This passage is indeed often mentioned in discussions about the Sabbath, but in the Adventist understanding it does not abolish the fourth commandment; rather, it warns against judgment and ceremonial shadows that pointed to Christ.<\/em><\/p>\n When I wrote, \u201cIf you want, I can go straight to Col. 2:16\u201317 right now,\u201d I meant a willingness to explain one of the most important New Testament texts regarding the law, festivals, and sabbaths. This very passage is often used as proof that the seventh-day Sabbath no longer matters. However, a careful reading of the context shows a different picture.<\/p>\n At the center of the discussion are the apostle Paul\u2019s words:<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is Christ\u2019s.\u201d Col. 2:16\u201317<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n At first glance, it may seem that Paul places the Sabbath among temporary regulations. But it is important to remember: in the Epistle to the Colossians, the apostle is not fighting against God\u2019s moral law, but against false teaching that mixed human rules, asceticism, and religious formalism.<\/p>\n A little earlier he writes:<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you submit to regulations\u2014\u2018Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle\u2019\u2014which all concern things which perish with the using\u2014according to the commandments and doctrines of men?\u201d Col. 2:20\u201322<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, the theme of the chapter is not the abolition of the Ten Commandments, but a warning against human systems that replace the gospel.<\/p>\n In the Bible, the word \u201csabbaths\u201d can refer not only to the weekly Sabbath, but also to festival or ceremonial days of rest in Israel\u2019s yearly worship calendar. In Leviticus 23 we see a list of festivals, new moons, and special sacred days that were connected with the sacrificial system and had symbolic meaning.<\/p>\n About the annual festivals it says:<\/p>\n \u201cThese are the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.\u201d Lev. 23:4<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And about the seventh day separately:<\/p>\n \u201cBut the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.\u201d Lev. 23:3<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Adventist interpretation notes that Paul uses the familiar Old Testament triad: \u201cfestival, new moon, sabbaths.\u201d This order often refers to annual, monthly, and other sacred days in the worship cycle. In this context, the words \u201ca shadow of things to come\u201d naturally apply to ceremonial regulations that pointed forward to Christ\u2019s ministry.<\/p>\n The seventh-day Sabbath was established at Creation, long before the ceremonies at Sinai.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.\u201d Gen 2:3<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the Ten Commandments, the Sabbath is presented not as a temporary shadow, but as part of the unchanging moral law:<\/p>\n \u201cRemember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.\u201d Exod 20:8<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jesus Himself did not abolish the Sabbath, but restored its true meaning:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd He said to them, \u2018The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.\u2019\u201d Mark 2:27<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Therefore, when Paul speaks of \u201ca shadow of things to come,\u201d Adventists understand this as a reference to ceremonial regulations connected with the sacrificial system, not to the blessed day of Creation.<\/p>\n The key emphasis of the text is judgment. Paul does not say, \u201clet no one observe anything.\u201d He says, \u201clet no one judge you.\u201d This is language about pressure from people who imposed special rules about food, drink, and ceremonies as a condition of spiritual completeness.<\/p>\n But fullness is in Christ:<\/p>\nWhy Colossians 2:16\u201317 raises so many questions<\/h2>\n
Which \u201csabbaths\u201d are meant<\/h2>\n
Why this is not the abolition of the fourth commandment<\/h2>\n
What does \u201clet no one judge you\u201d mean<\/h2>\n