 |  |
"Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of
the true; but into heaven itself" (Heb. 9: 24).
A survey of these references makes us realize that things "not made with hands" are
"not of this creation" and not "figures", but the "true" and the "heavenly". The
"handwriting of ordinances" belongs to the realm of type and shadow, and must pass
away in the new creation which has already commenced in the church which is the body
of Christ. Both Ephesians and Colossians speak of "ordinances" that have been done
away. The "ordinances" of Eph. 2: formed a middle wall of partition and divided the
Jewish believer from the Gentile believer. These were ceremonial ordinances, and can be
understood in the light of Acts 15: 20, observing that in Acts 16: 4 the word
"ordinances" is rendered "decrees".
The ordinances of Col. 2: 14 appear to be somewhat different. It may at first sight
seem a small thing whether a man observes a day or not, or whether he eats this or
abstains from that. Indeed Rom. 14: says: "Let every man be fully persuaded in his
own mind" (Rom. 14: 5). And in I Cor. 8: 8: "Neither, if we eat, are we the better;
neither, if we eat not, are we the worse." Nevertheless, we know how seriously the
apostle viewed the attitude of the Galatians:--
"Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them, which by nature are
no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn
ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Ye observe days, and months, and times and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labour in vain" (Gal. 4: 8-11).
It was the underlying reason for these observances that called forth the strong
denunciation of the apostles:--
"Christ is become of none effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by law; ye are
fallen from grace" (Gal. 5: 4).
So with the Colossians; the apostle desired that their wholehearted trust should be in
Christ alone, and would allow neither philosophy, nor tradition, nor the rudiments of the
world to rob the Lord of His supreme place.
Before, however, he speaks definitely of these observances in Col. 2: 16, the apostle
has something more to say regarding the complete emancipation of the redeemed. Not
only were all ordinances cancelled at the cross, but by that cross the Lord has triumphed
over all possible foes, and over all who might have claimed allegiance. The word
"spoiled" in verse 15 is apekduomai, and is cognate with "to put off" in verse 11, which
is apekdusis. The word apekdoumai also occurs in Col. 3: 9: "Ye have put off the old
man." The R.V. translates verse 15:--
"And having put off from Himself." And in the margin, "Having put off from Himself
His body, He made a show of principalities . . . . ."