The Paul You Never Knew

[posthuman]

those things are shadows of the reality that has been shown to us - the reality is Christ.

the sacrifices of goats and bulls to cover sin; a shadow of the sacrifice of Jesus that removes sin.
the regulations enforcing 'rest' on the Sabbath; a shadow of the true rest found in Jesus.
circumcision of the body as a seal of belonging to a covenant people; a shadow of the gift of the Holy Spirit that marks us as redeemed when we hear the word and believe.
a priesthood that went before God to speak on behalf of the people; a shadow of Emmanuel, God with us, through whom we have audience with the Almighty ourselves.
a house built by human hands where the name of the Lord should dwell; a shadow of ourselves as His body, in whose hearts He has written His name, being built by His own hand.

it's almost as if, when we were children we had a toy oven and played house, pretending to cook food, while in reality our parents were preparing our meals.
now that we have grown, and we have a real kitchen - can we feed our own children with these toys?

we don't have to rely on stories of how in ancient times, God fed the people He chose for Himself with manna while we work to produce our own bread.
we have Jesus Christ, the true manna from heaven who has chosen us, and we can be satisfied this day to eat of Him!

 

[sparkman]

Good analogy concerning the toy oven.

One thing I noticed recently is that the exact same language of "shadow" that Colossians 2:16-17 uses in regards to the Sabbath and festivals is employed in Hebrews 10:1-2 in regards to the animal sacrifices, which are very obviously ceremonial and ritualistic.

Col 2:16-17 Therefore let no man 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.

Heb 10:1-2 So since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these reality, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?

those things are shadows of the reality that has been shown to us - the reality is Christ.

the sacrifices of goats and bulls to cover sin; a shadow of the sacrifice of Jesus that removes sin.
the regulations enforcing 'rest' on the Sabbath; a shadow of the true rest found in Jesus.
circumcision of the body as a seal of belonging to a covenant people; a shadow of the gift of the Holy Spirit that marks us as redeemed when we hear the word and believe.
a priesthood that went before God to speak on behalf of the people; a shadow of Emmanuel, God with us, through whom we have audience with the Almighty ourselves.
a house built by human hands where the name of the Lord should dwell; a shadow of ourselves as His body, in whose hearts He has written His name, being built by His own hand.

it's almost as if, when we were children we had a toy oven and played house, pretending to cook food, while in reality our parents were preparing our meals.
now that we have grown, and we have a real kitchen - can we feed our own children with these toys?

we don't have to rely on stories of how in ancient times, God fed the people He chose for Himself with manna while we work to produce our own bread.
we have Jesus Christ, the true manna from heaven who has chosen us, and we can be satisfied this day to eat of Him!