Isa sa mga pinaka-mainit na debate sa loob ng Adventism ay ang tanong: “Tinutukoy ba ng Colossians 2:16 ang seventh-day Sabbath?” For decades, SDA apologists have insisted that when Paul said “Let no one judge you regarding sabbaths,” hindi raw ito tumutukoy sa weekly Sabbath, kundi sa mga ceremonial sabbaths ng Lumang Tipan, tulad ng Day of Atonement o Feast of Trumpets. Pero teka lang… talaga bang ganun kasimple? Let’s slow down, open the text, and see what the Word of God actually says not Ellen White, not Ron du Preez, not the General Conference.
The Verse That Broke the Sabbath Illusion
Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16–17 (NRSV):
“Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”
For any honest reader, very obvious ang pattern dito “festivals, new moons, or sabbaths” isang formulaic Jewish expression referring to the annual, monthly, and weekly observances under the Mosaic Law. Ibig sabihin, the weekly Sabbath was part of the old Jewish calendar system that pointed forward to Christ. Paul says these were shadows temporary, symbolic while Christ is the reality. Pero ang SDA theology, ayaw tanggapin ‘yan. So they twist the word “sabbaths” to mean “ceremonial sabbaths only.” Enter: Ron du Preez and his book Judging the Sabbath, the latest attempt to salvage the SDA view.
Ron du Preez and the Linguistic Gymnastics
Dr. Ron du Preez argues na ang “sabbaths” sa Colossians 2:16 ay tumutukoy lang daw sa mga ceremonial feast days, not the seventh-day Sabbath of the Ten Commandments. Ang reasoning niya? Sabi niya, kung walang linguistic markers like “holy,” “the,” or “my sabbath,” hindi raw ito weekly Sabbath. So dahil walang definite article (“the”) sa Colossians 2:16, sabi niya Aha! Ceremonial ito. Pero, here’s the problem: That argument doesn’t hold up when you look at the biblical pattern and Jewish linguistic usage from the Old Testament to the early Jewish writings. Everywhere the phrase “festivals, new moons, and sabbaths” appears from 1 Chronicles 23:31, 2 Chronicles 8:13, Nehemiah 10:33, to Ezekiel 45:17, it always means the yearly, monthly, and weekly cycle of Israel’s sacred days. Walang ibang kahulugan. So when Paul used that same formula in Colossians 2, alam ng mga Jewish believers exactly what he meant: He was including the seventh-day Sabbath.
The Jewish Formula: Annual, Monthly, Weekly
Paul wasn’t inventing new words; he was quoting a familiar triad used throughout the Hebrew Bible and early Jewish writings. For example:
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“Festivals” (heorte / mo’ed) – annual feasts like Passover and Tabernacles.
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“New moons” (neomenia / chodesh) – monthly lunar observances.
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“Sabbaths” (sabbata / shabbat) – weekly day of rest.
This triad appears repeatedly to summarize all the appointed times of Israel. So to remove the weekly Sabbath from that list is to destroy the whole structure. Kumbaga, kung sinabi kong, “Every year, month, and week,” hindi mo pwedeng sabihin na, “Ah, hindi kasama yung linggo dito.” Ganun kalabo ang SDA attempt to exclude the weekly Sabbath from Colossians 2:16.
The Shadow vs. The Substance
Paul’s main point is not linguistic trivia; it’s theological. He was teaching that all these observances, including the Sabbath, were “a shadow of what was to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” In other words, those old covenant rituals, feasts, new moons, and Sabbaths pointed forward to the fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Sabbath was a shadow of the rest believers now have in Him (Hebrews 4:9–10). To cling to the shadow when the Reality has come is to miss the entire gospel. That’s why Paul said, “Let no one judge you…” because some in Colossae were pressuring believers to adopt Jewish practices, food laws, festivals, and sabbaths as marks of true spirituality. Paul calls this “philosophy and empty deceit” (Col. 2:8), a mix of Judaism, mysticism, and asceticism, a kind of religious legalism that undermined the sufficiency of Christ.
Why SDA Apologists Miss the Point
The SDA interpretation treats Colossians 2:16 like it’s a courtroom loophole. “See? It doesn’t specifically say the weekly Sabbath, so it must not mean it.” But that’s the very attitude Paul was rebuking: religion obsessed with legal details while missing the spiritual reality. The New Testament shows that:
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The Sabbath rest was fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 4:9–10).
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The law of commandments contained in ordinances was abolished in His body (Ephesians 2:15).
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The early Christians gathered on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2), not under Mosaic compulsion but in resurrection joy.
So Colossians 2:16 isn’t diminishing God’s holiness, it’s declaring Christ’s finished work as the true rest and center of worship.
Paul’s Warning Still Rings True
Paul warned in 2:20–23 that these man-made religious rules “have an appearance of wisdom” but are powerless to restrain sin. That’s exactly what the modern Adventist legalism has become: a system of outward religiosity that “denies the power of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:5). Many SDAs today, like their forebears in Galatia, are “ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7) holding the form of religion but missing the reality of Christ. When the gospel becomes about dietary laws, calendar days, and denominational identity instead of Christ crucified and risen, it ceases to be good news.
The Gospel Freedom in Christ
Former Adventists understand this verse not as an attack on holiness, but as a declaration of freedom from the bondage of ceremonial religion, freedom from judgmentalism, and freedom to rest in the finished work of Jesus. The “Sabbath” that truly matters now is not a day on a calendar, but a Person who gives us rest from our works (Matthew 11:28). When Christ said, “It is finished,” the old covenant shadows ended, including the seventh-day Sabbath. So yes, Colossians 2:16 does refer to the Sabbath, but not to defend it, to show that it was fulfilled in Christ.
Conclusion: The Shadow Fades, the Substance Remains
The SDA's attempt to redefine Colossians 2:16 is a desperate move to keep a shadow alive when the sun of righteousness has already risen. The Apostle Paul makes it plain:
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The Sabbath was part of the old covenant system.
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It was a shadow pointing to the reality of Christ.
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Now that the Reality has come, we rest not on a day, but in a Savior.
So if anyone tells you, “You must keep the Sabbath or you’re not saved,”
remember what Paul said:
“Let no one judge you.”Because your righteousness isn’t in a commandment it’s in Christ alone.
Reflection for Former Adventists
When we left Adventism, we didn’t abandon holiness; we discovered grace. We didn’t reject the law; we found its fulfillment. And we didn’t lose the Sabbath, we found its true Rest in Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Former Adventists Philippines
“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”
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