People celebrate occasions for different reasons. Some have particular social conventions, sports milestones, famous people, or plain civic holidays. Noticing all the fireworks trailers around, we know we have reached just such an occasion. Victoria day is a uniquely British celebration, that means virtually nothing except a long weekend for a vast majority of Canadians. Yet there are some, like those of the Monarchist League, who insist that occasions like Victoria Day must be celebrated in Canada.
The Colossians were faced with a barrage of false teachers who insisted on all sorts of particular observances. False teachers were telling them that Jesus Christ was not sufficient, that they needed something more. These people believed they were privy to a higher level of spiritual knowledge and the secrets of spiritual illumination. This higher, hidden truth was beyond Jesus Christ and the Word. These heretics formed an elite, exclusive group that disdained “unenlightened” and “simplistic” Christians. They effectively beguiled some Christians and drew them away from confidence in Christ alone. The “something more” that the false teachers offered was a syncretism of pagan philosophy, Jewish legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. Paul wrote the Colossians to refute that false teaching and to present the absolute sufficiency of Jesus Christ for salvation and sanctification. Because the Colossians had Christ, and He is sufficient, they did not need to be intimidated by the false teachers.
Do you feel pressured to celebrate particular occasions? Do you feel inadequate that you have not spoke in a mystical tongue or seen a heavenly vision? Do you feel that you are just not spiritual because you have not known Christ your whole life or don't come from a religious family? Paul, in Colossians 3 frees us from these unnecessary burdens by showing the wonderful fullness of Grace.
In Colossians 2:8–23, Paul specifically mounts a frontal attack on the Colossian heresy. He has already dealt with philosophy (2:8–10) and presented Christ’s sufficiency (2:11–15). He continues his refutation of the Colossian heresy by dealing with 1) Legalism (Colossians 2:16–17), 2) Mysticism (Colossians 2:18–19), and 3) Asceticism (Colossians 2:20–23).
1) Legalism (Colossians 2:16–17)
Colossians 2:16-17 [16]Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. [17]These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (ESV)
Legalism is the religion of human achievement. It argues that spirituality is based on Christ plus human works. It makes conformity to manmade rules the measure of spirituality. Legalism is useless because it cannot restrain the flesh. It is also dangerously deceptive, because inwardly rebellious and disobedient Christians, or even nonChristians, can conform to a set of external performance standards or rituals. Legalism is a rigid, confining, and lifeless way to live. It is easy because all it requires is a list of rules coupled with dutiful compliance. Wisdom or the skillful application of biblical principles to life’s situations is unnecessary. Just comply. Legalism is not only rigid and lifeless, but it also fosters hypocritical pride. The Pharisees (ancient and modern) prove that. (Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 308). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Believers, however, are complete in Christ, who has provided complete salvation, forgiveness, and victory. Therefore, Paul tells the Colossians, let no one pass judgment/act as your judge. This is a PRESENT IMPERATIVE with NEGATIVE PARTICLE, which meant to stop an act already in process (Utley, R. J. (1997). Paul Bound, the Gospel Unbound: Letters from Prison (Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, then later, Philippians) (Vol. Volume 8, p. 34). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
Although, no one can control the attitudes or actions of another, the individual responses to those who judge could be controlled, and that was Paul’s real concern... The false teachers attempted to enforce regulations (that) reflected matters of personal choice and had little to do with one’s relationship with Christ (Melick, R. R. (1991). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (Vol. 32, pp. 266–267). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Do not sacrifice your freedom in Christ for a set of manmade rules. Inasmuch as “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4), to become entangled again in a legalistic system is pointless and harmful. Paul reminded the Galatians, who were also beguiled by legalism, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). That Christians not be intimidated by such legalism was Paul’s constant concern. He commanded Titus not to pay attention to “Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth,” because “to the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:14–15). Romans 14–15 and 1 Corinthians 8–10 also discuss Christian liberty and the only legitimate reason for restraining it: to protect a weaker Christian brother or sister. Paul reminded the Romans that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). That the dietary laws are no longer in force was illustrated by Peter’s vision (Acts 10:9–16) and formally ratified by the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:28–29).
Please turn to Mark 7 (p.843)
The false teachers were telling the Colossians that it was not enough to have Christ; they also needed to keep the Jewish ceremonial law. The false teachers’ prohibitions about food and drink were probably based on the Old Testament dietary laws (cf. Lev. 11). Those laws were given to mark Israel as God’s distinct people and to discourage them from intermingling with the surrounding nations. The Jewish food laws did not extend to beverages, but here the reference is to more stringent regulations of an ascetic nature, perhaps involving the renunciation of animal flesh and of wine and strong drink (after the Nazirite fashion). (Bruce, F. F. (1984). The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians (p. 114). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Because the Colossians were under the New Covenant, the dietary laws of the Old Covenant were no longer in force. Jesus made that clear in Mark 7:
Mark 7:15-19 [15]There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." [17]And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. [18]And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, [19]since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) (ESV)
A festival was one of the annual Jewish celebrations, such as Passover, Pentecost, the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast of Lights (cf. Lev. 23). Sacrifices were also offered on the new moon, or first day of the month (Num. 28:11–14). Therefore, “festival,” “New Moon celebration,” and “Sabbath day” probably refer to various holy days of the Jewish calendar—annual, monthly, and weekly (Vaughan, C. (1981). Colossians. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon (Vol. 11, p. 204). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
Contrary to the claims of some today, like the Seventh Day Adventests, Christians are not required to worship on the Sabbath day. It, like the other Old Covenant holy days Paul mentions, is not binding under the New Covenant. There is convincing evidence for that in Scripture. First, the Sabbath was the sign to Israel of the Old Covenant (Ex. 31:16–17; Neh. 9:14; Ezek. 20:12). Because we are now under the New Covenant (Heb. 8), we are no longer required to keep the sign of the Old Covenant. Second, the New Testament nowhere commands Christians to observe the Sabbath. Third, in our only glimpse of an early church worship service in the New Testament, we find the church meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Fourth, we find no hint in the Old Testament that God expected the Gentile nations to observe the Sabbath, nor are they ever condemned for failing to do so. That is certainly strange if He expected all peoples to observe the Sabbath. Fifth, there is no evidence of anyone’s keeping the Sabbath before the time of Moses, nor are there any commands to keep the Sabbath before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. Sixth, the Jerusalem Council did not impose Sabbath keeping on the Gentile believers (Acts 15). Seventh, Paul warned the Gentiles about many different sins in his epistles, but never about breaking the Sabbath. Eighth, Paul rebuked the Galatians for thinking God expected them to observe special days (Including the Sabbath) (Gal. 4:10–11). Ninth, Paul taught that keeping the Sabbath was a matter of Christian liberty (Rom. 14:5). Tenth, the early church Fathers, from Ignitions to Augustine, taught that the Old Testament Sabbath had been abolished and that the first day of the week (Sunday) was the day when Christians should meet for worship. That disproves the claim of some that Sunday worship was not instituted until the fourth century. In summary, Paul is saying here that believers are under no obligation to keep the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) now that the new covenant has come. He is not setting aside the principle of one day in seven involved in the keeping of Sunday as the Lord’s Day, but reinforcing the fact that Christ has come to set us free from the law as a way of salvation (McNaughton, I. S. (2006). Opening up Colossians and Philemon (p. 53). Leominster: Day One Publications.).
• For centuries Roman Catholics were not supposed to eat meat on Friday. Many churches require abstinence from certain foods during Lent. Others, like the Mormons, say that a person cannot be a member in good standing if he drinks tea or coffee. Still others, notably the Seventh Day Adventists, insist that a person must keep the Sabbath in order to please God. The Christian is not under such ordinances (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 2005). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.).
The dietary laws, festivals, sacrifices, and Sabbath day worship were all things which as verse 17 indicates, are a shadow of the things to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. A shadow has no reality; the reality is what makes the shadow. Jesus Christ is the reality to which the shadows pointed. For example, regarding food regulations, He is “the bread that came down out of heaven” (John 6:41). There is no need for Christians to observe the Passover either, because “Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed” (1 Cor. 5:7). What justification could there be for demanding that Gentiles observe the Sabbath when God has granted them eternal rest (Heb. 4:1–11)? Any continuing preoccupation with the shadows once the reality has come is pointless. The old covenant observances pointed to a future reality that was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Heb. 10:1) (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2297). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
Paul’s point is simple: true spirituality does not consist merely of keeping external rules, but of having an inner relationship with Jesus Christ. We do our kids and young believers a disservice if we say that a relationship with God is all about human made rules. If we even imply that godliness is defined by a list of things we don't do, then we miss what God has done for us.
Illustration: Legalism 37
United Parcel Service takes pride in the productivity of its delivery men and women. On average, a UPS driver delivers four hundred packages every working day. The company gets such high productivity by micromanaging the details of a deliveryman’s routine. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Robert Frank says: “With a battalion of more than 3,000 industrial engineers, the company dictates every task for employees. Drivers must step from their trucks with their right foot, fold their money face-up, and carry packages under their left arm.” UPS “tells drivers how fast to walk (three feet per second), how many packages to pick up and deliver a day (400, on average), even how to hold their keys (teeth up, third finger).” “Those considered slow are accompanied by supervisors, who cajole and prod them with stopwatches and clipboards.” (Robert Frank, “As UPS Tries to Deliver More to Its Customers, Labor Problems Grow,” Wall Street Journal, 23 May 1994, sec.-A, p 1.)
This approach may work well in the package delivery business, but it is a complete failure in spiritual matters. When spiritual leaders imitate these industrial engineers, controlling every movement of their followers, it leads to legalism and bondage. The Christian life, on the other hand, is engineered by God as a life of freedom in the Spirit (Larson, C. B. (2002). 750 engaging illustrations for preachers, teachers & writers (p. 303). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).
2) Mysticism (Colossians 2:18–19)
Colossians 2:18-19 [18]Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, [19]and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. (ESV)
Mysticism may be defined as the pursuit of a deeper or higher subjective religious experience. It is the belief that spiritual reality is perceived apart from the human intellect and natural senses. It argues that spirituality is based on Christ plus unique spiritual experience.
It looks for truth internally, weighing feelings, intuition, and other internal sensations more heavily than objective, observable, external data. Mysticism ultimately derives its authority from a self-actualized, self-authenticated light rising from within. This irrational and anti-intellectual approach is the antithesis of Christian theology. The false teachers claimed a mystical union with God. Paul exhorts the Colossians not to allow those false teachers who disqualify/keep defrauding them of their prize. This is a PRESENT IMPERATIVE with NEGATIVE PARTICLE, which meant to stop an act already in process. This term is only used here in the NT. This is one of Paul’s athletic metaphors for the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24, 27; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 3:14; 2 Tim. 4:7). Believers must not let legalists act as umpires robbing them of their freedom in Christ (Utley, R. J. (1997). Paul Bound, the Gospel Unbound: Letters from Prison (Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, then later, Philippians) (Vol. Volume 8, p. 34). Marshall, TX: Bible Lessons International.).
It was as if the heretics assumed the role of spiritual referees and disqualified the Colossians for not abiding by their rules. To disqualify/keep defrauding/be condemned translates the Greek katabrabeuô (compare brabeuô in 3:15, see brabeion, “prize,” in 1 Cor 9:24, Phil 3:14), which appears only here in the NT. It means “to give an adverse decision” or “to deprive of the rightful prize,” and is formed from brabeus, the judge or umpire at athletic contests (Bratcher, R. G., & Nida, E. A. (1993). A handbook on Paul’s letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (p. 67). New York: United Bible Societies.).
The false teachers engaged in the worship of the angels, thus denying the truth that there is “one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). The Bible strictly forbids the worship of angels. “It is written,” Jesus told Satan, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only’ ” (Matt. 4:10). When John tried to worship an angel, he was rebuked for doing so: “I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God’ ” (Rev. 19:10; cf. Rev. 22:9). The angels themselves worship God (Isa. 6:1–4). The practice here in question involves invoking angels for help and protection from evil spirits (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2297). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
The worship of angels was a heresy that was to plague the Phrygian region (Where Colossae was located) for centuries. In A.D. 363 a church synod was held in Colossae’s sister city of Laodicea. It declared, “It is not right for Christians to abandon the church of God and go away to invoke angels” (Canon 25) The early Church Father Theodoret, commenting on Colossians 2:18, wrote, “The disease which St. Paul denounces, continued for a long time in Phrygia and Pisidia” The archangel Michael was worshiped in Asia Minor as late as A.D. 739. He was also given credit for miraculous cures. (William Hendrickson: Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. New Testament Commentary [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981], p. 126).
• From formal Roman Catholic teaching that thinks believes prayer to angels can change events, to the Jehovah's Witness, who believe Christ Himself is the archangel Michel, this heresy remains.
In addition to practicing false humility and worshiping angels, the false teachers were taking their stand on visions they had seen. There is no need for extra-biblical revelation through visions, because “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1–2). Galatians 1:8 [8]But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (ESV)
Please turn to John 3 (p.887)
What about all the so called heaven visions of today. They self-indulgent fantasy that has no resemblance to Biblical record. In an upcoming book dealing with this subject, entitled the Glory of Heaven, John MacArthur says: For anyone who truly believes the biblical record, it is impossible to resist the conclusion that these modern testimonies—with their relentless self-focus and the relatively scant attention they pay to the glory of God—are simply untrue. They are either figments of the human imagination (dreams, hallucinations, false memories, fantasies, and in the worst cases, deliberate lies), or else they are products of demonic deception (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Print/Blog/B121018)
John 3:1-15 [3:1]Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [2]This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." [3]Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." [4]Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" [5]Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. [6]That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7]Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' [8]The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." [9]Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" [10]Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? [11]Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. [12]If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? [13]No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. [14]And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15]that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (ESV)
• Scripture definitively says that people do not go to heaven and come back: "Who has ascended to heaven and come down?" (Proverbs 30:4). Answer: "No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man" (John 3:13,). All the accounts of heaven in Scripture are visions, not journeys taken by dead people. And even visions of heaven are very, very rare in Scripture. Only four authors in all the Bible were blessed with visions of heaven and wrote about what they saw: the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, and the apostles Paul and John. Two other biblical figures—Micaiah and Stephen—got glimpses of heaven, but what they saw is merely mentioned, not described (2 Chronicles 18:18; Acts 7:55). All of these were prophetic visions, not near-death experiences. Not one person raised from the dead in the Old or New Testaments ever recorded for us what he or she experienced in heaven. (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Print/Blog/B121018)
Paul warns the Colossians not to be intimidated by the false teachers’ claims. Far from being the spiritual elite they thought themselves to be, they are puffed up without reasons/inflated without cause by their sensuous/fleshly minds. Being guilty of gross spiritual pride, they were devoid of the Holy Spirit. This pride leads sinners to disregard the real purpose of God’s law and to regard an outward keeping of the law as a means for salvation. It also leads human beings, in their perverse and sinful way of thinking, to set up their own laws, rules, and schemes and to imagine that the keeping of these human laws and rules makes them better people and somehow merits them favor with God. This type of thinking can be found at the heart of every non-Christian religion that has ever appeared on earth (Kuschel, H. J. (1986). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (p. 158). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.).
Having gone beyond the teaching of Christ (cf. 2 John 9), they were not, as verse 19 notes, holding fast to the head, that is, Christ (cf. Col. 1:18). He is the One from whom the whole/entire body, nourished/supplied and knit/held together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. “The two functions performed by the joints and ligaments, are first, the supply of nutriment, and second, the compacting of the frame (knit/held together). In other words, they are the communication of life and energy, and the preservation of unity and order. The source of all is Christ Himself, the Head; but the channels of communication are the different members of His body, in their relation one to another.… the end is growth.”( Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Col 2:18). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.)
Spiritual growth comes from union with Christ, as Jesus described abiding in Him in John 15:4–5. The false teachers had become detached from Christ. Just as a limb that is detached from the body loses life, so these false teachers, detached from the body of Christ and no longer under his headship, had lost the most vital connection. By losing connection with Christ, the natural result was that these teachers would fall into error and find themselves separated from the church. (Barton, B. B., & Comfort, P. W. (1995). Philippians, Colossians, Philemon (pp. 198–199). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.)
• There is a tendency in human nature to move from objectivity to subjectivity—to shift the focus from Christ to experience. Today's false standard of so called higher spirituality is defined by experiences called "the Anointing", "Second Blessing", "the Deeper Life" or a preconceived subjective so called "Conversion Experience".
Illustration: In the context of Colossians, this mysticism derived from the pretense and imagination of the Gnostics. It bears some similarity to the pretense which Coach Johnny Kerr tried to get his Chicago Bulls to practice. As Kerr tells it: "We had lost seven in a row, and I decided to give a psychological pep talk before the game with the Celtics. I told Bob Boozer to go out and pretend he was the best scorer in basketball. I told Jerry Sloan to pretend he was the best defensive guard. I told Guy Rodgers to pretend he could run an offense better than any other guard, and I told Eric Mueller to pretend he was the best rebounding, shot-blocking, scoring center in the game. We lost the game by 17. I was pacing around the locker room afterward trying to figure out what to say when Mueller walked up, put his arm around me and said, “Don’t worry about it, coach. Just pretend we won.” (James S. Hewett, ed., Parables, Etc., Volume 6, Number. 1, March 1986, p. 1.)
The Gnostics were great pretenders and fooled not only themselves, but the Colossians. Paul says that the Colossians were in danger of being deprived of their reward and future glory by the pretense of their cultured Gnostic friends (Hughes, R. K. (1989). Colossians and Philemon: the supremacy of Christ (p. 84). Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.).
3) Asceticism (Colossians 2:20–23)
Colossians 2:20-23 [20]If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-- [21]"Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" [22](referring to things that all perish as they are used)--according to human precepts and teachings? [23]These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (ESV)
An ascetic is one who lives a life of rigorous self-denial. In addition to practicing legalism and mysticism, the Colossian errorists were attempting to gain righteousness through self-denial. It argues that spirituality is based on Christ minus everything.
The church has been intimidated for centuries by those who advocated poverty as a means to spirituality. It has not always remembered that money itself is not the root of evil, but the love of it (cf. 1 Tim.6:10). Many of God’s choicest servants in the Old Testament, such as Abraham, Job, and Solomon, were extremely wealthy. Asceticism has taken different shapes over time: wearing thick hair shirts close to the skin (as if itching is spiritual); sleeping on hard beds; whipping oneself; or prolonged fasting (Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 310). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits/principles of the world, why, Paul asks, as if you were still alive/living in the world, do you submit to regulations/decrees. To practice asceticism, Paul writes, is to adopt a worldly system of religion, based on elemental spirits/principles of the world. Since the false teachers taught a form of philosophical dualism, they practiced asceticism in an attempt to free the spirit from the prison of the body. The view that the body was evil eventually found its way into the church. According to the church Father Athanasius, Anthony, the founder of Christian monasticism, never changed his vest or washed his feet (Life of Anthony, para. 47). He was outdone, however, by Simeon Stylites (C. 390–459), who spent the last thirty-six years of his life atop a fifty-foot pillar. Simeon mistakenly thought the path to spirituality lay in exposing his body to the elements and withdrawing from the world. Their feats have been emulated by monks throughout church history. Even Martin Luther, before discovering the truth of justification by faith, nearly wrecked his health through asceticism.
• God may call some to a life of self-denial. Many missionaries, for example, have by necessity led ascetic lives. They did not do so, however, as an attempt to gain spirituality.
The asceticism was enforced with man made rules noted in verse 21 such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” Through their union with Christ, the redeemed are set free from manmade rules designed to promote spirituality. He says, as it were, Why submit to a series of Dont’s, as if by adding enough negatives you would ever obtain a positive, or as if victory over sin and progress in sanctification would ever be achieved by basing all your confidence in sheer avoidance (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Colossians and Philemon (Vol. 6, p. 131). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
Asceticism is useless in that it focuses attention as verse 22 notes, on things that all perish as they are used. “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food;” writes Paul to the Corinthians, “but God will do away with both of them” (1 Cor. 6:13). There is no spiritual value in doing this according to human precepts/ commandments and teachings. This was one form of a process called syncretism. Syncretism involves the fusion of different, even conflicting, elements of religious thought. It is still alive. Roman Catholicism has been very adept at imposing a Christian veneer on an underlying pagan culture. (Arthur, J. P. (2007). Christ All-Sufficient: Colossians and Philemon Simply Explained (p. 113). Darlington, England: Evangelical Press.)
Please turn to Matthew 6 (p.811)
The reason for asceticism’s impotency is seen finally in verse 23. Although it has the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism/self-abasement and severity/treatment of the body, it is of no value in stopping/against the indulgence of the flesh. Asceticism might make a person appear spiritual, because of its emphasis on humility and poverty, but it serves only to gratify the flesh. It is a vain attempt to appear more holy than others. This teaching is prompted by a false humility (it was prompted by a voluntary, self-conscious humility, a humility which is no humility at all) (Gingrich, R. E. (1999). The Book of Colossians (p. 23). Memphis, TN: Riverside Printing.)
Jesus warned His disciples against it:
Matthew 6:16-18 [16]"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [17]But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, [18]that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)
Quote: Commenting on the futility of asceticism, the great nineteenth-century Scottish preacher Alexander McClaren wrote, “Any asceticism is a great deal more to men’s taste than abandoning self. They will rather stick hooks in their backs ... than give up their sins and yield up their wills (submission). There is only one thing that will put the collar on the neck of the animal within us and that is the power of the indwelling Christ. Ascetic religion is godless, for its practitioners essentially worship themselves. As such, we are not to be intimidated by it".
Paul’s message to the Colossians is also a warning to us. We are not to be intimidated by false human philosophy, legalism, mysticism, or asceticism. Those are but “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). We must hold fast to Christ, in whom we “have been made complete” (Col. 2:10).
(Format note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1992). Colossians (pp. 112–123). Chicago: Moody Press.)
