“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Colossians 2:16–17 (ESV)
For centuries, this passage has been quoted as the proof text that the Sabbath and dietary instructions of the Torah were “done away with.” But when read carefully—exegetically, not eisegetically—it teaches the exact opposite.
Exegesis: What the Text Actually Says
Paul writes to believers in Colossae. The warning is not against doing these things, it’s against allowing outsiders to judge them in them.
“Let no one judge you” means, do not allow outsiders, pagans, ascetics, or even legalistic sects of, to condemn you for walking in obedience to God’s Word.
Paul does not say, “Let no one judge you for not keeping the Sabbath.” That is read into the text.
Μὴ οὖν τις ὑμᾶς κρινέτω ἐν βρώσει καὶ ἐν πόσει ἢ ἐν μέρει ἑορτῆς ἢ νεομηνίας ἢ σαββάτων.
Colossians 2:16 (NA28)
Mē oun tis hymas krinetō en brōsei kai en posei ē en merei heortēs ē neomēnias ē sabbatōn.
Translated Literally “Therefore let no one be judging you in eating or in drinking, or in respect to a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths.”
The Verb krinō (κρίνω)
The word krinō is a primary verb meaning to separate, to decide, to judge, to condemn, to pass verdict upon. It can have neutral meanings (“to evaluate”), but in this form it clearly carries a negative connotation of condemnation.
- Lexical sense: BDAG #1c — “to pass judgment upon (and thereby express disapproval), to criticize, to find fault with.”
- Louw–Nida 56.30: “to express an unfavorable opinion about someone — to criticize, to find fault, to condemn.”
- In this verse, krinō is used in the present active imperative, third person singular — krinetō = “let no one be judging.”
- The present tense in Greek denotes ongoing, continuous action.
- The imperative mood here means Paul is commanding them to stop letting this continual judgment happen.
In other words, Paul is not warning them about possible future criticism. He is telling them to stop allowing ongoing condemnation that is already happening.
This is called a prohibitive present imperative, which implies:
“Cease allowing anyone to keep on judging you.”
So the grammar itself shows that external judgment was an active, ongoing problem the Colossian believers were facing.
The “In” Phrases (ἐν βρώσει… ἐν πόσει…)
The preposition en (“in”) here functions instrumentally or locatively, “in the sphere of” or “in matters relating to.”
This means:
“Do not let anyone judge you in matters of eating, drinking, or in regard to festivals…”
The ESV captures and translates this perfectly, but some translations don’t
Again, these are practical areas of conduct, not abstract doctrines. The believers were being judged for how they lived, not for what they believed about others living that way.
For What Were They Being Judged?
They were being judged “in eating or drinking, or regarding a festival, new moon, or Sabbath.”
Each of these categories matches the standard Hebrew division of sacred observances:
- Food and drink — dietary distinctions and festival offerings.
- Festival (ἑορτή) — the annual appointed feasts (Leviticus 23).
- New moon (νεομηνία) — the monthly observance marking the biblical calendar.
- Sabbaths (σάββατα) — the weekly day of rest and sanctification.
These festival, new moon, Sabbaths appears repeatedly in the Tanakh, for example, 1 Chronicles 23:31, 2 Chronicles 2:4, Ezekiel 45:17, Hosea 2:11, always referring to times of worship and celebration commanded by God.
Paul’s list mirrors the Hebrew pattern exactly. This shows the issue at hand was biblical observance, not pagan custom.
The Logic of the Situation
If the Colossians had not been observing these things, there would be no reason for anyone to “judge” them in respect to them. Pagans would not condemn you for acting like pagans. You only face judgment when you depart from the world’s ways.
The believers at Colossae were coming out of paganism and learning to walk in the ways of Israel’s God, keeping the Sabbath, learning the calendar, eating differently, and celebrating His appointed times.
The surrounding pagan culture viewed these things as strange, unnecessary, or superstitious, and was passing judgment on them for doing so.
That fits perfectly with the grammar of krinetō: continuous external condemnation for a lifestyle of obedience.
If someone were unfamiliar with the broader testimony of Scripture, and unaware that the early believers were learning the Sabbath and other biblical customs, it might seem unclear whether Paul meant, “Don’t let anyone judge you for obeying these commandments,” or “Don’t let anyone judge you for disobeying them.”
But the verses that follow remove all doubt. They clearly reveal who was doing the judging and why, exposing that the criticism came from pagan ascetics condemning the Colossians for keeping these God-given practices, not for neglecting them.
Who Was Doing the Judging?
The verses immediately before and after clarify who was doing the judging and why:
Before (v. 8):
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world.”
Paul is already addressing pagan philosophical influence, not Torah. Torah is from Heaven, written by God, not human tradition.
After (v. 18):
“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions.”
The “judges” are ascetic mystics and angel worshipers, characteristics of pagan religion, not Judaism.
Thus, the krinō judgment in verse 16 comes from pagan Gentile critics, not Jewish Pharisees.
The Colossians were being criticized for what they were doing, namely, eating, drinking, sabbaths, and celebrating the biblical holy days, by those who thought such things were beneath spiritual enlightenment.
Why Would Ascetist Judge Believers For The Feast?
The Greek word Paul uses in Colossians 2:18 is ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosynē), often translated as “humility” or “self-abasement.”
When used in the religious sense, as here, it refers to voluntary humility through self-denial or ascetic practices.
We don’t need to go outside the text to know this, it’s revealed in the text:
“These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion (ἐθελοθρησκείᾳ, ethelothrēskeia), self-abasement (ταπεινοφροσύνῃ), and severity to the body (ἀφειδίᾳ σώματος).”
Verse 23
- In other words:
- Self-made religion = worship invented by man.
- Self-abasement = false humility expressed through deprivation.
- Severity to the body = punishing or denying the body’s natural needs.
That’s the very definition of asceticism, not enjoying food, drink, or rest in the name of spiritual enlightenment.
This was the controversy, those that avoided food, drink, rest, and festivals were criticizing those who obeyed the commandments regarding food, drink, rest, and festival.
Pagan Origin of Ascetism
This kind of thinking came from Greek philosophy and Gnostic mysticism, not from Torah observance.
In pagan ascetic circles (like early Gnosticism, Stoicism, and mystery religions), the physical world was viewed as evil or inferior. They taught that one must deny the body in order to attain higher spiritual states.
These same influences were creeping into the Colossian assembly. Paul warns against those who promoted:
- Angel worship (common in pagan mysticism)
- Visions and ecstatic experiences
- Harsh treatment of the body
- Abstinence from food and drink
All of these are markers of Gentile pagan asceticism, not Pharisaic Judaism.
Why This Matters for Colossians 2:16
When Paul says:
“Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect to a festival or new moon or Sabbaths…”
and then, two verses later:
“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels…”
He is describing the same group of people.
They are ascetics judging the Colossians for not joining their self-denial.
They were condemning believers for eating, drinking, feasting, and resting, for celebrating the physical aspects of worship commanded in the Torah.
That’s why the flow of thought fits perfectly:
- “Don’t let them judge you for eating and drinking” — because they despise the physical.
- “Don’t let them disqualify you through asceticism and angel worship” — because they promote self-denial and mystical substitutes for true worship.
- “These things have an appearance of wisdom, but are of no value” — because they look spiritual, but oppose God’s design and command.
The context reveals plainly that the group who was passing judgment on the Collisions in regard to the Food, Drink Feast, and Sabbath were the Pagan practitioners of asceticism.
Why It Cannot Be the Circumcision Party
The Circumcision Party (Pharisees) were the opposite of ascetics. They took pride in outward ritual, food observance, and festivals, but never promoted angel worship, visions, or self-deprivation.
So, if Paul’s antagonist was the Circumcision Party, his warning would read the reverse:
“Don’t let them judge you for not keeping the Sabbaths and Feasts according to their tradition.”
But the context, language, and parallel descriptions all show that the Colossians were keeping those observances and being judged by pagan ascetics for doing so. The context, the grammar, and the flow of Pauls reasoning clearly demand it.
Paul defends the practices because they are a Shadow of Messiah.
The Shadow of Things to Come
Next, Paul says these things “are a shadow of things to come.”
Notice the tense: are, not were.
He does not call the Sabbath or festivals a shadow that has passed, but a living reality that still points forward to Messiah’s fulfillment. The Sabbath, the feasts, and the dietary distinctions are prophetic pictures, a shadow cast by a very real and coming King. Future.
Throughout Scripture, shadows and types are not condemned but celebrated. The tabernacle, priesthood, sacrifices, and holy days were all shadows of heavenly realities. The writer of Hebrews explains this clearly:
“They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” — Hebrews 8:5 (ESV)
“The law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” — Hebrews 10:1 (ESV)
A shadow is valuable because it reveals the outline of something real. It teaches us what is coming before the substance arrives. To call a shadow “bad” or “obsolete” is to misunderstand Paul’s imagery entirely. A shadow only exists because the Light is present. Where there is no light, there is no shadow.
Paul’s point is not to dismiss the shadow, but to rightly order it:
The Sabbath, the feasts, and the clean distinctions are not the source of salvation, but they are prophetic pictures cast by the presence of the Messiah Himself.
A shadow proves there is still light and substance nearby.
The shadow points to what is real—it does not replace it.
Nothing in Colossians 2:17 speaks negatively about these things being a shadow. The idea that “shadow” equals “abolished” is something read into the text, not drawn from it.
To a devout student of Scripture, the study of shadows and types is an endless treasure. Every feast, every commandment, every holy day whispers of Messiah’s work—past, present, and future.
- Passover points to His sacrifice for the individual – Past
- Firstfruits points to His resurrection – Past
- Shavuot (Pentecost) points to the outpouring of His Spirit – Past
- Trumpets points to the return of Messiah and coronation as King – Future
- Atonement points toward the national redemption of Israel – Future
- Tabernacles point to Messiahs salvation of the nations and Millennial reign. – Future
These are not “obsolete Jewish customs.” They are prophetic blueprints of God’s redemptive plan. They are also a blue print for salvation and redemption itself. Nothing about them is done away with.
The Sabbath itself is a picture of the 7th Millennium where the whole world will Rest in the Kingdom Age. Yeshua brings the rest of the Sabbath when he returns for the whole world, a Rest from sin. Satan locked up for a 1000 years. Those who are baptized in Messiah rest from sin now, being dead to sin, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey.
So when Paul says they are, not were, a “shadow of things to come,” he is saying exactly what the prophets said before him: these observances still testify of the King who is coming, and of the Kingdom that has not yet fully arrived.
Far from being abolished, the shadow continues to proclaim that the Light still shines, and that its Source, Messiah’s return, is drawing near.
Paul’s testament that these things are a shadow of Messiah is a defense of the practices, not an attack on them.
Eisegesis: What People Read Into the Text
When modern Christianity reads Colossians 2:16–17, it often imports its own theology,
- The eisegetical reading assumes Paul is saying, “Don’t let anyone judge you for not keeping the Sabbath.” But that is not written.
- It assumes that being a “shadow” is negative and makes something obsolete. But Paul never says that.
- It assumes that Christ’s coming eliminated the need for these observances. But Paul says the shadow points to “things to come,” meaning they still hold prophetic significance.
- It assumes the antagonist in this portion of the letter is the Pharisees. But Paul clearly identifies the very nature of the pagan attack
If this is the strongest verse used to argue that the Sabbath and dietary commandments are abolished, then the argument collapses under its own weight. The passage says no such thing, and twisting it to mean that is riddled with contradiction with this very text, the context, the culture, and other passages all throughout the text of the bible. If we were to even entertain the idea for a moment, that the Sabbath commandment was done away with we would have to reconcile that with every other verse that contradicts that idea. The scripture cannot be broken.
The Sabbath Remains
Scripture interprets Scripture. The prophets confirm that the Sabbath and God’s commandments remain binding, not abolished.
“Blessed is the man who does this… who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil… The foreigners (gentiles) who join themselves to the LORD… everyone who keeps the Sabbath and holds fast my covenant, these I will bring to my holy mountain.”
Isaiah 56:2, 6-7 (ESV)
Isaiah prophesies that even Gentiles and eunuchs will be blessed for keeping the Sabbath. This is not “Old Covenant” Israel—it’s a vision of the redeemed community of all nations. This utterly refutes the idea that the Sabbath was for Israel only. Remember the sabbath was created in creation, thousands of years before there was an Israel.
In the age to come:
“From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the LORD.”
Isaiah 66:23 (ESV)
Again:
“Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.”
Zechariah 14:16 (ESV)
If the Sabbath and Feasts are kept in the millennial kingdom, they were never done away with.
Summary: What Colossians 2:16–17 Really Teaches
Paul’s warning in Colossians 2:16–17 has been misused for centuries to claim that the Sabbath, dietary laws, and biblical festivals were abolished. But a careful reading of the text, grammar, and context reveals the opposite.
The Colossian believers were mainly Gentiles who had turned from paganism to serve the God of Israel. They had begun observing His appointed times, Sabbaths, feasts, and dietary distinctions, as they learned the Torah being read each Sabbath (Acts 15:21). This new lifestyle set them apart from their former pagan neighbors, who viewed such physical acts of obedience as primitive and unnecessary.
Paul’s phrase, “Let no one judge you…” uses the Greek verb krinō (κρίνω) in the present imperative, meaning “stop letting anyone keep on condemning you.” The judgment was already happening, ongoing criticism directed at the believers for what they were doing. They were being condemned for eating, drinking, celebrating, and resting in obedience to God’s commandments.
The context proves this judgment came not from the Circumcision Party or Pharisaic Jews, but from pagan ascetics. Immediately after verse 17, Paul describes these critics:
“Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels…”
Colossians 2:18
Asceticism is the avoidance of eating, drinking, and physical pleasure, a pagan form of self-denial that taught the body was evil and must be subdued. These were pagan Gentile mystics and philosophers, not Jews. They promoted visions, angel worship, and “severity to the body” (v.23), all of which align perfectly with Greek asceticism and early Gnostic thought, not with Torah observance or Pharisaic Judaism.
Thus, the Colossians were being judged for keeping the feasts, Sabbaths, and dietary instructions, not for ignoring them. Paul tells them to stand firm, essentially he teaches:
Don’t let these worldly pagan philosophers condemn you for walking in obedience. These things are a shadow of things to come.
Far from being obsolete, the “shadow” (skia) is described in the present tense, a prophetic outline still pointing forward to Messiah’s coming Kingdom. A shadow only exists because the Light still shines. The feasts and Sabbaths are living illustrations of God’s redemptive plan: Passover foreshadows Messiah’s sacrifice, Firstfruits His resurrection, Shavuot His Spirit, and the Fall Feasts His return and reign.
Nothing in Paul’s words devalues these observances. To the contrary, he places them in their proper order: Messiah is the substance, the center around which these holy shadows revolve.
In short, Colossians 2 is not a dismissal of God’s commandments, it is a defense of those who keep them.
Paul warns the Colossians not to be taken captive by:
- Jewish doctrine of salvation by works that added man-made burdens, or
- Pagan asceticism that despised God’s physical commandments.
Both lead away from Messiah. True faith, Paul says, upholds the Law (Romans 3:31), while resting in grace.
From beginning to end, Scripture affirms that the Sabbath and appointed times remain holy and are for the whole world:
“Blessed is the man who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it… even the foreigner who joins himself to the LORD.”
Isaiah 56:2–6
“From Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me.”
Isaiah 66:23
The Sabbath began at creation, was commanded at Sinai, honored by Messiah, kept by the apostles, and will be celebrated in the Kingdom to come.
If the Sabbath was kept before the cross, and will be kept after Messiah’s return, it was never abolished in between.
Conclusion
Colossians 2:16–17 is not a license to abandon God’s commandments. It’s a defense of those faithfully keeping them. Paul is not rebuking Torah obedience; he’s telling believers not to let others condemn them for it.
Sabbath and Festivals were never “done away.”
Sabbath was established forever.
Pau’s message is simple:
Do not let these self-righteous pagan ascetics condemn you for doing what God commands, to eat, to drink, to rest, to celebrate, to worship in joy. These are holy shadows of what is to come in Messiah.
