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Does Col 2:14 mean that the Law is being nailed to the cross?

Col 2:14 speak about the "ordinances" that have been nailed to the Cross. People have an understanding of what Ordinances is and they say it is all the "ceremonial laws" that YHVH gave to Moses after the Ten Commandments. The Seventh Day Adventists believe this, and they say that you no longer need to do the festivals or anything that is written in the Torah except the Ten Commandments.

What are the ordinances in the NT and are they the same as the ordinances in the OT? Ordinances in the Greek is the word “dogma” and according to the Dictionary:

DOGMA, n. [Gr., to think; L.] A settled opinion; a principle, maxim or tenet; a doctrinal notion, particularly in matters of faith and philosophy; as the dogmas of the church; the dogmas of Plato.

A dogma can be from YHVH or from man’s philosophy. Which one is Paul referring to? If you read the context you can see that he is talking about the ordinances of YHVH and it is presented in the phrase “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us”. Which handwriting was against us that is based upon YHVH’s Word? What do we find that is in His Word and that is against us? The judgement of man’s sin which is revealed in the Torah and the knowledge of what these sins are that caused this “death penalty” to be against us. We find the first event in Genesis where YHVH spoke His Word and satan twisted it and caused man to fall into sin and DEATH came onto man. This is also referred to as the “curse of the Law”.

Gal 3:13
Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Torah), being made a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone having been hanged on a tree");

The curse of the Torah is found in Torah and this curse or handwriting or penalty exited right from the beginning and was drawn right through history because man was bound to the sin brought in by Adam and Eve, and satan is still busy applying the same tactics to deceive man; twisting God’s Words. What is the curse of the Torah? Death!!!!! “ If you will not listen to My Voice and do My Instructions, you will be cut off (die)”.

Paul also gave us a hint on the context that shines light on this issue when he says in the previous verse:

Col 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

Yeshua redeemed us on the cross from sin and not the Law. Within the Law you find out what sin is and when He died, he paid the penalty or handwriting or curse that was against all humanity and this is called redemption. You owed your life (curse f death against you) and He gave His life in your place and gave you His Life. This is symbolised within the Baptism and this is the actual context of Paul’s letter here in Col 2 and people use it out of context as a loophole not to submit under His Word or Authority (which baptism actually represents).

When you buy a house, it’s all about AREA, AREA, AREA. When you build doctrine it’s all about CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT. Satan will deceive those who do not study and understand the Scripture so that is why we have to study His Word and KNOW what is all about. He gave us His Sprit to help us with this and if you seek wisdom, ask it from Him and if you have a question, ask Him and He will answer you.

Just take care when you interpret Scripture because “dogma” in another place may be referred to as “philosophies of men”. You will see which one if you read the context.

Lastly what we need to consider is the warning given in the NT about Paul’s writings because he was a very well educated and clever man but not always understood.

2 Peter 3:15-16
And think of the long-suffering of our Master as salvation as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him (16) as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable pervert, as also they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction”

Paul is not the easiest man to understand and take care to make assumptions that contradicts other places in the Word.




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