Christian Freedom
Colossians 2:16–23
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. 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. 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.
Those who don’t know Christianity very well have often
called it a religion of rules. I’ve had people tell me that they don’t want to
follow Christ because then they would have to give up the things they like to
do. The truth is that following Christ is not a life of restriction, but a life
of freedom. It’s all about perspective.
So what do our Christian freedoms include? I’ll state the
obvious right up front because it is vitally important. We are now free from “the
law of sin and death.” We are free to live in eternity with Jesus AND to live
with Him right here and now. That freedom came at a huge price; the very blood
of Jesus. But we are also free from the arbitrary laws placed on us by others
who believe they should get to mandate how everyone lives based on their own
weaknesses. Paul discusses this at length in some of his other Epistles. The
Colossians were facing a long list of rules imposed by those who wanted to
deeply regulate the Christian faith. They wanted to impose rules regarding what
you could eat, what you could touch, and how you should worship. We’ve all seen
it happen today as well and I believe those efforts come from a place of
wanting to control every situation. These rules are often placed upon others
out of fear. Christianity is not a religion of fear but of faith. And so Paul
addresses us today as well. If you dig deeper into these ideas you will find
that Paul is clear; you cannot set up your Christian brother or sister to fail.
If their conscience tells them something is wrong, then you do not push them to
do it. Here’s a very petty example: I have never been comfortable wearing
T-shirts that have someone’s face on them. It seems like idolatry to me. Don’t
get me wrong; I don’t think anything of it when I see someone else wearing a “fan
shirt”. But it’s just not right for me. I know – it’s petty. But I’ve always
had a problem with it. So for me, it’s wrong. But what I cannot do is make the
wearing of “fan shirts” a sin for others. That’s my opinion and I can’t back it
up with Scripture. So I cannot impose my thoughts on anyone else. This is a
small (and really innocuous) example of what I think Paul is talking about in this passage.
The freedom that is ours as Christians is not to be
squandered. It came at a terrific price and we cannot make our opinions laws
for Christian living. That’s not our place nor should we allow ourselves to be
placed under someone's pet rules either. Christ’s blood is more precious
than that.
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