Romans 14 explains:
Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. -- (Romans 14:4-6).
Paul is saying that the Sabbath day, as well as food, festivals, or religious celebrations are not standards by which we judge whether a person is right or wrong, good or evil, righteous or unrighteous, sinner or saint
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. -- Colossians 2:16-17
Paul is saying that these religious practices only served as religious symbols pointing forward to the true reality, the true righteousness, that would come to us through faith alone in Christ alone, who alone is our standard.
Before this faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept until faith should be revealed. The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus -- (Galatians 3:23-26).
Paul is saying that the seventh-day Sabbath is irrelevant to our Christian walk with Christ. He is saying the seventh-day Sabbath has no bearing on who we are in Christ. We are free to observe it and we are free not to. It does not matter either way, as mentioned in Romans 14.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant -- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory...will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? -- (2 Corinthians 3:6-8)
The seventh-day law was engraved in letters on stone tablets. Paul is telling us that we are called to minister in the new covenant of the Spirit, and not in the old covenant of the letter engraved on stone, which included the seven-day law.
A Warning Against Traditions of Men
Colossians 2:16-17 (KJV) "Let no man
therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath
days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body
is of Christ.”
The word, “therefore,” tells us we need to pay attention to the verses that come before it to understand the intent of Paul’s words in Col. 2:16-17. I encourage anyone reading this post to read the entire chapter before moving on.
Having said that, Paul’s argument wasn’t against keeping a commandment of God, but rather a warning against falling victim to a legalistic system "according to the tradition of men” (Col. 2:8). It was a salvation by works theology that Paul was objecting to, not the binding nature of the fourth commandment.
Instead of looking to Jesus as the only way to salvation (John 14:6), advocates of this false gospel relied heavily on human effort to secure a place in heaven. What Jesus accomplished on the cross wasn’t good enough for them, they had to add something more to that sacrifice, as if to give the impression God needed an extra pair of hands to save the elect.
The Colossians were warned not to let such people judge them in this way, for their thoughts weren’t right with God. When the righteousness of Christ should have been the focal point of their faith, their eyes were locked on a list of rules and regulations.
I’m reminded of something Jesus said to the Pharisees: John 5:39 (NKJV) “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
Sabbaths
Regarding the word, “Sabbath” (v. 17), it appears in some translations like so. However, the underlying Greek is “sabbaton,” which can be singular or plural depending on the context. Here, it is plural. This can be seen even in the NIV, which makes use of the indefinite article, “a Sabbath day”.
The NKJV has a more accurate rendering, “sabbaths”.
I am not convinced that verse 17 is inclusive of the fourth commandment. For I see no place in Scripture where the seventh day Sabbath is called a “shadow”. Moreover, Paul was speaking out against traditions of men (v.8), not commandments of God. The Sabbath is not the byproduct of a man made tradition, but was made by God (Gen. 2:2-3). Therefore, it doesn’t seem likely Paul was referring to the fourth commandment here.
Nevertheless, I am open to the possibility that “sabbaton” is inclusive of the Sabbath here. But it will take some strong evidence to persuade me to accept this. For the context referring to traditions of men doesn’t seem to support this conclusion.
But even if it is inclusive of the fourth commandment, that doesn’t mean Paul is suggesting that God no longer requires us to keep the command. I don’t see Paul saying that the Sabbath has been done away with or changed. What I see him saying to the Colossians is that it’s our faith in Jesus that leads to salvation, not the traditions of men.
Another Matter
But now there’s another matter that needs to be discussed, which puts a twist on things.
Paul warned the Colossians not to let others judge them according to the tradition of men. But what about judgement according to the Spirit?
John 16:8 (NKJV) “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment”
The Bible is clear that God expects us to keep His commandments.
1 John 2:4 (NKJV) “He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
Furthermore, we are instructed to test the spirits.
1 John 4:1 (NKJV) “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
So if God’s word tells us that we must keep His commandments, and someone who claims to be His messenger says we don’t have to keep God’s commandments, then according to the Bible, that man is a liar. Was it a tradition of man that exposed him as a liar or did we arrive at that conclusion because the Scriptures opened our eyes to the truth?
It’s not our judgment that exposed the lie, but God’s word that made it known to us.
Having said that, if keeping the Sabbath day holy is required, and I go out and tell others to keep the command, but some pastor comes along and says, "Paul said it doesn’t matter anymore.” then who is the liar? The liar is the person who twists the Scriptures in order to support a tradition of men.
It's not I who judges the man, but God's word which judges him, exposing him as a liar.
That person is no better than those whom Paul warned the Colossians of.
