Since Christ is indeed God in the flesh and He is in you as your "hope of glory" and you are "complete in Him" with all that being complete in Christ (Col 2:10-note) entails (Col 2:11, 12, 13, 14,1 5-see notes Col 2:11;  12; 13; 14; 15)...then don't let someone try to bully you or say you are less spiritual because you don't keep "kosher" or keep certain days, etc. Christ has BLOTTED OUT the IOU against us and we are no longer under the curse of the law (Gal 3:13) but we are under grace and should so walk (Col 2:6-note).

Ray C. Stedman entitles Paul's warnings in (Col 2:16-23) "The Things that Can Ruin Your Faith", those dangerous traps that await us on every side as we journey...there are no new heresies. We find the same things that can derail the spiritual life, repeated...Bad theology always leads to bad practice! The mistaken ideas about the work of Christ (which Paul corrects in Col 2:8-15) and His sufficiency have corresponding errors on the practical side and the first one Paul warns against is

DON'T LET SOMEONE
PUT YOU UNDER THE LAW,
even the
CEREMONIAL LAW.

This is ritualism, just a variant form of legalism. (Jesus fulfilled the Law, both it's moral demands and it's ceremonial - Ro 8:3, 4-note).

So Paul says don't let anyone put you under legalism = trying to make yourself acceptable to God on the basis of externals -- by keeping certain laws, rituals or decrees).

Legalism is bondage! Peter called it a “yoke upon the neck” (Acts 15:10, Mt 23:10, Gal 5:1, 2:4, 4:9, Heb 9:8, 9, 10, 11). If keeping the Law could not make us spiritual before Christ, why do we think that keeping the LAW can make us spiritual after we are believers? Sadly many genuine believers in America are living under some form of a yoke of bondage, thinking if I just do this or do that, I'll be more acceptable to God. They may not say this overtly but their actions betray them.

This area of "doing something" to become more acceptable to God is a persuasive ("red herring") argument (Col 2:4-note) that can derail your faith and rob you of your true spirituality. The flesh is weak when it comes to doing spiritual things truly pleasing to God (Mt 26:41), but it is very strong when it comes to practicing religion, especially religious rules and regulations. Somehow, adhering to the religious routine inflates the ego and makes a person content in his self-righteousness. But now as believers we are

"are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (1Cor 1:30).

Christ's righteousness is the only basis of our acceptability when we stand one day before His holy throne (Jude 1:24,25). The false teachers were saying by their judging believers that Jesus Christ is not sufficient for all the spiritual needs of the Christian. They were claiming a “deeper spiritual life” for all who would practice the Law. Outwardly, their practice may seem spiritual; but in actual fact, these practices accomplish nothing spiritual, for Christ Alone is our "spirituality" and we please God by our faith and obedience (Heb 11:6, 1Sa 15:22).

True Christianity is living under submission to and in the power of the grace of God and realizing that you are acceptable to God because of the internal change God has wrought to so that "Christ (is) in you (and He is) the hope of glory" (Col 1:27-note) and that you are complete (completed filled to the brim) in Him (Col 2:10-note). So in the next section Paul again points back to our position in Christ (Col 2:20-note) and says let no one put you under legalism.

Jesus dealt with the law when He canceled out the debt consisting of decrees against us, for as Paul reminds the Roman saints

"you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh (i.e., our physical bodies which are themselves not inherently sinful but in the unsaved state are subject to), the sinful passions (controlling propensities/passions emanating from our corrupt nature inherited from Adam), which were [aroused] by the Law (not created by the Law which is itself holy but excited, called up or inflamed by the Law which forbids their indulgence), were (constantly) at  work (energized over and over again - imperfect tense) in the members of our body (referring to those sinful propensities made use of our members as instruments, (purpose clause) to secure gratification) to bear fruit for death ("Vivid picture of the seeds of sin working for death"). But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter." (Ro 7:4, 5, 6-notes).

Why was the Law against us? Because we could not keep the law. Because you could not live up to them.

As James teaches

whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (Jas 2:10)

God's requires absolute righteousness but our corrupt nature inherited from Adam prevents us from keeping the law perfectly. God said

CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM. (Gal 3:10)

That curse is death, so we have to die. But Jesus took on flesh and blood and

redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. (Gal 3:10)

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh (Ro 8:3-note).

In light of what Christ has done on Calvary, the Colossians were to let no one "judge" their standing before God on the basis of their observance or nonobservance of the regulations of the Mosaic law. In such matters the principle of Christian liberty comes into play.

As Paul reminded the Galatians who were so prone to slip back into legalism

It was for freedom that Christ set us free (effective aorist tense, active voice, indicative mood = at the Cross He completely liberated us from the power of the Law); therefore keep standing firm (our daily choice is to remain unwavering since Christ has set us free) and do not be subject (hampered, ensnared by a trap or coming into submission) again to a yoke (don't let "Judaizers" lasso you into the old yoke of legalism) of slavery (do not again become slaves to any rites, and customs, and habits). (Gal 5:1).

Elsewhere Paul insists that under some circumstances Christian freedom should be voluntarily limited by one's respect for the tender conscience of a weaker brother (Ro 14:1ff-note.; 1Cor 8:1ff). This caution is necessary for those inclined to assert their liberty regardless of the damage their actions might bring to another person. But at Colossae it is in fact Christian liberty that is to be asserted in the face of subversive attempts to undermine that freedom in Christ.

Everything that looks SPIRITUAL is not!

You've probably heard the expression "red herring." This term was coined from a method of training hunting dogs to follow the scent of their prey. Once the dogs were following the proper scent, their trainers would draw red herrings (a stinky fish) across their paths. Initially, the dogs would be diverted by the scent of the herring. They had to be trained to ignore that scent and instead stay focused on the scent of their prey. So a "red herring" is something that is introduced which diverts our attention from what we should be pursuing. Paul's thesis is that the key to authentic spirituality is pursuing Jesus Christ, because He alone is the Source of all true spiritual knowledge,

in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3-note)

We pursue him (Col 2:6-note) by "receiving Him" into our hearts, and by "walking in Him" (which practically means learning about Him [read, meditate and memorize the Book], following Him [obeying His Word] and enjoying Him).

The Amplified version says

As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. (Col 2:6-note)

In order to effectively pursue Christ, you have to be able to identify spiritual red herrings and turn away from them. Paul identifies some of them in this section, which is very apropos to modern saints for the stinking herrings are still very much around today.

In Col 2:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23  Paul take us from the truths primarily about Who Christ is and our POSITION in Him to our PRACTICE in Him and in this section he begins with the NEGATIVE SIDE of our spiritual practice by warning us about what not to do.

LET NO ONE ACT AS YOUR JUDGE (sit in judgment): Me oun tis humas krineto (3SPAM): (Ro 14:3, 14:10 14:13 1Cor 10:28, 29, 30, 31; Gal 2:12;13 Jas 4:11)

Act as...judge (krino) is used in the sense of pronouncing a sentence.

A T Robertson says the Greek here is a

"prohibition present active imperative third singular, forbidding the habit of passing judgment in such matters."

Stated another way, the negative particle ("me") used in combination with the present tense (continuous action) imperative mood (command) means they are to stop allowing this to happen, implying that some of the saints in Colossae were already recipients of this judgmental attitude.

Paul says

"Stop letting these certain ones keep judging you".

The false teachers were telling the Colossians that CHRIST IS NOT ENOUGH but that they also needed to keep the Jewish ceremonial rituals and legalism, as commanded in the Mosaic Law.

Paul counters with the argument that

"since you have thus been delivered by Christ from the evils which surrounded you and since you have been freed from the observances of the law, let no one sit in judgment on you, or claim the right to decide for you in those matters. You are not responsible to man for your conduct, but to Christ; and no man has a right to impose that on you as a burden from which he has made you free.” Paul conveys a similar idea to the Roman saints writing that "[there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus (denoting close and intimate union with Him, like that between the Vine and its branches) , who live [and] walk  not after the dictates of the flesh (who do not live to gratify the corrupt desires and passions of the fallen flesh nature), but after the dictates of the Spirit" (Amp, Ro 8:1-note)

As A T Robertson puts it

"the fire (Ed note: of judgment) has burned on and around the Cross of Christ. There and there alone is safety. Those in Christ Jesus can lead the consecrated, the crucified, the baptized life." 

The gospel of Christ does not pronounce condemnation like the Law. The function of the gospel is to pardon while the function of the Law is to condemn.

What Paul is warning about is still with us today. For example, some would say if you want to be "spiritual" then

don't smoke, don't chew and don't go with folks that do.

Paul says don't let someone come along and say you need to keep certain laws, even "good" ones (like you must have a 15 minute devotional time every morning [it's not a bad idea but it won't make you any more acceptable to God for you are already "complete in Christ"], etc), if you want to be really spiritual.

Paul says these are "EXTERNALS" but you have true spirituality already resident within you, for you have Christ within you and He is the only One Who is truly spiritual. He is your (INTERNAL) Source of spirituality. That's your "position" in Him. Now put it into practice and walk by faith (which speaks of obedience) in Him and the Spirit will sanctify you. (Ro 8:13-note).

Although it has already been stated, it can't be said too often that as a believer, you are complete in Christ and have all the "spirituality" (and all the resources to be spiritual) that you will ever receive.

The goal of spiritual discipline now is to

work out (present imperative = a command to continuously, daily, as your lifestyle carry it out “to the goal”, to cultivate and fully complete it, work on it all the way to the "finish line") your salvation (not your mate's, not your child's, but yours! It speaks of direction, not perfection!) with fear and trembling (not slavish terror, but wholesome, serious caution and a sense of self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, with watchfulness against temptation, always choosing to shrink from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Php 2:12, 13-see notes Php 2:12; 2:13)

Lightfoot says believers should exhibit

"a nervous and trembling anxiety to do right."

As Robertson quips

Paul has no sympathy with a cold and dead orthodoxy or formalism that knows nothing of struggle and growth.

Peter would add that

if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth (1Pe 17-note)

Our object is now not to please men by keeping certain externals but to please God by our obedience which is rooted in our love for Him and is enabled by His Spirit's power. Jesus summed it up by declaring that

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

That is true spirituality.

God has taken the "IOU" representing our sin debt owed to God because we have broken His Law and nailed it to the Cross of Christ. Don't let anyone delude you about this truth, remembering that because you are COMPLETE IN HIM, you don't need to "keep" certain days or "eat certain foods" to be spiritual or make yourself acceptable to God. Don't let someone come along and say that

if you were really spiritual, you'd not eat meat on Friday", like "men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods (1Ti 4:3).

As to meat and drink Christ Himself declared that

I am the living bread that came down out of heaven (Jn 6:51)

Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (Jn 4:13, 14)

IN REGARD TO FOOD OR DRINK: en brosei kai en posei:  (Lv 11:2-47; 17:10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15; Dt 14:3-21; Ezek 4:14; Mt 15:11; Acts 11:3-18;15:20; Ro 14:2,6,14, 15, 16, 17,20,21; 1Cor 8:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13; 1Ti 4:3, 4, 5; Heb 9:10;13:9)

Many saints today practice giving up certain pleasurable activities (especially certain foods) during the 40 day period ( "Lent") preceding First Fruits (Easter), because they think that will improve their relationship with God. Some seek to become more acceptable to God by wearing special clothing or uniforms. Many Jews keep a kosher kitchen although many of them do not even know why.

When one Jewish woman was asked why she kept a kosher kitchen she replied,

"I don't know. It is just part of our religion."

The Mormon cult teaches that a person cannot be a member in good standing if he drinks tea or coffee.

Seventh Day Adventists, insist that a person must keep the Sabbath in order to please God, forgetting .

Paul says don't let anyone judge your spirituality on the basis of these shadows because you have the "substance", the "body", Christ dwelling in you and He is your hope of glory.

What saith the Lord about food? Under the Mosaic Law certain foods were classified as “clean” or “unclean”

This is the law regarding the animal, and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters, and everything that swarms on the earth, to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten. (Lv 11:46,47).

But Jesus made it clear that food was neutral. It was what came out of the heart that made a person spiritual or unspiritual, teaching that

"there is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man...for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (Mk 7:15, 21, 22, 23)

Peter had to be told three times that

 what God has cleansed (referring to the command to kill and eat all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air), no longer consider unholy (Acts 10:9, 10, 11).

People who religiously observe diets and days give an outward semblance of spirituality (before men but not before God), but these practices cannot change their hearts. Legalism is a popular thing because you can “measure” your spiritual life—and even brag about it!

God does not condemn those who eat everything (Ro 14:1, 2, 3, 4, 7-see notes Ro 14:1; 14:2; 14:3; 14:4; 14:7). In fact, God says that all foods may be eaten since they were

“created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.” (1Ti 4:3).

Paul describes such teaching that forbids certain foods as the "doctrines of demons” (1Ti 4:1) whom Christ has disarmed (Col 2:15).

Self-denial can be merely a cover for self-promotion as the following true story illustrates: The proprietors of the “Worst Food in Oregon” restaurant say that what they serve in the “worst food you ever ate, and the service is even worse.” Actually, the restaurant is unusually clean and the food is very good. Diners are served generous portions, and the prices are very reasonable. The name is just a gimmick. It was the idea of the owner who, when tempted to call his food “the best,” figured he might get more attention by calling it “the worst.” His strategy worked. Customers who come the first time out of curiosity soon come back for more. They like the food so much that they even ask what the chef recommends. With a twinkle in his eye he tells them to “take their money and spend it at another restaurant down the road.”

OR IN RESPECT TO A FESTIVAL OR A NEW MOON OR A (the) SABBATH(s) DAY(s): e en merei eortes e neomenias e sabbaton: (Lv 23:1-44; Nu 28:1-29; Dt 16:1-17; Neh 8:9; 10:31; Ps 42:4; Ro 14:5,6) (Nu 10:10; 28:11,14; 1Sa 20:5,18; 2Ki 4:23; 1Chr 23:31; Neh 10:33; Ps 81 :3; Isa 1:13; Ezek 45:17; 46:1, 2, 3; Amos 8:5; Gal 4:10) (Lev 16:31; 23:3,24,32,39)

All Jewish males were required to attend Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles but there is no such stipulation under the New Covenant. On the other hand keep in mind that Paul is not forbidding us to have ''special days or diets'' but just that we don't rely on those to ''make us spiritual'' or do them to please (impress) men rather than God, no matter how sincere we might appear. (See Romans 14).

The reference to Sabbath day points clearly to the Jewish calendar, for only Jews kept the Sabbath. That being the case, "religious festival" and "New Moon celebration" must also point primarily to the ritual calendar of the Jews. Paul's thought is that the Christian is freed from obligations of this kind (Gal 4:9, 10, 11). No one, therefore, should be permitted to make such things a test of piety or fellowship (Ro 14:1ff-notes).

John Eadie comments on true Christianity that

Its feast is daily, for every day is holy; its moon never wanes, and its serene tranquility is an unbroken Sabbath. (Amen!)

In the early 1900's few Christians who were evangelicals would travel on Sunday because they were taught that Sunday was a carry-over of the Jewish Sabbath and that it was wrong to work or travel on that day.

The movie Chariots of Fire illustrates how strongly that view was held. These are modern day examples of what Paul is warning against (although clearly Eric Liddell's heart was right in refusing to race on the Sabbath). Any man-initiated performance that is done without meaning with the goal of seeking to please God or make one's self more spiritual is what Paul warns us about.

Commenting on the new moon, Vincent writes that

The festival of the new moon is placed beside the Sabbath (Is 1:13, Ezek 46:1). The day was celebrated by the blowing of trumpets, special sacrifice, feasting, and religious instruction. Labor was suspended, and no national or private feasts were permitted to take place. The authorities were at great pains to fix accurately the commencement of the month denoted by the appearance of the new moon. Messengers were placed at commanding heights to watch the sky, and as soon as the new moon appeared, they hastened to communicate it to the synod, being allowed even to travel on the Sabbath for this purpose. The witnesses were assembled and examined, and when the judges were satisfied, the president pronounced the words it is sanctified, and the day was declared new moon.

Those men who would bring Christians under the bondage of the Law make artificial distinctions between the “ceremonial” and “moral” law, and so they say the Sabbath has not passed away. That this is a false notion can be seen from the fact that

(1) The Sabbath command is the only one of the Ten Commandments not repeated in the NT.

(2) The early believers, following Christ’s resurrection and appearance on Sunday (Mk 16:1), met on Sundays (Acts 20:7).

(3) The Bible nowhere distinguishes between the so-called “moral” and “ceremonial” laws (this distinction was not made before the 13th century AD)

(4) This Colossian passage explicitly condemns those who command Sabbath obedience.

(5) As Paul put it, the OT Law (including the Sabbath) was only a shadow of the things that were to come. The reality or “substance” (“body”), is to be found in Christ (cf. Heb 8:5-note; He 10:1-note). What the OT foreshadowed, Christ fulfilled (cf. notes Matthew 5:17-note; Ro 8:3-note; Ro 8:4-note). A “shadow” is only an image cast by an object which represents its form. Once one finds Christ, he no longer needs to follow the shadow.

SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES
(from Notes by Wayne Barber)

The devil wants our MINDS. He knows he can't have our HEARTS, because they already belong to Jesus (Col 2:15-note, Heb 2:14, 15-note, 1Cor 6:20, etc). He wants to distract our minds from the completeness we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember the enemy works upon the minds of those who are not FIXED UPON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Satan loves to get a Christian who is not in the WORD, not focused on the Lord and who does not understand that he's complete in Jesus. He can use such an individual to bring DIVISION to the body of Christ. So we've got to be SENSITIVE to his schemes ---- it may even be that Satan will use a Sunday School teacher, pastor, or someone else in leadership (cf Paul's solemn warning in Acts 20:28, 29, 30, 31, 32). The key is not so much what they look like or how they speak, but WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, is it "sound doctrine" (1Ti 4:6, 2Ti 4:3-note, Titus 1:9-note, Titus 2:1-note)? We need to be sensitive to the CONTENT (and the CONTEXT) of what they say...is what they are saying "according to Christ" Col 2:8-note) and what is ERROR.
 

THE KEY TO COUNTERING THE COLOSSIAN HERESIES THAT ARE "SLITHERING" INTO THE EVANGELICAL CHURCHES IN AMERICA IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS TO REMEMBER THAT IN CHRIST YOU HAVE BEEN MADE COMPLETE!

LEGALISM

In Col 2:14 (notes)  we learned that Jesus

"canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us".

He didn't do away with it, but He fulfilled the Law (Ro 8:3, 4-see notes Ro 8:3; 8:4, Gal 3:13) by putting Himself in the place of the Law. When I obey the Lord Jesus, the Law is being fulfilled, because He is the embodiment of the Law. Since He is, now I don't need to relate to a plan or a formula, but simply to Him and to walk worthy of Him, pleasing Him in all things. So that as you obey Him, the Law is being fulfilled through your obedience, which equates with righteousness. Remember that the Law itself cannot produce righteousness, but Jesus can for He became to us righteousness (1Cor 1:30) and through my obedience to Him the "fruit of righteousness" (Php 1:11-note) is worked out in my life.

Jesus has conquered all the forces of evil so it follows that no person has a right to JUDGE me as to whether I do or do not observe the tenets of the Law of Moses. No one can judge me, because the Law was already judged in Him. He became that curse for me (Gal 3:13) and when I receive Him, I receive what He did for me -- I died with Him, was buried with Him and was raised to walk in newness of life (Ro 6:3, 4-see  notes Ro 6:3;  6:4) so that the Law no longer has claims on me (Ro 7:4,5,6-note). Jesus has claims over me, but the Law does not. Beware when you hear someone say "Jesus is not enough...you've got to do this or that." Your spiritual "antennae" should stand up as you recall that you have been made COMPLETE in the Lord Jesus Christ and as you obey Him, He takes care of the righteousness that the Law demands but could never produce in my life. Keep in mind Paul seems to be talking primarily to Gentile believers. It may be that some leader was trying to draw them under the Law.


The false philosophers were saying that you can only eat and drink certain things if you want to be really SPIRITUAL. Lev 11 describes foods that were clean and unclean. The LAW had a definite purpose for the Israelites----to keep them SEPARATE from the other nations. The LAW also probably had them eat certain things for nourishment reasons. The Israelites couldn't even associate with the people of other nations because their diet was so different. Look out when you're sitting down and eating with someone--watch how quickly your convictions go out the door. How quickly you can become one of them when you eat with them. When we come to Jesus we don't look at things as clean/unclean because that has been done away with in Christ.

The following Scriptures illustrate how in Christ dietary laws are done away with:

Mk 7:14-16 ''there is nothing outside the man which going into him can defile him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

Acts 10:1ff re-iterates this principle when Peter had the vision of the "unclean" foods that showed him that there was nothing any longer that you could or could not eat.

Acts 15:1ff The Jerusalem Council concluded that there was no longer anything unclean and food had nothing to do with our standing with the Lord.

Ro 14:17, 18 "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men." (see notes Romans 14:17; 14:18)

So what you eat no longer affects your standing with God. Now on the other hand "Rules" by themselves do not necessarily signify that something is LEGALISM. The problem is when the RULES become the mode, measure, method by which you come in right standing with God, by which you become "spiritual". Jesus is the means of our spirituality. Isn't it interesting that since Jesus is the Bread of Life, that we would need to eat and drink certain things. He is our food as He stated when He told them that He had food to eat that knew not of and that His food was to do the will of Him Who sent Jesus (Jn 4:34).

FESTIVALS

The FEASTS are listed in Lv 23:2ff "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations-- My appointed times are these: SABBATH, PASSOVER, UNLEAVENED BREAD, FIRST FRUITS, WEEKS, ATONEMENT, BOOTHS. Paul teaches that the shadow of the feasts has become the substance in Christ in [1Co 5:7] "Christ our Passover" Jesus is the One to Whom all the OT feasts pointed. Festivals were celebration times pointing to what God had done and to what He was going to do. Today there is no specific day, but in fact we should celebrate Christ every moment of out life because He is the embodiment of all the feasts.

NEW MOON

1Chr 23:31 which in reference to when they gave their SACRIFICES- they were given "on the Sabbaths, the new moons and fixed festivals..."  Here is what God thinks about KEEPING THE NEW MOON and W/O OBEDIENCE FORM THE HEART:

Isa1:13 "Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.14 "I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them."

Christians can do the same thing by coming every Sunday to give their offering, unemotionally mouthing the words to the hymns, giving their token time to the church and leaving feeling that they've done all that God wants them to do. Remember all the SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM was pointing to the Lord Jesus Who has become a sacrifice for us. He reconciled us by the blood of His cross. He nailed those decrees to His cross.

So how do Christians now SACRIFICE and CELEBRATE? See Ro 12:1-note

"...your spiritual (logical) service of worship"

See spiritual sacrifices God desires today in [1Pe 2:5-note; Ps 50:14, 51:17, 107:22, Php 2:17-note, Php 4:17-note,  Php 4:19-note, Heb13:15,16-note]

You don't just PRESENT your bodies once a month at the "new moon", but you do so moment by moment, (aorist active infinitive ) as a conscious attitude by one who has been made complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't let anyone trap you into adding anything to Jesus.

Things which are - Those things just mentioned in Col 2:16. Literally this reads "the coming things" -- these are the spiritual blessings made possible for all believers today (in this present life) by the New Covenant in Christ Jesus (i.e., Paul is not referring solely to blessings that are yet to come in the future at the Second Coming of Christ).

John wrote that...

the Law (shadow) was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ (substance). (Jn 1:17)

In Hebrews we read these parallel passages...

(The Levitical priests, instituted under the Old Covenant) serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things... (Hebrews 8:5-note)

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never by the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.  (Hebrews 10:1-note)

A mere shadow (4639) (skia [word study]) refers to a pale shadow, as contrasted with a sharp, distinct one.

Eadie writes that...

The noun skia may bear two different meanings. It may either signify a shadow projected from a body by its interception of the light; or it may signify, as here, a dim and shadowy sketch of an object, in contrast not only with a full and colored likeness, but with the object itself. (A Commentary on the Greek Text)

Vincent

The Mosaic ritual system was to the great verities of the Gospel what the shadow is to the man, a mere general type or resemblance. The substance belongs to the Christian economy. It is derived from Christ, and can be realized only through union with Him.

Adam Clarke

All these things were types, and must continue in force till the Christ, whom they represented, came; the apostle therefore says that the body—the substance or design of them was of Christ—pointed him out, and the excellent blessings which he has procured. The word skia, shadow, is often used to express any thing imperfect or unsubstantial; while the term soma, body, was used in the opposite sense, and expressed any thing substantial, solid, and firm. The law was but the shadow or representation of good things to come; none should rest in it; all that it pointed out is to be sought and obtained in Christ

Albert Barnes

The reality, the substance. All that they signified is of or in Christ. Between those things themselves which are in Christ, and those which only represented or prefigured them, there is as much difference as there is between a body and a shadow-a solid substance and a mere outline. Having now, therefore, the thing itself, the shadow can be to us of no value; and that having come which was prefigured, that which was designed merely to represent it, is no longer binding.

Bible Background Commentary

Plato distinguished the “real” world of ideas from the shadow world of sense experience. Philo developed Plato’s concept to argue that the invisible God was known through “shadows,” or copies, of his character, rather than through sensory vision. Writers by this period distinguished substance or body, the original reality, from shadows or mere copies; adapting their language, Paul believes that the Old Testament prescriptions testified to genuine principles, but that those principles are fulfilled in Christ.

The Law was "weak" in regard to the flesh which is why Jesus took on the likeness of sinful flesh and allowed for the requirement of the Law to be met in believers (Ro 8:3,4-note). The Old Testament ritual observances were dim outlines of the redemptive truths that came to full light in the New Testament. The offerings were reflections of the one genuine saving offering at the cross, the priesthood was a foreshadowing of the priestly ministry of Christ, and the kings of Israel faintly suggested the coming King of kings and Lord of lords.

The problem we must always be alert to is the danger of performing "religious" rituals mechanically and simply going through the motions. Paul says in essence that this can destroy the true vitality of faith.

But someone will surely say,

Wait a minute. Aren't some of these observances given to us by God to remind us of truth? Isn't there some value to mental or physical health to be gained by doing them?

Paul addresses such an objection by emphasizing that rituals are mere "shadows" and that the reality is found in Christ. Once the reality has been realized, shadows are of no value whatsoever. Shadows are pictures, given in advance, designed to prepare us for something. But if you have found Christ, you do not need the shadows any more. Paul includes the Sabbath day as an example of a shadow.

Ray Stedman has an excellent exposition on this section writing...

I carry with me pictures of my wife, my children and my grandchildren. I take them along in order to be ready for people who try to show their pictures to me! I value these photographs and look at them occasionally when I am away from home. But what would you think if I propped up these pictures all over my house and talked to them and tried to relate to them? You would think I had lost my mind---and I probably would have. But, more than that, I would certainly soon lose touch with the very people whose pictures I treasure. They would feel ignored and would probably ultimately leave me and all relationship would cease. That is what Paul says is wrong with shadows. If you still place primary value on a shadow after the reality has come you destroy your participation in the value of that reality. Now the reality, here, is Jesus! He is the center of all life and the source of excitement in a Christian's experience. He is the One who accompanies us through life, to comfort in times of need and strengthen when we are being tempted. He is a place of refuge to run to when we are troubled or uncertain about life. To lose him is to lose all source of excitement and vitality in life. That is the danger in observing shadows. That is why this paragraph begins with the word "therefore." The previous section pointed out all that Christ is to us now. Thus Paul is saying, "Having him, therefore, do not let anyone spoil you by involving you in a mechanical performance that will cancel out the reality.

Joining a cult is not the only way to let ritualism ruin your life. You can do it right here at church on a Sunday morning. If you merely mouth the words of the hymns when you sing, you are doing this very thing. You are destroying something, entering into a religious mechanical performance that not only says nothing to God but destroys something in you. If you let your mind wander when someone is praying, if you do not follow along and silently say, "Amen," or let that prayer reflect what you are thinking, you will turn off much of truth and miss much. You are indulging in a form of hypocrisy; of looking like you are doing something valuable and helpful when actually you are not doing anything like that at all.

Turning your mind off during a message and failing to hear what is being said falls into the same category. When I look out from this platform you all appear to be listening. You look at me and your faces reflect interest in what I am saying. But I know from sad experience that that is not always true. Some of you are at home, worrying about how the roast is doing. Some of you are playing golf, or working out a business deal, or struggling with a problem with your children, or wondering about what someone else is wearing. It would be interesting to know at the end of a service where everybody has been! We all find our attention straying at times, but do not let yourself get into a habit of that because it is destructive; it is empty ritualism!

I would like to ask two questions before we pass on to the next point. First, do you really think God is fooled by that kind of performance? What a low view of God, to think that if we run through some religious fol-de-rol he is going to be pleased with us! There must be a dozen passages in the OT where God tells us what he thinks of that kind of thing. I do not have time to read them to you, but let me share one verse out of Isaiah which illustrates what God says (see Isa 1:13, 14, 15-note)

What an honest revelation that is of what we are doing to God when we act with thoughtless involvement with public worship.

My second question is: do you have any idea of what you lose by this kind of a performance? The thing that first becomes apparent is that the service itself grows dull and boring. You find yourself wanting to leave but you feel you have to stay because your mate or your family expects it, or you gain a reputation for piety by doing so. When a group of people do that, church does become terribly dull. A church service ought to be a tremendously exciting time. Here is where we ought to find ourselves stimulated afresh, awakened again to new vigor in our relationship with Christ. (Heb 10:24,25-note) But all that begins to dissipate when we became mechanical worshippers. And, more than that, Christ becomes distant and far off from us. We no longer walk with Him day by day or moment by moment. When you do not do that---since to lose God is to lose yourself---all of life becomes dull and empty. Tenseness, worry, guilt and loneliness begin to harry your footsteps. Eventually you succumb to the need for something to stimulate you. You fall in with the world's futile search for an anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life. is that happening to you? (Read the full sermon Colossians 2:16-23 Things that can Ruin your Faith)

BUT THE SUBSTANCE (body) BELONGS TO CHRIST: to de soma tou Christou:  (Mt 5:17, Ro 8:3, 8:4, Mt 11:28,29; Heb 4:1-11)

Literally the Greek can be read as "the body of the Christ".

Eadie says

The realities so long shadowed out are His—all that composes them belongs to Him. The clause then contains the great truth that the Mosaic economy was no empty congeries of useless and meaningless observances — infantine in character and design; but an organism at once Divine in its origin, and fraught with lessons of striking form. It was a dim outline—skia—of those substantial blessings which are of Christ, and it served a gracious purpose during its existence. It was a rudimentary sketch. Its temple with its apartments, vessels, and furniture; its priesthood, in their imposing robes and duties; its altar, with the fire on its hearth, and the cloud of smoke resting over it; its victims, in their age, kind, and qualifications; its rubric, with its holidays, and their special observances; its minute ritual in reference to diet, dress, and disease—all were the faint lines of a sketch which was limned by the Divine pencil for the guidance and government of Hebrew faith and worship. The eye of faith might, as it gazed, be able to fill in the picture, and see in distant perspective the sublime group of a tabernacle filled and inhabited by the Great Spirit; a Priest offering the most costly of victims—the God-man presenting Himself; an altar consecrated by blood precious beyond all parallel; and a sabbatism not only serene and joyous on earth, but stretching away into eternity as a “rest remaining to the people of God.” (He 4:9-note) Thus the hieroglyph and substance exactly correspond, though the former be only an adumbration and a miniature. (A Commentary on the Greek Text)

Substance (4983) (soma) can mean a literal living human body but here is used figuratively as the reality which stands in contrast to the shadow.

The Law of Moses and the Levitical sacrifices, rituals and feasts are all shadows pointing to Christ. The Colossians, who possess the reality as members of the body of Christ, would be foolish to return to the shadow. The ritualistic and ceremonial trappings of religion, the esoteric doctrinal extremes of cults, and the deceptive philosophies of secular faiths are not the essence of or basis for true faith. The reality is to be found only in Jesus Christ, Who is in us the Hope of glory. We are righteous (and spiritual) before a Holy God now not because of what we do or don't do but because we are COMPLETE IN CHRIST, Who has become to us Righteousness (1Co1:30). That is our position. We work out that "positional" righteousness by faith and obedience, motivated and empowered by His Spirit. Colossians 3-4 emphasizes the practical side of "righteousness", showing what a righteous life should look like in ways that can be applied to our everyday life.

H. C. G. Moule writes that (Colossians 2:17,18) is

an appeal for "Christian liberty," as earnest ... as [Paul's] appeal to the Galatians "not to be entangled again in the yoke of bondage." (Gal 5:1) But let us note well that the "liberty" he means is the very opposite of license and has nothing in the world akin to the miserable individualism whose highest ambition is to do just what it likes. The whole aim of Paul is for the fullest, deepest and most watchful holiness. He wants his Colossian converts above all things to be holy; that is, to live a life yielded all through to their Redeemer, Who is also their Master

In a sense, the person who judges a believer because that believer is not living under Jewish laws is really judging Jesus Christ. He is saying that Christ did not finish the work of salvation on the cross (cp Jn 19:30), and that we must add something to it. He is also saying that Jesus Christ is not sufficient for all the spiritual needs of the Christian. The false teachers in Colossae were claiming a “deeper spiritual life” for all who would practice the Law, keep certain days, etc. Things haven't changed much in over 2000 years.

THE SABBATH

Let's look at a modern spiritual  "Shadow", the Sabbath. Many Christians still ask "Aren't we still supposed to meet on the Sabbath?" Paul addresses this question in this section explaining in Colossians 2:17 the Sabbath is a  Shadow which is just a picture of something else. When you see a shadow, you know that there is something behind that shadow and the bigger the shadow gets the closer you get to the substance of that shadow. When the person walks in you don't need the shadow anymore! The command to observe the Sabbath is the only one of the 10 Commandments not repeated after Pentecost.

Jesus is no shadow but is the Substance Who has in fact become our "Sabbath rest" and in that "Sabbath rest" moment by moment we can cease from fleshly works. Now our "works" come out of loving obedience to the One Who lives in us. The Sabbath was intended to be a day of rest, but the legalistic Pharisees perverted this day to mean that man was made to keep the Sabbath rather than the Sabbath being made for man (Mk 2:27). And to promote their false religion, they came up with over 600 laws including many that applied to the  Sabbath.

In place of the joy, they imposed a yoke of slavish sabbatarianism which made the Sabbath an end instead of a means, hampered the spirit of true worship, and laid greater stress upon a punctilious obedience to human regulations ("according to the traditions of men" see note Colossians 2:8) than upon the commands of the Law.

Some of the ridiculous man made prohibitions included...

Walking in the grass on the Sabbath was forbidden because its bruising effect would constitute a kind of threshing!

The wearing of nailed shoes was forbidden because the individual who walked in these shoes would be viewed as carrying a burden, something that was forbidden on the Sabbath!

It was because of this perversion of the Sabbath Rest that the Lord Jesus refused to sanction such legalism and vigorously defended His Sabbath miracles.

In short, now that the Substance has come, there is no need for the shadow. Jesus has now become our "Sabbath Rest" (Mt 11:28, 29, 30).

What "Shadow" might be our "Sabbath" today (even in modern evangelicalism)? Many things could be turned into "modern day Sabbath keeping". For example, even going to church might become a person's "Sabbath", in the sense that they legalistically dare not miss that day! Sure it is best to try not to miss going to church on Sunday (cp Heb 10:24). But if you think that by your going to church on Sunday, you will be "more spiritual", then you need to reassess your motives. The point is that going to church does not make anyone spiritual. The point is what is your motive for going to church? Are you going because you love God and His people or are we going to prove that you are spiritual or to earn favor from God? Legalism says "Do This" so you can prove to others that you're spiritual. Grace says "Rest in Him", fully confident of the truth that you are complete in Christ (Col 2:10-note). When you come to Him and obey His Word, walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, you can rest assured that He will take care of the rest! (Col 1:10-note).

Do you know if you have your Rest in the Lord Jesus? You can tell in 5 minutes when a person is resting in Him. Rest is not passivity. In fact, Jesus may burn you out physically and you may be absolutely exhausted like Paul who said "I agonize". The Lord's "Rest" means you are occupied with His business and you are functioning in His spiritual strength with which He infuses you. You can be physically worn out, but inwardly rejoicing when you've found your rest in the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt 11:28, 29, 30). When you have one of those days in which  inner turmoil dominates you, you have most likely lost your "Rest". Outside turmoil has nothing to do with your inner rest, for this inner rest is supernatural and is independent of your circumstances.

Remember that the whole Old Testament ritual system was a divinely inspired "multi-media" presentation which communicated "pictures" of God's desire to dwell in His people (Picture = the Tabernacle), pictured our sin preventing access and fellowship (Picture = the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of holies), and pictured his future provision of forgiveness through Christ's death which would make it possible for him to dwell in us (Picture = the holy priesthood and the entire sacrificial system). God wanted His people to be constantly reminded of these vital central truths. (cp Gal 4:4, 5, 6) Through His death, Jesus has provided complete forgiveness and adoption into God's family so we can be indwelt by his Spirit and know him as "Abba." Once you receive Christ, you can relate to God wherever you are--heart to heart, sharing your problems and joys, asking Him for the help you need, thanking Him for His work in your life, etc. His Word comes alive to you as a personal love letter. His Spirit communicates God's love (Ro 5:5-note).

Paul goes on to say that for Christians to revert to ritualism is spiritual regression (Cp Gal 4:9, 10, 11). Imagine a girl separated from her father from birth. She has only pictures of him, which she treasures and looks at constantly. Then he returns. Will she relate to the pictures differently? She wouldn't hate them or throw them away, but she wouldn't relate to her father through them anymore. What if she still preferred her scrapbook to relating to her father?

So avoid the red herring of ritualism! This does not necessarily mean that people who practice ritualism cannot be Christians,  but that ritualism is a red herring that draws us off the path to spiritual maturity.

Eadie elaborates on Colossians 2:17 explaining that the Old Covenant law and ritual

was a typical system (see also Typology - Study of Biblical types). Now, a type not only pictured out the nature of a future reality, but it foretold its certainty. It showed, and it foreshowed. The sacrifice not only showed that the offerer was under sentence of death, and that only by the substitutionary shedding of blood the awful sentence could be repealed; but it also foreshowed that the great and final oblation of infinite efficacy would assuredly be presented in “the fulness of the time.” It not only portrayed the mode, but it gave assurance of the fact—it was at once a symbol and a prophecy. The entire Jewish ritual was so organized, as not only to exhibit a faint and distant likeness to Christianity, but it established the certainty that the new dispensation of which it was an early and elementary copy should be at length organized in perfection and symmetry. The “figure for the time then present” guaranteed the introduction of the figured reality in the time to come. The sign not only preceded, but certified the advent of the thing signified.

Still, the shadow is in itself nothing—it is empty, baseless, and indistinct. The Hebrew ceremonial could not give full instruction by its symbols, and it could only purge “as pertaining to the flesh.” It had no power to enter into the conscience, and impart peace and the sense of forgiveness. The blood of an animal could not secure Divine favour. The thief, after restoring fourfold to the man whom he had wronged, and so satisfying him, must also offer a victim on the altar to God, in order that the penalty incurred from Him might be remitted. The man who had been contaminated by any ceremonial impurity, who had touched a corpse, or come into accidental contact with a leper, was by means of an appointed ordeal of ablution and sacrifice restored to his previous status.

But the whole apparatus was wanting in spiritual power, and its only virtue was in its connection with the substance to come.

That it was a shadow so designed, and not a fortuitous and unmeaning system, is plain from its correspondence with the body which is Christ's, and its consequent fulfilment in Him. The harmony is universal and complete. The great High Priest has come and clothed Himself in humanity—a living vestment far more costly than the robes of Aaron, “made for glory and for beauty;” and all other victims have been superseded by His oblation of Himself. Omniscience is His, and therefore no formal Urim and Thummim glitters on His breast. The Self-sacrifice He presented was pure as the fire from God by which it was consumed, and it has been visibly accepted. He has gone through the starry vail, and into heaven itself, with the names of all His clients inscribed upon His heart; and He pleads the merit of His blood before a mercy-seat not canopied by a cloud, but enveloped in the Majesty of Him who sits upon it. The woven and metallic cherubim disappear in the reality, for the angels having performed their allotted parts in the mystery of redempti on, are “ministering spirits to them who shall be heirs of salvation.” There is no need now that the law be engraved on stone, for it is written indelibly on “the fleshy tables of the heart.” It is no longer required that there be a bath, or a “sea of brass,” for believers are washed in the laver of regeneration. The golden lampstand has been extinguished, for the lustre of the Enlightening Spirit fills the House of God.

Nay, the entire church on earth is a spiritual priesthood, engaged in appropriate ministrations, serving now, indeed, in the outer court, but soon to be called up into the inner sanctuary.

The argument of the apostle, then, is—why go down to “the weak and beggarly elements”? Who would listen to any sophistry urging him to prefer the shadow to the substance?

Such a relapse would be an attempt to roll back the Divine purpose, and impede that religious progress which Christianity had introduced; an effort to restore an intolerable yoke, and rob the new religion of its spirituality and vigour. The result would be to stifle devotion by a periodical mechanism, and degrade obedience into a service of trifles.

And therefore the apostle solemnly warns the Colossians not to be imposed upon by such pretences, and not for a moment to submit to teaching which would supplant the real by the ritual, and give them a religion of obsolete externalities for one of vital freedom and spiritual jurisdiction. (A Commentary on the Greek Text)