Commentary - Colossians 2:20-23

Bird's-eye view

In this potent conclusion to the second chapter, Paul brings his argument against the Colossian heresy to a sharp point. Having established the absolute supremacy and sufficiency of Christ, he now demonstrates the utter foolishness of submitting to religious regulations that are disconnected from Him. The core of his argument is a foundational gospel reality: believers have died with Christ. This death is not a metaphor for a bad day; it is a spiritual reality with massive practical consequences. If we have died to the fundamental principles of this world's way of thinking, why on earth would we live as though we are still citizens of that realm, subject to its petty tyrannies?

Paul dismantles the logic of asceticism and religious rule-keeping, exposing it for what it is: a man-made system that deals with things that are temporary and perishing. These rules, though they may have the appearance of deep spirituality and wisdom, are ultimately powerless against the true enemy, which is the indulgence of the flesh. In fact, Paul argues that this kind of self-made religion is itself a manifestation of the flesh. The only true power for holiness is found not in what we do to our bodies, but in what God has done to us in Christ. We have died, and our life is now hidden with Christ in God. That is the basis for all true Christian living, and anything else is just rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

Outline

The Logic of the Gospel

Paul's argument here is not simply "rules are bad." That would be an oversimplification. The issue is the source and foundation of our ethical framework. The false teachers in Colossae were promoting a system that was, at its root, worldly. It operated on the stoicheia tou kosmou, the "elementary principles of the world." This refers to a basic, unregenerate way of looking at reality, a kind of spiritual ABCs for the fallen world. This system believes that spiritual status is achieved through external observances, dietary restrictions, and mystical experiences. It is religion from the outside in.

The gospel flips this entirely. Christian transformation is from the inside out. It does not begin with our actions for God, but with God's definitive action in us through Christ. We have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-5). This is the central fact of our existence. Therefore, to go back to a system of external regulations is to act as though the cross and resurrection were interesting ideas but not world-altering realities. It is to live as a ghost in a world to which you have already died. Paul's logic is relentless: if you are dead, don't act like you're alive in the old way.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees:

Paul begins with a foundational premise that he expects the Colossians to grant. The "if" here is not an "if" of uncertainty, but rather a logical "since." Since you have died with Christ. This is not something they are striving to do; it is something that has been done to them and for them in their conversion and baptism. Their death was a co-crucifixion; they were united with Christ in His death. And what did they die to? The "elementary principles of the world." This refers to the basic building blocks of all fallen, man-centered religion and philosophy. It is the A-B-C of the fleshly mind, which always thinks in terms of earning favor through performance, appeasing spirits through ritual, and controlling the body through external force.

Given this radical disconnect from the world's operating system, Paul asks a piercing question. Why do you still live as though you belong to that system? To submit to these religious decrees is to act like a citizen of a country from which you have already emigrated. It is to behave as though your death certificate was a forgery. The logic is sharp: your new identity in Christ makes your old way of life, including your old way of pursuing religion, entirely obsolete.

v. 21 “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”?

Here Paul gives us the flavor of the false teaching. It was a religion of prohibitions, a string of negatives. "Handle not, taste not, touch not." This likely referred to various foods, drinks, and perhaps even physical objects deemed to be spiritually defiling. This is the essence of man-made religion. It creates arbitrary categories of clean and unclean, holy and profane, and then makes holiness a matter of navigating this maze of rules. It is a fussy, anxious kind of spirituality. The problem is not that the Bible never tells us to abstain from anything. The problem is that these particular rules were not from God, but were part of a system designed to achieve a spiritual status that Christ had already freely given them.

v. 22 Which deal with everything destined to perish with use, which are in accordance with the commands and teachings of men;

Paul delivers a devastating two-part critique of these rules. First, they are all concerned with things that are temporary. Food, drink, physical stuff, it all perishes as it is used. It goes in one end and out the other. To build an entire system of eternal significance on things that are fundamentally transient is a fool's errand. You cannot achieve spiritual life by meticulously managing things that are, by their very nature, decaying and passing away.

Second, the source of these rules is corrupt. They are "in accordance with the commands and teachings of men." This is a direct echo of the Lord's rebuke of the Pharisees, who had voided the Word of God for the sake of their human traditions (Mark 7:7-8). Whenever men set themselves up as spiritual gurus, inventing new rules for holiness, they are usurping the authority of Christ. True Christian obedience is a response to the commands of God, not the suggestions of men.

v. 23 which are matters having, to be sure, a word of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Paul anticipates the counter-argument. "But doesn't this all look very impressive? Isn't there a certain wisdom to it?" He concedes that these practices do have a "reputation" or an "appearance" of wisdom (logos sophia). He identifies three areas where this false wisdom shines: "self-made religion" (ethelothreskia), "self-abasement" or false humility, and "severe treatment of the body." This is a perfect description of asceticism. It looks pious. It looks disciplined. It looks humble. A man who starves himself, or beats his body, or follows a thousand rigorous rules seems far more spiritual than the man who simply trusts in Christ and eats his steak with gratitude.

But this is all a show. It is a performance. And Paul pulls back the curtain to reveal the bottom line: for all its posturing, it is "of no value against fleshly indulgence." This is the ultimate indictment. The very system that claims to be the expert at controlling the flesh is utterly powerless to do so. Why? Because this severe, self-made religion is itself a product of the flesh. The flesh loves religion, so long as it is a religion of human achievement. Pride can be fed just as easily by fasting as by feasting. The only thing that can defeat the flesh is the Spirit of God, working through the gospel of a crucified and risen Christ. True sanctification is not about putting the body in a straitjacket, but about having the heart transformed by grace.

Application

The core application of this passage is to constantly check the foundation of our spiritual lives. Are we living out of our death and resurrection in Christ, or are we trying to build a holy life on the sandy foundation of human effort and external rules? The Colossian heresy is not dead; it is alive and well, and it takes many forms.

Any time we begin to think that our spiritual standing with God depends on our dietary choices (beyond simple wisdom and stewardship), our particular style of worship, our political affiliations, or our adherence to any extra-biblical list of rules, we are drifting back toward the "elementary principles." We are acting as though we are still alive in the world.

True Christian freedom is not lawlessness. It is freedom from the commands and teachings of men in order to joyfully obey the commands of our Lord. And that obedience flows not from a desire to earn God's favor, but from a heart that has been set free by the gospel. We don't follow rules in order to become alive to God; we live righteously because in Christ we have already been made alive. God is not interested in training mules to be better mules by putting a new bit and bridle on them. He is in the business of transformation, of turning mules into winged horses. That transformation comes only through a living connection to the risen Christ.