Summary:
Paul reminds the believers that, if they have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, they should no longer live as though they still belong to that old order. Because they are no longer bound to the world’s system, it would be inconsistent for them to submit to human regulations as if those rules had spiritual authority over them.
He points to commands such as not handling, tasting, or touching certain things. These regulations focus on temporary, perishable matters - things that are used and then pass away. They are not rooted in Christ, but in human commandments and teachings.
Paul acknowledges that such practices may appear wise on the surface. They can look like religion, humility, and strict discipline of the body. However, they do not have true power to restrain fleshly desire. The passage shows that outward religious restrictions may seem spiritual, but they cannot produce genuine transformation. Since believers have died with Christ, they are not to be controlled by human rules that belong to the old worldly order.
Teaching:
When we understand the world, we may identify a certain order within it. That order is what can be called the elementary principles of the world, or the principles by which the world operates. These things may be regarded as important in society or in life, but the point is that we have died to them together with Christ.
Dogma refers to a principle that has become enforced as an unquestionable rule. Everyone is expected to accept it without doubt, everyone is required to follow it, and criticism is not allowed. If someone refuses to follow it, that person may be excluded from the group or society to which they belong. In this sense, the Jewish Law functioned in that kind of way.
Dogma eventually becomes ideology, and a person who is deeply caught up in ideology finds it difficult to receive the gospel, because that person has already become bound by political and religious ways of thinking.
The gospel is completely different in nature from the elementary principles of the world, from dogma, and from ideology. All of these things eventually disappear with time. Even if they are treated as objects of absolute devotion for a certain period, once that time passes, they become worthless.
Jesus died in order to deliver us from the principles of the world, from dogma, and from ideology. Therefore, believing in Jesus means declaring that we no longer have anything to do with the world’s principles, dogma, or ideology. So those who believe in Jesus are people who live no longer under those things, but in Christ.
Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, June 16, 2026
Colossians 2:20-23