God. Paul’s warning is well-taken. People cannot sacrifice a better understanding of and relationship with Christ on the altar of spiritual experiences.

So far, Paul has demonstrated two threats that can lead the church away from a right understanding of Jesus and how he relates to believers: asceticism and ecstatic/esoteric experiences. Regarding strict adherence to trivial regulations, Christians need to remember that they have been forgiven and are free in Christ who has satisfied and fulfilled the law. Concerning what Paul calls “angel worship” (or “angel-like worship”), Christians should realize that they need only a relationship with Christ for a meaningful worship life and do not need to try to manufacture of conjure up ecstatic experiences. Jesus really is enough. In fact, this is the point Paul emphasizes in his last warning.

3. Don’t Let People Convince You that Christ Needs Your Help-2:20-23

In verses 20-23 Paul warns the church by saying “Don’t let people convince you that Christ needs your help.” After all, unlike the vain humanistic philosophies of materialism mentioned earlier (see 2:8), Paul reminds his readers “if you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teaching of men?...” (2:20b-22).  Paul spares no expense at describing what these philosophies and practices lead to. First, he suggests that they are enslaving (“why do you submit yourselves to decrees”). Another way to translate this might be “why are you coming under the dominion of this dogma?” Because the “dogma” in this case is non-Christian (and, in fact, leads away from Christ), it was particularly devastating to Christian growth. The problem at Colossae was the people were being tempted to adopt a worldview contrary to true Christianity and this system would enslave them. 

The rules of this enslaving dogma are highlighted in Paul’s recitation of “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” Such prohibitions were probably repeated time and again by false teachers trying to lead people into believing that the right combination of dos and don’ts could earn them spiritual points and speed up their growing process. Such commands were not rooted in scripture as much as they were “the commandments and teaching of men.” Leave it up to men to add to what God has provided in Christ and distort the nature of salvation into a works-based program.

Such a system is foolish in part because it focuses on the temporal. Paul says that these dos and don’ts “refer to things destined to perish with use”—e.g. food, works, experiences, etc. Since the Christian’s life is never-ending, the believer ought to focus on what lasts. Instead of placing food and various practices at the center of one’s worship, Jesus should occupy that space exclusively. 

Even so, many people are given to capitalize on practices and protocols to the neglect of Christ himself because “these are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body” (2:23a). In other words, these many regulations look spiritual and impress people into believing that they are somehow closer to the Lord. Practices/protocols can be seen, measured, and progress charted and awarded by men. As a result, people deceived into believing they in accomplishing these tasks or having these experiences, they are helping themselves achieve a right relationship with God. This is a worldly kind of wisdom that puts the responsibility on the believer, not on Jesus.

However, as Paul points out in verse 23, these practices and protocols, in and of themselves “are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (2:23b). They do not satisfactorily or ultimately solve the problem they claim to cure. Only Jesus can do that, and he does not need any help.

The entire system Paul describes in this passage is flawed. Subscribers to this kind of program hope to produce a higher spiritual state. However, in the end, their approach is misguided on at least three points: 1) it is a product of this world and not of God (see 2:20—“elementary principles of this world”), 2) it focused on perishable/earthly objects (see 22—“which all refer to things destined to perish…”), and 3) it did not offer a means of conquering the desires of the flesh (2:23—“are of no value against fleshly indulgence”).

So What?

Ultimately, there is a simple theme in Paul’s warnings given in this passage—It is Jesus alone who saves—not Jesus plus this or that. Any teaching that tries to add to his redemptive work or sneak added measures in where they do not belong is totally off base. The fact that Paul writes these warnings to a church ought to compel us all to look around to be sure that we are not adding to what Jesus has already accomplished on our behalf. Thankfully, Paul’s warnings help us identify any leanings toward this kind of falsehood. Let me ask you, are you one to major on the minor? Those who set artificial bars or unnecessary hoops for others to jump through to be taken seriously, accepted, or embraced as brothers/sisters might need to heed Paul’s first warning: “don’t let people condemn you with trivial matters.” What matters most is your understanding of who Christ is and what he has done for you—do not let people distract/bother you with far less than that. Let me ask you, are you always chasing after a spiritual high or looking for the next powerful experience? Those who are not satisfied unless or until they have a case of the warm fuzzies might need to heed Paul’s second warning: “Don’t let people con you with powerless pursuits.” Experiences come and go, but the truth of God endures forever and in all circumstances. Let me ask you, are you living as though your salvation depends on your performance? May we all heed Paul’s third warning and general comment: “Don’t let people convince you that Jesus needs your help.” Salvation is from the Lord and the same one that saved you, is saving you now and will one day save you in the end. It isn’t Jesus plus this or that, it really is “Jesus period.”