Scripture Reading: Col. 2:16-18, 20-22
In the foregoing message we pointed out that in the economy of His salvation God has enlivened us, has nailed the law to the cross, and has stripped off the rulers and authorities. According to Paul’s word in 2:14, the handwriting in ordinances, which was against us and contrary to us, has been taken out of the way. For a certain period of time, the law was in the way. Although God made use of the law, it was rather difficult for Him to move on to carry out His economy with the law in the way. Hence, when Christ was crucified, God came in to take the law out of the way by nailing it to the cross.
I hope that many Seventh-Day Adventists, who insist on the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, will come to see the difference between God’s economy and the keeping of the Sabbath. According to the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a token of God’s creation. After laboring for six days, God rested on the seventh day, which became the Sabbath. Hence, the seventh day became a testimony of the old creation. It testified that creation came from God’s hand. As part of the old creation, man is obligated to keep the seventh day. However, the new creation came into existence on the first day of the week, on the day the Lord Jesus was resurrected from among the dead. Through Christ’s resurrection, the new creation, including the church constituted of the regenerated believers in Christ, was produced. Therefore, as the seventh day was a token of the old creation, the eighth day, the first day of the week, is a token of the new creation. For this reason, nowhere in the New Testament are we told that Christians met together to worship on the seventh day. But at least two verses indicate that the saints met on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7 says that on “the first day of the week...the disciples came together to break bread.” This indicates that during the time of the Apostle Paul the saints gathered to remember the Lord on the first day of the week. This shows that this day is a memorial of God’s new creation. Because as believers we are in the new creation, we no longer are obligated to observe the seventh day. Instead, we come together on the first day of the week to remember the Lord Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 16:2 Paul says, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.” This verse also strongly confirms the fact that the early Christians met on the first day of the week, not on the seventh day. Because they came together on this day, that was the best time to gather together their offerings to the Lord.
Some Seventh-Day Adventists point out that it was Paul’s practice to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Yes, this was Paul’s practice, but his purpose was not to keep the Sabbath or to worship God. It was to take advantage of the opportunity to preach the gospel to the Jews.
Another indication of the importance of the first day of the week in the New Testament is found in Revelation 1:10. Here the Apostle John tells us that he was “in spirit on the Lord’s day.” The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week, the day the Lord was resurrected. As we have pointed out, the early church met on this day. On the Lord’s Day, a testimony of God’s new creation, John was in spirit to see visions related to God’s economy.
Even the types in Leviticus 23 show the importance of the first day of the week. The children of Israel were to bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest to the priest to be waved before the Lord (vv. 10-11). We are told specifically that “on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.” The “morrow after the sabbath” is, of course, the eighth day, or, the first day of the week. Furthermore, Leviticus 23:16 speaks of “the morrow after the seventh sabbath.” This day was the day of Pentecost, which was also on the first day of the week. These verses are a further indication of the place of the eighth day in God’s economy.
We have seen that in God’s economy the seventh day is a memorial of the old creation, whereas the eighth day is a memorial of the new creation. Because the Jews are still in God’s old creation, they continue to keep the seventh day. But because we, the church, are in the new creation and no longer in the old creation, we are not required to keep the seventh day. Instead, we gather together on the first day of the week, the day which marks a new beginning in resurrection. Hence, those believers in Christ who advocate the observance of a seventh-day Sabbath are short of the proper knowledge of the Bible. For believers in Christ, the memorial day should no longer be the Sabbath; it should be the first day of the week, the day the Lord Jesus was resurrected from among the dead. Through His resurrection on the first day of the week, we were regenerated (1 Pet. 1:3). Now we are no longer in the old creation, but in the new creation.
In this message we need to consider how Christ is the body of all the shadows. In 2:16 and 17 Paul says, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.” The Greek words rendered “in eating and in drinking” may also be translated “in food and in drink.” Food and drink signify satisfaction and strengthening. The feasts denote the annual Jewish festivals, which signify joy and enjoyment, and the new moons signify a new beginning with light in darkness. Furthermore, the Sabbaths signify completion and rest. Feasts are yearly, new moons monthly, Sabbaths weekly, and eating and drinking daily.
All these items of the ceremonial law are a shadow of the spiritual things in Christ, which are the things to come. The body in verse 17, like a man’s physical body, is the substance. The rituals in the law are a shadow of the real things in the gospel, like the shadow of a man’s body. Christ is the reality of the gospel. All the good things in the gospel belong to Him. The book of Colossians unveils such an all-inclusive Christ as the focus of God’s economy.
I was a Christian for years before I gained a proper understanding of 2:16 and 17. Paul’s concept is that the various aspects of the ceremonial law are a shadow of things to come, of the spiritual things in Christ, just as a shadow is a figure of a person’s body. The festivals, the new moons, the Sabbaths, and the regulations concerning eating and drinking all were shadows. The body, the solid substance, of the shadows is Christ.
Many things in our environment of daily living are also shadows of Christ. For example, the food we eat is a shadow, not the real food. The real food is Christ. Christ is also the real drink. The clothing we wear to cover us, to beautify us, and to keep us warm is also a shadow of Christ. Christ is the One who truly covers our nakedness, who keeps us warm, and who imparts beauty to us. Christ is also our true dwelling place and real rest. The houses in which we live are a shadow of Christ as our dwelling place. The rest we enjoy at night is also a figure of Christ as our rest. Even the satisfaction we enjoy after a good meal is not the real satisfaction but a shadow of Christ as the reality of satisfaction.
In verse 16 Paul covers matters related to daily life, weekly life, monthly life, and yearly life. As we have pointed out, eating and drinking are daily, the Sabbaths weekly, the new moons monthly, and the feasts yearly. All the aspects of our living are shadows of Christ. Eating and drinking signify daily satisfaction and strengthening, and the Sabbath signifies weekly completion and rest. Without completion, we cannot enjoy rest. Rest always comes from completion and satisfaction. When you have finished a certain matter and are satisfied with it, you are then able to be at rest. After God completed His work of creation on the sixth day, He enjoyed rest on the seventh day. I can testify that I can enjoy rest only when my work has been completed and I am satisfied with it. Hence, the Sabbath signifies completion and rest on a weekly basis.
A new moon signifies a monthly new beginning with light in darkness. Just as the new moon marked a new beginning in Old Testament times, so Christ affords us a new beginning with light in darkness today. Recently I heard the testimony of a Jewish brother who was saved a few months ago. Before he came to the Lord, he was in darkness, like all unbelieving Jews today. But now Christ is his new moon with light in darkness.
The feasts signify yearly enjoyment and joy. Three times a year, God’s chosen people came together for the annual feasts, which were times of enjoyment, of rejoicing together before the Lord. Although the feasts were enjoyable, they were simply shadows of Christ. He is the real food, drink, completion, rest, new moon, and feast. Daily we eat and drink Him, weekly we have completion and rest in Him, monthly we experience a new beginning in Him, and throughout the year He is our joy and enjoyment. Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly Christ is to us the reality of every positive thing.
In chapter one Paul shows us that Christ is the portion of the saints, the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, the Head of the Body, the firstborn from among the dead, the One in whom all the fullness is pleased to dwell, and our indwelling hope of glory. In chapter two he goes on to say that Christ is the mystery of God and the One in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. After all this, Paul comes to our practical living, which involves daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly matters.
The items covered by Paul in 2:16 are related either to the rotation of the earth on its axis, or to the revolution of the earth in its orbit around the sun. Without this rotation and revolution, we would have no way to maintain our physical life. Because of the earth’s rotation and revolution, we have days, weeks, months, and years. As we have pointed out again and again, the reality of all these daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly things is Christ.
In verse 17 Paul says that Christ is the body of all the shadows. This means that He is the reality of our food and drink, of our completion and rest, of our new beginning with light in darkness, and of our enjoyment and joy. Every day, week, month, and year we need Christ. All the positive things in our daily life, weekly life, monthly life, and yearly life must be Christ. Christ must become everything to us not merely in a doctrinal way, but in the way of experience. I can testify that Christ is my completion, my rest, my new beginning, my enjoyment, my joy, my food, my drink, and my satisfaction. Although Christ is universally vast, He is also all the detailed aspects of our practical daily living. Day by day, He is our breath and everything to us.
In 2:16 Paul says, “Let no one therefore judge you.” In verse 18 he goes on to say, “Let no one purposely defraud you of your prize.” According to verses 20 through 22, there is no need for us to subject ourselves to ordinances. Since Christ is the body of all shadows, we can be free from the judgment or opinion of those who advocate Gnosticism and asceticism.
From the time I came to this country and began the ministry here, I have told people to forget their doctrines and opinions. According to God’s mathematics, only Christ has value. Doctrines and opinions do not matter. What matters is the Christ who is for our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly life.
Throughout the years, I have learned not to hold to my opinions or to express them. Others, however, may strongly express their opinions even over things such as the kind of vacuum cleaner to purchase for use in the meeting hall. There is no value in arguing about such trivial things. I may have opinions about such matters, but I have learned not to express them. To argue on behalf of our opinions is altogether a waste of time.
In the church life we should have just one factor, one reason, one element, one source: Christ. Because Christ is our factor, reason, element, and source, there is no need for us to express our opinions or to argue. Although we may have many opinions, we need to learn, by the Lord’s mercy, not to express our opinion. Some people may prefer to eat with chopsticks, whereas others may prefer a knife and fork or even their fingers. What difference does it make as long as they take the food into them? There is no need to express an opinion regarding utensils used in eating.
Opinion is the stronghold of the self. Although our opinions may be extremely strong, we can learn in the church life not to express them. This does not mean, however, that we agree with things such as idolatry. We must be strong to oppose that kind of thing. But regarding so many other matters, we need not express our opinion. If Christ is truly everything to us in our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly life, there will be no need for us to express our opinion. We have Christ as our unique factor, reason, element, and source.
