Information Related to "Colossians 2:16-17: Are God's Laws Obsolete?"
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Many people assume from Colossians 2:16-17 that Paul is saying that God's laws about the Sabbath, Holy Days and clean and unclean meats are no longer necessary. "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 . . ." he wrote (KJV). Let's examine these verses' context and historic setting to see if they support that view.
Did Paul intend to say that God's laws are abolished? If so, we find some immediate problems. If this is what he meant, it's difficult to explain why he left the issue so muddled by not clearly stating that these practices were unnecessary. After all, the Colossian church was primarily gentile (Colossians 2:13), so Paul could have used this epistle to make it plain that these practices were not binding on Christians.
However, Paul nowhere said that. Instead, regarding the practices of festivals, new moons and Sabbaths, he said only to "let no one judge you," which is quite different from saying these practices are unnecessary or obsolete.
A more basic question to ask is whether Old Testament practices were even at the core of what Paul was addressing here. Was Paul even discussing whether Christians should keep the laws regarding clean and unclean meats, the biblical festivals, the weekly Sabbath or any other Old Testament laws?
When we read the rest of this chapter, it quickly becomes obvious that other issues were involved. Among these were "principalities and powers" (verse 15), "false humility and worship of angels" (verse 18), ascetic rules forbidding to touch, taste and handle (verse 21) and "neglect of the body" (verse 23).
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