Many Sabbatarian apologists, particularly groups like the Advent Defense League, have long maintained that Colossians 2:16 does not abolish the weekly Sabbath. Their argument hinges on the claim that Paul is addressing only ceremonial Sabbaths—festival days and temple-related observances—while leaving the seventh-day Sabbath untouched. But a careful reading of the biblical text, combined with historical and theological context, raises serious questions about this defense.
The Text in Context
Colossians 2:16-17 reads:
“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 Christ.” — ESV
Paul’s triad—festival, new moon, and Sabbath—is far from arbitrary. It mirrors the phrasing found throughout the Old Testament, where Jewish calendar observances are treated as a cohesive unit (cf. 1 Chronicles 23:31; Ezekiel 45:17; Hosea 2:11). In each of these texts, the Sabbath is explicitly included as part of the ritual and ceremonial cycle of Israel. There is no indication in the Old Testament that “Sabbath” here refers exclusively to ceremonial Sabbaths separate from the weekly seventh day.
By echoing this triad, Paul is clearly situating the Colossian believers’ question of observances within the broader framework of Israelite worship practices—but he does so to make a revolutionary point: these practices are now shadows, pointing to Christ.
Shadow and Substance
Colossians 2:17 contains one of the most critical phrases for understanding Paul’s argument:
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
Sabbatarian apologists often try to carve out an exception here, claiming Paul is only referring to ceremonial observances. However, the Greek text and broader context indicate otherwise. Paul is speaking of calendar-based religious observances as a whole—festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths—all of which are shadows pointing to Christ. The weekly Sabbath was always part of this shadow system (see Exodus 31:13, Leviticus 23), and the argument that it is “moral law” distinct from ceremonial observances is an artificial distinction imposed by later interpreters rather than the apostle himself.
Theologically, the principle is clear: the weekly Sabbath, like all Old Covenant observances, finds its fulfillment in Christ. Shadows serve no purpose apart from their substance, and the substance has arrived.
No Judgment = No Obligation
Notice Paul’s commanding tone in verse 16:
“Let no one pass judgment on you…”
The Greek verb krinete carries the force of passing moral or religious judgment. If the Sabbath were still binding under the New Covenant as a moral obligation, Paul would hardly place it alongside festivals and new moons in a category of non-mandatory observance. To insist on a weekly Sabbath observance after Christ’s fulfillment is to impose a yoke that Paul explicitly calls off-limits (Galatians 5:1).
Cross-References in Romans and Galatians
Paul consistently emphasizes Christian liberty in matters of days and observances. Romans 14:5-6 allows believers to observe or disregard specific days according to conscience, without judgment. Similarly, Galatians 4:10-11 warns against returning to “weak and worthless elementary principles,” including the observance of days, months, seasons, and years. These passages reinforce that Sabbath observance is not a binding requirement for New Covenant believers.
Missteps in the Adventist Defense
Artificial Distinctions
Many Sabbatarian arguments claim Paul is referring only to ceremonial Sabbaths. But a closer examination of Old Testament practice reveals that the weekly Sabbath was deeply intertwined with the temple sacrificial system (Numbers 28:9-10). Paul does not distinguish between “ceremonial” and “moral” Sabbaths. This distinction is an interpretive overlay, not a textual reality.
Greek Wordplay
Some defenses lean on the Greek plural sabbaton (σαββάτων) as evidence that Paul meant “special Sabbaths,” not the weekly Sabbath. However, Jewish and early Christian texts often use the plural to refer to the weekly Sabbath collectively (e.g., Luke 23:56; Acts 13:14,16). Grammatically and historically, the plural does not support a distinction between weekly and ceremonial Sabbaths.
Old Testament Echoes
The triad “festival, new moon, Sabbath” consistently appears in the Hebrew Scriptures to encompass the full spectrum of Israelite observances. There is no precedent for reading this triad as excluding the weekly Sabbath. To do so is to impose a theological bias on the text rather than let the text speak for itself.
Christ as Our Sabbath Rest
Hebrews 4:9-10 clarifies the ultimate fulfillment of Sabbath rest:
“So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”
The weekly Sabbath is no longer a matter of calendar regulation; it is now a spiritual reality in Christ. Believers are called to rest in Him daily, not to measure obedience by days and numbers. Christ Himself embodies the substance that the shadow of Sabbath once pointed to.
Conclusion
Colossians 2:16-17 is not a defense of Sabbath-keeping—it is a declaration of freedom from it. The weekly Sabbath, like the other Old Covenant shadows, has been fulfilled in Christ. Christians are no longer bound by ritualistic observances, for the substance has arrived, and that substance is Christ Himself. Clinging to shadows when the Light has come is the very error Paul sought to correct.
Cross-Examination Questions for Advent Defense League on Colossians 2:16-17:
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Is there a verse in the Bible that mentions a "moral Sabbath" and a "ceremonial Sabbath"?
How do you reconcile Colossians 2:16 with Romans 14:5-6 and Galatians 4:10-11, where Paul explicitly affirms Christian liberty regarding the observance of days?
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Given that Hebrews 4:9-10 presents Christ Himself as the believer’s Sabbath rest, how can the weekly Sabbath remain a binding obligation without undermining the theological fulfillment of the Old Covenant shadow?
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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