Christ in Colossians | Let No One Disqualify You – Colossians 2:16-23
As Paul continues his letter to the Colossians church, he addresses the issue of those who would seek to disqualify them because they did not say or do specific things. Paul essentially looks at barriers to outsiders joining the church and receiving the grace of God. For those not raised in a particular Jewish upbringing, their faith would look different from those who were raised in Jewish homes. Furthermore, as they shifted to a faith in Jesus Christ, they would no longer fit in with the standards of the world and the image the world speaks to be the most important. With Christ as before and above all things, the Christian does not need any additional steps to receive Christ. Paul firmly roots His message in the Gospel that understands Jesus came for the blessing of mankind and for the enjoyment of His presence forever. We are not to indulge ourselves in self-righteousness or fleshly indulgence but we should not cast away the blessing of God for the sake of appearing holier than others, giving off the false image of being a “good Christian.”
“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. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 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, 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. 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— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 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.”
Colossians 2:16-23 ESV
Setting Up Disqualifiers
The early church wrestled with the idea of what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. In the temple system of the Old Covenant, the people focused on obedience as the measure of their faith. Mankind, though, proved to be unable to to meet the rigorous demand of the righteous obedience. Thus, Christ died on the cross as the final sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The body of Christ no longer needed to define themselves by their actions but instead claiming the works of Christ as their own. Yet, among the church, the thread of works based righteousness still ran deep. Throughout this section of Colossians, Paul pleads with the believers to not allow others to set standards of appearance as the indication of true salvation. In essence, those who sought to add standards served only as artificial restrictive gatekeepers to the Gospel, rather than lights in the darkness. Christ, being preeminent over all creation, does not set barriers to the Gospel but looks to bring all people to Himself, despite whatever appearances or past behaviors the church displays.
Unfortunately, today, the church is not so different from the first church and it’s founding. We too have found multiple things to exclude or disqualify a person from church and participation as members of Christ. Some comes from struggle and sins that, even as a person wrestles with and struggles to give up, many persons judge and ostracize a person. We see this as people wrestle with sexuality and treat those who sin as unable to be saved or come to Christ. Other issues become judging or casting out a person simply for what they look like or how they dress. The church, the body of Christ, if Jesus is preeminent over all things, must present herself open to whoever seeks the presence of God. The church should serve as a lighthouse of the true light of Christ, for anyone, no matter their creed, race, and appearance, so that they might know the life given message if the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our duty is not to judge the world but to extend grace. We do not disqualify a person according to earthly standards but seek to preach the Gospel and create an environment where a person can grow and be discipled in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Paradox of Being A Good Christian
We all seem to be familiar with the concept of a “good Christian.” We have expectations of what this person would do and how they would behave and act. Furthermore, we do not often take time to consider whether our standards are even reasonable or biblical. People merely write off and disqualify other groups or sets of Christians as being not “good Christians” based largely in that they look or act different. The problem with being a “good Christian” lies in the fact that it leaves no room for progressive sanctification. As a person first comes to Christ, naturally they won’t reflect the fullness of Christ’s character and nature. While there are certainly actions that God considers to be God honoring and important to our discipleship and sanctification, we should not hold each other up to a self-made religion and asceticism that ends up doing more harm than good.
Everyone’s actions, even after coming to faith in Christ, immediately disqualifies them from any standard of goodness. No one can reasonably say that they are a good Christian, having cleaned themselves up. Christ, as He rules over all and comes before all things, makes a Christian good. The more we surrender to the will of Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in our lives, the more we approach “goodness.” Furthermore, the more we approach righteousness and right standing with God, the more we appreciate the depth of grace that stems from our depravity. When we understand our unholiness and God’s righteousness, we stop seeking to disqualify others and instead seek to share the richness of the Gospel so that they too might come to faith and salvation in Jesus Christ.
