In Colossians 2, the Apostle Paul writes: “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: {in meat...: or, for eating and drinking} {respect: or, part}17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Vv16-17).
Judge: GK: krino = condemn, call in to question, approve, determine select.
“food or drink” = in eating and drinking (Expositor’s Greek Testament, vol. 3, pg. 530).
“regarding:” GK: meros = part of or in portion of
Shadow of = present tense, foreshadow; HD’s = whole plan of God; Sabbath = millenium
The gentle converts were keeping the Sabbath and HD’s. That is why they were being judged. But their manner of observance was called into question by outsiders, who followed Gnosticism. Many Gnostic practices came from a Jewish sect known as the Essenes. According to Josephus, they kept the Sabbath so strictly that they would not even take care of bodily functions (Wars of the Jews, bk. 2, chap. 8, sec. 9). Gnosticism is a blend of pagan and Jewish philosophies teaching that the flesh and physical pleasure was evil. No wonder they were against true Christians feasting. Paul attacks these as doctrines of men (v18-21).
Why does Paul say: “the body is of Christ? The answer is that he doesn’t! The Greek word soma should be rendered body. The word “is” should be in italics and means it was added by the translators. The correct translation would be to leave it as “…the body of Christ.” Meaning what? What does Paul mean by the body of Christ? Notice Colossians 1:18: “And He [Christ] is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. The Church of God is the body of Christ, which is a spiritual organism, but it is also clearly organized to fulfill a purpose—the Great Commission (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4). The church is likened to a body and Jesus Christ is the Head (Col. 2:16-19).
If the body is the Church, what does Paul mean that the church is to judge? If Jesus Christ is the Head how does His body (the church) know how or what to judge? How does Christ give the church its beliefs? The answer is through an apostle, which means “one sent forth.” The apostles were the teachers, who instilled in the church the beliefs, teachings, practices, and customs of the church. and all members of the church are required by God to believe and speak the same thing (1 Cor. 14:33)! But what was the source of their teachings? The beliefs of the church do not come from boards, councils, or voting by members on what to believe. The source of the beliefs, teaching, customs, and practices in the Church of God is God Himself—not a man!
The Jerusalem conference is recorded in Acts 15. Verse 1 shows that when “certain men” (not apostles) came down from Judea to teach the brethren confusion ensued. The record teaches that every time we go outside the government of God it results in confusion. And God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). God put his truth into His Church through Christ and through the apostles! These men were not apostles. What they taught was not from Jesus Christ! Even the Elders were uncertain about the subject. The apostle Paul knew well that God gave His Church its teachings only through Christ and the apostles, which he taught to the Colossians. And why Paul withstood these unauthorized teachers. They were outside the government of God.
This does not mean to say that apostles are popes—they are not the vicars of Christ—they don’t reign gloriously supreme over the church—and they don’t supersede the Bible. Can apostles make mistakes? Apparently! Peter played the hypocrite (Gal. 2:11-14). And he was the lead apostle. Paul and Barnabas had great contention and couldn’t even work together (Acts 15:36-41). Yet, they were still God’s apostles. Mr. Armstrong’s predecessor was responsible for upholding the “apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42). The council of Elders had this same responsibility! The ministry was to uphold and support the teachings of Christ’s apostle. Each of us has a personal responsibility to remain within the government of God and follow God’s apostles (Phil. 2:12). What if the apostle is wrong or supposedly wrong? What if we think we are right, and he is wrong? For example, some claimed to understand the correct day of Pentecost before Mr. Armstrong changed it. Many left the Church of God because of this issue; yet, when it was corrected, they never came back. It proves there were bigger issues. Some feel they are just as good as an apostle and God can give them truth as well. This is self-righteousness and would clearly cause God to go against His own government, which He would not do. The Bible shows time and again that God works through one leader at a time, i.e., Moses, Joshua, and Peter to name a few. The test is typically for our own good. Will we patiently wait on God? Is our faith in God? Will we trust God’s government? Yes, this whole thing is about government. The Kingdom of God is the government of God to be someday restored on this earth. We are in training to be kings, priests, and judges in that government—to serve with and under Jesus Christ. That is what Paul means by the “body of Christ.”
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