Does Colossians 2:16, 17 say that the Sabbath, Biblical Holidays, and New Moons are abolished?

Here are a couple of verses that are often taken out of context, which claims that the Shabbat, along with other things, was abolished when Christ died on the Cross. Is this what the verse is actually saying? Let's read the verse and talk about it for a moment.

Colossians 2:16, 17

As someone who was raised and taught that the seventh day Sabbath—(called Shabbat in Hebrew and begins Friday at sundown and ends Saturday at sundown)—as well as the biblical holidays found in Scripture, were either abolished or only for Jewish people, I began a journey of studying Scripture for myself. I wanted to understand what the Bible actually says, rather than simply relying on my denomination or tradition.

For me, that journey started with Shabbat (the Sabbath), because it never quite made sense why, as Christians, we say we believe in the Ten Commandments, yet often set aside the fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” The passage in Colossians had a significant impact on me, because when I examined it in context, it wasn’t saying what I had always been told it meant.

Colossians 2:16–17 (ESV):

“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Messiah.”

Verse 8 tells us that Paul is referring to:

·      A philosophy based on human traditions

·      A philosophy filled with empty deceit

·      Teachings rooted in the elemental spirits of the world

Since the Sabbath and the biblical feasts were commanded by God, they cannot be what Paul is warning against, because they are not man made.

Verse 22 reinforces this, stating that what Paul is addressing are things based on human precepts and teachings—not commands associated with the Torah, but likely unbiblical traditions that false teachers were pressuring believers to adopt.

In verse 18, Paul gives further clarity by mentioning asceticism and the worship of angels—practices that Paul was warning for them not to be disqualified by practicing them.

There are differing opinions among scholars about the exact nature of the false teaching being addressed. However, one thing we can say with certainty is, since the Sabbath and the biblical holidays were not man made, Paul is not instructing believers to stop observing them.