Why? Why, asks Paul, in Colossians
2 and verse 20, as though living in the world are you subject
to ordinances after the commandments and doctrines of men? Why? If you'd be dead with Christ
from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the world
are you subject to ordinances? touch not taste not handle not
which all are to perish with the using after the commandments
and doctrines of men which things have indeed a show of wisdom
in will worship and humility and neglecting of the body not
in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh why if you be dead
with christ are you subject to ordinances after the commandments
and the doctrines of men why why Behind this question of Paul's
at the end of this chapter, there lies a certain incredulity, there's
a certain astonishment as it were, that given everything that
Paul has taught earlier in the epistle to the Colossians, given
everything that is true of the believer in Jesus Christ, given
everything that the believer, the child of God has come to
know of Christ and what Christ has done for him and who Christ
is, given everything that they have experienced of the grace
of God, why should they then turn from such things to the
commandments, the ordinances, the doctrines of man? You see, earlier in the chapter,
Paul has, as it were, already pulled the rug from under his
hearer's feet. He's put their backs against
the walls and he's demonstrated to them the foolishness of such
behavior, given what God has done for his people in Christ,
given everything that is true of them in Christ. Therefore,
he comes to his conclusion towards the end of this chapter to bring
them to this point of saying, given all of that, Why are you
subject to these ordinances? Why are you subject to these
commandments and doctrines of men? Why have you been beguiled
by philosophy and vain deceit, the traditions of man, the rudiments
of the world? Don't you know that you are dead
with Christ from the rudiments of the world? You're risen with
Him. Then why do you turn to this touch-not, taste-not, handle-not
way of living? Given all of this, why? Why? Why are you subject to such things?
Why have you brought the gospel down to such an earthly level? Why is your walk before God so
determined by the things of time and sense in this earth, when
all this is so true of you in Christ, when the gospel is so
heavenly, when the things of this world have been brought
to an end in Christ at the cross? Why? Well why does Paul even
have to ask the question? Why is this question asked in
Colossians? Well because this very condition
prevailed at Colossae, because despite the folly of such things
and the incredulousness of Paul's question here, nevertheless he
has to ask the question because the Colossians were subject to
such ordinances and they were subject to the commandments and
the doctrines of men. This sort of thing had come into
the church at Colossae and they were bound by such things. And
just as they were, so today. Most, indeed the majority of
professing religion and professing Christianity's religion is essentially
very, very similar. The majority of Christians walk
in such a way in which they are bound by the commandments and
the doctrines of men. They have a religion whether
they profess Christ or not, which is simply touch not, taste not,
handle not. They walk by rules. They live
by laws. They walk by the doctrines and
the commandments of men. That is what most religion stands
in and consists of. It is what most people, whether
they are professing Christians or not, are tangled up in. Touch
not, taste not, handle not. That's pretty much it. Do this
or don't do that. Think this, don't think that.
Their religion rarely rises up any higher. It concerns their
walk in this world, what they can do and what they can't do.
Practical Christianity, they may call it. But why? Why, Paul asks. If you know anything of the gospel,
if you know anything of what it is to be in Christ, why are
you so bound by the commandments and the doctrines of man? Whether
you think you will be saved by such things or merely improved
by such things. Whether you think such a walk
will improve your walk with God, will bring you closer to Him.
Whatever the thinking behind it, it's merely bondage. You're
in subjection to the commandments, the traditions and the doctrines
of man. Subjection to ordinances. Subjection
to taste not, touch not, handle not. Why? Why does Paul have
to ask? Well, as I said, because this
condition prevailed at Colossae. And he asked a question, not
out of puzzlement, but in conclusion of the truth which he's presented
before the people here in order to bring this question to them,
in order to bring it out, in order to bring it to an end.
He asked the question because he will bring this practice at
Colossae to an end. His desire is to root it out,
to tear it down, to pull it down, to dig it up, and to deliver
from bondage, to bring his hearers out from such earthly teaching,
such error, such turning away from Christ and his gospel, such
turning away from their beginnings in Christ. back to these beggarly
elements, these earthly elements. He'll have them brought back
to the gospel and to the liberty in the gospel and to the joy
which they once knew in Christ when they first heard of him.
So here in chapter 2, in the first opening chapter in Colossians,
he opens the epistle by presenting Christ and who Christ is in his
preeminence. But now in chapter 2 from verse
6 of chapter 2, essentially through to verse 6 of chapter 4, Paul's
concern is the walk of the believer. And Paul's concern is those many
enemies which come in the believer's pathway which seek to divert
him from walking in Christ and walking in the gospel and seek
to drag him off to the left hand and the right hand. So Paul's
attention here is the walk of the believer. He says in verse
six of chapter two, as he have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in him. So walk ye in him. And this is
what Paul is dealing with, the believers walk. And yet at Colossae,
their walk had turned from that beginning. They no longer walked
in the manner in which they had received Christ Jesus the Lord,
but they had become ensnared By the traditions of man they
become spoiled by philosophy and vain deceit. They become
caught up with the rudiments of the world and not after Christ. And they found themselves bound
by a touch not, taste not, handle not form of religion. So Paul
brings them to the truth of the gospel in Christ, it reminds
them that their walk should not be according to this world and
the traditions and teachings of man. But their walk should
be in the light of the gospel. Their walk should be in Christ.
Their walk should be in that manner in which they first received
Christ. Their walk should be the walk
of faith. Their pilgrimage through this
world should be entirely in Christ, and the antidote he presents
to them, to this bondage in which they had come to be found, the
antidote to such legal bondage in which they had become entangled,
is found in one place only, in Christ, and in him alone, and
in his gospel. So Paul having pointed us to
Christ in the opening chapter, in the introduction to the epistle,
now addresses the believers walking in the light of such things. You see, here's the answer to
verse 20. Having therefore received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. There's your answer, there's
your antidote. And that's why With incredulity
Paul says, if you're dead with Christ then from the rudiments
of the world, why as though still in the world, as though living
in the world, are you subject to such ordinances and commandments
and doctrines? Walk as you have received Christ. Walk in the same way in which
you walked at the beginning. Paul here in chapter 2 has already
destroyed any arguments in support of such a practice. Earlier in
chapter 2 he's reminded them of their position in Christ.
He's reminded them that in Christ dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily. He's reminded his hearers that
they are complete in him who is the head of all principality
and power. That they've been circumcised
in him. That they were buried with him
in baptism. that they rose with Him, that
they, being dead in sins and the uncircumcision of their flesh,
have been quickened together with Him, and that all their
trespasses have been forgiven in Him, that the handwriting
of ordinances that was against them, which was contrary to them,
has been taken out of the way and nailed to His cross, and
that He has spoiled all principalities and powers and made a show of
them openly and triumphed over them in it. So given all of this, why do they turn to such beggarly
elements? Don't walk such a way, he says. Don't walk that way, walk this
way, in Christ, in the same way in which you received him, in
the light of that by which you received him, in the knowledge
of him, and the experience of him, and in communion with him,
Walk this way and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Consider what the Colossians
were subjecting themselves to. Ordinances, the commandments
and the doctrines of men, rules, regulations, laws. But didn't they know, and don't
the people today in the churches know, that they have already
been delivered from such things, from all such things, that when
the believer died in Christ, when he was circumcised in Christ
with that circumcision made without hands, in the putting off the
body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
when they were buried with him in baptism, and when they rose
with him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised
him from the dead. When they died and rose in Christ,
don't they know, and don't we know, and don't you know, child
of God today, that you not only were delivered from your sins,
but you were delivered from all such commandments doctrines and
ordinances which bring you into bondage you've been delivered
from all such earthly respects in religion you're no longer
in the flesh you're no longer walking as it were in this world
you've been delivered as it were from the rudiments of the world
and from the things of the flesh and from the things of the earth
and you are now risen in Christ You are risen in the heavens
and you walk although still in the body in this world, nevertheless
in the spirit, the believer walks in the heavenlies. He walks in
Christ, he walks as him who is risen and who is alive with that
new heavenly life which is found in Christ. Then though he may
walk through in a pilgrimage in time and in sense and in this
world he is not as it were subject to this world he's died to this
world he's dead to this world he's dead to the things of the
flesh and he's dead to those laws and commandments and doctrines
which govern the flesh For we've not only died, but
we have risen and we reign in Christ, and we live in Christ
and we walk in Christ. And we received Christ when we
first heard the gospel through the quickening power of the Holy
Spirit in that gospel, when he caused us who were once dead
in sins to be quickened together with him. and we were forgiven
of all our trespasses and we rose in Christ and we were given
faith to look unto Christ and to rest in Christ and that is
how we received Christ and having received Christ in such a way
Paul says therefore having received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk
ye in him so walk ye in him. Read what Paul says in verses
13 of chapter 2 of Colossians Just what have we been delivered
from? Verse 13, And you being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, having quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his
cross, and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of
them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore
judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day
or of the new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of
things to come, but the body is of Christ. Now do you hear
that? Do you hear what he said in verse
14, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing
it to his cross. Do you hear what Paul is saying
there? Not only have we died with Christ,
not only have we been quickened together in him, not only have
we been forgiven all of our trespasses in Christ, not only were all
our sins washed away by his blood, Not only have we been reconciled
to God by the blood of his cross, not only have we been justified,
brought to life from the dead, quickened together with him,
created anew, not only are we made to be the very righteousness
of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, not only are we complete in him
who is the head of all principality and power, Not only this, if
you can say only, with regard to such tremendous truths, not
only have we been delivered from our sins and the consequences
of our sins, but we read in verse 14 of something else which we
have been delivered from. We've been delivered from those
very things which condemned us the very words, the very ordinances,
the very law of God, which stood in condemnation of us, which
was against us, which was contrary to us. This is that which was
blotted out. This is that handwriting of ordinances,
which was against us, contrary to us, which Christ took out
of the way, nailing it to his cross. That's what he nailed
to his cross. He took that law, he took those
ordinances, he took that handwriting of God, which condemned all his
people as sinners, guilty sinners before God. As lawbreakers, as
covenant breakers, as wayward guilty rebels, as those who turned
aside from God and his ways. as those who turned to their
own ways, as those who turned in rebellion against him. Christ
took that law which condemned them and he nailed it to his
cross and in so doing he blotted it out. He blotted out the very
words and he took the entirety of them out of the way, never
to be brought back. never to be sounded again, never
to be heard in the believer's ear again. Everything which condemned
him, every thou shalt and thou shalt not which he had broken,
was blotted out. Ordinances, the handwriting of
ordinances, blotted out, taken away, nailed to the cross. You see, Christ didn't just take
our sins away. He didn't just take our sin away.
He didn't just wash us from all our iniquity and our transgressions. He didn't just deliver us from
the flesh, from death and from corruption. He didn't just take
our sin away. But he also took the strength
of sin away. He took that handwriting of ordinances,
that law, the law itself, which is called the strength of sin.
1 Corinthians 15.56 describes the law as the strength of sin.
Yes, our sins were washed away. Yes, our trespasses were washed
away by the blood of Christ. Yes, our sin was condemned in
the body of Christ at the cross. But Christ went one step further,
He took away the very strength of sin, that which provoked it,
that which kindled it, He took away the handwriting of ordinances.
What, you may say? What, the the law of God? He took away the law of God itself? Yes, the law of God, the handwriting
of ordinances, What, that holy, that perfect, that just, that
good law of God? Yes, that holy, that perfect,
that just law of God. But isn't that holy and just
and good as it says in Romans 7 and verse 13? Yes it is. Then why take away that which
is holy and just and good? Why take away that which is good,
which is blameless? Why, when the fault lies not
in the law, but in man and in his corrupt nature, why take
away the law? Why? Because the law is the strength
of sin, as I've just said. Because sin, that it might appear
sin, work death in me by that which is good, that sin by the
commandment might become exceeding sinful, as it says in Romans
7. That's why. because sin is fanned,
the flames of sin are fanned by that law. That law may be
perfect, it may be just, it may be good, it's God's law, God's
immutable holy law, but you bring that law to bear upon a creature
upon this earth, upon a fallen sinner, upon one who has a fallen
flesh, and all you'll do is see the rebellious state of sin within
him fired up. You'll see those fires, those
sparks of sin within him kindled up into burning flames. Now there's
no fault in the law. There's no fault in the commandment.
God didn't nail the handwriting of ordinances to the cross of
Christ because he found fault with that law in and of itself. But when that law is brought
to bear upon the sinner, when that law is brought to bear upon
man in this world all it does is condemn him and God came not
to condemn in his gospel Christ came not to condemn but to save
not to condemn but to deliver not to leave man condemned under
the sentence of law but to deliver him from the law to save him
from his sins to save him from that which condemned him from
that which slew him not to leave him under condemnation, not to
leave him with a law above his head which continually sounded
out, thou shalt and thou shalt not to him all the days in which
he remains in this world, but to deliver him from such condemnation,
to bring him into peace with God, to bring him into righteousness,
to bring him into the heavenlies, to bring him into the presence
of God, not to keep him afar off, the law kept man at a distance. But Christ came to bring him
near to the Father. He came to bring his people who
were once afar off near. He came to take that away which
caused enmity between them and the Father, and to make peace. So he took away that which was
the strength of sin, that which caused sin to become more sinful. That which worked death in man,
that which caused sin to appear sin, by that which was good,
the law, he came to take it away. For that law only deceived us
and slew us, and when the commandment came, when the Spirit applied
the commandment, sin revived and we died. Yet Christ came
to bring the dead to life. for those who had been slain
by the commandment, those whom the handwriting of ordinances
had condemned utterly. He came to them and he took that
very handwriting of ordinances and he took it to his cross and
he nailed it to his own cross and he took it out of their sight
and he blotted it out, never more to be echoed in their hearing. Those whom he took with himself
to the cross those whose sins he blotted out with his own blood,
those whose sins he washed away with his own blood as he suffered
in their stead. He took that law too and he blotted
it out and he took it out of the way that it would never more
sound inarius. For if you're ever going to be
free from sin and if you're ever going to walk free from sin,
You need to be delivered from that very commandment, from the
handwriting of ordinances. And we read in Ephesians 2.15,
that wondrous truth, that having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandment contained in ordinances, to make in himself
of twain one new man, so make in peace. See Christ came to
save, to make peace, to deliver and the problem wasn't in the
commandment, no, but the commandment was the strength for sin and
he took away that which slew man, that was brought in death
in order that he might save and bring in life. Now there was no fault in those
commandments, that was the law of God, That was at God's writing. It was God's handwriting that
wrote those laws which he gave to Moses. That was God's handwriting
and those commands were good commands, were holy and just. Commandments don't come any more
good than these commands. They don't come any more holy
than God's holy law. He wrote them. They're his ordinances. They're gods, they're immutable. They're dogmatic. He wrote them. And he wrote them for one purpose,
to show man his sin. And as such, they were against
man. They were contrary to man. and
they were contrary to man and against man because of how perfect
and how just they are and because of how sinful and how wicked
man is and because man's nature is so contrary to the nature
of God the perfect nature of God because man in his fallen
state is so different so wicked so contrary to the pure perfect
righteousness of God and the pure perfect righteousness found
in the law of God Thus those commandments were contrary and
were against us, despite how good they are. But it doesn't
matter how good the commandment is, how faultless and right the
commandment is, the problem lies in us, in our flesh, and we still
have that flesh, even as believers we still have that flesh. And
until we're taken out from this world and go into glory to be
with our Lord Jesus forever, we still carry the baggage of
this flesh, of this corruption in our bodies. And whenever you
bring law and commandments that bear upon that flesh, all you
do is you revive the sin within it. All you do is fan again the
flames of rebellion that lie dormant within it. All you do
is bring the strength of sin to bear upon the flesh, and sin
is strengthened by such commands, and sin flares up, and rebellion
flares up, and again you fall. So what folly to return to commandments
like this! What folly to return to the commandments
of God, and what greater folly to return to the commandments
and the doctrines of man! For all you do when you return
to commandments, and such a legal way, is you stir up sin and you
stir up rebellion and in stirring up you fall down flat on your
face for all it brings up all it stirs up is wrath and rebellion
and we need to be delivered from such a way not brought back into
such bondage but Christ came to deliver us not to put us back
under bondage, but to deliver us, and having delivered us,
to keep us delivered, and having delivered us, to lead us by a
new and a living way, not an old and a dead and a killing
way. So he nailed the handwriting
of ordinances to his cross. He nailed it, for he came to
deliver us from our enemies, from all our enemies, from every
enemy, from sin, from death, from hell, from satan, from the
corruption that lies within our flesh and from the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
which he took out the way, nailing it to his cross. Well if that be so, if that's
what he did at the cross, If in dying for us, he not only
died for our sins, he not only suffered for our sins and our
sin, he not only delivered us from sin, but he delivered us
from the law of God. And the handwriting of ordinances,
if that be so, why on earth would you, why on earth would the Colossians,
why on earth would anyone, having been delivered from God's law,
from God's perfect law, why would anyone think to turn and subject
themselves to the ordinances the commandments and the doctrines
of men why take away that which God gave in the old covenant
and turn to that which is merely of man's teaching if we could
not keep God's law If God's law condemned us and brought us in
guilty before him are we going to be perfected by some other
law or other commandments? What are these other doctrines
and commandments that you seek to substitute for God's? We're not to turn back to God's
law and if we're not to turn back to God's law we're not to
turn to any other law. We've been delivered from all
such legal walking from all such a legal way. We are to walk in
Christ. As ye have therefore received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Then why turn to law? And why turn to the commandments
and the doctrines of men? Why? Why to a multitude of touch-nots,
taste-nots, handle-nots? And yet men do. Most men do. It's in our hearts, it's in our
nature. Our flesh loves to know right
from wrong. Our flesh loves to turn to that
which tells us what to do and what not to do. It turns aside
from that pathway of faith which looks to Christ, which rests
in Christ, which walks in Christ, which finds its strength only
in Christ. which turns from all the flesh
and all the reason of the flesh and all the wisdom of man and
rests entirely in the wisdom of God and the power of God and
the strength of God in Christ and in his gospel. The flesh
constantly seeks to turn aside and is constantly beguiled, constantly
spoilt through philosophy and vain deceit, constantly follows
after the traditions of men, constantly turns to the rudiment
of the world for the flesh is of the earth and the flesh is
earthy and the flesh is worldly and religion in the flesh constantly
turns to that which is of the flesh and that which is of the
earth and religion in the flesh is characterized by touch not,
taste not, handle not. Is that your religion? Is that
your practical Christianity? that your walk in the Christian
life? Do you turn as it were either to the law of God again
from which Christ delivered you never to return to again? Do
you turn to that and set it up before you as some sort of rule
of life which you think that you have a power to keep? Or
if you don't turn to that do you turn to some other commandments
and traditions and doctrines of men which they conjure up
for you? Or do you set up your own rules your own do's and your
own don'ts? your own means by which you think
that you will gain God's favor and gain God's blessing? Do you
think if I don't do this or do this that God will be more pleased
with me today than he was yesterday? Do you find yourself walking
in bondage that one day you think you've done okay and the next
day you fail to do that which you've set up as a rule which
you must keep? And on failing to do it you find
yourself guilty, you find yourself collapsed in a heap because you've
not done that which you think you must do in order that God
will be pleased with you? Do you bind your conscience with
these do's and these don'ts you set up before yourself that oh
unless I've spent so much time in prayer unless I've gone to
this place unless I've turned from this then I'm guilty? Touch not, taste not, handle
not. Do you think you're going to
make any better effort in such a way than you could ever do
under the law? Do you think you've got any more
strength in such a religion than you had to keep the law of God? These things will condemn you
just as the law condemns. There's no more power in such
a way than there was any power in God's law. God gave that law
and there was no power in it for man to keep it, it merely
condemned him and slew him. then is there any power in the
commandments and the doctrines of men? Is there any power in
that which comes from man, let alone from God? Of course not. Of course not. For the law, as we've said, was
the strength for sin, a ministration of condemnation, a killing letter,
that which works up wrath and brings upon us a curse. And that's
the reason that God gave it to bring upon mankind the curse,
to bring upon his people the curse, to curse them, to bring
wrath upon them, to demonstrate to them that they are sinners
and that they are sin through and through, to show them their
sin, to show them their selves, to show them that they are nothing,
to condemn them, to slay them. That's why he gave the law. And
when that law had had its work, when the Spirit took it and used
it and brought it upon the child of God and slew him and condemned
him, then the law's work was done. The work of the schoolmaster
was done. And the schoolmaster's work was
done, having brought the child of God in to that place to which
he must then resort. For the law condemns and brings
us in guilty, and guilty sinners have no place to go but to Jesus
Christ, and to the foot of his cross, and to his gospel. And that's what the law does,
and that's why the law was given to shut us up to the grace of
God in Christ Jesus, to bring us to Christ and to him alone. For it says in Galatians in chapter
3, is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid,
for if there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture
have concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of
Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before
faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith
which should afterwards be revealed. We were shut up under the law,
condemned under it, locked under it, with no escape. But when
faith came, when Christ came in the Gospel, when he comes
with his Gospel, when the Spirit comes preaching Christ and preaching
the faith of Jesus Christ, when he brings faith to the child
of God, he's delivered from that old school master. He's delivered
from that which once condemned him, from that which once bound
him. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of
God, by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew
under the law, nor Greek not under the law. There is neither
bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. For ye are all one in Christ
Jesus. And if ye be Christ, then are
ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The law's work
was to shut us up to Christ. And when we've been brought to
Christ, we're no longer under the law. We're no longer under
that schoolmaster. We're in Christ, we're delivered. And we have no reason to return
to it in any way, shape or fashion. Whatever men may say, however
deceptive they may be with their teaching, and their traditions. The law's purpose was to teach
us our sin and to shut us up to Christ. And it has none other
purpose. That which condemned us we've
been delivered from in Christ. It is no rule of life for the
believer. Bring the law to bear upon the
believer and it shuts him back up under condemnation. It puts
him back under bondage. It slays him again, it brings
him in guilty. but send the believer to Christ
and he knows liberty in Christ and peace in Christ and salvation
in Christ and joy in Christ. Put the believer under any ordinance,
commandment and doctrine of men which they may substitute in
the place of God's law with their traditions and their bondage
and again they'll be brought under bondage. and again that
joy and that peace and that liberty and that rejoicing which they
once had in Christ is lost. Then why are you so foolish? O Galatians, why are you so foolish? O Colossians, why? Why are you so foolish? Why are
you beguiled? Why are you sparked with the
philosophy and vain deceit and traditions of man? Why why why
are you subject to ordinances after the commandments and the
doctrines of men? Having received Christ Jesus
the Lord will you return to that which slew you? To your old husband? To a legal system whether it
be the law of God as a rule of life or the commandments, doctrines,
ordinances and teachings which religious men may put in its
place, will you return to any system which is legal in spirit,
anything which demands works and effort that you cannot render,
to that which is both against us and contrary to us? For no matter how good the commandment
may be, no matter how right-seeming it may be, their commandments
demand an obedience which you must render by your flesh in
your own effort then it's just legal and it provides no strength,
no ability and it leads to condemnation, ruin and misery. Touch not, taste
not, handle not. But we're dead to all such things,
we're dead to this world, we're dead to the law, dead to the
types and figures, dead to the Old Testament, dead to the sacrifices
and priesthoods, dead to the feasts and the new moons, dead
to the Sabbaths. We're dead to it. I, through
the law, am dead to the law. If I build again the things which
I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through the law, am dead
to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with
Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ live within
me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. We're dead to the law. And the
accuser has no law and nothing with which he may condemn us.
He cannot bring that law back to us again. He cannot take it
and say, but you've done this and you've done that. For we've
not only been delivered from our sins and our transgressions,
we've not only been delivered from our breaking of that law,
but Christ took that very law itself. He took it out of the
accuser's hands and he nailed it to his tree. and he took it
away and he blotted it out, and it's never to be brought back
to us again. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation to them who walk
not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Because the law is
gone. It's been nailed to the tree,
taken away and blotted out, and we are dead to it. We are risen
in Christ. Risen. Christ. Then if we're
dead to this world, if we're dead to all that's in Adam, if
we're dead to the law, dead to the handwriting of ordinances,
if that law was nailed to the cross and taken away, that by
which Christ borrowed principalities and powers and made a shove of
them openly, triumphing over them in it, if we are risen in
Christ, whom we have received in the gospel by the revelation
of the Father, by whom the light of the gospel has shined in our
hearts, by which we have been delivered from the power of darkness
and translated into the kingdom of his dear son. If that's where
we are in Christ, then that is, believer, where you are in Christ. If that's how we receive Christ,
by the revelation of him in the light of his gospel, if that's
how we walk in him, through the darkness of this dead world. How then can you return to any
other way? Why, why, why are you subject
to the touch-not, taste-not, handle-not of the traditions
of man? No believer, you are in Christ.
You have died in Christ, you have risen in Christ, you are
complete in Christ. You have all your guidance, all
your teaching, all your wisdom in Christ. Everything is in Christ. He is the fullness of God. All
the light you have for the pathway is in Christ. Your walk in this
world is in Him. Therefore, as ye have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, in Him. And let no man judge you in meat
or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or the new moon,
or the Sabbath. Let no man beguile you, let no
man put you under the bondage of touch, not taste, not handle,
not religion. For if ye then be risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ said,
if on the right hand of God, set your affections on things
above, not on things on the earth. Why? For child of God, you are
dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Amen.