Home      Search the Word      God's Answers      God's Plan of Salvation      Bible Translations      Study Aides     

God's Answers Back to question index

QUESTION: Would you explain Colossians 2:16?

ANSWER: Notice in verse fourteen of this chapter, that the apostle Paul is discussing the fact that the Old Testament Law had been blotted out by Christ, because it was against us and contrary to us. Had it not been blotted out, it would have conflicted with the New Testament Law, which became effective upon the death of Christ (Hebrews 9:15-17). Therefore, He took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. See also Romans 7:1-7; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18; Galatians 3:19-29; Ephesians 2:11-18; Hebrews 7:12; and Hebrews 8:6-10. In verse sixteen, Paul discusses the “holy days” and “sabbaths” that were a part of the Old Testament Law. He is saying, “in view of the fact that you are no longer under that Law, you are not bound to keep these “days.”’ Therefore, don’t let any man judge you (or pronounce sentence upon you) regarding them. There were Jewish teachers at that time who were trying to force Christians to go back under the Old Law for justification by keeping the “days” in question. Paul is saying, ‘don’t let it happen.’ In fact, in Galatians 5:1, he says to “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (the Old Testament Law). In verse four, he warns that those who go back under that Old Law have “fallen from grace.”


 Links | Contact Us