Colossians 2:17 - Alive in Christ

These are a shadow of the things to come
The phrase "These are a shadow" refers to the ceremonial laws and practices of the Old Testament, such as dietary laws, festivals, and Sabbaths. In the context of Colossians, Paul addresses the Colossian church, which was being influenced by false teachings that emphasized adherence to these Jewish customs. The term "shadow" suggests that these practices were not the ultimate reality but rather a foreshadowing of something greater. This concept is echoed in Hebrews 10:1, where the law is described as a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. The "things to come" point to the fulfillment of these shadows in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who embodies the substance and reality of what the Old Testament anticipated.

but the body that casts it belongs to Christ
The "body" here signifies the substance or reality, contrasting with the "shadow." In this context, the body is Christ Himself, who fulfills the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17). The imagery of a shadow and body illustrates that while the Old Testament laws were important, they were not the end goal; rather, they pointed to Christ, who is the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative where Christ is seen as the culmination of God's promises, as seen in passages like John 1:14, where the Word became flesh. The phrase underscores the sufficiency of Christ, emphasizing that believers are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10), and do not need to adhere to the old ceremonial laws to achieve righteousness. This teaching was crucial for the early church, which was navigating the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant established through Jesus.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the letter to the Colossians, addressing the church in Colossae.

2. Colossae
An ancient city in Phrygia, Asia Minor, where the early Christian church was established.

3. Christ
Central figure in Christianity, whose life and teachings are the foundation of the faith.

4. Jewish Traditions
The context of the "shadow" refers to Jewish laws and customs, such as dietary laws and festivals.

5. The Church
The body of believers in Christ, who are the recipients of Paul's teachings.

Teaching Points

Understanding the Shadow
The Old Testament laws and rituals were a shadow, a foreshadowing of the reality found in Christ. They were not the end but pointed to something greater.

Christ as the Fulfillment
Jesus is the substance, the reality that fulfills the shadows of the Old Covenant. Our focus should be on Him rather than on the rituals that pointed to Him.

Freedom in Christ
Believers are no longer bound by the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Our relationship with God is based on faith in Christ, not adherence to the law.

Living in the Reality
As Christians, we are called to live in the reality of Christ's finished work, embracing the freedom and fullness found in Him.

Unity in the Body
Recognizing that the body belongs to Christ encourages unity among believers, as we are all part of His body, the church.

(17) Which are a shadow . . . but the body (the substance) is of Christ.--The spirit of the passage is precisely that of the argument which runs through the Epistle to the Hebrews. "The Law had a shadow of good things to come, not the very image (or, substance) of the things" (Hebrews 10:1). When St. Paul deals with the legal and coercive aspect of the Law, he calls it "the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ." (See Galatians 3:24, and Note there.) When he turns to its ritual aspect, he describes it as simply foreshadowing or typifying the substance; and therefore useful before the revelation of the substance, useless or (if trusted in) worse than useless, after it. In every way "Christ is the end of the Law" (Romans 10:4).

Verse 17. - Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ (Galatians 3:23-25; Galatians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 3:11, 13; Hebrews 7:18, 19; Hebrews 9:11-14; Hebrews 10:1-4). The apostle's opponents, we imagine, taught in Platonic fashion that these things were shadows of ideal truth and of the invisible world (comp. Hebrews 8:5), forms necessary to our apprehension of spiritual things. With St. Paul, they shadow forth prophetically the concrete facts of the Christian revelation, and therefore are displaced by its advent. The singular verb (literally, is) quite grammatically combines the particulars of ver. 16 under their common idea of a foreshadowing of the things of Christ; and the present tense affirms here a general truth, not a mere historical fact. How this was true of the "sabbath," e.g., appears in Hebrews 4:1-11; comp. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; John 19:36, for the Christian import of the Passover feast. The figurative antithesis of "shadow" and "body" is sufficiently obvious; it occurs in Philo and in Josephus: to refer to ver. 19 and Colossians 1:18 for the sense of body, is misleading. For "the things to come" (the things of Christ and of the new, Christian era, now commencing), comp. Romans 4:24; Romans 5:14; Galatians 3:23; Hebrews 2:5; Hebrews 10:1. This substance of the new, abiding revelation (2 Corinthians 3:11) is "Christ's," inasmuch as it centres in and is pervaded and governed by Christ (Colossians 1:18; Colossians 3:11; Romans 10:4; 2 Corinthians 3:14). Nothing is said here to discountenance positive Christian institutions, or the observance of the Lord's day in particular, unless enforced in a Judaistic spirit. The apostle is protecting Gentile Christians from the re-imposition of Jewish institutions as such, as impairing their faith in Christ (comp. Galatians 5:2-9), and as, in the case of the Colossians, involving a deference to the authority of angels which limited his sovereignty and sufficiency (vers. 8-10, 18, 19). This verse contains in germ much of the thought of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

These
ἅ (ha)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

are
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a shadow
σκιὰ (skia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4639: Apparently a primary word; 'shade' or a shadow (darkness of error or an adumbration).

of the things
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

to come,
μελλόντων (mellontōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3195: A strengthened form of melo; to intend, i.e. Be about to be, do, or suffer something.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

[the] body [ that casts it ]
σῶμα (sōma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4983: Body, flesh; the body of the Church. From sozo; the body, used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.

belongs to
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Christ.
Χριστοῦ (Christou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.

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