The Bible Study podcast, episode 299. Today, the Bible study podcast continues the study of

Colossians with Chapter 2.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christen Senate, is indeed episode 299. Episode 300 is just next week. We're continuing on in chapter 2 of Colossians, starting in verse 16, freedom from human rules. Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regard to a religious festival, a new moon celebration, or a Sabbath day.

These are a shadow of the things that are to come.

The reality, however, is found in Christ.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you.

Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen.

They are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen.

They are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

They have lost connections with the head from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Again, we start this paragraph with the word, therefore, so we should pause,

back up and see what it's there for. Before Paul says, therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink. He is referring to everything that has happened before, where he has said

that we were circumcised with a circumcision not done by human hands, taking away that body of the flesh.

So in Christ's crucifection, our old self was crucified with him, and we have been raised with

him to live a new life. And therefore, do not let anybody judge you. Do not worry about all these

other little things. These are the sort of things that people might disagree about that are not important. So specifics about what we eat or drink, you know, are we vegan, are we vegetarian, are we carnivores? Well, in those days it would be, do you eat meat from idols? Do you not eat meat from idols? Is one particular day important? Is it not important? The New Moon celebration, which day is the Sabbath? Is it Saturday? Is it Sunday? He says all of these things are a shadow of things to come. They're not the important things. They're not the reality that's found in Christ. Don't worry about people who say they've seen great visions. Don't worry about people who have all of these details, all of these theories who are puffed up with idle things, said they've lost connection from the head.

So remember that he has described Christ as supreme in creation, the agent of creation, and also the head of the body of the church.

And he gets back to that notion and says, don't worry about all these people who have lost connection to Christ, who have lost connection to where

Christ wants his church to go, who are worried about all sorts of other little and unimportant

things. They are distractions. But instead, the whole body, the church in this case, supported and held

together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow. And so that Christ is the

head of the body of the church is directing the body, the church, in the ways that God wants it to go.

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