Colossians 2:16 Judgment in the Body
Colossians 2:16 is often used for justification for not observing the Leviticus 23 festivals.
16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Colossians 2:16 is interpreted by many to mean believers should be able to do whatever they believe is right. Further, others should not judge what they do, because they have no right. This is based on the phrase, “Let no man therefore judge”.
Often it is stated among believers that one is not supposed to judge others. This thought comes from Matthew 7:1.
1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
The idea that one should not judge would mean that one would accept whatever comes down the road. That would mean, just turn on the TV and whatever is on is okay. Any reasonable person knows that would be a mistake. So what is Yeshua telling us in Matthew 7?
Matthew 7:2-5
2For with what judgment (krima) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Yeshua is actually telling us to judge; however, there is a caveat. We will be judged in accordance with the manner we judge others. Therefore, one should judge righteously. One should never be judgmental. Further, our judgment should be to help others as opposed to condemnation. Before one judges another, they are to sanctify their lives. So that, they can help others walk in sanctification.
Of course there has to be judgments, we make judgments every day of our life. When people tell us a story, we must decide if we are going to receive it or not. Paul tells us In 1 Corinthians 6:1-5:
1Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4If then ye have judgments (kriterion) of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
Paul is commanding believers to judge within the congregation. And, we must judge righteously and in Love. Many times, our judgment must be with longsuffering as Yeshua tells us in Matthew 18.
So to state that Colossians 2:16 is telling the believer not to judge is a misunderstanding of the context of the verse.
Again Colossians 2:16:
16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Colossians 2:16 is really a partial thought. It was meant to be read in context with Colossians 2:17.
17Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Messiah.
To understand Colossians 2:16-17, first notice that “is” is in italics. In the King James Translation that means that the “is” was not in the original Greek. It was added by the translator. Additionally, the phrase “but the body is of Messiah” is a conditional clause in the wrong position based on modern usage. As such if the “is” is removed with a few other modern day grammatical adjustments, while still maintaining the context; Colossians 2:16-17 would be translated:
Therefore; let no man judge you but the body of Messiah: in meat, in drink, in respect of an holyday, new moon, or the sabbath: Which are a shadow of things to come.
What these verses are stating is that only the Body of Messiah should judge what a believer does as oppose to the world. Which is in total alignment with 1 Corinthians 6.
Quoting Colossians 2:16 with out Colossians 2:17 leaves one with a partial thought.
Colossians 2:16-17 is also in total alignment with Hebrews 10:1.
1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
The things listed in Colossians 2:16, meat, drink, Leviticus 23 holydays, the new moon and the sabbath are examples of the shadow of the Messiah. Meaning that if one practices and observes them, as the Bible clearly tells us; their lives would point to Messiah. This would enmesh us in the understanding and enlighten us to the ways of God. His will for us.