Col. 2:
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
I have heard it proclaimed by religious men, who come in Christ's Name, that the "Handwriting of ordinances" which are against us, are the Good, Just, and Holy Laws, Commandments, and Statutes of God, given to Moses and Aaron to give to God's People.
I am interested in locating exactly where these handwritten ordinances, which were against God's People, are located as, for the life of me, I can not find a Command from God to HIS People that was "Against them".
In fact, the only "laws" I found in the Holy scriptures that were against men, was the doctrines and Commandments of men Jesus said the mainstream preachers of HIS Time burdened His People with. I am hoping to open up an honest, unbiased discussion about who's ordinances were taken out of the way, who were the "principalities and powers" which promoted these "handwritten ordinances", who was make a show of openly, and who was triumphed over.
If God's "handwriting of ordinances" are the ones that are against us, then God must be the "principalities and powers" that was "Spoiled". If God was the Author of the handwritten ordinances which was contrary to us, then did Jesus make a show of God openly? If God's Commandments and Laws are the handwritten ordinances that were against us, then did Jesus Triumph over God by "taking His Laws, Statutes, and Commandments "out of the way"?
Somehow I don't believe this is the message Paul was sending.
What do you think?
Here’s the study I did in this passage which i also agree has been grossly misunderstood.
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 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: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." Colossians 2:14-17
Perhaps this text more then any other has been used to refute those who observe the seventh day of the week (saturday) as the Sabbath. It is believe by the great majority of Christiandom that Paul is telling us here that the law was nailed to the cross. Is this really what Paul was trying to convey? Let's take a closer look.
(Col 2:13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses
(Col 2:14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
If you look at the "context" what is "blotted out" is not the Law of God, but our sins. The subject being discussed here is the "forgiveness of our trespasses." vs 13.
In verse 14 he explains how he accomplished that. By "blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us." There is no mention in Scripture anywhere of God "blotting out his Law." Here are several examples of what IS blotted out which is consistent with this passage in Col 2.
- Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Ps 51:1
- Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Ps 51:9
- I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Isa 43:25
- I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. Isa 44:22
- Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19
The record of our transgressions, our sins and trespasses (these handwriting of ordinances), is most definitely "contrary to us and against us". Look what it says here in Isaiah which is confirmation of this:
"For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify 'against us': for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them." Isa 59:12
These are the exact three things mentioned above that were "blotted out" that are "against us" - Our sins, transgressions and iniquities.
Now what does it mean when it says "and took it out of the way"? The word "way" if you look it up in the Greek, means "middle". Gk 33:19 In other words there was something in the way, something that stood in the middle, a wall separating us from God. Based upon what we have learned thus far, it was our sins that were "in the way", in the middle forming a wall between us and God.
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Isaiah 59:2
This is exactly what sin does. It separates us from one another and from God, creating a barrier (i.e. a wall) between us. This was the sorrowful lesson Adam and Eve learned in the Garden.
Now with that in mind, let's look at a similar passage in Eph 2:11-17
11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Who is the "both?" On one side you have the Gentiles that were far off and in the flesh, without Christ. On the other side you have the Israel of Godl, who DO have Christ.
Paul is speaking here of himself... "between us", that is between the gentiles and himself along with all the others of the commonwealth of Israel that accepted the Messiah. Christ comes and wipes the slate clean of all their sins, transgressions and iniquities. They are grafted in with the believing Jews making peace between not only the Jews and the Gentiles but more importantly with God. Christ accomplished this by removing from them all there sins through the offering of himself on the Cross.
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Here Christ reconciles both groups to God by the cross by abolishing in his flesh the "enmity... the law of commandments contained in ordinances", those same "handwriting of ordinances that we read about in Col 2:14that were against them, creating a wall between them and God as well as the Jewish believers that Peter had such a hard time for an example.
That "enmity" is the worldly, carnal man in all his sins:
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" James 4:4
"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom 8:7
It is the "carnal mind" that is not subject to the law of God, not the "spiritual man." By contrast the spiritual man says:
"O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Ps 119:97
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Ps 119:165
"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Rom 7:12
17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Peace comes when we take hold of God's strength to keep his commandments out of love, and our ways please the LORD
"When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Prov 16:7
"Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." Isa 27:5
(Col 2:15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
When Christ offered up his life on the cross for our sins, thereby blotting out the record and the Law itself that stood as a witness against us that we had transgressed God's holy law, what was the end result or effect of this blotting out of our sins?
(Col 2:15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
He "spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly!" Just what were those "principalities and powers?"
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph 6:12
What stands "against us", what stands "in the middle" between ourselves a condemned sinner and the Judgment seat of Christ, is the prosecuting attorney with the all the charges that have been leveled against us, along with all the evidence of our guilt! When Jesus was nailed to the cross baring in his flesh all of our sins, he completely "spoiled the principalities and powers and the spiritual wickedness in high places and made a show of them openly" to the entire universe! He wiped our slate entirely clean of all charges the prosecution had against us along with all ordinances (or civil decrees) stating what should be done with such criminals!
(Col 2:16) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
First of all, in order to understand who this "man" is, that we as believers in Christ are not to allow to judge us in the matters that follow, we need to look at the broader context of this verse reading what came before and after it. Context, context, context!
Beginning in verse 4 and continuing we see several references to who this "man" is that Paul is referring to:
4 And this I say, lest any
man should 'beguile' (deceive) you with 'enticing words' (persuasive language).
8 Beware lest any
man spoil you through 'philosophy' and 'vain deceit', after the 'tradition of men', after the 'rudiments (principles) of the world', and not after Christ.
18 Let no
man beguile (defraud) you of your reward in a voluntary (one who delights in false) humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
The "
man" we are NOT to allow to judge us in matters relating to food and drink or in regards to holy day (yearly festivals), a new moon (monthly), or the Sabbath days (weekly) is the man who:
- Tries to deceive us with enticing words or persuasive language.
- To spoil us through philosophy and vain deceit according to the traditions of men and the principles of the world.
- Would defraud us of our reward through false humility and the worship of angels or through things they have not seen.
- Are vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind.
In other words, it's the worldly, fleshly, puffed up, unconverted man that has no business judging matters of a spiritual nature. However, we the body of Christ, ARE able to judge in these matters".
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" 1 Cor 6:2
But that judgment must be according to the Word of God, and not according to the "traditions of men" or "enticing words", through "philosophy", not Church Fathers or anything or anyone else! The Word of Christ alone is our judge.
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:48
In respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days...
This is referring to as stated above to the yearly festivals called "holy days" (apparently they were still considered "holy" at the time of this writing. To "new moons", which are a time of re-dedication one oneself to God at the beginning of each new moon. And the "sabbath days", which refers to the weekly Saturday sabbath. The argument is made by many sabbatarians that this is referring to the annual holy day sabbaths, but this cannot be for it is already stated in this verse. In every reference in the bible to the words "sabbath days" it is always in reference to the weekly sabbath:
- Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Matt 12:5
- And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. Matt 12:10
- How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.Matt 12:12
- And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. Mr 3:4
- And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. Lk 4:31
- And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? Lk 6:2
- Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? Lk 6:9
- And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Acts 17:2
To summarize, what Paul is telling the believers in Colossi and all of us here today, is to be on your guard against any worldly minded person who is is puffed up in their fleshly mind, that will try to defraud you of your reward. Those who would attempt to deceive you through vain deceit, through philosophy and the traditions of men. Those who would come to you in a false piousness or humility and try to pass judgment on your for your observance of the laws of God concerning food and drink, the Feasts of the Lord, the New Moons and the weekly Sabbath.
I can testify to you, that these are the very "men" that I have had to contend with for the past 35 years of my life who try to pass judgment on me for my observance of these very things. They have come to me with all those attributes...puffed up minds, a false humility and piousness, traditions of men, rather then through the Scriptures to try and rob me of my reward reserved for me and all those who keep God's commandments that are "holy, just and good."
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev 22:14
(Col 2:17) Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Finally, it is stated that all these things "are" a shadow of things "to come"...
It does not say a shadow of things that have or did come, but that are "to come.” In other words, they point to something that is yet future. How so?
The Fall Feasts of the Lord such as "the day of atonement" is still in progress as Christ is ministering in the true tabernacle of heaven as our Great High Priest just as the High Priest went into the holy of holies on this sacred day of the year. This is not over yet, Christ is still interceding for us in the heavenly courts in the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. The true Feast of Tabernacles which follows the day of atonement is also still "to come" and also the great jubilee is also yet future.
"And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." Zech 14:16
And the new moons and sabbaths also point to something that is yet future:
"And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." Isa 66:23
I hope this exegesis on Colossians 2:14-17 has helped to see the importance of studying passages of Scripture in their proper context instead of using a verse here or a verse there out of its context to support a doctrinal belief.
Let the Bible interpret itself instead of relying upon the “traditions of men”. Amen