Beware of Religion

Colossians 2:16-23

Paul digs deep, building upon what he has already written, by exposing falsehoods and specifically calls out a few elements of manmade religion with which the Colossians were battling at the time.  I believe there are a couple of elements here that need to be defined before we can fully understand what he is addressing here.

Shadows
This is a term which is used occasionally throughout the bible and it is important for us to understand what it means. Shadows are indicated as specific things mainly from the Old Testament law that were set in order to foretell the coming of Christ and the Kingdom which He would establish on the earth.  Hebrews 10 is a good reference point to understand better the definition of shadows.

Angels and Visions
It was a practice (and still is the case today) that folks who would have visions, dreams, and visitations from angels (or even make up stories about it) would use the experiences in order to demonstrate their spiritual prowess.   For the believer and unbeliever alike, these types of “power encounters” could be used to manipulate people into becoming a disciple or certain religious leaders.

Elemental Spirits
This is a reference to demonic influence.  Paul is exposing religiosity as a spiritual manipulation dressed as “of God.”  Previously, Paul mentioned Jesus’ overpowering of these spirits through His death and resurrection.  Now, he is exposing how they have attempted to maintain their control and deception over mankind.

Indulgence of the Flesh
Paul is also exposing religion and man-made rules as selfish.  Religious rules are created to maintain control and power over others, much like Jesus exposed in the majority of His interactions with the Pharisees during His ministry on earth.

So what do we do with this information?  A quick search online reveals a great debate over Colossians 2:16, as some think that spiritual practices like observing the Sabbath, abstaining from certain foods (even fasting altogether), and even observing religious holidays have been abolished from this statement!  That is quite the challenge if you have participated in religious activities over the years in your followership of Jesus.  A quick read of Romans 14 will reveal this isn’t necessarily the case, as Paul writes there that we have freedom to exercise religious routines and habits, so long as we do it in a way to honor God.  As Christianity emerged, there was quite the debate about how much weight was to be given to previous practices from Judaism.  Additionally, emerging Christian leaders began to impose new rules upon believers.  Paul’s exhortation here to the Colossians is to be careful not to be deceived, as the practice or lack thereof of any spiritual practices hold no authority over Christ’s salvation!  There is no burden or condemnation from the observance of previous practices or from ignoring these rituals.  You are not a “bad Christian” if you eat bacon and work on the Sabbath.  Yet, as Paul encourages in Romans 14:

12 So each one of us will give an account concerning himself. 13 Therefore, let us no longer pass judgment on one another, but rather decide this: not to place a cause for stumbling or a temptation before a brother.

So then, I would encourage each one of us, instead of judging one another for the practices they observe, to ask God what He would prefer for the individual.  He, after all, is the source of all things holy.  For one person He might have set aside a specific practice for a particular use in that person’s life while also something completely different for another.  Being a disciple of Christ means exercising discipline for His glory.  It is more important, then, to worry about ourselves and our own personal relationship with Jesus and how He calls us to live it out than calling out others because they don’t honor God the same way we do.

Now, as I wrote that last paragraph, a question came to mind: “So then, we are free to do whatever we want?”  No! This is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The Holy Spirit guides us through this journey and convicts us according to the things we must put to death in our flesh.  The Lord has appointed apostles, prophets, teachers, and leaders to help guide us.  This is why there is an extra responsibility upon them to lead others with all diligence in faith according to what God has laid out in the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit will not lead us to do (or not do) anything that is contrary to the scriptures.  This is one way we are able to discern if a spiritual leader is guiding us in the right direction.  At the time of Paul’s writings, there wasn’t a “New Testament” for us to follow!  Many of his writings became this anthology we are studying as a way to guide us on this journey in order to help us navigate false doctrines and expose false teachers.  The church in Colossae only had the Old Testament text and whoever claimed to be a knowledgeable teacher of the Scriptures.  In those days, there was a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about how Christ’s salvation affected it all.  

Another question surfaces in my mind: “So then, who is to say that Paul is correct?  Why should we then give more credence to what we read in the New Testament, since it was also written and assembled by men as well?”  Ask God sincerely and He will tell you in accordance with the relationship He intends to have with you and the relationship He wants you to have with the bible itself.