“Therefore, 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 – “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle…” Colossians 2:20-21.

People often forget that if we have indeed died with Christ that makes us dead to sin and the old regulations.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Romans 6:4-6.

Mankind unfortunately, has a constant desire to be a part of their own salvation, or part of keeping their salvation, or to enhance their part in the church.

Or by embellishing Christianity to a ridiculous degree with rules and regulations until the church is top-heavy with tinsel, glitter, and old hubcaps that man finds at the side of the road.

It is thought that the “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle” regulations shown here in Colossians 2:21 are Jewish in origin. If this is so, some of these things can be a real bondage.

By the time Jesus came upon the scene the religious leaders in Israel had made keeping the law to be the merit on which one could enter heaven rather than the faith of Abraham.

Not being content with the complexity of the Mosaic Law, they made it even more impossible to keep.

Touch not, was part of the Law of Moses; touch not a dead body, touch nothing unclean (such as a leper), or a woman in her unclean menstrual state (probably to keep men from having sex with her at that time), touch not a dead animal.

To this the legalist added, touch not a grave, the bed or chair in which an unclean man or woman had used; touch not a Gentile or notorious sinner.

For this reason these slaves to traditions and religion would bath after returning from the marketplace in case they had defiled themselves unknowingly.

Do not taste, again, by law, Jews were not to eat blood, or a long list of unclean animals, yet the legalists taught that if the fat or blood of even a clean animal was eaten, as much as the size of an olive, that person was to be beaten or cut off (excommunicated).

Do not handle, in another translation this is rendered “do not come near”. If it is meant in this latter way it would mean do not come near a Gentile, someone from another nation, or do not handle an unclean person.

Another expositor has interpreted these three “do nots” as referring to those foods covered by Jewish law. Do not touch unclean meat. Do not eat unclean meat. Do not even hold or handle unclean meat.”

Again unclean meat is meat that the Mosaic Law prohibits the Jew from eating. The term unclean meat is not used to refer to old or rotting meat; common sense keeps us from eating that; though they were prohibited from eating a dead animal that they had found, clean or unclean.

The more bizarre aspect of this is that some take, touch not, to mean touch not women and use it as an excuse to forbid marriage.

Do not taste would be a prohibition against the eating of meat, either during certain festivals or at any time.

Do not handle would be the prohibition against the use of your worldly goods for your own benefit and living a ascetic life style, which many of these false teachers talked the gullible into doing.

One day when the Apostle Peter was praying on a rooftop in the town of Joppa, he became hungry, and as they were preparing food, he had a vision.

In this vision a large sheet came down to him and opened up, in it were four footed animals of different sorts, unclean animals.

“And a voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.’ And a voice spoke to him again the second time, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.” Acts 10:13-16.

Read all of Acts chapter 10 for a better understanding.

This passage in Acts 10 would be God’s answer to do not touch and do not taste.

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. ” 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

This passage in 1 Timothy 6 tells us that God has given us all things to richly enjoy and it tells us how to handle these things for the benefit of all.

It has been Satan’s intent from the beginning that if he cannot destroy the church and the Christian witness, that he would do the next best thing.

He would load the church down with so many rules and regulations that Christians would be so busy keeping them, and indeed proudly keeping them, that they never grow or do any good for those dying without Christ around them.

If it is true that we have died with Christ, to the things of this world, why is it that we feel the need to go back to these weak and beggarly elements, many of which we lived under before?

Did it do us any good to live under superstition, astrology, or having our palm read?

Was our life made easier or more meaningful through philosophy, pop psychology, or self-help seminars?

Does Darwinism, socialism, Marxism, or liberalism bring real meaning to one’s existence?

Or were these things, as it is for many, merely a last ditch effort to bring order into a life out of order, before taking drugs and alcohol, then stepping off of a moving planet.

“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using – according to the commandments and doctrines of men?” Colossians 2:21-22.

These are all commandments and doctrines of men. They have caused division after division until we have numerous denominations with denominations within denominations.

Straying from God’s word and relying on men to answer questions that men without the Holy Spirit are unqualified to answer brings only the gravest error.

“These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” Colossians 2:23.

This appearance of wisdom is something that appeals to the fleshly nature, men see things like this and ooh, and aah over them, but it is not godly wisdom.

You may find these things that have the appearance of wisdom interesting; in fact, this is vital information. “…self-imposed religion” is called by one expositor, self-willed worship, it is a false worship wherein the worshiper is doing it his way regardless of how God has ordered it.

Cain, the first born son of Adam and Eve comes immediately to mind.

“And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel [his younger brother] also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.’” Genesis 4:3-7.

There can be little doubt that God had told Adam and Eve, then Cain and Abel what His requirements were for a sacrifice for sin.

“And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22.

Surely Cain must have understood this, and if he did not, God’s words to him, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” would indicate that Cain had plenty of opportunity to make the correct sacrifice.

Yet, in the very next verse Cain murdered his brother Abel. It is clear that Cain’s attitude of unbelief is the problem underlying the way he worshipped God, which, of course, was not worship at all. Self-willed worship then, is not the worship of God, but an outward form of unbelief.

Likewise, “false humility” is a self-willed humility.

While self-willed worship is supposedly directed to God, self-willed humility is directed toward deceiving men giving them the impression of a godly humble soul.

It is pious men like these who because of their appearance of wisdom and humility bring error into the church with ease, because of their supposed trustworthiness.

The term, “neglect of the body” has the idea of severe treatment of the body which is what asceticism is. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to neglect our bodies to the extreme, but rather to care for it.

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

Scripture tells us that we are bought with a price, which is the shed blood of Christ; this is what gives us real value and a responsibility to care for ourselves.

“…that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel [body] in sanctification and honor…” 1 Thessalonians 4:4.

While the two verses above have a physical aspect of avoiding such things that damage us like gluttony, drugs, tobacco and alcohol abuse, they also include moral abuses like promiscuity and wantonness.

Moral laxity is another thing often engaged in by the ascetics.

Again, asceticism only creates a “Look at me!” sort of pride; while having the appearance of humility but being the exact opposite.

Finally, all of these things have a great appearance of worshipful humility, but none of them will change who the person is. Inside they will still be the same dishonest, lustful sinner that they were before they put their costume makeup on.

Colossians 2:20-23 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 1-28-14, updated on 4-5-20.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.