Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070624.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part VIII: Applying Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Movements
B. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Legalism
(Colossians 2:11-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. Some hold the regulations God laid down for believers in dispensations like the Mosaic Law are partly or wholly binding for us Christians: (1) Seventh-day Adventists say we must keep the Ten Commandments, alleging that Christ redeemed us only from the ceremonial parts of the Law (Seventh-day Adventists Believe . . ., p. 244). (2) Others hold we should tithe, giving ten per cent of our income to the Church based on Malachi 3:10 that repeats God's Leviticus 27:30 and Deuteronomy 14:22-23 calls of the Mosaic Law [versus giving what a believer himself wishes in accord with Paul's 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 instruction].
    2. Yet, we hold God directed believers in different eras to live in different orders, that we then live free of all other rules aside from those Scriptures dealing with the Church era. [Yes, we benefit from applying timeless truths from other Scriptures (Rom. 15:4), but only under the guide of Church era Scriptures!]
    3. Colossians 2:11-17 reveals we Christians are no longer under the jurisdiction of other dispensations, and thus not subject to Jewish legalism (as follows):
  2. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Discern False Legalism, Colossians 2:11-17.
    1. In Colossians 2:8, Paul began to critique the Gnostic error itself, an error that detracted his readers from Christ and His supremacy and all-sufficiency, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament , p. 677.
    2. One of the segments of Gnostic error was its use of Jewish legalism, Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1690.
    3. Paul countered Jewish legalism, noting Christ freed us from the rule of other dispensations, Col. 2:11-17:
      1. Paul's mention of a Christian's having been circumcised spiritually and not physically is a critique of the Gnostic tendency to teach physical circumcision was binding for its disciples, Colossians 2:11.
      2. Circumcision had first been ordained under the dispensation of Promise for Abraham hundreds of years before the Mosaic Law was given (Gen. 17:10 with Gen. 15:13-14), so Paul countered the Christian's subjection to the jurisdiction of the dispensation of Promise that had preceded that of the Mosaic Law!
      3. However, Paul also noted the Christian is so closely identified with Christ in His death and resurrection that he is also positionally dead to the rule and condemnation of the Mosaic Law, Colossians 2:12-14:
        1. Paul noted the believer had positionally died with Christ, that he was buried with Him and had risen with him through faith in Christ to live as a believer in God's grace, Colossians 2:11-12.
        2. Now, the Law was seen as our foe since no sinful human could ever keep it, Rom. 3:20; 7:9-10.
        3. Thus, the believer's identification with Christ on the cross provided that, when Christ died to fulfill the Law's requirements, the believer died in Christ, meaning he also died to the Law, removing Satan's power over the believer that had resulted from his disobedience of the Law, Col. 2:13-15!
      4. Hence, the Mosaic Law in its entirety has no possible means of jurisdiction over today's Christian:
        1. Paul noted in Galatians 3:10 the Deuteronomy 27:26 stipulation that one had to keep every stipulation of the Mosaic Law to be righteous with God, Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Galatians 3:10.
        2. Thus, to be free from one part of the Law is to be free from every part of it, Galatians 5:1-3.
        3. So, believers must not submit to charges of sin by anyone for not keeping any part of the Law itself; in Christ, they are as free from the Ten Commandments (sabbaths, cf. Ex. 20:9-11) as they are from the ceremonial parts of the Law (meat, drink) since Christ died to the whole Law, Col. 2:16-17, 14.
      5. By application to the rest of Scripture, the Christian is free from the authority of all previous or future dispensational orders of God, being bound only by God's regulations for the Dispensation of Grace in the New Testament epistles, parts of Acts (dispensationally, it is a transitional book) and Revelation 1-3 that deals with the Church (the rapture occurs at Rev. 4:1). [Yes, we benefit from applying timeless truths from other Scriptures (Rom. 15:4), but only under the guide of Church era Scriptures!]
Lesson: In our supreme, all-sufficient Lord, we Christians are free from the jurisdiction of any rule for man in any era other than the Church era due to our identity with Christ in His death and resurrection.

Application: May we thus live FREE from false legalism in the joyous liberty we have in Jesus Christ!