Adventistische Schriften über: ""So now let no one make you feel guilty about food and drink or about a feast, new moon or Sabbath. All these are merely a shadow of the future; but the body is Christ's own." (Col 2:16-17) What does this mean?"

The provisions mentioned in Colossians 2:16-17 refer to the ceremonial law, also called the "handwritten ordinance," which was merely a shadow pointing to Christ. This text does not refer to the weekly Sabbath of the fourth commandment, but to the annual Jewish Sabbaths, food offerings, and feast days that lost their validity with Christ's death on the cross. While the moral law (the Ten Commandments) remains eternal, these ritual shadows were set aside by the appearance of the "body," which is Christ.

Distinction between the Lord's Sabbath and ceremonial Sabbaths

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»The "handwritten ordinance" clearly refers to the ceremonial law—not the Decalogue or the moral law. [...] Therefore, the "blotting out," "removing," and "nailing to the cross" spoken of do not pertain to that law but to the Mosaic ritual. [...] The Sabbaths being referenced are obviously those that are listed alongside food and drink, festivals, and new moons and that shared the same general character. The weekly Sabbath is thus not affected by their abolition at all.«

1 - James Springer White, The Bible Sabbath (BISA 16.2)

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»It would be absurd to speak of the STONE tablets as being nailed to the cross or of the BLOTTING OUT of what was carved in stone. [...] The man does not keep the truth on his side who presents the Ten Commandments among the things that Paul lists as having been abolished. [...] The festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths of the ceremonial law, which Paul declared abolished as a result of the revocation of that code, were already given special attention.«

2 - John Nevins Andrews, History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week (HSFD 138.4)

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»The first [Sabbath] served as a remembrance of God's great work of creation, while the others were shadows pointing to the substance—Christ. When He came, to whom they directed their meaning, they were no longer needed; for since His death, the remembrance of Him is kept through the Lord's Supper.«

3 - Review and Harald, Biblereadings for the Home Circle 1912 (BRHC 127.12)

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»There is no indication here that the Sabbath was abolished or that its moral benefit was replaced by the introduction of Christianity. [...] The days referred to are those whose observance was required in the ceremonial law—days that were associated by God with foods, drinks, and new moons. The passage does not refer to the Sabbath of the moral law.«

4 - Review and Harald, Biblereadings for the Home Circle 1912 (BRHC 128.2)

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»When the ceremonial law was nailed to the cross, all Jewish festivals ceased to exist; for they were ordained by it; but the revocation of that law could only remove those rites that had been added to the Sabbath, leaving the original institution exactly as it first came from its Creator.«

5 - John Nevins Andrews, History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week (HSFD 98.1)

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»It thus appears beyond any reasonable doubt that Paul in Colossians 2:16 made no reference to the Lord's weekly Sabbath, but only to the seven annual Sabbaths of the Jews.«

6 - Uriah Smith, What Was Nailed to the Cross? (WWNC 16.2)

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