Commandments of Men: Man-Made Faith vs. Christ’s Finished Work

 Uniting Heaven and Earth

Christ in Philippians and Colossians 

Complete in Christ

Lesson 10 - Thursday 

Commandments of Men

Read Colossians 2:20–23.

Paul asks a piercing question: “If you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations?” (Col. 2:20). Then he lists them: “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle.” These were humanly constructed rules—religious restrictions that appeared spiritual but were rooted in what he calls “the commandments and doctrines of men.”

To understand this passage, we have to read it in the context of the whole chapter. In Epistle to the Colossians 2, Paul has already pointed us to the sufficiency of Christ. In verses 11–15, he describes how Christ canceled the record of debt against us and triumphed over principalities and powers at the Cross. Salvation, he insists, is something Christ accomplished for us. It is objective. Historical. Finished.

So when Paul comes to verses 20–23, he is not attacking obedience. He is attacking man-made systems that pretend to produce holiness while bypassing the Cross.

He says these regulations have “an appearance of wisdom.” They look serious. They feel disciplined. They may even impress others. But he bluntly concludes that they are “of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” In other words, external rules cannot transform the heart.

That’s the key. Rules invented by men cannot cure sin. They can restrain behavior for a time, but they cannot cleanse guilt. They cannot change motives. They cannot reconcile us to God.

Paul’s warning fits with everything else in the chapter. Earlier, he cautioned believers not to let anyone judge them regarding food, drink, festivals, or other ceremonial matters (Col. 2:16–17). Those were shadows pointing to Christ. Now he goes further: don’t let anyone enslave you to religious systems that promise spiritual advancement apart from Christ’s finished work.

This is where we must be careful.

It is possible to be deeply religious and yet subtly shift our confidence from Christ to ourselves. We may affirm that Jesus died for us. But in practice, we begin to measure our acceptance with God by our performance, our standards, our self-denial, or our visible discipline.

That is exactly what Paul is confronting.

The foundation of salvation is not what Christ does in us. It is what Christ has done for us—outside of us, in place of us.

When Christ died, He bore our sin. When He rose, He secured our justification. This happened before we ever performed a single act of obedience. Our standing with God rests entirely on His substitutionary sacrifice. We contribute nothing to that foundation.

Now, does Christ work in us? Absolutely. He sanctifies. He transforms. He empowers obedience. But that inner work flows from salvation; it does not create it.

If we confuse the two, we will either become proud or discouraged. Proud when we think we are succeeding. Discouraged when we see our failures. In both cases, our eyes have drifted from Christ to ourselves.

Here is how we guard against that drift:

1. Keep the Cross central. Remind yourself daily that your acceptance with God is anchored in Christ’s righteousness, not your progress.

2. Examine your motives. Are you obeying out of gratitude and love—or out of fear that God might reject you?

3. Refuse spiritual comparison. Man-made standards often thrive on comparison. The gospel humbles us all at the foot of the Cross.

4. Let obedience flow from identity. You obey because you died with Christ and were raised with Him—not to earn that reality.

Paul’s message is freeing. You are not saved by touching or not touching, tasting or not tasting. You are saved because Jesus took your place. Full stop.

Once that foundation is secure in your heart, obedience becomes joyful. It becomes relational. It becomes the fruit of grace, not the currency of salvation.

And that changes everything.

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Prayer

Father in heaven,
We thank You that our salvation rests completely on what Jesus has done for us. Forgive us for the times we have trusted in our own efforts, our own standards, or the approval of others. Keep the Cross at the center of our faith. Help us to obey not to earn Your love, but because we already have it in Christ. Guard us from the commandments of men and root us deeply in the finished work of Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.

More on Lesson 10: Complete in Christ

This Quarter's Sabbath School Lessons Here: Christ in Philippians and Colossians