What does EGW write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "So now let no one make you feel guilty because of food and drink or because of a holiday, new moon, or Sabbath. All of this is only a shadow of the future; but the body belongs to Christ. (Col 2:16-17)"
Answer
In Colossians 2:16-17 the Apostle Paul refers to the ceremonial law (“the handwritten statutes”), which consisted of sacrifices, food regulations, and annual festivals and pointed as a shadow to Christ. This passage explicitly refers to the Jewish ritual Sabbaths that were associated with new moons and festivals, and not to the weekly Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Since the weekly Sabbath was instituted at creation and thus before the fall, it is not a “shadow” of Christ’s sacrifice, but remains as part of the unchanging moral law (the Ten Commandments).
Distinction between Moral Law and Ceremonial Law
»The “handwritten statutes” clearly refer to the ceremonial law—not the Decalogue or the moral law. The latter is never called the “handwritten statutes.” Therefore, the mention of “erasing,” “removing,” and “nailing to the cross” has no relation to this law, but to the Mosaic ritual... The Sabbaths being referred to... are those that were contained in this law or under these “statutes,” and do not include the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.«
»It would be absurd to speak of stone tablets as being “nailed to the cross” or to talk about erasing what was engraved in stone. It would mean portraying the Son of God as if he shed his blood to erase what the finger of his Father had written... Paul finally shows that what was abolished was a shadow of things to come—a absurdity when applied to the moral law.«
»The ceremonial system consisted of symbols that pointed to Christ, his sacrifice, and his priesthood. This ritual law with its sacrifices and ordinances was to be observed by the Hebrews until the pattern in Christ’s death, the Lamb of God, met its antitype. Then all offerings should cease. It is this law that Christ “cleared away and nailed to his cross.”«
»The days mentioned here are those whose observance was required in the ceremonial law—days that were associated by God with food, drink, and new moons. The passage does not refer to the Sabbath of the moral law, which is linked to commandments that forbid theft, murder, and adultery. This weekly Sabbath was never against people or opposed to them, but was always for them.«
»Moreover, Paul carefully seeks to prevent any misunderstanding in this matter by immediately adding this restrictive clause: “which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is Christ’s.” In doing so, he points, in the clearest language possible, to which Sabbaths he is referring; they are only those that belong to the system of types and shadows.«
- Difference between Moral Law and Ceremonial Law
- Sabbath as a shadow of future things
- Colossians 2 verse 16 interpretation
Original Sources (English)
