Shabbath Shaluem Alechem,
Sounds like a plan
Colo 2:14 Blotting out the against us hand-writing to the decrees which was hostile/opposed to us, and has taken away out of the midst, nailing
it to the stauros.
This kind of fatal thinking is what Yahshuo (aka Jesus) the Messiah has warned his people about:
"Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
-- Holy Book of Matityahu (Matthew) 13:9
If a man ignores the context of the Holy Scriptures; then he is in effect ignoring what his eyes see or his ears hear. He is ignoring common sense. In this case he is ignoring Colossans 1:1-29 and Colossans 2:15-23. When you "pluck" one verse like Colossans 2:14 off the tree of the Bible; then that plucked leaf (verse) will die and become deadly to the readers of that out-of-context verse.
You must search for the Holy Scriptures like searching for gold; because gold is not going to always be in plain sight. Gold sometimes require hard work; that is, research nowadays.
A man can clearly see that the letter to the Jews and Gentiles at Colossae is not talking about the Laws of Yahweh (aka Laws of Moses). Let's look at key missing points of this context:
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son:" -- Colossians 1:13
"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled" -- Colossians 1:21
Some of the Jews and Gentile in the holy congregation followed Greek pagan religions and occults which were Satanic in nature, seeing that the city of Colossae was in land of the Greeks. The Torah (and particular, The Ten Commandments) was not popular in Greek culture.
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." -- Colossians 2:8
Now we see what is the "Hand Written of Ordinances That Was Against Us"! They were mankind's:
- Philosophy & Vain Deceit
- Tradition of Men
- Rudiments of the World
Paul clearly pointed out that these ordinances were not Yahweh's Torah and Ten Commandments but the Sons of Aedam's man-made laws!
"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;" -- Colossians 2:8
Adonai Yahshuo (Jesus) blotted out man-made laws that were against us; which is common in societies that do not know YAHWEH, the only true God of the Heavens and the Earth. It doesn't make sense to think that God's laws would be against us. In fact God's laws always to this day help us:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. -- Exodus 20:3
How can this commandment be against us? This commandment is against athiests and idolaters!
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of YAHWEH thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:" -- Exodus 20:8-10
How can resting on the seventh-day be against us, our employees, and our farm animals? How is this commandment against us when we remind the world that God created the Heavens and the Earth in SIX literal days?
This commandment are against greedy workaholics and evolutionists!
"Thou shalt not kill."
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
"Thou shalt not steal." -- Exodus 20:13-15
How are these commandments against us? These commandments are against murderers, adulterers, and thieves!
"[And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." -- Colossians 2:15
God humiliated and conquered man's principalities and powers; not his holy Torah and Ten Commandments.
"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]:" -- Colossians 2:16
Now the Jewish servant Paul warned the Jews and Gentiles at Colossae to let no outsider judge them in how they worship, which observances are found in Yahweh's holy Torah (aka Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
"Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ."
-- Colossians 2:17
The holy days in God's Holy commandments are foretelling of things to come. Only Holy Congregation of Christ has jurisdiction on how to judge those in the proper worship and observance of Yahweh's Torah and Ten Commandments; because the Jews at Colossae had the Torah scroll that judges properly whether one is keeping these laws correctly.
"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind," ---- Colossians 2:18
Again, man-made laws, traditions, and pagan religions will deceive you into false worship and man-made pride. Yahweh's Torah and Ten Commandments will never do this; it only makes you holy and set-apart from your surrounding godless society like Greek\pagan culture in the city of Colossae.
"And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." -- Colossians 2:19
Man-made laws, tradition, and pagan religion ignore's God's laws and ways; which is like disconnecting yourself from the head: YAHWEH, the only true God. Disobedience to Yahweh's laws is disobedient to His Son, Yahshuo (Jesus Christ); because Yahweh and Yahshuo are one.
"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances," -- Colossians 2:20
Why follows the traditions, commandments, and religions of men instead of the commandments of God? Man's laws are of the world; which has ALWAYS been against the ways and laws of God.
"(Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." -- Colossians 2:21-23
Yes, Paul clearly said "the commandments and doctrines of men"! Which has always appears to be wise and humble; but these commandments physically neglect and starve a man's body; which goes against nature. God's holy laws never do this.
I never would have known this grave error, had I not read the context of Holy Scriptures quoted out-of-context, surrounding Colossians 2:14. The first Jews and Gentiles in the congregation believed in the Messiah and followed the Holy Ten Commandments (including the seventh-day shabbath observance). The Catholics deceived the Church 200 years later because the common church-goer did not have access to read the book of Colossians for himself. However, we have that access today; so there is no excuse for using common sense when reading a holy letter or book. Otherwise, history will repeat itself like Jim Jones and the Guyana Tragedy; he engage in this kind of out-of-context preaching.
"Yet YAHWEH hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." -- Deuteronomy 29:4
Shabbath Shaluem Alechem,
-- OneThatGotAway