"Colossians 2:14 says not to let anyone to judge me by how I observe the Sabbath. Does this mean that I can worship on any day I please, and you don't have the right to judge me?"

Wouldn't that be a great way to end the Sabbath debate. However, this was not what Paul intended. If one were to allow Colossians 2:14 to speak for itself, it would show that early Christians did observe the Sabbath, and Paul, the author of this letter, told them not to be discouraged by those around them.

Millions of professing Christians don't like Jews that much, and they picture Colossians chapter 2 as part of Paul's answer to a Jewish attempt to subvert the Colossian congregation. It's true that those with an extreme view of Jewish faith were among the first converts. However, the Jewish people were in no way involved with the issue addressed in Colossians 2:14. Paul was addressing a challenge by a worship system that imitated Christianity, but contained elements of other worship systems. Paul did not identify the guilty party by name, but he left several indicators throughout Colossians 2 as to what Christians were dealing with.

First, he identifies this system as "philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (verse 8) Man-made traditions and nature worship are indicated. While Jewish worship at that time included many man-made additions, nature worship was never a part of Jewish belief. Paul is not belittling the law of God. His focus is on man-made traditions which clash with Christ's teachings.

Next, he speaks of "principalities and powers" (verse 15). While the Jews did have principalities and power in Israel (relatively speaking, as it was occupied by Rome), this had no bearing on the Colossians, the gentile congregation for whom this letter was written.

The rest of the passages in chapter 2 lists some more qualities of this worship system. Among these is a worship of angels (verse 18), which was never a scriptural teaching. At this point, any attempt to compare this worship system to that of any Jewish faith would be foolish. While some of what's listed sounds like some commands from the writings of Moses (verses 21-22), Paul calls them commandments and doctrines of men, rather than from God. The source was the main point of contention.

The last quality mentioned of this system involves the neglecting of the flesh, with the intention of denying one's self any physical pleasure (verse 23). This may sound like a Biblical principle if one has a cynical view of the Bible's teachings, and no actual inclination to study it's message.

What was really being addressed here was the ascetic approach to Christianity.

As with the western world today, the Roman empire was a religious melting pot. Many different religions and religious approaches were represented. As more and more people converted to Christianity, it was inevitable that many would bring their old ideas with them, not realizing that such approaches were not of Christ. In fact, this much was anticipated (Acts 20:30). Of the gnostic approaches prevalent in the Roman empire was asceticism. This was an approach found in many religious systems, at that time.

The ascetic approach believed that the spirit was good and the body was evil, and because of this, the body was to be strictly denied any sort of physical pleasure. Furthermore, angels were treated by this group as intermediaries one could use to approach God, thus they encouraged obedience to them.

When those with an ascetic approach entered into the Colossian congregation, they apparently criticized Christians for not living up to their extreme spiritual standards. Thus, Paul cautioned the congregation not to allow anyone to judge them by the way that they celebrated Sabbaths and Holy Days, which they apparently did with festive eating and drinking.

I can't end this without first addressing another passage from this same chapter that's also misunderstood. Verse 17 calls the observances mentioned in the previous verse "a shadow of things to come." While some say that calling these things "a shadow" takes away any need to observe them because Christ acted as their fulfillment, calling them "a shadow of things to come" clearly states that the things that God's Sabbaths and Holy Days illustrates has yet to see their fulfillment. The Greek "mello" translated as "to come" in this verse indicates that the fulfillment of what the Sabbaths and Holy Days illustrated was still impending. In any case, just because something is a shadow, a representation of something else, does not mean that it's importance is diminished.

In conclusion, Colossians chapter 2 shows that asceticism was growing in the early Christian church out of pagan philosophies, and was not a discussion of whether one should observe the Sabbath. On the contrary, it shows that the early Church did observe the Sabbath, and apparently in a joyous and festive manner. Paul did not discourage them. Just the opposite, Paul told them not to allow anyone to judge them for their enthusiasm.

See also:
Is the Sabbath mentioned in Galatians 4:9-10?
Does 1 Corinthians 16:2 document a collection of tithes on the Sabbath?
Does Acts 20:7 indicate a Sunday Observance?

"Didn't the Church hold a collection on the first day in 1 Corinthians 16:2? Wouldn't that mean that the Church was holding a Sabbath on that day, and tithes were being collected?"

While many assume that this indicated a gathering in which a collection plate was passed around, this was not the case. What Paul writes here is that he desires to see the Corinthians to lay aside everything that they can spare, so that it can be taken as part of a wider relief effort for the Church in Jerusalem (see Romans 15:26 and Acts 11:29).

When Paul says "lay by him in store", he is asking them to lay aside supplies in their home, such as food and clothing, so that it can be gathered later. Because there was a famine in Jerusalem, the need would have been for food, not for money.

The collection was not held on a Sunday religious service. On the contrary, the work of gathering up supplies was ideal for the first day because there was no service on that day. This letter would have been read to the congregation on a seventh-day Sabbath, therefore everyone would be gathered together to hear it's message, and the next day would have been their first opportunity for the Church to gather up it's aid package. Knowing this, Paul asks the Corinthians to wait until the first day to gather up supplies.

Paul doesn't call the first day the Sabbath. On the contrary, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 shows us that the Church was to wait for the first day to do any work!

See also:
Is the Sabbath mentioned in Galatians 4:9-10?
Does Acts 20:7 indicate a Sunday observance?
Does Colossians 2:14 give the right to observe the Sabbath in any way?

Nearly every person, whether they care to admit it or not, lives by rituals. For most of us, that ritual sounds something like this: We get up, go to work for eight hours, and come home to a meal. The ends of this ritual is a steady paycheck, which is used to help pay for a home, a car, and various other expenses.

The religious world follows rituals, as well. Some hide brightly-colored eggs for others to find. Some exchange gifts left under a tree. Some fast during the daylight hours for a month out of the lunar year. There are also many more. What is the need for ritual? What is it about religious rituals that holds the fascination of the entire world?

While one can argue that we should live every day of our lives as expressions of thanksgiving toward God, and they could make a good case, the simple fact is that humankind needs continual reminders during the whole year. These reminders serve the same purpose as symbols; they are designed to bring to mind the reality that they represent.

God's called Christians live by rituals, as well. These rituals, or more correctly, these yearly observances, bring to the Christian's mind Biblical truths about the God of their salvation, His plans for Christians, and His ultimate purpose for mankind.

Few are aware of these observances. Fewer still come to the realization that they are Christian observances. And fewer still are those who understand the reality that these observances illustrate.

What do these observances represent? Simply put, here is a list of these yearly observances, and what they are designed to bring to mind:

• Passover Supper: This symbolizes the beginning of Christian life, which begins with the acceptance of Christ's redeeming sacrifice. The bread and wine used as symbols in this supper points to the sacrifice necessary for our redemption.
• Feast of Unleavened Bread: A week in which God's people abstain from food with leavening in it. Here, leavening is symbolic for sin. As even a small amount of leavening causes a whole loaf of bread to rise, so does a small acceptance of sin inevitably lead to sin filling a person's life. Therefore, this week-long observance illustrates the kind of life Christians elect to live.
• Pentecost: Also called "Firstfruits," this illustrates that the Christians alive in the world today are only the beginning of a greater harvest. It illustrates that while God has a plan for the resurrection of humankind to salvation, we as Christians today are part of an important step in His plan. Appropriately enough, the first widespread baptism of Jews took place on a Pentecost, as recorded in Acts.
• Feast of Trumpets: In the ancient world, just as today, the sounding of a trumpet symbolizes a call to war. This is not a call for Christians to go to war! It is a sobering acknowledgment that difficulties lie ahead. The kingdom of Christ is coming, but a period of difficult times directly precedes it. We must be strong and hold on to our faith.
• Day of Atonement: Atonement means reconciliation. While only a few of us are called to God in this age (and fewer still respond), the Day of Atonement points to the return of Jesus Christ, a time in which everyone alive in the world at that time has the option of accepting His atoning sacrifice. This day is observed with prayer through fasting.
• Feast of Tabernacles: During this week-long celebration, God's people live in temporary dwellings. This sounds strange, but it's illustrative of the fact that our bodies are temporary, and thus are nomads on this earth. Tabernacles also points to the first one thousand years of Christ's kingdom on earth, which is only the beginning of His eternal reign.
• The Great Last Day: often considered to be the eighth day of Tabernacles, it points to the end of the thousand years after Jesus establishes his kingdom. At that point, something wonderful will happen that modern theology is ignorant toward. Every human who has ever lived that has not been called of God will receive their first offer of salvation. They will have the advantage of seeing what 1000 years of proper administration by Jesus Christ can do for humanity, the earth, technology, education, and so on. It truly will be a wondrous occurrence!

One may realize that these observances were held hundreds of years before Christ's ministry. That they were celebrated before the realities that they represented were realized shows God's deliberation and foresight. It shows that He had in mind the plan for humankind's redemption from the start. Therefore, one can find the divine importance in them that is altogether missing from observances celebrated by most of the modern world today.

Observances are important. The Bible commands us to be baptized. To wash each others feet. To partake in unleavened bread and wine. To be anointed with oil. To rest on the seventh day. Not because to do so is more important than what they represent, but because it is valuable to keep our minds on God, and these observances are valuables tools to assist us in doing so. And it remains for us to perform them.

The choice is yours. Will you cling to man-made rites founded in fable? Or will you express your faith through God's commanded observances, worshiping in spirit and truth?