Don't Be Judged By Religious Ritual
“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually
year by year, make those who approach perfect…” (Hebrews 10:1)
This was
directed at the Messianic Jews who had believed and followed Jesus as their
Messiah. They were considering returning
to the Law and its rituals as the way to righteousness.
The writer was reminding them that the Law nor the rituals surrounding
the obedience to it could make them perfect.
Gentiles who
had believed in Jesus were being encouraged by some of the Messianic Jews to observe the rituals
of the Law. So Paul tells them that they should not allow these Jews to judge them by religious rituals...
“Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or
regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Colossians
2:16-17)
Sometimes we Christians need to remind ourselves that we will not be
judged, nor rewarded, concerning our attendance at Church, envolvement in its ministries, nor its associated
rituals. We will be judged by whether we believe "the word" of Christ Jesus that he is the SAVIOR of the world. Jesus said…
“If anyone hears my sayings and does not
keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to
save the world. He who rejects me and does not receive
my sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at
the last day.…” (John
12:47-48)
And what is the
“word” which Jesus spoke which will “judge him” who rejects it?
His word that he has come “to
save the world”. And he will SAVE it
and all those who have been part of it because that is what he came to do. He says he did not come to judge and condemn
the world.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.”
(John 3:17)
Those who do
not believe that Jesus is the Savior of the world will be “judged” WRONG and be ashamed when in fact Jesus returns and saves
the world of sinners by resurrecting them from the dead. At that time all will
give account "before the judgment seat of God" as to why they did not believe that Jesus is the Savior
(among other things) and then ALL WILL CONFESS AND BELIEVE which brings "glory o God"…
“God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on
Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE
WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father… For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord
both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you judge your
brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we
will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 14:8-12)