Colossians 2:9-17

Well, good evening, brethren. Today we're going to cover an interesting section of Colossians, a section which quite often causes a lot of misunderstandings amongst certain people.

But the importance as a context or as a background, you know, quite often one of the rules of Bible interpretation is to understand the context. And the context, yes, it's what Paul is writing about, the context of what he's writing about, but also the context of the society or the environment that Paul was in or he was writing to. So the situation in the Colossian church was that there was a heresy, and quite often people think that Paul was addressing both in Colossians and in Galatians and in other epistles, was addressing pure and simply Judaizers. But it really, the focus is not just Judaizers, but Gnosticism. And for instance, the reason that in the book of Colossians, they think Paul is talking about Judaizers is because in verse 11 talks about circumcision, and in verse 16 talks about the festivals and Sabbaths. So they think, well, it's talking about it's criticizing Judaizers. But that is not the case. The case is Gnosticism. Now, let's very quickly, I've mentioned before, but some of the people that may be listening to this recorded message may have not listened to it before. So very briefly, let me just restate what I have stated before that Gnosticism was not a separate religion, but a religious concept that could be combined with an established religion with the purpose or intent of quote-unquote improving it. And so allegedly, it improved that host religion. So Gnosticism affected Judaism. In other words, we could say there is or there was a case of people that were Jews. It was Judaism, but it had been impacted by Gnostic beliefs. So let's just call that Gnostic Judaism.

And so that was a blend of Jewish religious practices with a Gnostic quote-unquote improvement. And so Gnostic Judaism was an influence that was trying to impact or affect the newly emerging Christian religion by using its principles of mixing. Usually the word for that is syncretism. It was mix one thing with another. And so this was what Paul was mainly addressing in collagions as it is the case in Galatians and in other New Testament epistles. I have covered a section of Bible studies on the book of Galatians previously, but now I'm really talking about the prison epistles and specifically in now in the section of chapter two of Galatians. So Gnosticism had various beliefs, but one of the major tenets or beliefs of Gnosticism was that matter is evil.

Now this led mainly towards something that became known as asceticism. Now asceticism was the concept of avoiding physical pleasure because it was matter, it was physical, and therefore it was evil. And so people had to purge themselves of physical related things or physical comforts or physical matter because that was evil and it brought in the concept of punishing the flesh. So this is the main theme or aspect of what Paul is writing in Colossians chapter two.

For instance, if we look very briefly at chapter one verse nine and ten, we can see an oblique reference, in other words, a subtle put down of Gnosticism when Paul is saying and praying that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, which obviously is correct. We need to be filled with the knowledge of God's will, but it was a little oblique reference to Gnosticism because it was one of these ideas of knowledge. And the point that Paul emphasizes in this epistle is the primacy or is the first foremost position of Christ specifically being in the flesh. And that is a big emphasis of Paul in the C-Pestle. Why? Because according to Gnosticism divinity, in other words, being of the God family, of the nature of God divine, and humanity, which is flesh, we're totally incompatible because divinity is perfect without sin and humanity, flesh, matter, is sin. And so again, the Gnostic concept was that spirit is good and matter is evil. And so how could godliness, spirit, being in matter? And therefore that was a contradiction.

And so Paul is clearly addressing that when he is addressing that heresy by saying that the Colossians had to be careful with persuasive words. We see that in chapter 2 of Colossians verse 4 that it says, now this essay lists anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. And these persuasive words were about a philosophical system. And you read that, for instance, in verse 8. Beware, lest anyone cheat you through philosophy. So there was this philosophical system based on the worship of elemental spirits of the world. So he said, beware, lest anyone cheat you or make you captive as we read in the new international version.

And so the identification of Gnostic influence in the apostolic church is a major key for us to understand many scriptures that are typically by so-called Christianity, Christianity misinterpreted. So we need to understand this Gnostic influence, how it was affecting the early church, the apostolic church. So Gnosticism, as I mentioned, was combined with Judaism. And that was the catalyst for introducing Gnosticism to Christianity. And so when we see here in Colossians, particularly in verse 16, Paul was not condemning quote-unquote what people would call Jewish customs, you know, was the Sabbath or God's early days. No, Paul was not condemning that, but he is condemning the manner in which Gnostics wanted them to be observed. And this I will show you as we progress today through the study. And so, last time I concluded in verse 8, "'Beware lest any one cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit.'" Empty deceit, meaning, as we read in the New Living Translation, high-sounding nonsense. It's an interesting translation that they have. And then it says, through this is, according to the traditional man, according to the basic principles of the word and not according to Christ. In other words, that came from, let's call it human reasoning apart from God, human thinking. That's what it says, according or that came through tradition of man. In other words, human doctrines and ideas, as we went through in last study, that from Numerod and Semiramis and which then spread into Egypt, India, China and into other countries. And so, that's one thing that came from or according to, but then also says according to the basic principles. And in other words, that came from those basic principles. Some Bible versions translate at that word as rudiments that comes from the Greek word 4 747, stoi chayon. In other words, rudiments of this world or basic principles of this world. Now, or basic elements of this world. They are basically, and he said by many people, that four basic elements from which other things came. That's what some people say. In other words, material cause of the universe. They say earth, water, air and fire.

But Paul is not just referring to philosophies and empty deceit that came from earth, water, air and fire. You see these basic elements under these pagan religions and were assigned invisible elemental or basic nature, stroke, spirit elements. And each class of this nature spirit was said to be composed of one of these four basic elements. And at the death of that individual, they simply disintegrated into that particular element. In other words, earth, water, air and fire. Now, they were also said to have personalities corresponding to one of these four, one of four astrological signs.

Now, as you hear all this, you say this just doesn't make any sense. Well, indeed, all these pagan ideas just don't make any sense. But they related this to these astrological signs, Taurus, Scorpio, Aquarius and Leo respectively. In other words, earth, water, air and fire respectively. And when you really think about it, these rudiments, these basic principles of the world were really basic spiritual evil powers, demonic influences of this world of ours.

And so, you're saying here, in verse 8, beware that no one cheats you through human reasoning, philosophy and empty deceit, according to or that comes from human reasoning, apart from God, or that comes from pagan doctrines or basic demons influence that affects the people. In other words, basic pagan religions, but not, they're not coming from Christ. That's what it says at the end of verse 8, but and not according to Christ. So, what we have here is that Jesus Christ is, let's call, the lens through which we evaluate whatever different ideas. It's got to go through and the value, the knowledge of Christ. The Gnostics were doing it the other way around.

They were evaluating Christ through the lens of their Gnostic philosophy. And so, we have to be very careful about human reasoning, apart from God. For instance, in verse 18 through 22, verse 18 through 22 of this same chapter, Colossians chapter 2, a big part of it, it's talking about, let no one cheat you, cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels. You see, worship of demons, obviously, angels that had deviated from the way of truth, introducing into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and then holding fast to the head, which is Christ.

And then verse 19, therefore, if you died with Christ from these basic principles of the world, you now in Christ, you put away these pagan things. Why, as they are living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations? Which regulations? Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle. What is that? Aestheticism, because matter is evil, so they had these ascetic teachings. Don't touch this, don't taste this, do not handle that, because matter is evil. In other words, avoid physical pleasure because it is evil.

And this, in the end, is just ideas of man, traditions of man. As we read in verse 8, these are traditions of man, according to traditions of man. And so, as we move now on to verse 9, it says, For in him, that's Christ, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In other words, it pleased God that the entire attributes of God were or dwelled in Christ.

Look at Colossians chapter 1 verse 19. It says, For it pleased the Father, that in him Christ, all the fullness should dwell. Jesus Christ himself has the fullness of God's divinity. Christ as a human being was divine. In other words, put it another way, if he has the fullness of, as it says here, God's whole fullness is in Christ, that is a plain statement that Christ is a God being, a being in the God Kingdom, in God domain.

So Christ is the one through whom the Father, the God, is working through. We don't need to go through, as the Gnostics believed, through different emanations or different levels of spirit beings. They call them Aeons, as I made reference and explained that in the previous study. And so we don't have to go through that. We go through Christ, direct to God. That's it. Christ, he said, I am the way, I am the life, I am the truth.

It's through Christ. And the other thing is that he says here in verse 9, he says bodily. Now that is unthinkable, or let's say it was unthinkable to the Gnostics that God would have all his fullness of God's divinity taking a human form on the human body.

That was unthinkable to Gnostics. And so Paul is very clearly addressing Gnostic, Gnostic thinking, Gnostic thoughts, very clear. Now in verse 10, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. In other words, you and I are complete in him. In other words, we don't need any other spirit beings. We are complete in Christ. Jesus Christ supplies all that we need, and so we complete in him.

If we just look at 2 Peter chapter 1, 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 3 and 4.

This is a lively scripture that I refer to quite often. It says, well, let's start in verse 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord has his divine power. That means God's divine power comes to us through Christ because he says his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and Godness. So when we read in verse 10 or 2 of Colossians chapter 2, it says we are complete in him. We can see that from the Father through Christ with the help of God's power, God's Holy Spirit, we receive all things that pertain to life. We receive God's divine power, which is the Holy Spirit, through Christ. Christ supplies all that we need. All comes through Christ. God's Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through Christ to us and gives us all things that pertain to life, obviously eternal life, and Godness. And that means for us to be like God who called us by glory and virtue and by which he has given us precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature. You see? So we are complete and we can partake of the very divine nature through Christ and the power that God gives us. God's Holy Spirit through Christ. Now going back to verse 11 of Colossians chapter 2. So we read verse 10, we are completing him who is the head of all principality and power. Christ is the head of all powers, obviously under the Father. Verse 11, he named you were also circumcised of circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Now this is very interesting because he defines a circumcision of the heart. In other words, defines circumcision without hands. You see, in him, that's through Christ, we were circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. In other words, circumcision of the heart. And what is that? By putting off the body, the sins of the flesh.

Putting off the sins of the flesh is the circumcision of the heart.

In other words, by the circumcision of Christ. If we just briefly look at Romans chapter 2, Romans chapter 2 verse 28 and 29. Romans 2 verse 28 and 29.

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from man, but from God. And so circumcision of the heart is a spiritual circumcision, and what that is, is putting off the sins of the flesh. As we read here in verse 11, by putting off the sins of the flesh.

Right, let's move on to verse 12. Buried with him in baptism, in which you were raised with him through faith in the working of God, were raised him from the dead. So this is the meaning of baptism. It's also explained in Romans chapter 6. Let's just describe that, look at it very quickly. Romans chapter 6. It was starting in verse 4. Therefore, we were buried within through baptism into death, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. Even so, we also should walk in newness of life. And so, back here to Colossians chapter 2, it's basically referring to the meaning of baptism. And the meaning of baptism means that our old man, our old man, is dead and buried, symbolically, at the baptism. And then we raise as a new man, as we come out of the water, for us to walk in newness of life. And verse 13, And you, being dead in your trespasses and the circumcision of your flesh, yeah, we are dead in our trespasses. In other words, the old man died. And so, we are not going to be sinning anymore, or at least that is our intent, that's our commitment, that baptism. We are dead in that and the uncircumcision of your flesh. Yeah, as far as the flesh, we are typically pointing to the Gentiles. We are uncircumcised. But as he said, it's the circumcision made without hands, as we read in verse 11, which means putting off the body, the sins of the flesh. So that's the circumcision. That means this is being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of the flesh. He has made alive together with him. That means we are made alive together with him. Christ has made us alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

And so, Christ has forgiven our sins. And so, you and I rise up, are spiritually alive. All our trespasses are forgiven. And then we ought to receive God's only Spirit. Now, this is a thing a lot of people understand, particularly when I deal with people that say, well, I want to be baptized or already been baptized or something. Well, I've already got God's only Spirit. I've been baptized already, but God's only Spirit. Understand that baptism is not to receive the Holy Spirit. Baptism is not to receive the Holy Spirit. Baptism is to forgive past sins. Baptism is to forgive past sins. Acts 2 verse 38. Acts 2 verse 38. That is on the day of Pentecost. And Peter gave his sermon. And then in Acts 2 verse 38 says, then Peter said to them, repent and let everyone be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. In other words, by Christ's authority. For what purpose? For the remission of sins. That's why we were baptized for the remission of sins. For our sins to be forgiven. The slate is clean. Our sins are blotted out. They are gone. They are erased. They obliterated all our sins. At baptism, when you and I make that commitment to follow God and to live God's way. And yes, part of that process then, over time, as we, after baptism, as we receive or have the laying on of hands, then we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And that is explained, for instance, in Acts chapter 8. If we start reading in a big part in verse 16, Acts chapter 8 verse 16, it says, they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, because it says in verse 15, he prayed that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet they had not received the Holy Spirit, they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. So you tie that with Acts 2.38, it says you baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus by, in other words, by His authority, for what reason? To forgive past sins, not to receive the Holy Spirit. And then it says, verse 17, then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

And then when Simon, Simon Magus, saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands, in other words, you're going to have the right people, the right ministers of Jesus Christ, that have that authority, then the Holy Spirit was given. And obviously, we can see that he had the wrong mind, that he offered them money and all that. That's a whole different subject. But the point is baptism is not to receive the Holy Spirit. Baptism is to forgive past sins. The slate is clean and we receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on our hands. Now we get on to verse 14 of Colossians chapter 2. Verse 14 of Colossians chapter 2 is a continuation to explain how our sins are forgiven. It's not a change of subject. It's, you see, in verse 13 says, and you've been dead in your trespasses, and even in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made a life together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. So how?

And this is what verse 14 is about. How our sins are forgiven.

Now let's read verse 14. Having wiped out, erased, the transgression, or being part of the handwriting of requirements, that was against us, which is contrary to us, he has made a he has taken it out of the way, having it nailed to the cross. And we're going to explain this verse. We're going to go through it carefully in detail, but let me just tell you what Christianity normally says. They say the handwriting of requirements, the handwriting of requirements, is God's 10 commandments. And then therefore they say Jesus Christ nailed to the cross the 10 commandments. And so that's what it's saying. Now think about it.

In verse 13 it says Christ has forgiven our sins.

And now imagine he's saying, well, not only forgiven, but taking the law away. That doesn't make sense. Let me give you a simple analogy. It's like saying, and give an analogy. Say for example, you're driving on a road and you break the speed limit.

In analogy, it's like you sin. Okay, in analogy, right? You break the speed. So you broken the law and you get a fine, right? You get a speeding fine. Now what we have is the fine is erased, is forgiven. Okay, so all right. So that taking Christ forgives our sins, it's like you, in analogy, you're driving on the road, you broke the speed limit, but the fine is not forgiven. Taken away. But it's like you say now to the traffic officer. No, no, no, no, no, no, that's not enough. That's not enough. I want you now to take down the speed limit sign. That is the law. I want you to take the speed limit sign out of the way so that I don't ever I'm never again guilty of speeding. You know what? So that I don't sin again.

That is absolutely ridiculous.

That's what people say. Well, we've been forgiven. But now take away the law. Take away the speeding sign because take away the Ten Commandments, so I'll never sin again.

That is ridiculous. You see, verse 14 is not saying, take down the law so I'm never again guilty of sin again. Because the problem is not the law. The problem is our sin, our trespasses, our transgressions. That's what it says at the end of verse 13. Having forgiven you all trespasses, all sins. And so when it says here having wiped out, that means completely erased. What is completely erased? Well, look at Acts 3 verse 19. Acts 3 verse 19. Let's look at Acts 3 verse 19. It says, repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out.

It's the sins that need to be blotted out, that need to be erased. Interesting enough, if you look at the Greek, the word blotted out, ya, in verse 19, is the same word as wiped out in Colossians chapter 2 verse 14 when it says wiped out. It's the same Greek word.

You see, God hates sin. So he has provided a way for the sin, our sins, to be erased, to be obliterated, to be blotted out, to be wiped out.

But you and I, human beings, with a carnal mind, we hate God's law. Look at Romans 8 verse 7. Romans 8 verse 7. It says, but the carnal mind, or because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be. Mankind hates God's law. That's why in Acts 3.19, which we read a moment ago, says, repent.

Therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. That's why we need to repent.

You see, what needs to be blotted out, what needs to be wiped out, is our sins. Our sins. We all know, we all remember Psalm 51. Quite often, it's read, or at least sung, quite often, at the Passover. So let's look at the end of the Passover ceremony. But let's read Psalm 51. It's a scripture that we know very well of this Paul's sin with Bathsheba. And then he repented and he wrote this beautiful Psalm, Psalm 51. And let's just read verse 9. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Blot out all my sins.

Look at Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43 verse 25. Isaiah 43 verse 25. Even I, I, even I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my name, for my own sake.

I'll not remember your sins. You see, he wipes them out. And so, when it's talking here in Colossians chapter 2 verse 14, having wiped out, in Colossians 2 verse 14, it's our sins are removed.

Not the law, not the Ten Commandments. He's wiped out our sins. Then the next word is the handwriting of requirements. The handwriting was a handwritten legal document and writing. In other words, the sentence of the transgression of requirements. The word there is dogma, which was the official handwritten sentence or charge against that person for breaking the law.

You see, so the handwriting of requirements was the official handwritten charge of that person for breaking the law. So Christ has wiped out, has blotted out, has obliterated the damning evidence of broken laws and broken commandments, which are continuously over our heads. And he has completely annulled it. He has annulled that evidence by nailing it over his own head on the cross. You see, so the offense in those days, of those Roman days when they did the crucifixion, the offense of the person condemned to death that was hanging on the cross was written on a tablet and was displayed on the cross, saying, this person is being punished because of this, that, or that. Right? And so they put a sign over Jesus Christ's head saying why he was crucified. Pilate wrote the public decree of the charge against Christ, the accusation the Jews had against Christ, which says the king of the Jews.

So, and you can read exactly what it says, but that was the accusation that yeah, he was the king of the Jews. Now, and they said, no, no, no, he said he was the king of the Jews. You read that in that section in the Gospels. But what we need to look at is that the spiritual meaning behind that, or put it another way, the spiritual inscription that was nailed to the cross, the spiritual inscription that was nailed to the cross, as far as you and I, are the charges that were or are against us, which is what? It's the death penalty for our sins. Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin is death. So our charges against us because of our sin is death, is the death penalty. And so the spiritual encryption, the spiritual meaning yeah, what Paul is saying, is that the death penalty is for our sins, not for Christ's sins.

That's the spiritual inscription that, in a sense, was over Christ. And so through Christ's sacrifice, our full death, in other words, the wages of all of our sins are wiped out, being nailed to the cross, which in a sense is a metaphor that all our sins are forgiven. So, verse 14 ties in with verse 13, because verse 13 at the end says, having forgiven all our trespasses, and then it says, therefore, is wiped out, is erased, all our charges that we have against us, because of our sins, that are against us, which are contrary to us, to us being able to have life.

And Christ has taken it out on the cross, having nailed on the cross by saying, our sins are forgiven, not his. The charges are ours, not his. Those were nailed to the cross. And therefore, as we now continue in verse 15, having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Jesus Christ disarmed these spirit beings, these spiritual powers, Satan, when Christ died, and as a result, because he was sinless, a big part, and because of that, he was resurrected into the family of God. And therefore, he triumphed over the spiritual weaknesses. He disarmed them. He took away any accusation that they could have against us. In other words, they didn't triumph over him, but he triumphed over them, and he disarmed them. He took away from them any accusation any capability of trying to shoot us down with accusations. We know, for instance, in Revelation 12 verse 10, Revelation 12 verse 10, that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Revelation 12 verse 10, we read the other. And Revelation 12 verse 10.

It says, Then I heard a loud noise, saying, In heaven our salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast out. He is our accuser. Now, he has not yet been cast out, but he's disarmed now. He's disarmed when he tries and accuses us, when he tries to put his gun on our heads and says, Look, George, or put your name there, has done this, or thought this, or said this, and bang! Then Christ says, When you and I go to God's throne, and you and I repent, Christ says, No, forgive him, because his son has been nailed to the cross through the death of my body. Look at Hebrews chapter 10. Look at Hebrews chapter 10, starting in verse 19. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19. Therefore, brethren, having baldness to enter the holiest part of the blood of Jesus, so you and I can have the baldness to enter God's very throne when we pray. How? Verse 20, By a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is his flesh, when he died on the cross, and he nailed those accusations, and he put those accusations in the cross, he disarmed those accusers, those evil accusers, that and so he triumphed over them, he disarmed them, and you and I now have a high priest, and therefore we can have faith and trust, etc., etc. You see, so we have a new and living way because he died for us, and therefore he is now over all principalities. Look at back to Colossians chapter 2 verse 15, having disarmed and principalities and powers, he made a spectacle of them triumphing over them in it. He's over all of them, and they don't have a word to say. They got nothing to say. So now, Paul continues now, so in other words, therefore let no one judge you.

Don't let anybody judge you. In other words, Colossians should not allow these heretics, these Gnostics to judge them. These outsiders that were coming into the church and judging or criticizing the two Christians over what? In food arranging. In other words, it was not about what they should drink or not about what they should eat. Yeah, because it's not about whether it was cleaner and clean foods, because now there's no unclean drinks. Let's call it that way. But it was about how they were eating and drinking. It was not about what they should eat or drink, but it was about the act of eating and drinking in the process of worship. You see, to the ascetics, feasting, having a feast like the Feast of Tabernacles, would be considering indulging in the flesh, and it's sinful, because flesh or matter is evil. So it's like saying, you need to fast during the Feast of Tabernacles, instead of feasting, you need to fast. No, because that is an ascetic thought, and it's this thing of physical things are evil.

And so what Paul is addressing, yeah, was asceticism instead of Christian rejoicing when you celebrate God's feasts. So let no man judge you. It was not let these ascetics coming in telling you how to keep the feasts, how to eat or not eat, how to have a potluck or not have, a big pardon, or regarding the word regarding, yeah, is the word meros, which is portions. In other words, in a portion or in an aspect of a festival. It was not telling them not to keep the feast, but it was telling them how they should observe the feast. It was telling them about the manner how to observe, either having feasting or fasting. They wanted that to be very flesh, with no feasting. They wanted to be because everything that's physical was sin. And then it says regarding a festival or new moon or the Sabbath. In other words, these are God's festivals or the new moon. The only festival that is on a new moon is the day of trumpets, which points, symbolizes Christ's coming, or the Sabbath, which also symbolizes the creation, physical creation, but symbolizes our spiritual creation. That's why it says, which are a shadow of things to come. They point to things in the future. Look at it. Or to come. Not where, but they are future. And so you can't be about that the feasts are obsolete and the Sabbath is obsolete, because it says they are.

They are still in existence. When Paul wrote, they are, they're not where, they are. So it can't be obsolete, because they are to come. They are shadows of the future.

God's early days, trumpets, the Sabbath point to Christ's coming. The feast points to the millennium. The eighth day points to things to come. And so that is very encouraging when we read that. And so he says, and then he says, but the substance is of Christ. Now, the word substance in Greek is word 4983, which means psalmah, which means body.

But the body and the word is, is not in Greek. The word is, is in italics in a number of Bible versions, because is, is not there, is not in Greek. And so, but the body of Christ. In other words, let no one judge you how you keep, how you observe God's early days, the day of trumpets, because God's Sabbath, Sabbath, they all point to the future. But rather let the Church of God, which is the body of Christ, tell you how to observe these early days.

And so brethren, in the next study, we will tie these verses to not losing your crown. Could we be jeopardizing our own crown by throwing away God's early days and Sabbath on the basis of, quote-unquote, persuasive words?