October 23, 2024
Praying Friends,
The Old Testament is the first section of our Bible, providing the history of our world from creation to the time of Jesus. It is a book filled with types, shadows, and pictures of something bigger and grander.
The narrative is gradually rising to a certain climax. That climax is Christ Jesus! He is the reality, the substance, the fulfillment of this ancient story. So Paul writes to the Colossian believers to remind them and us that true reality is found in Christ.
This is how he put it in Colossians 2:16-18:
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
Throughout history, the Jewish people observed definite dietary restrictions, special days of celebration, and days of rest. They all had a purpose for the people of that time period, and also had prophetic significance relating to Christ.
Now that Christ, the Messiah, had arrived and initiated the new covenant, all the Old Testament rituals and ceremonies that foreshadowed Him were set aside for the real thing.
Having said that, if there were conscientious Jews who still kept certain rituals, there was no sin in doing that. Nor was it wrong for Gentile believers who knew nothing of these practices to abstain from them.
Paul gets to the heart of things by dealing with two negative possibilities that threatened and still threaten believers from enjoying their fullness in Christ.
The first is the problem of being judgmental. He tells them not to let anyone judge them in these matters. While they could not stop people from judging them, they could stop the effect that it had on them.
We, in North America, live centuries later and quite separated from these types of issues, but we still have hearts that are prone to judge other believers for certain practices that we deem unacceptable.
If there are practices that are sinful or would cause a weak believer to stumble, then they need to be addressed in love, otherwise we need to take the admonition that Paul gives here and stop being judgmental.
Always remember that our identity is found in Christ (Colossians 2:6-8), our substance or fullness is found in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10,17), our position is found in Christ (Colossians 2:11-13), and our forgiveness and victory are found in Christ (Colossians 2:13-15).
All that we are, and all that we ever hope to be, is found in our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is everything! Therefore, don’t be occupied with the little things that upset you about your brother or sister’s behavior and don’t judge them in your heart, instead occupy yourself with Him and the fullness you have in Him.
The second threat that Paul highlighted was that of pride. Those who professed to have greater knowledge and delighted in false humility, were steering believers away from having their focus in Christ (Colossians 2:18).
If anyone says that we need more than Christ for true fulfillment, it is simply false. It may be couched in humble terms to make it appealing or include arguments filled with great human persuasion and knowledge, but it is not of God.
Pride is a subtle thing and can easily creep into our own hearts as well. As we walk humbly with God, we will see the importance of Christ in our lives and the value of keeping Him central.
He is everything!
Thank you for praying for our prodigals and for revival among us.
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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