Colossians 2:16-23 “Shadow and Substance”
“Shadow and Substance” is a sermon preached from Colossians 2:16-23, by Michael Beatty, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin – a confessional Reformed Baptist church subscribing to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.
Scripture Reading and Prayer
I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Colossians chapter 2. Lord willing, we will conclude the chapter today. Colossians chapter 2, beginning in verse 16. Hear the word of the Lord:
“Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’ (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
Thus far the reading of God’s Word. Please join me as we ask His blessing upon it.
Father, we ask that You would once more cause us to hear the voice of Your Son in this passage of Your Word. We would ask that You would help us all the more to hold fast to Him, the Head of the body, which is the Church. We ask You’d add these things unto us by Your Spirit. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Introduction: Shadow and Substance
This morning we find ourselves concluding Paul’s section concerning the relationship that we now have with the way in which we once walked in the world. He makes use of the picture of shadow and substance in verse 17. Really, that’s what I want to consider this morning—shadow and substance.
And I want to do so by way of illustration, briefly considering the allegory often attributed to Plato: the allegory of the cave.
Plato’s Cave: An Illustration of Shadows and Reality
Plato describes a group of people who have lived their entire lives in a cave, chained so that they face the interior wall. Behind them, others cast shadows on the wall. The captives see only the shadows and form their whole world around them. They assign meaning, tell stories, and live entirely by the shadows.
Although the shadows are cast by real objects, the captives cannot see the reality. If they were set free, they could go out and behold true life, seeing that what they once thought was real was only shadow. Those freed would never want to return to the cave.
Paul makes a similar point: the old covenant was filled with types and shadows pointing to something true. But when Christ came—the substance—they were fulfilled. Why would anyone return to shadows when they now see the reality?
Shadows of the Old Covenant
Let’s consider a few shadows together to calibrate our minds. The old covenant gave us three offices: prophet, priest, and king.
- Prophets spoke God’s Word, but often in veiled ways. They died and needed a Savior themselves. Their ministry was a shadow.
- Priests offered sacrifices to teach the need for cleansing and atonement. Yet the blood of bulls and goats could not remove sin. They pointed to Christ, the true Lamb.
- Kings ruled, but even the best—David or others—had serious problems. They pointed to the perfect King, Christ.
These shadows taught, but they were not the substance. Now Christ has come, and the shadows are obsolete.
Shadows Fulfilled in Christ
Paul tells the Colossians: Do not let anyone pass judgment on you in questions of food, drink, festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. These belonged to the Mosaic law, marking out God’s people for a time.
- Dietary restrictions (you may eat or not eat bacon).
- Dress codes (fabrics and garments distinguishing Israel).
- Cleanliness laws (pots, insects, washings).
- Animal sacrifices (no longer needed because Christ died once for all).
These were training wheels until Christ came. Paul says in Galatians 3:23–25:
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”
The law was necessary for a time, but it is now obsolete.
The Substance: Christ Himself
Christ is the hand casting the shadow. The shadow is subservient to the hand. Why would anyone prefer the shadow to the hand itself? Paul insists: cling to Christ, the Head of the body.
1 Corinthians 10:1–4 reminds us that Israel too received Christ through the shadows:
“…all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”
The shadows pointed forward, but the substance was always Christ.
Hebrews 8:13 makes it clear:
“In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
Christ has come, and the new covenant is better, enacted on better promises.
Self-Made Religion vs. True Spiritual Growth
Paul warns against those who:
- Insist on asceticism (self-denial for its own sake).
- Promote worship of angels or visions.
- Delight in man-made rules: “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch.”
These have an appearance of wisdom but are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. They cannot produce true holiness.
True growth comes only from Christ, the Head, by His Spirit.
Application: Living by the Substance
- Do not let anyone defraud you of Christ.
Resist false teaching, even if it sounds reasonable. Do not trade substance for shadows. - Enjoy living in light of Christ’s work.
The gospel is not only for conversion but for every day. We return to Christ daily, clinging to Him. - Freely give yourself to what Christ commands.
Worship Him according to His Word. Obey His law from gratitude, not legalism. Reject false burdens; embrace the freedom of Christ.
Conclusion
Like those freed from Plato’s cave, we now live in the light of the Son. Why return to shadows? Instead, let us cling to Christ—the true substance.
Colossians 2:16–23 shows us that Christ is the fulfillment of the shadows, the Head of the body, and the source of true spiritual growth. All the promises of God find their “Yes and Amen” in Him.
If you are in Christ, rejoice and walk in His light. If you are apart from Christ, today is the day of salvation—come to Him, not just intellectually, but with your whole being, and know the substance found only in Him.
Amen.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your kindness towards us in Your Son. Thank You that You have shown us that He is the substance, fulfilling all the shadows of the old covenant. By Your Spirit, help us to discern between shadows and substance, to reject self-made religion, and to cling to Christ alone. Strengthen us to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves—for the sake of Your Son, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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