In the year 325 AD, the emperor Constantine called a council of bishops (and some other key thinkers in the church) to gather at Nicaea. The task given to these men was to declare – based on the Scripture – what was true concerning the Son of God. Ultimately the teaching of a man named Arius was declared heresy and the teaching of Scripture was declared to be the truth that the Son of God was of the same essence as the Father.
So, we might ask, what was Arius teaching? What message was he promoting? Was he saying that the Son was nothing like the Father? No he wasn’t. Was he saying that the Son was just like you or me? No he wasn’t. What then was he saying? He was saying that the Son was only of similar essence to the Father. And Athanasius rightly observed that though Arius’s declaration sounded very close to the truth, if the Son of God is not of the same essence as the Father, then the faith fails.
You see, some of the most dangerous things in life are things that look or sound only slightly different from those things that are right and good. Those promoting false teaching, for example, who look creepy, make animal sacrifices, and promote pushing down the old lady crossing the street don’t have much allure. But the guy who’s kind, friendly, courteous, and denies the reality of hell while talking about the goodness and steadfastness of God’s love can produce a strong pull on those trying to stand firm in the truth. Similarly, few single believers are tempted to start dating, or courting, or marry the town drunk. But the moral guy who can quote parts of the Bible, has good manners, treats a girl well, and yet doesn’t trust in and love Jesus Christ can be a dangerous temptation for a single Christian woman. Some of the greatest heresies in the history of the church were teachings that were only slightly different from the truth.
And it was the reality of these false teachings that sounded very much like they could be true that were causing problems among the Colossians. It seems that Paul goes out of his way to acknowledge that the false teachings coming against the Colossians had the appearance and sound of something that was good. Thus, Paul warns them in 2:4 not to be deluded by “plausible arguments,” and he warns them in 2:23 that these teachings they need to resist “have . . . an appearance of wisdom.” Yet in the end, they were false and detracted from the sufficiency of Christ and his work.
So, what teaching could have such devastating effects on the Colossians? What is it that was threatening to divert their attention away from Christ? Is it someone telling them to leave their spouses, murder others, and dishonor their parents? No. It seems to have been someone or a group of individuals telling them that there were simply a few more rules and regulations they needed to hold to and abide by if they were to experience the fullness of the Christian life. From our text this morning, it seems that some were suggesting to the Colossians that what they had in Christ and from Christ was not enough if they wanted to know the fullness of godliness. They needed to avoid certain foods and drinks (perhaps meat and alcohol), observe certain festivals, keep the Sabbath, and other such things.
Again, we might say here, “Really?” What was causing Paul such concern is a group promoting abstinence from certain foods and drinks, festival observance, and sabbath-keeping? Why would this cause Epaphras to go to Paul and Paul then to write this letter? It seems that Paul saw that with the addition of these rules and regulations that were extra-biblical, there was a risk and temptation to the Colossians to remove their focus from Christ and the sufficiency found in him and his work.
And, in light of that temptation, it’s good for us as well to recognize these words from Paul, heed his warnings, and obey the exhortations given to the Colossians, for this same temptations exist with us. Therefore, I want to note a few things that we need to make sure we pay attention to that Paul spells out in these verses. The first is simply that we need to recognize that . . .
In the first four verses of our text Paul exhorts the believers two times. First, he says to them in verse 16, “Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” Then, similarly, he says in verse 18, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason and by his sensuous mind.”
Now, again, from these verses, we get an idea of what is being told to the Colossians. Basically, they are hearing that there are more rules and regulations they must have, more experiences they need to go through if they really want to experience the Christian life. They are perhaps told that there’s more spiritual fullness if they’ll just avoid drinking or eating this or that, if they’ll observe this festival or the Sabbath, if they’ll have this certain vision, or if they’ll seek the protection of angels through worshiping them. Again, whatever the specifics, Paul is telling them that they need no more. In fact, he points out in verse 17 that the reason they do not need to deny themselves certain foods or drinks, or observe the Sabbath, or regard a certain festival is because all of these things were but shadows of something more to come, and that more to come was Christ. We read in verse 17, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
This sounds similar to the point Paul made in 2:8-15, doesn’t it? Why are you seeking all these things when you have Christ, and in him you have everything? Similarly, he wants them to know that these false teachers are actually focusing so much on these things besides Christ that they’re ignoring where growth comes from. He writes of them in verse 19, “And not holding fast to the Head [who is Christ], from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with growth that is from God.”
It’s as if Paul is saying, “They’re telling you that you need all these things, these extra rules and regulations, to really experience the Christian life, but they don’t realize that growth as a believer comes from being united with Christ – the head of the body – and these men not holding to him.” Again, we’re able to get a little decent glimpse of what is going on here. Paul is in essence saying, “You don’t have to worry that you’re missing out by not following these extra-biblical rules and regulations or experiences. You have Christ. He’s the substance, and these other things were merely shadows to point to him. He’s the source of all growth that comes from God. Remind yourself that you have him, and he’s all you need.” I think that picture is pretty clear.
But consider these exhortations in verses 16-18 again. Paul tells them, “Let no one pass judgment on you” in regard to not doing these rules and regulations they’ve laid out. And he tells them, “Let no one disqualify you,” insisting that you have certain experiences or the like. Let me ask you this, “How did Paul envision the Colossian believers obeying those two commands?” How do you not let people judge you? How do you control that?
Did Paul envision them saying, “Hey, I know you’re looking at me as I eat this piece of meat, and it seems that you might be judging me. Stop it.”? That seems unlikely. Perhaps Paul wanted them to go and talk to these people and make sure they understood these things were wrong and should no longer look down on them for not obeying their rules, and they’re going to hold them accountable not to do it. Perhaps that’s it. But it seems more likely that Paul is saying to the Colossian believers in verses 16-18, “Don’t be bothered by their judgment of you.” That is, it seems he’s saying, “There may be people who condemn you for not observing their extra-biblical rules and regulations, but you don’t have to be bothered by it. You don’t have to let their judgment get to you. You can realize that all you need you have by being untied by faith with the one who lived, died, and was raised for you.”
You see, I think Paul’s exhortations here are a fight we’ll always have. You and I don’t need to make it our mission to find everyone out there who might say that we need more than faith in Christ to be justified or that unless we do this or that extra-biblical rule, we won’t really grow as a Christian. Those things will always be there. There are always going to be temptations to remove our focus from what we have through Christ and his work. If Christ is the one who gives growth to the body, then the enemy’s attacks will always be to divert out attention elsewhere. Ironically, Paul also reminds the Colossians that not all of these temptations will look bad.
Thus, we see in the second half of our text . . .
Listen to what Paul says in verses 21-23. He lists some of these rules and regulations that the Colossian believers are being told they need to follow: “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used).” Then he notes that these are “according to human precepts and teachings.” That is to say, “These commands do not come from God but simply from man-made rules and tradition.” But lest we think, “Yeah, they’re all silly, aren’t they?” He adds, “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
Imposing rules on one another that are more than what is given in the Scripture can indeed have the appearance of wisdom. Consider for example, that the internet is used for all kinds of evils in the world. People use it for pornography, to seduce others, to steal from one another, etc. These things are evil, and they should be avoided. But what if we decided just to forbid everyone in the church from using the internet? All of these evils could be avoided, couldn’t they? Or consider drunkenness. Getting drunk is condemned in the Bible. It is sin, and there is no way around it. Furthermore, drunkenness is the reason why numerous people die and kill others every year. It is a great evil that God has commanded us to avoid. So, what if we just decided to forbid everyone from consuming alcohol? Wouldn’t that solve the problem? Just as you can’t look at steal from someone over the internet if you never use the internet, so you can never get drunk if you never consume alcohol. And we could keep going, couldn’t we? We could forbid driving vehicles so that we’re never tempted to disobey driving laws, make vows of poverty so that we never trust in our money, or never stand in the room or walk on the sidewalk with someone of the opposite sex to whom we’re not married to ensure we’ll never commit sexual immorality.
Again, all of these things have the appearance of wisdom, don’t they? And, we all have the freedom to make these decisions for ourselves and our families. And those decisions might look different. One of us might decide that we want internet in our home and another decides the risks are too great for the reward and not have it. Either is fine. We have the freedom to do either hear. And certain rules might aid us in avoiding temptation. That’s great.
The key, however, is to recognize that the drive for holy living is not rooted in extra-biblical rules and regulations – however helpful we might decide some of them are for us. This is why Paul says, “They are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” The motivation for holy living is realizing what we have in Christ and what he has done for us. That is, you can take a vow of poverty and never have riches in this life, but that does not mean that you won’t love and yearn for riches. The strength for not coveting is not in saying, “But I’ve promised I’ll never have a nice car,” but in saying, “I have everything I need in Christ. He is an heir of all things, and through faith in him, I am a co-heir with him.”
We could tell ourselves that we need more rules than the Bible gives and keep adding them more and more and more to ourselves and others, but ultimately we must realize that the strength for overcoming temptation is found not in having as many rules as possible but realizing what is true of us because of Christ.
Now, I fear that perhaps this might not be as clear as I’d like, so let me give a personal illustration. I know the temptation of wanting the honor and praise of men. It is a real temptation to me at times. There can be a desire to have men think highly of me, and I don’t want to succumb to that desire. So, I could make rules in my life that says I can’t do anything that might make people think highly of me. I mean, one thing is if people are impressed with education, then I’ll get no more. If people are impressed with writing books, I’ll do none. If people are impressed with being good at sports, then I’ll only do those where I’m not very impressive (which gives me quite a long list). If speaking in public tempts me to hunger for man’s praise, then I’ll only speak to crowds of ten or fewer. And I could go on and on with rule after rule of things I won’t do to keep my flesh from loving man’s praise. But you know what the problem is? Those rules don’t change my heart. I could be sitting in a room by myself having done nothing that might draw the praise of men and thinking with great longing, “Good grief, I hope all my friends think I’m amazing.”
Rather, what I need is to remember all I have because of Christ. This is no doubt why Paul reminds the Colossians in verse 20 that they’ve died with Christ, writing, “If with Christ you died to the elemental principles of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations.” That is, Paul is reminding them that they’ve died to the law that says they must do and do and do to be justified before God. They don’t have to keep living by a law that says, “Do these things, and you’ll live.” They have died with Christ and been raised with him. Therefore, they already have been justified, have all they need in Christ, and will one day be raised to live with him forever.
So, in the same way, the strength to fight the temptation to desire man’s praise is for me to recognize that I have everything I long for (and more) in Christ. Do I want to be approved of? Well, the God of the universe approves of me because Christ’s righteousness is mine. Do I want the honor that comes with riches? Well, everything that’s been created belongs to Christ, and I am united with him so that I am a co-heir with him of these things in eternity.
That recognition of what I have in Christ is the strength to overcome temptations to men’s praise. And when we’re secure in that, we can actually begin to say to others, “Hey, have you seen how gifted this brother is. Did you read the book he wrote? Have you heard what a great preacher he is?” You see, realizing what we have in Christ enables us not to have to pursue mere reflections of riches or honor or praise in this world. We have true riches and approval in Christ so that we’re free to give of our riches and honor others in this life. That realization is powerful in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Therefore, though we’re free to abide by whatever extra-biblical rules we want, we just need to realize that the source for the strength to walk in holiness is realizing what is ours through faith in the crucified and risen Lord. But let me make a few side notes as we close, lest we walk away from here misunderstanding what I think is the aim of these verses.
1) Paul is telling the Colossians here that they don’t have to submit to extra-biblical commands. He is not telling them that they don’t have to worry about biblical commands.
That is, Paul is telling them that they don’t have to abide by someone’s regulations that aren’t commanded in the Bible. But he would make sure all of us know that we have to abide by all things commanded to us in the Scripture, and we must not confuse these two things.
2) The Bible does tell us to honor our word and submit to authorities, so we should abide by the rules of any institution to which we join ourselves.
What this means is that if your employer wants you to wear a tie every day, then wear a tie. It doesn’t matter that the Bible doesn’t command us to wear ties. The Bible does command slaves to obey their masters, and the only exception is when you are commanded to sin. So, the question is not, “Does the Bible command me to wear a tie?” The question, rather, is, “Does the Bible say wearing a tie is sin?” The answer is that it doesn’t, so you can gladly obey your boss’s command. The same is true for rules given to you by the university or seminary you attend or the country you live in. No one is making you live in this country or attend that school. But as long as you do, you need to abide by the rules and regulations given there.
3) There is a difference between imposing rules on other believers and willingly giving up what we have the Christian liberty to do.
Let me explain what I mean by that. You might wonder why Paul is all up in arms in this letter. Let’s say, for example, that one of the rules and regulations some were trying to impose on the Colossians was that they couldn’t eat meat. Well, didn’t Paul himself say to the Corinthians that they should be willing to abstain from eating meat if it’d offend their brother? So, what’s the difference?
The difference is that in Colossians someone is trying to impose a rule on another. That is, if Paul saw that eating meat would tempt his brother to eat meat as well and violate his own conscience, then Paul was willing to say, “I’ll do without meat because I love my brother.” But, if someone told Paul, “You can’t eat meat and be a Christian,” he was about to put his fighting gloves on and come out swinging.
So, arguing that we have the freedom in Christ to do something doesn’t mean we must do everything the Bible gives us the freedom to do. Rather, we can decide to forfeit any freedom if it’s a way that we might show love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we cannot make laws against things that the Bible doesn’t forbid.
4) Finally, recognize that our minds and hearts don’t just default to thinking about the gospel, what is true of us because of Christ, and what we have in Christ. It is a conscious effort to remind ourselves of the gospel and to remind ourselves that we do not have to seek the things of the world because we have died and been raised with Christ. Therefore, let us make it our aim this morning to cultivate in our own hearts an obsession with the gospel and an obsession with focusing on Jesus Christ and what we have in him. In fact, let us do that even now by coming to the table and eating this bread and drinking from this cup in remembrance of Christ. Amen.