Reject Self-Made Religion
Colossians 2:16-23
If I were going to summarize the situation at the church in Colossae when Paul wrote his letter to them, it would be that false teachers came into the church and said something like, “We know you’re Christians, but that’s not enough. There are things that you need to add to your Christianity—things that will make you more spiritual than just believing in Jesus Christ.” The same kind of dangers face us as Christians today—saying that Christ is not sufficient or that Christ is not enough.
Paul warns the church about these things in Colossians 2. Notice first in Colossians 2:8, Paul writes, “Beware lest any man cheat you” or “take you captive.” Next, in Colossians 2:16, he writes, “So let no one judge you.” Then, in Colossians 2:18, “Let no one cheat you (or “defraud you” NASB) of your reward”. I like the word “disqualify” you (ESV). Paul puts his final warning in the form of a question, “why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations?” (Colossians 2:20). In other words, “let no one enslave you.”
So in our text, Paul gives us three warnings. He warns us not to be taken-in, judged, disqualified, or enslaved by three empty philosophies and traditions of men. The first is legalism (Col. 2:16-17). The second is mysticism (Col. 2:18-19). The third is asceticism (Col. 2:20-23). I’ll define each of those as we come to them. The features of all three of these are that they are deceitful (Col. 2:8), worldly (Col. 2:8, 20), fleshly (Col. 2:18), hypocritical (Col. 2:18, 23), man-centered (Col. 2:8, 23), and Christless (Col. 2:8, 17, 19). In Colossians 2:23, Paul refers to “self-imposed religion,” literally, “self-religion”. These three forms of self-religion (legalism, mysticism, and asceticism) are dangers that not only the Colossians faced, but we also face today. Paul urges us to reject self-made religion that can derail us as believers.
1. Legalism – Don’t let anyone judge you (Col. 2:16-17)
“Legalism” is the idea that I can be made more acceptable to God on the basis of what I do—reducing my relationship with God to an observance of certain rituals and regulations.[1] The heart of legalism is an attitude of pride. The legalist prides himself for keeping certain standards and judges others who do not keep those standards.[2] It’s the religion of human achievement. And it’s dangerous, because legalists are not content to live according to their rules and leave others alone. They are recruiters who seek to bring everyone under their system of bondage (Matt. 23:15).
The Pharisees are an example of legalism. In Mark 7, the Pharisees and scribes accused Jesus’ disciples of not walking “according to the tradition of the elders,” eating with “unwashed hands” (Mark 7:5). Jesus rebuked them for their hypocrisy, quoting from Isaiah, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:6-7).
Paul commands the church in Colossians 2:16, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” The legalists in Colossae were judging or condemning others in two specific areas: keeping a special diet and observing special days. When Paul says, “let no one judge you in food or in drink,” he is likely referring to Old Testament Jewish laws that had to do with clean or unclean animals (Leviticus 11), fasting or not fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), regulations about wine for priests (Lev. 10:8-11) and Nazirites (Num. 6), and rules about drinking from an unclean cup (Lev. 11; 15; Mark 7:8; Matt. 23:25-26). So, the false teachers were imposing Jewish legalism on the Christians in Colossae as a means of spiritual growth.
But Jesus taught that the dietary laws of the Old Testament no longer applied. Speaking of foods, He said, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” (Mark 7:14-15). And Mark comments a few verses later, “Thus He declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19 NASB). God, in Christ, has declared all foods clean (Acts 10:9-15). And Paul wrote in Romans 14:17 that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” So, Paul warns the Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink.” That’s not what makes you right with God. If you don’t want to eat meat, that’s fine; skip it. Maybe it will improve your health; maybe it won’t. But don’t tell me that God insists that I skip my bacon or hamburger. Don’t try to tell me that I will be closer to God if I follow your rules about eating and drinking. Writing to the Corinthians about eating food sacrificed to idols, Paul said, “But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.” (1 Cor. 8:8).
In Colossians 2:16, Paul also warned them not to let anyone judge them “regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths.” These are Jewish religious holy days, such as seasonal “festivals” (Lev. 23), monthly “new moon” celebrations and sacrifices (Numbers 10:10; 28:11-15), and regulations about “sabbaths” (Exodus 31:14-16). These observances were important in the Old Testament because they pointed the Jewish people to Jesus. When Jesus came, however, He perfectly fulfilled the intention of those laws in His own life of obedience, and in His sacrificial death on the cross (Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:27-31). The New Testament never commands that Gentile followers of Jesus observe these days (Acts 15:28-29). Paul wrote in Romans 14,
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. … 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.” (Rom. 14:5-6, 13).
There may be nothing wrong with eating special foods or observing special days, but we must understand that these are not requirements for any believer.
The problem with these things is that they were only shadows of the things that were to come. Colossians 2:17 says, “which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Whenever you have a shadow, you know that you have a substance that is creating that shadow. Your shadow may give a vague outline of what you look like, but it is a poor representation of who you really are. A shadow is a poor substitute for the real thing.
When Kathy and I were engaged, and I was stationed at Vandenberg AFB 1200 miles away from her in Colorado Springs, I had a photo of her displayed prominently in my room. I looked at it every night and every morning as I thought about how much I loved her. But after we were married and lived together, I didn’t spend time admiring her photo. I had the real thing! How silly would it be for me to be in the same room as my wife and hold her photo instead of holding her hand? That’s like hugging a shadow instead of the person you love.
The Old Covenant regulations and ceremonies were like a shadow. Jesus is the real thing! Once we’ve come to Jesus, we don’t need the shadows anymore. We can put the shadow away because we have the reality. The Old Testament laws were only there to point us to Jesus. Now, Jesus Christ has come, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col. 2:14).
Paul says don’t be enamored by the shadows because “the substance is of Christ” (Col. 2:17). Already in Colossians, Paul has said that Christ is our hope of heaven (Col. 1:5). He is the one who came and delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into His kingdom (Col. 1:13). He redeemed us through His blood, forgiving our sins (Col. 1:14). Jesus Christ alone is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15), being the creator and sustainer of all things (Col. 2:16-17). He alone has the preeminence as the head of the body, the church, and the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18). All the fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 1:19). By the blood of His cross He has reconciled us to God (Col. 1:20-23). In Jesus Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). In Him we have been made complete (Col. 2:10), being united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection (Col. 2:11-13). He canceled out our certificate of debt (Col. 2:14) and triumphed over the spiritual forces of evil that were against us (Col. 2:15).
Why would you need anything or anyone else? The cure for legalism is to focus on Christ. He is the fullness of God and we are full in Him. So, instead of focusing on ceremonial food, focus on Jesus who is the Bread of Life (John 6:41). Instead of focusing on religious festivals, focus on Christ who is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Instead of focusing on Sabbath days, focus on Jesus who is our eternal rest (Hebrews 4:1-11). How do you fight legalism? Don’t let anyone judge you. Focus on the reality which is found in Christ.
Next Paul deals with …
2. Mysticism – Don’t let anyone disqualify you (Col. 2:18-19)
Paul warns about mysticism in Colossians 2:18, “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.”
Here’s a description of mysticism: Mysticism looks for reality in subjective experience. The deceitful idea behind mysticism is believing that you can somehow be made more holy or acceptable to God on the basis of what you know, feel, or experience in a subjective way.
So, Paul warns the Colossians, “Let no one cheat you of your reward” (Col. 2:18). The imperative literally means to “rule or decide against, disqualify, or defraud” like an unfair umpire calling you out, or a judge being bribed to condemn you.[3] Paul often pictures the Christian life as an athletic race where the finishers win the prize (2 Tim. 4:7; Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 9:24-27). Having just begun the race, the Colossians were in danger of being disqualified from the prize by this false teaching. The false teachers were acting like self-appointed spiritual referees who were disqualifying the Colossians because they didn’t have certain religious experiences. We’re not to allow anyone to declare that we are unacceptable to God simply because we didn’t have some mystical experience that they claim we should have.
Paul points to some dangers the Colossians faced that others used to disqualify them. First, some false teachers were boasting in “false humility and worship of angels” (Col. 2:18). Most of the time in the Bible, the word for “humility” is used in a positive sense. In Colossians 3:12, Paul instructs us to “put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” Christians are commanded to be “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5). But here, Paul probably is being sarcastic, saying that these false teachers take pride in their humility! That’s why the NKJV translates it as “false humility.”
One way this false humility showed itself was in their “worship of angels” (Col. 2:18). They may have said something like, “We know we are not worthy to come into the presence of God or Christ, so we approach Him through the angels.” This probably grew out of a false teaching that physical or materials things were evil and only spirit was good. They reasoned that if our bodies were evil, we could not worship God directly, so we would need to go through a series of angels in order to reach God. Archaeologists and historians tell us that an angel-worshiping cult eventually developed in the region near the Colossian believers.
Just as then, people today often try to seek a relationship with God through intermediary spirit beings—“guardian angels” or “spirit guides” or “saints”—instead of through a simple faith in Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” We don’t need any other mediator. We don’t need to seek the help of angels or saints in heaven. Such practices may look religious or super spiritual, but it is false spirituality. Don’t fall for the false piety of people who claim to know another way to intimacy with God that is not according to Christ.
Another way that mysticism showed up in the Colossian church was supposed visions. Paul writes to not let anyone disqualify you by “intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” (Col. 2:18). People foolishly intrude into error and false spirituality based on things that only they have “seen”—things which, in fact, they haven’t really “seen” at all.
Beware of religious practices that play on your emotions to give you a mystical feeling of closeness to God. In some churches, you find people who claim to have special visions, trips to heaven, or special words of knowledge by which they claim to discern the will of God—not just for themselves but often for others too. Some claim to receive direct revelations or prophesies from God. They often use these visions and revelations to intimidate other believers.
Listen, the way to determine what is true and what is false, what is real and what is not, what is of God and what is not, is the objective truth of God’s Word, the Bible. It’s not your subjective feelings. Beware of those who tell you, “I feel like God wants you to…” or “I feel like God is saying…” What about the Bible? Is what you feel true with God’s Word? Is it according to Christ as revealed in scripture? Isn’t the word of God sufficient? It’s our authority, not visions or subjective feelings.
There are two major problems with false mysticism. The first is that it promotes self. Paul says that the one who practices it is “vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” (Col. 2:18). Because of their supposed visions or spiritual experiences, they parade around like spiritual superheroes. They make you feel like a second-class Christian if you don’t have these same kind of experiences. But their spirituality is empty and fleshly. Listen, there are no second-class Christians. Colossians 2:10 said, “you are complete in Him”—complete in Christ. You don’t need any special revelation or visions to make you more. Don’t let anyone intimidate you or disqualify you.
This false mysticism promotes self. And the real problem with it is that it demotes Christ. As Paul writes in Colossians 2:19, the problem is that they are “not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” Who is the head of the church? Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:18, “And He 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 only way to spiritual life, nourishment, and growth is in Christ. We must stay connected to our head. H.B. Charles says, “A body without a head is dead. A body with two heads is a monster!” We must never allow ourselves to be deceived by the supposed spiritual experiences, or mystical insights, or even miraculous signs, of those who claim to have found “a better way” to God’s favor than through Jesus. There should be no jockeying for position within the church based on our religious experiences. Beware of anything or anyone who wants to add to what Christ has done as though He is not enough! Beware of those who promote self and demote Christ.
Finally, beware of …
3. Asceticism – Don’t let anyone enslave you (Col. 2:20-23)
If legalism is relying on religious rules, and mysticism is relying on religious experiences, what is asceticism? Asceticism is relying on religious acts of extreme self-denial. It is the practice of avoiding physical pleasure by depriving your body or practicing self-imposed suffering for supposedly religious reasons. This is what Paul addresses when he writes,
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations– 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using–according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (Col. 2:20-23).
You might think, “But isn’t self-denial taught in the Bible?” Didn’t Jesus teach, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”? Isn’t self control a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23)? Didn’t Paul say, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection” (1 Cor. 9:27). Didn’t he instruct Timothy to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3) and “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7 NASB)?
Obviously, godly self-discipline is not what Paul is warning against here. One difference is that rather than focusing on following Christ, asceticism focuses on the negatives, “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle.” It teaches that depriving yourself of good things will lead to greater holiness and approval with God. Asceticism focuses on temporary and physical things. As Paul says, “which all concern things which perish with the using.” The Ascetic thinks, “My body is evil, therefore, I’m going to starve it. I’m going to punish it. I’m going to afflict it.” A lot of pagan religions do this. Asceticism is submitting my body to my will. But biblical self-discipline is submitting my whole life to God’s will.
Notice that the source of these commands is “according to the commandments and doctrines of men” (Col. 2:22). These are not God’s commandments but man’s rules. They are all destined to perish. They have to do with material things that will pass away. None of these commands will carry on into heaven. There will be no fasting in heaven. There will be no asceticism. Rather, we will experience the fullness of joy in God’s presence. These commands have no eternal value because they are not based on God’s Word, but man’s word. They are not Christ-centered; they are self-centered.
Ultimately, these ascetic practices are hypocritical. Paul says, “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Col. 2:23). So, it’s a feigned or phony religion. It appears to be spiritual. It appears to be humble. But it’s all fake and useless. Kent Hughes said, “Asceticism feeds the flesh by starving it.”[4] These kinds of self-imposed rules are powerless against indulging the flesh. Men and women can deny themselves all the legitimate pleasures of life, cause unrelenting pain and suffering to their bodies, and make an exhibition of personal humility and supposed self-control, and yet, the whole time, be filled in their hearts with lust and sin. Jesus called such people “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).
Asceticism is not necessary because, as Paul writes in Colossians 2:20, “you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world.” You don’t need to keep killing yourself through repeated acts of asceticism. Why? Because you already died with Christ. Colossians 2:11-15 just taught us that we have died with Christ, been buried with Christ, and been raised to new life in Christ. Therefore, we are not subject to the rudiments of the world. Christ has paid our debt to the law, nailing it to the cross. He triumphed over all the spiritual forces of darkness. We are complete in Him.
People are always tempted to substitute something for Christ, but there are no good substitutes for Christ. The Christian life is not about religious rules, religious experiences, or religious acts of self-denial. Legalism, mysticism, asceticism – these are all poor substitutes for Christ. The answer to legalism is the grace of Christ. The answer to mysticism is my completeness in Christ. The answer to asceticism is that I have died with Christ, and I have risen with Christ. The answer is Christ. Jesus Christ is all that we need and all that we want.
[1] Greg Allen, No More Chains, https://bethanybible.net/index.php/2013/04/03/no-more-chains-colossians-216-23/.
[2] Steven Cole, Reject Legalism, Hold to Christ, https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-13-reject-legalism-hold-christ-colossians-216-19.
[3] Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2603/nkjv/tr/0-1/.
[4] R. Kent Hughes, quoted by John Miller, https://www.revival.tv/sermons/colossians/dont-be-spoiled/.