AI is not only a summary of popular positions but also tends to be very agreeable with the position you feed it and mirrors your own bias. It's not trying to challenge you or argue with you, it's trying to help you so will often present answers that easily align with your own thought process. The answer you have feels more of a summary by the way its outlined but it could just be the style of the AI you're using.Great question — Colossians 2:16 is often cited in discussions about whether Christians are still required to keep the Sabbath commandment (the Fourth Commandment). Let's look at the verse carefully, in its full context, and then assess whether it refers to the weekly Sabbath from the Ten Commandments or ceremonial sabbaths in the Law of Moses.
Colossians 2:16–17 (NKJV)
Key Questions:
1. What kind of “sabbaths” is Paul talking about?
Let’s break the phrase down:
This phrase appears in many places in the Old Testament, often in this same order, and always refers to ceremonial observances:
- 1 Chronicles 23:31
- 2 Chronicles 2:4
- 2 Chronicles 31:3
- Nehemiah 10:33
- Ezekiel 45:17
- Hosea 2:11
These texts link festivals, new moons, and sabbaths as ceremonial observances — part of the Mosaic (Levitical) system, not the weekly seventh-day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments.
That’s why Paul says in Col. 2:17:
In other words, these ceremonial laws pointed forward to Christ and found their fulfillment in Him.
2. Is the weekly Sabbath also a shadow?
There’s a strong distinction between:
Type of Law Description Shadow of Christ? Abolished in Christ? Moral Law (10 Commandments) Eternal moral principles (Ex. 20) ❌ No ❌ No Ceremonial Law Feasts, sacrifices, rituals, sabbaths tied to festivals (Lev. 23) ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
- The weekly Sabbathwas:
- Given at Creation (Genesis 2:2–3)
- Reinforced in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8–11)
- Not instituted as a shadow, but as a memorial of creation
- The ceremonial sabbaths(e.g., Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets) are:
- Called sabbaths too (see Leviticus 23)
- Fall on various days, not necessarily the seventh day
- Shadows pointing to Jesus' work
Therefore, when Paul talks about “sabbaths which are a shadow”, he refers to these ceremonial sabbaths, not the weekly Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment.
3. Did Jesus or the Apostles abolish the weekly Sabbath?
- Jesus kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16)
- The disciples kept the Sabbath after Jesus' death (Acts 13:42, 16:13, 17:2, 18:4)
- Hebrews 4:9 says:
✅ Conclusion:
Colossians 2:16 does not cancel the weekly Sabbath commandment.
It refers to ceremonial sabbaths, along with food and drink offerings, and religious festivals that were shadows pointing to Christ.
The Fourth Commandment Sabbath is not a shadow, but a memorial of creation and a sign of God’s sanctifying work (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:12).
2. But Which Commandment Does God Emphasize Most in the Bible?
✅ The Fourth Commandment (Sabbath) is the only one God:
- Calls "My holy day" (Isaiah 58:13)
- Links to Creation (Genesis 2:1–3; Exodus 20:11)
- Uses to test Israel's obedience before Sinai (Exodus 16)
- Commands to remember as a sign between Him and His people (Ezekiel 20:12, 20)
- Institutes as a covenantal sign (Exodus 31:13–17)
The Fourth Commandment is the most directly spoken about by God throughout the Bible. It is personally claimed by Him, reaffirmed repeatedly, and tied to His identity as both Creator and Sanctifier.
An AI answer cannot be used as a mic drop response as I can easily ask it a conflicting view and get it to agree with me as well. In the end we still need to use the answer critically for it to have meaning. In fact, I have asked AI if using the electrical grid during the sabbath is unlawful since it contributes to a workforce demand. That's a very leading question and AI ended up applauding me for my sincerity and ethics, ultimately agreeing that unnecessary use of the electrical grid during the sabbath is indeed unlawful. But I don't see anyone turning off their lights on the Sabbath just because I got AI to say it's unlawful. Even though AI is a helpful tool for exegesis, it should not be regarded as the measure. We also carry a lot of bias that we need to recognize and we can influence AI systems even unknowingly with this bias.
In the interest of transparency, what AI did you use? and how did you prompt it to get that answer (was it one question or was this after a much longer conversation)? I don't know how unbiased you're approach was but sometimes we can carry a bias without knowing it so If you want to get answers that are less biased to your own position, use AI without a history of pervious interactions (like using incognito or private browsing mode) so each discussion is new and try and use neutral wording over leading questions because AI will happily move to where you're leading it. For example, "how does Col 2:16 relate to Sabbath" is a fairly neutral question, but saying "Is the Sabbath of Col 2:16 actually talking about a special festival over the weekly sabbath" is a leading question because it feeds the ideas first, then AI just expands upon them. You can even ask it "tell me how the Sabbath of Col 2:16 is ceremonial and not the same as the Sabbath of the 4th commandment, which is moral" this of course, would be intentionally biased where all you're looking for is something that agrees with you, not something that challenges you. You could also lean into the innate bias of AI and ask it the opposite of your position like "tell me how the Sabbath of the 4th commandment is ceremonial and the same context of the Sabbath in Col 2:16" then try and deconstruct the answer and challenge each point. The latter would be the most critically challenging for yourself, but probably the most rewarding.
With the above more neutral question, ChatGPT gave me a much different answer than you did, even equating the weekly Sabbath with ceremonial laws which is an opposite answer to what you got. Curiously, you've left your question out of the OP so at the very least I would include this so it doesn't appear like you're hiding it. My AI response I got was using a fresh ChatGPT conversation without any other history or prompts. Even this question can be leading because I'm forcing the AI to compare the Sabbath with Col 2:16 but I'm at least transparent with what I fed it. An even more neutral question could simply be "what does Col 2:16 mean?" But if you have to keep prompting AI to get the answer you want or be highly specific, then what AI is probably only parroting is your own bias.
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