Colossians 2:16

Colossians 2:16 says, Let 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:  Paul told the people at Colosse to not allow people to judge them by their observance of religious rituals.  For the Jewish people, what they ate or drank and observing Holy days was was very important to their being seen as being part of God's people.  There are still some Christians today who judge others by how faithfully they follow religious customs.  Verse seventeen adds, Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.  Paul said these religious customs or laws were but a shadow of the things to come.  They were given by God to point people to the coming Messiah and showed them their own inability to save themselves.  Paul then said the body of believers, the church, was of Christ.  We can never be a part of the body of believers if we do not put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen eighteen continues, Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  Paul warned them not to be enticed by anyone to start worshipping angels and believe that they must go through them to speak to God.  Paul said that those who did so were puffed up in their fleshly mind.  We cannot allow anything, even the angels, to come between God and us.  Verse nineteen concludes, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.  Paul said that if they did start to worship angels that they were no longer directed by Jesus Christ, the Head of the body of believers.  There is a lot of emphasis on angels today, but we must never put them between God and us.  Verse twenty states, Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,  Paul asked them if they were dead in Christ,  why did they live as though they were subject to ordinances in order to be a part of God's people.  I don't believe that Paul was saying that we shouldn't obey God's ordinances, or laws, but that we cannot look to them as a way to salvation.  Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.  Verse twenty-one adds, (Touch not; taste not; handle not;  Verse twenty-two continues, Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Paul said that those who claimed that people had to observe all the law as well as have faith in Jesus Christ were wrong, and asked why Christians would think they had to do this.   When we accept Jesus Christ we are saved by grace and dead to salvation by anything other than faith in Him.  Verse twenty-three concludes, Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.  Paul said the observance of these things as being necessary for having a personal relationship with God were all for show, and did not honor Jesus Christ Who satisfied the law for all time.  Though we are to follow God's laws as Christians, we can never attempt to make the keeping of the law of God a requirement for salvation, and we should never follow any who makes this a requirement.