Old Testament Reading: 1 Chronicles 23:24–32

“These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the LORD. For David said, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever [or perminantly]. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.’ For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening, and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the LORD on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the LORD. Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 23:24–32, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Colossians 2:16-23

“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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 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.” (Colossians 2:16–23, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In Colossians 2:16-23, Paul addresses the false teaching that was present in the church of Colossae head-on. Notice, he divides the false teaching into three categories. In verse 16, Paul says, “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.”  In verse 18, he says, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions…”, etc. And in verse 20, he says, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations… according to human precepts and teachings?” Each of the three sections begins with either a command or exhortation: let no one pass judgment on you; let no one disqualify; do not submit to man-made regulations. And the whole passage is brought to a conclusion with the statement found in verse 23: “These [teachings] 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.” So you can see that Colossians 2:16-23 is a unit made up of three parts and a conclusion. This passage is very rich, and so I’ve decided to focus my attention only on verses 16 and 17 this morning. Lord willing, we will return to consider the rest, or at least more of this passage, next Sunday. 

Text

“Therefore…”

Notice, our text begins with the word, “Therefore…” This is an important observation. It indicates that Paul is building off of what he said in the previous passage. It’s as if he says, Therefore, given all of the truths I have just expressed to you, I now say this. 

And what are the truths that Paul has just expressed? He has commanded us not to be taken “captive by empty and deceitful philosophies— philosophies rooted down in human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not rooted down in Christ” (see Colossians 2:8). After this, he explained why true wisdom is found only in Christ. “For in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9, ESV). And in Christ, believers are filled (or completed), having been spiritually circumcised (the body of sin has been removed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit), and united to him in his death and resurrection (water baptism is a sign of this). Though we were once dead, spiritually, in Christ we have been made alive. In Christ, our sins are forgiven. The record of debt that stood against us, along with its legal demands, has been nailed to the cross of Christ and taken away. More than this, those united to Christ by faith have also been set free from bondage to the Evil One and his dark kingdom.

“Let No One Pass Judgment On You…”

“Therefore…”, in light of who Christ is and in light off all that Christ has done in you and for you to free you from bondage to sin and death, “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” (Colossians 2:16, ESV).

When the Apostle says, “let no one pass judgment on you”, it is not a suggestion, but a command. Paul commanded the saints in Colossae not to allow anyone to pass judgment on them. The Greek word translated as “pass judgment” (κρίνω) means “to make a judgment based upon the correctness or value of something—‘to evaluate, to judge’” (Louw-Nida, 30.108). And the saints in Colossae were instructed not to allow anyone to do this to them. They were to reject those in their midst who attempted to stand over them and to judge or evaluate the correctness or value of their behavior. 

Question: When Paul says, “Let no one pass judgment on you”, does he mean that there is never a time for judgment within Christ’s church?  Does he mean that there is never a time for the members of the body of Christ to judge another church member? No, that cannot be what he means, for Paul uses the same Greek word in 1 Corinthians 5 and 6, and there he is not forbidding judgment, but commanding that it be done. 

In 1 Corinthians 5:3, Paul says, “For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing”. Verse 12: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” Verse 13: “God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.” So you can see that Paul here commands the church to judge its members. But what are they to judge? They are to judge in matters of sin. It is the “evil person”, that is to say, the “morally corrupt, evil, or wicked person (πονηρός, Louw-Nida, 88.110) who is to be judged and purged from the congregation. 

The word “judge” also appears in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3. There, Paul is talking about settling civil disputes within the congregation. Again, he commands that Christians judge, saying, “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” (1 Corinthians 6:1–3, ESV).

So then, there are times when Christians must judge fellow church members, and in such cases, it is right for church members to submit to the judgments of their fellow members, with the elders in the lead. Paul’s words here in Colossians 2:16, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you…” cannot be applied to judgments rendered in church discipline cases involving unrepentant sin, that is to say, violations of God’s moral law, or to disputes amongst church members requiring mediation. 

“In Questions Of Food And Drink…”

What, then, does Paul mean when he says, “let no one pass judgment on you…” The context makes it clear. Paul says, “Let no one pass judgment on you” specifically, “in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16, ESV). 

Clearly, the false teachers in Colossae—those who were promoting empty and deceptive philosophies, rooted in man-made traditions and the elementary principles of the world—were passing judgment on the saints in Colossae regarding food and drink, and festivals, new moons, and Sabbath days, and Paul commanded the saints in Colossae not to submit to their judgments. 

But what standards for food and drink were these false teachers seeking to impose on the Colossians? What were the festivals, new moons, and Sabbath days that these false teachers expected the saints to observe? This must be a reference to the ceremonial laws of the Old Mosaic Covenant. In particular, these false teachers were seeking to impose the Old Covenant dietary laws and religious calendar on these New Covenant saints, and Paul said, Do not allow it. Let no one pass judgment on you as it pertains to these things. 

As you may know, under the Old, Mosaic Covenant—the Covenant that God made with the people of Isarel, through Moses, at Mt. Sinai, after God redeemed them from Egyptian bondage, and before he brought them into the promised land (in about 1,600 BC)—many laws were added to the moral law, which is summarized in the Ten Commandments, and imposed upon the people of Israel (see Galatains 3:19), for as long as the Old Covenant remained (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Galatians 3:23-29).  The moral law, which is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments, was at the very heart of all the laws that God gave to Israel, but in addition to the moral law, God gave them civil or judicial laws to govern their nation and ceremonial laws to distinguish them from the nations, to govern their worship, and to prefigue the Christ, who would one day come into the would through them. 

As you may know, some of the ceremonial laws given to Old Covenant Israel had to do with food. If you are following along with the yearly Bible reading plan that we provide for you, then you read Leviticus 11 yesterday—timely indeed! Leviticus 11:1-2 says, “And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth…” As you continue reading through that chapter, you will find classifications of animals that the Israelites were permitted to eat, and others that they were not permitted to eat, but were to regard as unclean. The chapter concludes with these words: “This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten” (Leviticus 11:46–47, ESV).

The Old Mosaic Covenant also contains laws about drink. For example, Numbers 6:1-4 says, “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins” (Numbers 6:1–4, ESV).

To be very clear, these laws regarding forbidden food and drink were added to the moral law when the Old Mosaic Covenant was made. These laws were given to the people of Isarel, through Moses, at Mt. Sinai, after God redeemed them from Egyptian bondage, and before he brought them into the promised land. These ceremonial laws did not exist before this (1,600 B.C.). In other words, Abraham, Issaic, Jacob, and all of the faithful who lived in their day and before them were not subject to these laws. And even after these laws were given by God to Israel and through Moses, they were not binding on the other nations of the earth. They were for Israel only. The Philistines, Assyrians, and Babylonians sinned against God in many ways, but they did not sin against God when they ate the flesh of pigs. And, as we will soon see, these laws were given to Israel only for as long as the Old Covenant remained. But everyone knew that the Old Covenant order would not remain forever, for God spoke through the Old Covenant prophets concerning its end and the establishment of a New Covenant, which would be substantially different from the Old. As the Prophet Jeremiah says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:31–32, ESV).

These dietary laws that God imposed on a particular people (Israel) for a particular time (while the Old Covenant order remained) are no longer binding on the people of God, therefore. This explains the vision that God showed to the Apostle Peter, a Jewish Christ follower, living under the New Covenant. In Acts 10:9, we read, “The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’ And the voice came to him again a second time, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven” (Acts 10:9–16, ESV). 

I can understand Peter’s hesitancy and confusion. He had lived his whole life under the Old Mosaic Covenant and the dietary laws of Leviticus 11. Being a member of the Old Covenant, he was right to obey God’s law. But all of that had changed with the passing away of the Old and the arrival of the New Covenant. Peter and the rest of the Apostles had to learn this lesson. It was especially important for them to comprehend that the civil and ceremonial law of the Old Covenant had been fulfilled, and thus taken away, as the gospel of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the earth (see Acts 1:8). As the Gospel began to bear fruit among the Gentile nations, it was especially importinat for the Apostles of Christ all of whom were Jewish, to understand that the dividing wall of hostility that once separated Jews and Gentiles had been broken down. And how did God break this metaphorical wall down? He did it through Jesus Christ, by “abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both [Jew and Gentile] to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility” (Ephesians 2:14–16, ESV).

These dietary laws that were imposed on the Jews under the Old Mosaic Covenant did not bring peace between Jew and Gentile. To the contrary, these dietary laws separated Isarel from the Gentile nations. They prohibited table fellowship. This was good and right for a time, for the Jews would have to remain set apart from the nations until the Christ was brought into the world through them. Now that Christ has come, the law of commandments expressed in ordinances that once divided has been abolished and taken away. “Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, therefore (Colossians 2:16, ESV).

“Or With Regard To A Festival Or A New Moon Or A Sabbath.” 

After this, Paul says, “or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath” (Colossians 2:16, ESV). What is Paul referring to here?  He must be referring to the religious calendar that God gave to the Jews under the Old Mosaic Covenant.   

Three things are mentioned: festivals, new moons, and sabbaths. 

Festivals

Festivals are feast days. If you wish to learn about the feast days of Old Covenant Israel, you may go to Leviticus 23. Verses 1-2 say, “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations [meetings or assemblies]; they are my appointed feasts” (Leviticus 23:1–2, ESV).

At the very heart of these feast days is the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath. Leviticus 23:3 says, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwelling places.” The weekly Sabbath was, of course, not new to Isarel, for it had been established at the time of creation, is for all people, and was observed by the Hebrews before the giving of the Old Mosaic Covenant (see Exodus 16:29). It is mentioned in Leviticus 23:3 because, of all the holy days, it is most fundamental. Again, it was given, not first to Israel at Sinai, but to Adam at the time of creation. And when it comes to the law of Moses, the command to remember the weekly Sabbath day and to keep it holy is found, not only in the laws that were added to the moral law, but at the heart of the moral law itself—it is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. When it comes to holy days and the time for corporate worship, the weekly Sabbath is most fundamental, and so it is mentioned first. 

Then, in Leviticus 23, other feast days are added. In verse 4, we read, “These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations [assemblies], which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the LORD’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the LORD for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work” (Leviticus 23:4–8, ESV). In verses 9-14, we find commandments regarding the Feast of Firstfruits. In verses 15-22, we learn of the Feast of Weeks. In verses 23-25, we hear of the Feast of Trumpets. And finally, in Leviticus 23:26-32, we learn of the Day of Atonement: 

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the LORD. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:26–32, ESV).

New Moons

Next, Paul mentions new moons. Israel had a lunar calendar, and so a new moon (when the moon is not visible to us) marked the beginning of a new month. According to Numbers 28:11-15, special offerings were to be made at the tabernacle, or later, temple, on these days: 

“At the beginnings of your months, you shall offer a burnt offering to the LORD: two bulls from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; also three tenths of an ephah of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull, and two tenths of fine flour for a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram; and a tenth of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering for every lamb; for a burnt offering with a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD. Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and a quarter of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months of the year. Also one male goat for a sin offering to the LORD; it shall be offered besides the regular burnt offering and its drink offering.” (Numbers 28:11–15, ESV)

Sabbaths

Finally, Paul mentions Sabbaths, or days of rest and worship. In Colossians 2:18, the Greek word for Sabbath is plural. The NKJV says, “Sabbaths”. The NET, KJV, and AV say, “Sabbath days”. I prefer these translations over the ESV which says, “a Sabbath” because they are more clear about the plural number, and I think this helps the reader to understand that Paul is not referring to the weekly Sabbath, which was instituted by God at the time of creation and given to Adam and Eve and, through them, to all humanity, but to the “Sabbath days” that were added to the weekly, seventh-day Sabbath, and given to the Jews under the Old Mosaic Covenant. Perhaps you noticed that some of the feast days of Leviticus 23 included Sabbath days that were to be observed in addition to the weekly Sabbath. 

In brief, when Paul said, “Let no one pass judgment on you… with regard to a festival or a new moon or Sabbath days”, he was referring to the religious calendar that God gave to Israel under the Old Mosaic Covenant to govern their corporate worship. Like with the dietary laws, this calendar of holy days was a part of the ceremonial law that God gave to them for a time. Notice, these were days to assemble, to worship at the tabernacle, and later, the temple. These were days to offer up sacrifices to God. In fact, they are mentioned together in 1 Chronicles 23:30-31, which we read at the beginning of this sermon. That passage is about the Levitical priesthood whose job it was to serve at the temple. It says, “And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening, and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the LORD on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the LORD” (1 Chronicles 23:30–31, ESV).

To those who would attempt to use Colossians 2:16 to teach that there is no longer a weekly Sabbath day under the New Covenant, I would say the following ten things:

1) You are forgetting that the Sabbath was not instituted under the Old Covenant, but at the time of creation. 

2) You are forgetting that the Sabbath was given, not only to Israel, but to Adam, and to all humanity through him. 

3) You are forgetting that the Sabbath was given as a sign of eternal Sabbath rest, or life in glory, and we have not yet taken possession of that. 

4) You are forgetting that when Israel was first commanded to remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy under the Old Mosaic Covenant, the command was grouped with the summary of God’s moral and unchanging law—it is the fourth of the Ten Commandments. 

5) The moral principle at the heart of the fourth commandment is that a proportion of time is to be devoted to the worship of God, and at creation, God established that it would be one day out of every seven. 

6) The day on which the Sabbath is to be kept is symbolic. The seventh day symbolically agrees with the substance of the Covenant of Works and the Mosaic Covenant. In those covenantal arrangements, work or obedience would lead to rest. But the first day Sabbath agrees with the terms of the Covenant of Grace. We rest in Christ and his work, and from that place of rest, our obedience does flow. 

7) The New Testament teaches that Sabbath-keeping remains for the people of God (see Hebrews 4:9).

8) Under the New Covenant, a special day of the week clearly remains. It is called the Lord’s Day (see Revelation 1:10).

9) There is a good reason for why the Sabbath day was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week. Christ was raised on the first day. On that day, the new creation began. 

10) The early church (see John 20:1, John 20:19, Acts 20:7, etc.) and the church throughout the ages have assembled for worship once per week, not on the seventh day, but on the first day in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection (He is risen, he is risen indeed!).

No, Colossians 2:16 does not teach that the weekly Sabbath has been abrogated. What it teaches is that, like with the dietary laws of the Old Covenant, the seventh-day Sabbath, along with all of the feast days, new moons, and Sabbath days that belonged to the religious calendar of the Old Mosaic Covenant, has been taken away and is no longer binding on God’s covenant people. And this is why Paul said, “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 Sabbath days” (Colossians 2:16).

“These Are A Shadow Of The Things To Come, But The Substance Belongs To Christ.” 

But why have these laws been taken away? There are a number of ways to answer this question. We might say, they have been fulfilled by Christ, and thus taken away. We might say, the Old Covenant is gone, and the New Covenant has come—we have new laws, therefore. We might also point to the change in the priesthood. The Old Covenant had Aaron and his sons as priests, but Christ is our High Priest, and he has come in the order, not of Aaron, but of Melchizedek. And as Hebrews 7:12 says, “when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well” (Hebrews 7:12, ESV). All of these answers are good and true. But I love the way that Paul puts in verses 17: “These [Old Covenant ceremonial laws] are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:17, ESV).

Paul spoke of these Old Covenant ceremonial laws in the present tense for two reasons. One, when he wrote, they were still being practiced. The temple stood in Jerusalem, the Levitical priests ministered there, and these laws were still being observed by those who did not receive Jesus as the Messiah. Two, these ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant will be with us always as they are preserved for us in the pages of Holy Scripture. They are there to the present day. Though they are not binding on us, they are to be read and understood. 

How are we to understand the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament? Paul refers to them as a shadow of the things to come. The Greek word (σκιά) refers to a “faint archetype which foreshadows a later reality—‘foreshadow, faint prototype, shadow’” (Louw-Nida, 58.65). When God gave these laws to Israel through Moses, he did not intend for them to be observed as if they really brought salvation to those who observed them. No, they were intended to be viewed as signs that pointed forward to the one who would really accomplish our redemption, Christ Jesus the Lord. 

When a man walks in the sun, his body casts a shadow on the ground. There is a relationship between the shadow and the man’s body. Something can be known about the man’s body from the shadow that is cast on the ground. But it the man’s body, and not the shadow, that is substantial. The body may exist without the shadow, but not the shadow without the body. And when that man comes home and his wife and children run to greet him, they do not embrace his shadow, but his body. 

This illustrates the absurdity of submitting to the ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant now that Christ has come. The Old Covenant saints were blessed to have the shadow of Christ in the ceremonial laws that God gave to them through Moses, but we have something far greater than these shadow laws—we have Christ himself. He is the body (σῶμα) that casts the shadow backward in the history of redemption. Why embrace the shadow, brothers and sisters? Embrace the substance! And “the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:17, ESV).

Doctrine

The doctrine Paul teaches here in Colossians 2 is what we call the doctrine of Christian liberty. In Colossians 2:8-15, Paul established that Christ has set us free. Here in Colossians 2:16-23, Paul warns those in Christ not to be taken captive by empty and deceptive philosophies rooted in man-made traditions and not in Christ.  In Colossians 3:1 and following, Paul will teach that in Christ we have been set free to serve the Lord. 

Chapter 21 of our Confession of Faith is entitled, Of Christian Liberty And Of Liberty Of Conscience. Listen to what it says. 

Paragraph 1 is about what Christ has set us free from. “The liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the Gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the rigour and curse of the law, and in their being delivered from this present evil world, bondage to Satan, and dominion of sin, from the evil of afflictions, the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave, and everlasting damnation: as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of slavish fear, but a child-like love and willing mind. All which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them; but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged, in their freedom from the yoke of a ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of.”

Paragraph 2 warns against being taken captive by the commandments of men. “God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word, or not contained in it. So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience; and the requiring of an implicit faith, and absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.”

Paragraph 3 clarifies that we have been set free in Christ to serve the Lord. “They who upon pretence of Christian liberty do practice any sin, or cherish any sinful lust, as they do thereby pervert the main design of the grace of the Gospel to their own destruction, so they wholly destroy the end of Christian liberty, which is, that being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.”

Suggestions For Application

I’ll conclude this sermon with a few suggestions for application. 

Firstly, it is vital that we reject any form of teaching that seeks to impose Old Covenant civil or ceremonial laws on the New Covenant people of God. False teaching of this kind may be more prevalent than you realize. Dispensationalism, Christian Zionism, and Theonomic forms of post-millennialism all err in that they fail to recognize the shadowy character of the Old Covenant civil and ceremonial laws, and their abrogation now that Christ, the substance, has come.  

Secondly, as Christians, we ought to read the Old Testament Scriptures. But as we do, we must read them in the way that Christ and his Apostles have taught us to read them, namely, as pointing forward to the coming of Christ. All of the prophesies, promises, types, and shadows of the Old Testament find their “yes” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). Indeed, the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms speak of Christ, and they find their fulfilment in him (see Luke 24:44).

Thirdly, as we consider our freedom in Christ and heed the warning of the Apostle to refuse to be taken captive by philosophies rooted in human tradition and the elementary and earthly principles of the Old Covenant, let us remember that Christ has set us free so that we may obey his commandments. And what are his commandments except the moral law and the positive laws of the New Covenant? They may be summed up like this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, ESV).

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady
Comments Off on Sermon: The Substance Belongs To Christ, Colossians 2:16-17 Posted by Joe

1. Why is the word “therefore” at the beginning of Colossians 2:16 important?
2. Why did Paul tell the Colossians not to let anyone pass judgment on them? Is there ever a time for church members to judge? Is there ever a time to submit to the judgments of the church? (see 1 Corinthians 5 & 6)
3. Specifically, the Colossians were not to allow anyone to pass judgment on them in questions of food and drink. What is this a reference to?  
4. Also, the Colossians were not to allow anyone to pass judgment on them with regard to a festival, a new moon, or Sabbaths. What is this a reference to?  
5. Does Colossians 2:16 teach that there is no weekly Sabbath day? What reasons did Pastor Joe give for a Sabbath day remaining under the New Covenant? 
6. Why did the ceremonial laws (the dietary laws and the religious calendar) of Old Covenant Israel pass away? What should we say to those who teach that they remain?
7. Paul says these ceremonial laws are a shadow of the good things to come, but that the substance belongs to Christ. What is the meaning of this?
8. How do you plan to apply this text to your life today?

Posted in Study Guides Joe Anady
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Baptist Catechism 17

Q. 17. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)

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Introduction

I should remind you of what the last question and answer said, for this one builds upon the last one. 

Question 16 asks, “Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?” Answer: “Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” We discussed the meaning of this Q&A last Sunday. Here I want you to remember that our first parents fell from their state of innocence…  “by sinning against God.” Now, our catechism asks, “what is sin?”

By the way, this is one reason a catechism like this is such a useful tool for Christian discipleship. Not only is the teaching of the Holy Scripture summarized for us in this document, but it is summarized in an orderly way so that we might understand the Christian faith. The most foundational truths are laid down first, and then they are built upon. And as you can see, important terms are defined along the way. 

“Sin” is one of those important terms. You really cannot understand the gospel of Jesus Christ without understanding what sin is. Why did Jesus Christ come to live, die, and rise again? Why do the Scriptures tell us that we must trust in him to be saved? Saved from what? My point is this: The story of Scripture and the Christian faith do not make sense without this concept of sin and its consequences. 

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell from the state of innocence and into a state of corruption, guilt, and depravity by sinning against God. All who are born into this world after them are born into this same fallen condition. We are born corrupt, depraved, and guilty before God because Adam was our representative, as we will soon learn. In other words, we are born into a state (or condition) of sin. And all who are born into this world in this state of sin do they themselves sin. Furthermore, sin, as we will soon learn with the help of our catechism, has devastating and eternal consequences. I’ll refrain from saying more. We will come to all of this in catechism questions 18 through 22. Each of these questions and answers will help us to learn more about sin and its effects. But before we consider these things, we must begin with a more fundamental  question: “What is sin?” Again, the answer: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

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The Law Of God Is The Mark

The first thing I want you to know is that to sin is to miss the mark. An archer who misses the bullseye has sinned. But we are not talking about archery, are we? No, we are talking about hitting the mark of God’s standard for us. And what is God’s standard? What is the bullseye, if you will? What is the mark that God has called us to hit? The mark is God’s law. 

It is important to understand that God’s law is the mark or standard, and God’s law includes both the moral law (which was written on man’s heart at creation) and any positive laws that God chooses to add to the moral law connected with the covenants he makes with man. The command that God gave to Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an example of a positive law. God added that law to the moral law (which was written on man’s heart when God created him) when he entered into the Covenant of Life (or Works) with him. 

So then, the standard is God’s law, both moral and positive. And we sin when we fail to hit, or live up to, that standard. 

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Want Of Conformity Unto, Or Transgression

But that is not all our catechism says. Hear the answer to the question again. What is sin? “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” “Want” means lack or failure. So “sin is any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”

The word “any” seems important to me. Men and women sometimes fool themselves into thinking that only the “big” sins are a problem. Yes, it is true that some sins are bigger (more heinous) than others. But both big and small sins are sins. 

The phrase, “want of conformity unto… God’s law,” helps us to understand that God’s law requires us to do certain things. Some laws are stated positively. For example, “honor your father and mother” and “keep the Sabbath day”. These laws are stated positively. They are telling us what must be done. The negative side – that is to say, that which ought not to be done – is implied. The command to honor your father and mother and to keep the Sabbath day holy forbids us from dishonoring parents and from profaning the Sabbath day. And some commandments are stated negatively. “You shall not murder” and “you shall not steal” are examples of these. What is implied except that we are obligated to preserve life and to seek our own and our neighbors’ prosperity through honest means. When commandments are stated positively, the negative things that should be done are implied. 

The point is this: God’s law requires us to do things. His law not only tells us what not to do. His law also reveals what we are to do. We are to love God with all that we are, and our neighbor as ourselves. That requires action. And sin is “any [lack] of conformity unto… the law of God.” In other words, we sin when we fail to do what God has commanded us to do. Children do not only sin when they dishonor their parents. They also sin when they fail to give the honor to their parents which is due to them.  We call these “lack-of-conformity” sins, sins of omission. For in these we omit or fail to do that which God’s law requires. 

The phrase, “sin is any…  transgression of the law of God,” helps us to see that we sin when we do that which God’s law forbids. When God’s law says, don’t do this or that, and then we do this or that, we sin against God. When Adam was told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he ate of it, he sinned. And when we lie we sin, for God’s law has told us not to lie. We call these “transgression-of-God’s law” sins, sins of commission, for these are sins that we do actively commit.   

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Conclusion

I hope you can see why it is important for us to have a proper understanding of what sin is. 

Not only will we be unable to properly understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, and indeed, the whole story of scripture, and the Christian faith, without a proper understanding of sin.  A deficient understanding of sin will lead to many other problems, too.

Brothers and sisters, if you take anything away from this little sermon, I hope it is this: Our standard for right and wrong, good and evil, is not for us to determine. Our standard is not the opinions of man, or the customs of the culture. No, our standard is God’s law. God has revealed his moral law in nature and much more clearly in his Word. And do not forget that God has added laws to his moral law in the covenants he has entered into with the man. These we call positive laws. The New Covenant has its positive laws. We sin when we fail to conform to, or transgress, this standard – the standard of God’s law.

If we understand this, we will be in a good place to understand why we need a Savior, Christ the Lord, and how it is that we are to live in this world in a way that is pleasing to our Great God and King. We need a Savior because we are sinners! And those in Christ must strive to keep God’s law because we are saved from our sins, redeemed, and renewed.   

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady
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1. Sin always has reference to God’s law. Why is this an important truth?
2. What does it mean to fail to conform to God’s law? (Sins of omission)
3. What does it mean to transgress God’s law? (Sins of commission)
4. Why is it important to have a proper definition of sin? What does this have to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Posted in Study Guides Joe Anady
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Old Testament Reading: Psalm 1

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” (Psalm 1, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Colossians 2:8-15

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:8–15, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he addressed them as true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He rejoiced over their faith (see Colossians 1:3-5) and even commended them for their good order and the firmness of their faith, and, in so doing, encouraged them to continue therein (see Colossians 2:5).

His stated concern for them was that they would grow in the faith, being “filled with the knowledge of [God’s] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him…” (Colossians 1:9–10, ESV). Paul was concerned for them because there were false teachers in their midst. And it appears that this particular form of false teaching was a distortion, not so much of the doctrine of justification, but of the doctrine of sanctification. This is why Paul lays such a heavy emphasis on walking worthily in this epistle. This is why he has so much to say about wisdom and where true wisdom is found. In this epistle, Paul insists that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. Not only is he able to justify us in the beginning and to save us in the end, but he is also able to sanctify us completely from the beginning to the end (see Ephesians 5:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).  In other words, in Christ we find everything we need to walk worthily before the Lord so as to please him.

Paul’s concern for the Colossians was that they would walk worthily in Christ Jesus. And so, in Colossians 2:6, he issued this command: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV). 

The question is, what do we need to walk worthily in a way that pleases the Lord? 

Colossians 1:9-10 mentions two things: One, we must be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. That is to say, we must know God’s commandments—the moral law as summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments and the positive precepts of the New Covenant. Two, we must be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. As was said in the previous sermon, it is possible for someone to be very smart and to have a lot of information crammed into their head, and yet be a fool. A fool may know the truth and yet not live according to it. But a wise man knows the truth, understands what God requires of him, and strives to live or to walk according to the truth he knows. 

But a question remains. How can we, who are sinful by nature, walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord? In other words, even if we have the truth concerning God’s will for us in our heads, and even if we possess spiritual wisdom and understanding in our hearts, how can we possibly walk worthily, given the guilt and corruption of sin that resides in us by nature?   

I do believe this is the question the Apostle addresses here in Colossians 2:8-15. Why does Paul describe philosophies that are rooted in human traditions and the elementary principles of the world—principles that say, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch (see Colossians 2:21)—as being empty and deceptive? He describes them this way because, as he says in Colossians 2:23, although they “have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body… they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23, ESV). In other words, these philosophies are empty and misleading, because, though they can make men look good on the outside, they cannot make them good on the inside. This, evidently, was what the false teachers in Colossae were promoting—empty and deceitful philosophies rooted in human traditions and not in Christ. They claimed to have faith in Christ, but when it came to their pursuit of wisdom and holy living, they moved away from Christ and looked to philosophies that were not rooted in him. Paul says, No. These philosophies are empty, powerless, and misleading because they cannot solve the problem of our sinful corruptions and desires.

Dear friends, if your heart and mind are sinful and corrupt, more instruction concerning the will of God for you, more rules and regulations, and more external religion, will do you no good. Philosophies like this can make a hypocrite of you, but they cannot make you holy; they will produce Pharisees, but not saints; they are great at transforming men into white-washed tombs—pretty on the outside, but vile within. These Christless philosophies are empty and deceiving. They cannot produce a walk that is pleasing to the Lord. But wisdom that is rooted in Christ can. And Paul tells us why.

Here in Colossians 2:9-15, the Apostle explains why Christ is the only source of true wisdom (see Colossians 1:9), and why he has the power to stop the indulgences of the sinful flesh (see Colossians 2:23), to enable us to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord—in a way that is fully pleasing to him. In our text, Paul presents seven reasons why Christ is the only source of true wisdom. The first has to do with who is in Christ. The last six are about the work that Christ does in and for all who are united to him by faith. 

In Christ, The Whole Fullness Of Deity Dwells Bodily

First, let us consider who it is that is in Christ. Please look with me at verse 9. “For in him [that is to say, in Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV). 

The Greek word translated as “For” (ὅτι) is a marker of cause or reason. It could also be translated as “because” or “in view of the fact that” (Louw Nida 89.33).  Consider Paul’s flow of thought beginning with verse 8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ…” (Colossians 2:8, NASB95), because or in view of the fact that,  “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9, ESV).

Who is in Christ? God is in Christ. More specifically, it is the person of the eternally begotten Son or Word of the Father who is in Christ. He, that is to say, the person of the Son or Word, the second person of the Triune God, is the acting subject within Christ. And because he is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father…” (Nicene Creed), Paul says, “in [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” 

What is Christ? He has two natures. He is human. He has a true human body and a human soul. And he is also divine, for the person of the Word or Son cannot be separated from his divine nature—the nature that he shares in common with the Father and the Spirit. What is Christ? He is the God-man; God come in the flesh. The word translated as “dwells” in Colossians 2:9 means, “to live or dwell in a place in an established or settled manner—‘to live, to dwell, to reside’” (Louw Nida 85.69). This is a wonderful way to describe the mystery of the incarnation. And who is Christ? Specifically, he is the Son or Word of God incarnate. 

Think of the implications of this concerning our search for true wisdom. Who is the most-wise being and the source of all true wisdom? God is. And how has God revealed his wisdom to us? The Father reveals wisdom to us through the person of the Word in three ways: One, the Father created through the Word and made the world in such a way that wisdom can be found in the natural world. Two, by speaking to and through the prophets of old by the Word. Consider, for example, the wisdom of God found in the law of God. Consider also the wisdom found in the books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Proverbs. How did we come to have those Scriptures except by the Father speaking through the Word and by the Spirit? ​“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, ESV). And three, the Father has spoken to us “in these last days… by his Son [the Word incarnate; the Lord Jesus Christ], whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:2, ESV). 

Jesus Christ is the Son or Word of God incarnate—“in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” This means that in him the fullness of wisdom is found. The fullness of the wisdom of God is found in Christ, not only because he was the wisest man ever to live, as he “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52, ESV), but because “in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily…” He is the person of the Son or Word of God incarnate.

The Apostle John says the same thing at the beginning of his gospel, but in different terms. He speaks of Jesus when he says,  

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… [verse 9] The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth… [verse 16] For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:1–18, ESV)

Do you want to have true wisdom? Do you want to know how to walk in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord? Then run to God. Fear him, for this is the beginning of wisdom. And then receive his Word—the word that he revealed to and through his holy prophets. And especially run to Jesus, for he is the eternally begotten Word, come in the flesh. He is the true light that gives light to everyone. He makes the Father known. All who wish to have true knowledge and wisdom must come to him—he must not be despised or rejected.

In Christ, You Have Been Filled

Why is Jesus Christ the only source of true wisdom? Paul gives seven reasons. The first has to do with who is in Christ. But the last six are about the work that Christ does in and for all who are united to him by faith. 

In verse 10, we see that in Christ, we have been filled: “and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority”, Paul says. 

What does Paul mean when he says that we have been filled in Christ? To be filled is to be made complete. This means that, in Christ, through our faith-bound union with him, we have all that we need for our salvation and to draw near to God. In Christ, we have perfect wisdom or saving knowledge. In Christ, we have righteousness. In Christ, we also have sanctification. 

Davenant says, 

“1. In Christ we have perfect wisdom; because by the right knowledge of him, according to the doctrine of the Gospel, what is sufficient to salvation is known: This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. John 17:3…” (Davenant, 424)

“2. In Christ we have complete righteousness; because he has fully satisfied both the Divine law, and even God himself for our sins: according to that declaration of Isaiah 53:11. By the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities…” (Davenant, 424)

“3. In Christ we have sanctification, or indwelling righteousness. For what else is sanctification than a cleansing from sins and iniquities, whereby we were separated far from God; and a reception of gifts and graces, whereby we are brought nigh to him to serve him?” (Davenant, 425)

“And in Him you have been made complete…”, the Apostle says. In Christ, you have all you have been furnished with all you need for salvation: true spiritual wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification.  And the Apostle adds this remark: “And you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Colossians 2:10, ESV). Why would Paul say this here? It must have to do with the false teaching that was threatening the Colossians. Some, we are told in Colossians 2:18, were insisting on the worship of angels. This likely means that they were teaching that to draw near to God, one must pass through several levels of heaven, each governed by an angel. To pass through and to draw near to God, worship would need to be offered to the angel. Here, after reminding us that we are complete in Christ, Paul reminds us that Christ is the head of all rule and authority. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to” Christ (see Matthew 28:18). He is the only mediator between God and man. He is all we need, therefore. We are made complete and worthy to enter God’s presence through faith in him alone. Worship must not be given to any other besides God and Christ.

In Christ, You Have Been Circumcised

The second thing that Christ does in us is mentioned in verse 11. There, Paul reminds us that in Christ, we  have been “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” 

As you may know, there were some false teachers active in the early church who taught that New Covenant Christians still needed to be circumcised in the flesh in obedience to the commands given to Abraham and to Isarel under the law of Moses. Paul opposes that false teaching thoroughly in his letter to the Galatians. Perhaps this error was also present within Colossae. Paul quickly proves those who taught that physical circumcision is still required under the New Covenant wrong by teaching that all who are united to Christ by faith have been circumcised spiritually. 

The sign of the Old Covenant was circumcision. In that symbolic ceremony, a small piece of flesh was removed from the male infant children who descended from Abraham. This marked them off as members of the Old Covenant community. There is a counterpart to this under the New Covenant. It is not water baptism, as many suppose, but the spiritual circumcision (or removal) of the sinful flesh that Paul here describes. 

All who are united to Christ by faith have been circumcised “with a circumcision made without hands”. In other words, this circumcision is not physical, but spiritual. It is not performed by Abraham or Moses, but by someone greater than them, namely, Christ. Christ does not perform this circumcision with a knife of steel, but with the sword of his word and the Spirit. This spiritual circumcision, of which the Apostle speaks, does not remove the foreskin, but the whole “body of the flesh”. That is to say, it is the removal of the sinful flesh from all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and united to Christ by faith. 

You say, but I am united to Christ by faith, and it does not seem as if my sinful flesh has been removed entirely, for I still sin! Well, corruption does remain. So do old habits. And temptations to sin do constantly come from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. But sin does not have dominion over you, for, as Paul will say in Colossians 3:3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” 

All who are united to Christ by faith have been “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” And now we must “put off [the] old self, which belongs to [our] former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of [our] minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24, ESV).

In Christ, You Have Been Baptized

The third thing that Christ does in us to enable us to walk worthily is mentioned in verse 12: “having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12, ESV)

The Greek verb translated as “having been buried” is a passive participle. It refers back to the spiritual circumcision mentioned in verse 11. When God regenerates a sinner by his word and Spirit, the sinflesh is removed (spiritual circumcision). In other words, the old sinful man is put to death spiritually and is laid in the spiritual grave. More than this, through regeneration we are raised to newness of life. How does this happen? It is the work of the Holy Spirit. When we are baptized by the Holy Spirit, we are united to Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. Just as the circumcision mentioned in verse 11 is spiritual, so too is the baptism of verse 12. It is a spiritual baptism that Paul refers to here—it is a spiritual union with Christ in his death and resurrection.

Paul speaks of this more thoroughly in Romans 6:1-14:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:1–14, ESV).

Clearly, there is a connection between this spiritual baptism involving spirit-wrought union with Christ in his death and resurrection and the sacrament of water baptism. The sacrament of water baptism is a sign of spiritual baptism—it is an outward, physical sign of an inward, spiritual reality. This is why baptism is for those who make a credible profession of faith, and not infants or the unregenerate. And this is why baptism is to be administered by dunking a person under water and bringing them up again. It is a sign that the person has been united to Christ by faith in his death and resurrection. It is a sign that the person has died to their old, sinful self and has been raised to new life by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

In Christ, You Have Been Made Alive

Fourthly, in verse 13, Paul stresses our new life in Christ Jesus. “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” This new life has already been mentioned, but here it is brought to the forefront,

“And you…” To whom was Paul speaking except the Christians in Colosse? “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh…” This was their spiritual condition in the past. Though they were alive physically, they were at one time dead spiritually. And why were they dead spiritually? They were dead spiritually because they were in sin, and they were sinful. This should remind us of the Covenant of Works that God made with Adam in the very beginning. Adam was warned, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17, ESV). Adam sinned against God. He ate of the forbidden tree. Though he lived physically for many more years, he died spiritually. His trespass plunged him, and all humanity with him, into an estate of sin, misery, and death. This was the condition of the Colossians before the gospel of Jesus Christ came to them and the Spirit of God regenerated them, and this was our condition too, before God called us to Christ and gave us new life in him. 

 “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him…” Friends, if you are alive spiritually today, it is because God the Holy Spirit made you alive. And the Holy Spirit made you alive in Christ Jesus. You have been brought by God from death to life because of what Jesus has done. You are alive in Christ, given your spiritual union with him in his death and resurrection. And you are united to him because he has come to you through the preaching of his Gospel.  

In Christ, You Have Been Forgiven

Why were we at one time dead spiritually? Because of transgressions (Adam’s and ours) and the uncircumcision (sinfulness) of our flesh. In verses 13 and 14, Paul reminds us that Christ has solved this problem for us. God has made us alive together with Christ, “…having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

If we are in Christ Jesus, God has forgiven our trespasses. 

How did he do this? He has canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. 

The Greek word translated as “canceled” is very strong. It means “to cause something to cease by obliterating any evidence—‘to eliminate, to do away with, to wipe out’” (Louw Nida 13.102).

And what has God obliterated any evidence of? The record of debt that once stood against us with its legal demands.

What is this record of debt? It must be the record (some say it is literal; others metaphorical of that which exists in the mind of) of all of the sins we have ever committed. Sin, as you know, “is any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” (Baptist Catechism 17). The Jews who lived under the Old Covenant were bound to keep the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant. The Gentiles are obligated to keep the moral law. Just think of it: God has a “record” of each and every sin that those not in Christ have committed! And what are the legal demands? They are God’s just judgments. Those who are united to Christ by faith have had that record of debt, and the legal demands associated with it eliminated, such that no evidence of its existence remains. 

And how did God, who is perfectly holy and just, wipe this record of debt away? He set it aside, nailing it to the cross. When Paul says that God set the record of debt that stood against us to the side by nailing it to the cross, he means that the debt was removed because it was paid in full by the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. It was there that Jesus atoned for the sins of people. It was there that he paid the price for them. Just as a sign was nailed to the cross above Jesus’ head with the charges that were leveled against him written on it, so too, all of our sins were nailed to the cross as Jesus bled and died there as our substitute and Savior. We owed a great debt to God, and Jesus paid it all. 

In Christ, You have Been Set Free 

The sixth and last thing that Paul mentions that Christ has done for us is found in verse 15. There, Paul reminds us that in Christ Jesus we have been set free from bondage to the Evil One and his dark kingdom. “He [Christ] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” 

Satan and his demons are our adversaries still, but they are disarmed, for Christ has already won the victory over them. 

Davenant says this whole passage is about: 

“a spiritual spoliation, a leading forth, and triumphing openly accomplished upon the Cross. He spoiled demons then, he made a shew of them, and also triumphed over them upon the Cross, when, to carnal eyes, he seemed to be conquered and triumphed over by them: For, as the kingdom of Christ is not of this world, neither sensible; so the victory and triumph of Christ over our enemies, is not proposed to be surveyed by the eye, but to be contemplated by the mind by faith. Now faith easily conceives that the devil was spoiled by the death of Christ; because mankind are plucked from his jaws, and his dominion is broken and diminished. For he held us bound with the chain of our sins: his bonds, therefore, being broken asunder, he is stripped of his prey, and we are delivered. Hence Augustin, De Trinit. lib. 4, says, From whence the devil received the power of externally wounding the flesh of the Lord, from thence his inward power, which held us captive, was slain” (Davenant, 473-474).

Suggestions For Application

Dear brothers and sisters, be on the lookout for Christless forms of Christianity, for they are all around us. 

What is Christless Christianity? It is a distortion of true Christianity that teaches good morals and imposes many rules and regulations on its adherents, but is devoid of Christ and his gospel. Here is how you ought to live. Do more. Try harder. 

Orthodox Christianity is different. It says, here is how you ought to live, but you have not, and you cannot. You have violated God’s law in thought, word, and deed. You are guilty, therefore, and in need of forgiveness. More than this, you need to be renewed and changed inwardly if you are to obey God and walk worthily from this day forward. Only Jesus Christ can save you from your sin and misery. Humble yourself before God, therefore. Cry out to him for mercy. Turn from your sins and to Jesus, for he is able to save you from your sins and to sanctify you further. 

He is able to save and to sanctify, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. 

And he saves and sanctifies by doing great things in us and for us. In Christ, we are complete. In Christ, we are circumcised inwardly and baptized spiritually. In Christ, we are made alive. In Christ, we are forgiven and set free.

What, then, does it look like to walk worthily in Jesus? Paul will tell us all about that in Colossians 3:1-4:5. I’ll tell you what it doesn’t involve. It doesn’t involve the imposition of man-made rules and regulations. It doesn’t involve more grit and determination. It involves abiding in Christ. It involves obeying the Lord out of the victory he has won for you and the work he has done in you. 

Soon, the Apostle will command those who have been raised with Christ to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God…” (Colossians 3:1, ESV), and to “Put to death… what is earthly in [them]: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…” (Colossians 3:5, ESV), and to “Put on… as God’s chosen ones… compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another… [and] forgiving each other… And above all these [we must] put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12–17, ESV). 

It’s easy to go through motions, friends. It’s easy to follow the traditions of man and to perform external religious duties. Paul is going to call us to worship and serve God, Christ, and one another from a heart of love. Keeping the heart is the real work to be done, and it is hard work. But Jesus Christ gives us everything we need to do this work, so that we might walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him. 

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady Colossians 2:9-15
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1. What is wisdom?
2. Who is in Christ, making him the only true source of all wisdom?
3. What does Christ do in and for us to enable us to walk worthily (six things)?
4. What does it mean to be circumcised spiritually?
5. What does it mean to be baptized spiritually?
6. What does water baptism have to do with this spiritual baptism? 
7. In Christ, God has forgiven us all of our trespasses. How has God done this? 
8. How do you plan to apply this text to your life today?

Posted in Study Guides Joe Anady
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Baptist Catechism 16

Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

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Introduction

Adam and Eve are called “our first parents” because the whole human race descended from them. 

The word “estate”, in Baptist Catechism question 16, is very important. We don’t use that word often. Instead, we might say, “state of being” or “condition.” So, the question is, did our first parents continue in the state of being or condition wherein they were created?

And what was their original condition? We should remember Baptist Catechism 13. It asks, How did God create man? The answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. The words “in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness” describe the estate or condition of our first parents when they were created. The man and the woman were made in the image of God. They were given dominion over the other creatures. But what was their quality or condition? They possessed true knowledge. They stood right before God. And they were holy, that is, they were without defect or stain of sin. Do you remember the repeated refrain of Genesis 1? Everything in God’s creation was declared to be good, good, and very good when God made it. Chapter 9, paragraph 2 of our confession of faith refers to this original estate of man as the “state of innocency”. Adam and Eve were innocent, upright, and pure when they were first created.

Listen to question 16 again. “Did our first parents continue in the estate [condition] wherein they were created?” Answer: “Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

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Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

There are three things to notice about this answer:

One, the short answer is no. Our first parents did not remain in the estate or condition of their original creation. Our catechism says, “they fell”. Remember, Adam and Eve were created perfect and upright in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Something greater was offered to them in the covenant of life or works (remember Baptist Catechism 15). What blessings were they offered in the covenant of life? Something higher than what they possessed at first – life eternal – life in glory. These blessings were to be obtained through obedience. But instead of ascending to this higher form of life, they fell short of it and downward into a worse condition (see Genesis 3 & 4; Romans 3:23). Chapter 9, paragraph 3, Our Confession of Faith calls this fallen state of being, the “state of sin”.

Two, notice the stress placed on free will. Our catechism says, “Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” 

The doctrine of free will is very important. Free will is the ability to act upon choice. Stated differently, free will is the ability to make free and rational decisions and to take action based upon those decisions. It is important to know that human beings were created by God with the power to think, speak, and act based on the choices they freely make.

I’ve been drawing your attention to chapter 9 of our Confession of Faith, which is about free will. I’d encourage you to read it sometime soon. When you do, you will notice three things. One, Adam and Eve were created with free will. Two, human beings did not lose free will after Adam fell into sin. In other words, men and women still have the ability to act upon choice after the fall, and they always will. Three, the thing that changed when Adam fell into sin was man’s state of being or condition and, therefore, his ability. If a man is corrupt in the mind and heart, what will he freely choose? That which is corrupt. This is man’s condition after the fall. Man retains the power to act upon choice but his ability is limited due to his fallen condition.

Our confession and catechism both rightly teach that Adam and Eve were created pure. There was no defect or corruption in them. But they were created with the ability to act upon choice, and they were also given a choice. The two trees in the garden – the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – symbolized the choice of obedience to God or rebellion against him. More than this, we must also confess that they were tested and tempted. By whom? They were tested by God. They were tempted by Satan. 

Listen to how Second London Confession 9.2 puts it: “Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was mutable so that he might fall from it.” Did you catch that? Adam and Eve were innocent and pure. They possessed the freedom and power to act upon choice. They possessed the freedom and power (or ability) to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God. But they were mutable. That means they were changeable. They were able to obey, but they were also able to disobey God’s command. The temptation to sin against God did not come from God, nor did it come from within themselves, but from without. It was the serpent who tempted Eve, and Eve who brought the temptation to Adam. How could it be that the man and woman who were upright, holy, and pure would sin? They were created with freewill. They were tested for a time. God permitted them to be tempted during this probationary period. It was their upright but mutable condition that permitted them to sin. 

Thanks be to God, we will have free will in eternity, but we will no longer be mutable. We will be confirmed in righteousness then. To see this communicated in a symbolic way, you may read Revelation 22 and notice that in the new heavens and earth, there will be only one special tree, not two. Only the tree of life will be there (see Revelation 22:1-5). No tree of the knowledge of good and evil will be found. This means the new heavens and earth will not be a place of testing. No, for the test has been passed (see Luke 4:1-13) and the victory has been won by Jesus Christ our Lord (see John 19:30).

The third thing to notice about Baptist Catechism 16 is that it teaches that man fell from their original condition by sinning against God.  

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Conclusion

As I move to a conclusion, I should draw your attention to the fact that question 16 marks the beginning of a section in our catechism that delivers a lot of bad news. 

Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?

A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)

Q. 17. What is sin?

A. Sin is any want [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)

Q. 18. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?

A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6,12,13)

Q. 19. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?

A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity, all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. (1 Cor. 15:21,22; Rom. 5:12,18,19)

Q. 20. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?

A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:18,19: Is. 64:6)

Q. 21. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell?

A. The sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. (Rom. 5:19; 3:10; Eph. 2:1; Is. 53:6; Ps. 51:5; Matt. 15:19)

Q. 22 brings us very low. What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell?

A. All mankind, by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. (Gen. 3:8,24; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:10; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 25:41-46; Ps. 9:17)

These are unpleasant truths to consider, but they are vital truths. How will we ever come to see our need for a Savior if these truths are not proclaimed? How will we ever come to see the goodness of the good news of Jesus Christ without first comprehending this bad news? 

You should know that our catechism delivers this bad news to prepare us to receive the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, by God’s grace. After delivering terrible news in question 22, our catechism then asks in Q. 23. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?

A. God having out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer (Eph. 1:3,4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 5:21; Acts 13:8; Jer. 31:33). After this, we will learn that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of God’s elect. From here, our catechism will go on to teach us all about Jesus Christ, his person, and his finished work of redemption. 

Brothers and sisters, if Adam had passed the test, he would have entered into glory – he would have been confirmed and established in his uprightness by his keeping of the terms of the covenant of life or works. Adam fell, but Jesus Christ has succeeded. Christ has entered into glory, and all who are united to him by faith will enter into glory with him. Thanks be to God for the abundant mercy and grace he has shown to us in Christ Jesus.

Posted in Sermons Joe Anady
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1. Who are our first parents?
2. What is meant by “estate”?
3. What is the short answer to the question, Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?
4. What estate (state of being or condition) did Adam and Eve fall from and into?
5. How is it that Adam and Eve could fall given their perfect, pure, innocent, and upright condition at the time of their creation?
6. What is free will? (You may want to read Second London Confession, Chapter 9). Did Adam and Eve have free will in the garden before sin entered the world? Was free will (properly defined) lost when Adam fell into sin? What was lost?
7. Will we have free will in eternity? Why will we not be able to sin in eternity?

Posted in Study Guides Joe Anady
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