Colossians 2:16-23 Devotional (Part 5)

I recently saw a meme that said - “Adult peer pressure is seeing your neighbor mow their lawn.” It’s true. Every year, when the seasons change and the grass starts to grow, as soon as I hear someone start up their mower, I start to ask myself: “Should I be mowing my lawn? How does my yard look compared to my neighbors?”

We often underestimate the influence of social pressure in keeping our behavior in line with what the perceived expectations are. Every day we subconsciously behave in certain ways because of what we believe is appropriate behavior for the culture we belong to. What’s more, according to the Asch Conformity Experiment, when we desire to belong to a people, we are even more likely, and willing, to conform to the group without questioning our actions. Even to the point of abandoning reason.

As we continue through the book of Colossians, we see that this group of Christians was facing intense pressure from certain individuals in their community to conform their behavior to a pattern of living that was out of alignment with the gospel of Christ. And while we might be quick to judge them as weak or easily influenced, we must remember that the church was still relatively young, and these individuals were extremely persuasive. They came across as spiritually mature, intellectual, and they spoke in a manner that carried authority in religious matters. It would have been difficult to challenge them. And while there remains some mystery as to the identity of these people, as we read Colossians 2:16-23, we gain some insight into the ways they were pressuring the church in Colossae.

First, these religious leaders were pressuring the church or held Jewish dietary restrictions and religious traditions as a way of earning and maintaining their righteousness before God (Col 2:16).

The five items mentioned in verse 16 (food, drink, festivals, new moon, and sabbath) are all a part of Judaism which involved yearly, monthly, and daily observances. Theses false teachers were seeking to impose a legalistic lifestyle on the believers that would limit them from enjoying the freedoms they have been given in Christ.

Here’s the thing: the believing Christians in Colossae were Gentiles and were never under the Law of Moses that was given to Israel in the Old Testament. So, it’s strange that, now that they were Christians, they would want to submit themselves to Jewish legalism. But that’s the power of peer pressure!

These religious leaders had entered the church community and had convinced them that their old way of relating to God through works was superior to living by faith alone. When the Gentile Christians failed to live up to their standard of living, they passed judgment on them and made them feel unwelcome before God.

In our day, the experience of having Jewish practices imposed on our way of life would be foreign to us. Yet, Paul’s writing is still very relevant. Even though we profess to live by faith alone, we quickly drift in to relating with God out of our own effort. We feel as though our position before God is unstable and ultimately depends on our ability to live up to some religious standard. When we fail to read our Bibles, when our prayer life staggers, or when our tempers flare, we can then find ourselves feeling judged by believers who don’t seem to struggle with the same issues. Sometimes this judgment is perceived while other times this judgment is real. Either way, we must constantly guard our hearts from drifting toward a works-righteousness relationship with God.

The second way the false teachers pressured the church was to make them believe spirituality, or at least appearing spiritual, was of more value than Christ himself (Col 2:18-19).

Here we see that these individuals seemed to advocate for the worship of angels as a way of gaining special revelation and spiritual experience. These ideas and practices gave them a false sense of pride as they understood themselves to be superior to others around them.

Sadly, many today have an unhealthy view of spirituality. Even throughout the church, many people are more concerned with having a spiritual experience than about knowing Christ. This can then lead to a never-ending pursuit for the next emotional high or spiritual insight. We go through podcasts and worship songs trying to recapture a moment rather than trusting in the finished work of Christ that was completed on our behalf.

Through faith in him, we have been made spiritually alive. And spiritual life, like life in general, is dynamic and not static. Sometimes our spiritual experience is almost tangible and moving. While at other times, our spiritual state will be simple and tame. But no matter what, we can enjoy the life God has given us through his Son and his revealed word.

Finally, appearing to be inferior to these religious leaders, the false teachers then pressured the Colossian church to seek purity through asceticism.

Asceticism is the practice of severe self-discipline, often to the degree of personal harm, for the purpose of pleasing a divine figure. In the Colossian community, the believers were encouraged to fast and punish themselves physically in order to maintain right standing with God (Col 2:20-23).

We might be aware of how common it is for people to practice self-harm in our culture. Cutting, self-medicating with substance abuse, and living in a pattern of harmful relationships are all forms of self-harm we see today. Certainly, knowing the love of Christ helps us to find relief from this. Yet, all too often, even after coming to faith in Christ, regret over past sin and self-condemnation sets in, and we refuse to allow ourselves to receive God’s forgiveness. We might not go so far as to consciously or physically harm ourselves, but we do tend to punish ourselves in some way as a way of earning God’s forgiveness.

Peer pressure can be dangerous. You don’t have to look far to see a person make a life-altering choice out of peer pressure. The Apostle Paul informs us in this passage that, falling to religious pressure causes us to miss experiencing the fullness of Christ and enjoying life in him. As much as I wish to mature past falling under peer pressure, it seems to pursue me all throughout my life. How might we ever find freedom from this?

In Colossians 2:16, Paul starts with the word “Therefore.” Here, he is referring back to his exhortation for the church to remain reliant upon the person and work of Christ by faith. In Him, we died to our bondage of sin and the law. We’ve been made alive in Christ and are set free to enjoy life in him through obedience. No longer do we need to obtain our righteousness; we just rest in it.

While we may never be able to be free from peer pressure in this life – we can now start to evaluate the source of pressure by examining what it’s leading us to pursue. Is this pressure pushing you toward a reliance upon yourself or toward reliance upon Christ? Is this pressure leading to an appreciation for Christ’s work? Or is it leading you to try and replicate Christ’s work yourself?

Through faith in him, we are filled with his Spirit and united to his life. In Christ, we can learn to have relief from the pressure to please man as we rest in God’s delight in us. From now on, when you hear your neighbor’s spiritual mower start up, instead of feeling pressure, you are free to respond with joy. A new season is upon us. Things are coming back to life. You get to mow too!