Peace in Christ.
Again, if we are dead with Christ from the “rudiments” of the world, why are we still subject to ordinances….the church handwriting of ordinances?
“Rudiments” = stoicheion = founding first principles…. such as contained in an orderly arrangement of principles found in governmental constitutions.
Stoicheion is from stoicheo = march in rank from stoíchos = row) describes something orderly in arrangement…. for example: one of a row and hence a component or element.
A constitution is an orderly arrangement : codified Article 1, Article 2, Article 3….etc.
It denotes an elementary or fundamental principle in a subject or discipline. It refers to the first principles of something such as a constitution….a man’s handwriting/document set up to govern and judge himself.
Col 2:20-22
(20) Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments ( stoicheion) of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
(21) (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
The church handwritings of ordinances do not save us. Instead, they cause us to mortally perish with the using up of them.
(22) Which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Man’s churches are built upon their orderly arrangement of church constitutions or church by-laws or statements of faith in which they govern and judge themselves with …..just as the outside world does.
The outside world does not know God and so He has allowed them to do this for now. But, we must not copy them in this thing and place them in our churches to keep and serve. Man's "device" is his handwriting that he engraved for himself to keep and serve....supposedly in God's authority.
Act 17:29-30 KJV
(29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
(30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
The man-based churches keep and serve their outward handwritings of ordinances rather than the internally-written commandments of God.
They lay aside His commandments in order to keep the commandments of men as codified in their own handwritings. They “hold” the “tradition”….that is, the transmission….of men instead. The commandments of men are passed down (transmitted) from one generation to another.
Mar 7:7-9 KJV
(7) Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
(8) For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
(9) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
The “customs”…that is, in Hebrew (chûqqâh) the statutes/ordinances… of the people are vain The world and church governmental constitutions/documents by which they govern and judge themselves are empty.
They are the work of the hands of the workman …an act of the hands of an engraver such as a church scribe. They do not contain life…as one cuts a tree out of the forest. It is a dead tree…not a living one.
Jer 10:3-5 KJV
(3) For the customs (STATUTES/ORDINANCES) of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They make their church documents valuable…highly regarded…among themselves. They appear "wise"....and many consider themselves "wise" in the keeping of them. They are a source of income as well.
They fasten it with nails and with hammers…that is, they use their words as goads and as nails….hammering their place in the church through their preaching of it repeatedly so that it does not move from its place in the church.
(The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd).
(4) They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
The handwritings of ordinances that are affixed in every church appears “upright”…that is, righteous…as the palm tree. But they speak not as there is no life in them. Man must transmit them via his preaching down from one generation to another.
We are not to be afraid of man’s handwriting of ordinances for they cannot do anything good or bad because they have no life in the keeping and serving of them. The handwriting is not as God who is the Living One who speaks to us in the Spirit and actively judges us.
(5) They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Again, if we are dead with Christ from the “rudiments” of the world, why are we still subject to ordinances….the church handwriting of ordinances?
“Rudiments” = stoicheion = founding first principles…. such as contained in an orderly arrangement of principles found in governmental constitutions.
Stoicheion is from stoicheo = march in rank from stoíchos = row) describes something orderly in arrangement…. for example: one of a row and hence a component or element.
A constitution is an orderly arrangement : codified Article 1, Article 2, Article 3….etc.
It denotes an elementary or fundamental principle in a subject or discipline. It refers to the first principles of something such as a constitution….a man’s handwriting/document set up to govern and judge himself.
Col 2:20-22
(20) Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments ( stoicheion) of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
(21) (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
The church handwritings of ordinances do not save us. Instead, they cause us to mortally perish with the using up of them.
(22) Which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
Man’s churches are built upon their orderly arrangement of church constitutions or church by-laws or statements of faith in which they govern and judge themselves with …..just as the outside world does.
The outside world does not know God and so He has allowed them to do this for now. But, we must not copy them in this thing and place them in our churches to keep and serve. Man's "device" is his handwriting that he engraved for himself to keep and serve....supposedly in God's authority.
Act 17:29-30 KJV
(29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
(30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
The man-based churches keep and serve their outward handwritings of ordinances rather than the internally-written commandments of God.
They lay aside His commandments in order to keep the commandments of men as codified in their own handwritings. They “hold” the “tradition”….that is, the transmission….of men instead. The commandments of men are passed down (transmitted) from one generation to another.
Mar 7:7-9 KJV
(7) Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
(8) For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
(9) And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
The “customs”…that is, in Hebrew (chûqqâh) the statutes/ordinances… of the people are vain The world and church governmental constitutions/documents by which they govern and judge themselves are empty.
They are the work of the hands of the workman …an act of the hands of an engraver such as a church scribe. They do not contain life…as one cuts a tree out of the forest. It is a dead tree…not a living one.
Jer 10:3-5 KJV
(3) For the customs (STATUTES/ORDINANCES) of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They make their church documents valuable…highly regarded…among themselves. They appear "wise"....and many consider themselves "wise" in the keeping of them. They are a source of income as well.
They fasten it with nails and with hammers…that is, they use their words as goads and as nails….hammering their place in the church through their preaching of it repeatedly so that it does not move from its place in the church.
(The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd).
(4) They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
The handwritings of ordinances that are affixed in every church appears “upright”…that is, righteous…as the palm tree. But they speak not as there is no life in them. Man must transmit them via his preaching down from one generation to another.
We are not to be afraid of man’s handwriting of ordinances for they cannot do anything good or bad because they have no life in the keeping and serving of them. The handwriting is not as God who is the Living One who speaks to us in the Spirit and actively judges us.
(5) They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
