Ordinances Which Were Against Us,

and Contrary to Us

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15

Colossians 2:14-17 has been used for over 150 years by Sunday-keepers to show Seventh-day Adventists that the Sabbath (and "the Law" in general) was nailed to the cross.

Now, Seventh-day Adventists are using the same text as their sole foundation against the Feasts of the LORD. In order to not do away with the Seventh-day Sabbath, however, the text must be manipulated in several ways. Distinction is made between the "ceremonial Sabbaths" and the Seventh-day Sabbath.

Just as the term "immortal soul" is nowhere found in Scripture, the term "ceremonial Sabbaths" is equally non-existent in Holy Writ, and the concept of a "ceremonial Sabbath" is as elusive, invisible, and non-existent as the ghosts most Christians believe dwell within our bodies.

Second Things First

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 a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Colossians 2:14-17

Before investigating exactly what was nailed to the cross, we will first deal with the second part of the text, and demonstrate that the text IS speaking of the Seventh-day Sabbath, and that if the feast days were what was nailed to the cross, then the Seventh-day Sabbath goes too.

The phrase "holyday, new moon, or Sabbath days" (heortes, noumenias, sabbaton) in verse 16 shall be our initial focus. This phrase is found nowhere else in the New Testament, but it does occur five times in the Septuagint (2 Chronicles 2:4, 31:3; Nehemiah 10:33; Ezekiel 45:17; Hosea 2:11).

As a former Pharisee, and as someone who subjected his teaching to the Tanakh (Old Testament) for confirmation, Paul's use of this phrase is consistent with the expression as used in the Tanakh, and in sync with Jewish understanding, i.e. the Feasts were annual times of worship, the New Moons were monthly times of worship, and the Sabbath a weekly time of worship.

Behold, I build a house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings, morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. 2 Chronicles 2:4

He appointed also the king's portion of his substance for the burn offerings, to wit, for the morning and evening burnt offerings, and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths, and for the new moons, and for the set feasts, as it is written in the law of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 31:3

For the showbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burn offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts. Nehemiah 10:33

And it shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in the sabbaths. Ezekiel 45:17

I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her Sabbaths. Hosea 2:11

Each time, speaking of burnt offerings other than the daily offerings, the reference is to the Sabbath (weekly), new moon (monthly), and appointed Feasts (yearly). At times the order is reversed, but in each case, "new moon" is in the middle, thus making a logical sequence from weekly to yearly or vice versa.

The so-called "ceremonial Sabbaths" were part of the annual feasts to which the word heortes referred. Paul would be needlessly repeating himself if he were saying, "Let no one pass judgment on you in regard to a ceremonial sabbath, or in regard to a new moon, or in regard to a ceremonial sabbath." This statement is not logical, and it is obvious that the educated and inspired Paul would not make such a statement.

The word translated as "sabbath days" is the Greek sabbaton. In the King James Version, we find "sabbath days" occurring nine times. In each of these instances, except the last, we all acknowledge that the Seventh-day Sabbath is being referred to:

Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? Matthew 12:5

And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. Matthew 12:10

How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Matthew 12:12

And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. Mark 3:4

And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days. Luke 4:31

And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? Luke 6:2

Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? Luke 6:9

And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Acts 17:2

It is only in the last occurance of the term "Sabbath days" that it is not admitted that this is in reference to the Seventh-day Sabbath. There is absolutely no reason to distinguish between these texts. ALL are referring to the Seventh-day Sabbath.

Furthermore, the evidence is more solid than these 9 occurrences, for the New Testament Greek word for the Seventh-day Sabbath, used 68 times, is sabbaton! Whether the word is translated as "Sabbath" or "week," its meaning is always in reference to the Sabbath of Creation. Adventists will admit to this in 67 of the 68 times it is used in the New Testament, but in the 68th and last time, it is denied. Of course, this is in Colossians chapter 2.

It cannot be controverted, therefore, that Colossians 2:16 speaks of three distinct things: the feasts (otherwise known as "ceremonial sabbaths"), the new moons, and the Seventh-day Sabbath.

That creation Sabbath is linked in this way with the observance of the new moon is evident in the oft-quoted text of Isaiah 66:23:

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

As we cannot divorce the future observance of the new moons from the Sabbath in the new earth as described by Isaiah (although this is always overlooked in Adventist usage of this text), neither can we separate the feast days and the new moons from the Seventh-day Sabbath in Colossians 2. If one goes, so do the others.

That the feasts and "ceremonial laws" were not being referred to as the object "taken away" and "nailed to the cross" is seen in that said object was "against us" and "contrary to us."

None of the Laws that God gave us were against us. Just as "the Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27), so were all the other commandments, statutes, and judgments.

Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Deuteronomy 4:40

O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:29

And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. Deuteronomy 6:24

Keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Deuteronomy 10:13

What then, was Paul referring to in verse 14, that was blotted out, nailed to the cross, and taken out of the way?

It is obvious that Paul is speaking in metaphors and symbols, because the Gospels record the only thing that was literally nailed to the cross was Christ himself and the placard above his head reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." Nothing else was nailed to the cross.

Furthermore, whatever this document was, it was completely destroyed; first it was "blotted out," then a hole was punched through it with a 12-inch thick spike, and then it was "taken out of the way." That God would do this to any section of the Torah is unthinkable. Think of the reverence with which Jews treat the Torah. Yet we have God stripping parts of the sacred text out and destroying it. Unthinkable!

The phrase in question is cheirographon tois dogmasin, translated "the handwriting of ordinances" in the King James Version.

Cheirographon literally means, handwriting: chier is the Greek word for hand (from which we get Chiropractor), graphon meaning writing, from which we get graphics.

This word is not used anywhere else in the New Testament nor in the Greek Septuagint; it is, however, used in the Apocryphal book of Tobit, which, while not inspired, will give us valuable insights of the usage and understanding of the Greek word.

Dogmasin, from which we get the word dogma, is never used to refer to the laws or statutes, neither in the New Testament nor in the Septuagint. The Greek word used to translate Torah was Nomos. Nomos is used 197 times in the New Testament. Yet nomos is not found in the book of Colossians at all! If Paul were referring to the Torah or any part of it, why didn't he use more familiar terminology?

Of further interest is the Greek word mesos, translated in the King James as way. Since every version has been subjected to the interpretation of the translators (and the King James Version is no exception), we can easily do research for ourselves in concordances and various translations.

The most likely translation for the Greek mesos is middle, midst, in between. This document, which was against us and contrary to us, was taken out from the "middle," the "midst," or from "in between."

It is now that we can see how cheirographon was used in the book of Tobit. Stated shortly, Tobit took out a loan, and a cheirographon was drawn up. It stated the terms of the loan. When Tobit returned and fulfilled the requirements of the debt, the cheirographon was returned to him. Archaelogy has uncovered hundreds of these common documents known as cheirographons. Today, we might call such a document a receipt, or a written record. Commonly, when the debt was fulfilled, an awl or other sharp object was punched through the middle of the document. This was an ancient way of canceling debts. We still do this today—by punching a hole in a ticket, we thereby invalidate it.

The cheirographon in Colossians had something recorded in it that stood in the midst, and testified against us. In the secular legal system of Paul's day, the midst or middle of the courtroom was the place where the primary witness against the accused stood. Here is how Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi describes the scene, and what it was that stood against us and was removed:

The "middle" was the position occupied at the centre of the court or assembly by the accusing witness. In the context of Colossians, the accusing witness is the "cheirographon" which God in Christ has erased and removed out of the court. From Sabbath to Sunday, page 351

To demonstrate that this is not just the opinion of one scholar (although Dr. William E. Richardson, chair of the Department of Religion at Andrews University, and Dr. A. Graham Maxwell, who taught Greek to Seventh-day Adventists for over 20 years, concur), following are several other translations that clearly bring out this meaning:

Erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. NRSV

He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. NLT

having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. NAS

he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross. TEV

He canceled the debt, which listed all the rules we failed to follow. He took away that record with its rules and nailed it to the cross. New Century Bible

He wiped away the bill of charges against us. Because of the regulations, it stood as a testimony against us; but he removed it by nailing it to the execution-stake. Jewish New Testament

We conclude, then, that the document nailed to the cross is not the law in general or the Sabbath in particular, but the record of our sins. Any attempt to read into it a reference to the Sabbath or any other Old Testament ordinances is unwarranted gratuitous fantasy. Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, The Sabbath in the New Testament, 3rd reprint (1995), page 111

The notion that the feast days were shadows that passed away at the death of Christ is only arrived at by a blatant misreading of the text. In order to do away with the feasts, the tense of the verb is changed from present tense to past tense. If it read, "these WERE a shadow," as we commonly read the text, it would be clear that they are a thing of the past. However, the verse does not read that way; it says, "which ARE a shadow"!

The feasts, new moons, AND THE SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH ARE all shadows of things to come. The Diaglott reads, "which are shadows of future things." (future from CE 64)

Pentecost was not fulfilled at the cross; it had a secondary fulfillment 52 days later, and is yet to have its primary fulfillment in the near future! The Day of Atonement was not fulfilled at the cross; the great Antitypical Day of Atonement began on October 22, 1844, and is still not completed, for the Scapegoat is still very much in business! The Feast of Tabernacles, the final ingathering and harvest of the saints and destruction of the wicked, is still yet future! Both the Millennium and the eternal rest of glory and future Sabbaths on the New Earth, typified by the Seventh-day Sabbath, IS STILL YET FUTURE!

Paul told the Colossians to not let anyone judge them regarding their observance of the Feasts, new moons, and Sabbath, things which as former Gentiles, they knew nothing of until they accepted the Gospel and teaching of Paul! Yet we have many people judging those of us in our observance of these things today! It is interesting to notice what Paul says about those who judged the Colossians regarding their Feast and Sabbath observance:

—They taught philosophy, vain deceit, after the traditions of men, the   rudiments of the world, not after Christ (they weren't even believers in Christ!) verse 8

—They were judgmental verse 16

—They were following the rudiments of the world, making the church subject to the ascetic ordinances of man, such as "taste not, touch not, handle not." verses 20, 21

—and following after the commandments of men. Verse 22

We can conclude then that Colossians 2:14 reaffirms the essence of the Gospel—the Good News that God has nailed on the cross the record and guilt of our sins—but it has nothing to say about the law and the Sabbath. Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday, page 351

The misinterpretation of this text is a major factor in the demise of the Worldwide Church of God as a Sabbath-keeping organization. That we may not suffer the same fate, but be cemented in the truth and learn God's ways is my prayer. Barukh HaShem.

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—by J.L. Ashton