Col. 2:16-19 - Hold fast to Christ

Hold fast to Christ, nothing less, nothing more

Vs. 16 - Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—

- "Therefore" - Therefore, what? Because of the facts Paul has given above in verses 8-14, we have a list of reasons to cling to Christ and Him alone. We are admonished - do not be led astray . This is Paul’s Third Warning - BOLO - Don’t be Judged.
Here is a list of the reasons Paul can say, "Therefore". (See: Col. 2:8-15)

1. Jesus is all the fullness of God - v. 9
2. You have been made complete in Him - v. 10
3. You no longer are slave of your flesh, or body - v. 11
4. Jesus has all authority and power - v. 10
5. You have been given new life - death and resurrection - v. 12
6. You were dead because of your sin - now you are alive - v. 13
7. He has cancelled out the certificate of death - your death sentence - v. 14
8. He has disarmed rulers and authorities - especially Satan - they no longer have any power over you. - v. 15, 16

Since Christ should be pre-eminent in our lives - don't worry about the others making demands of you. Read Romans 14.

Paul lists the things with which people may try to weigh you down, saddle you with unneeded burdens:

1. "Food" - Mark 17:19; Rom. 14:17; Heb. 9:8-12
2. "Drink" - same as above
3. "Festival" - Lev. 23:2; Rom. 14:5
4. "New Moon" - 1 Chron. 23:31; 2 Chron. 31:3; Neh. 10:33
5. "Sabbath" - Mark 2:27-28; Deut. 5:14

These were all things that Jews felt necessary to be right with God. Not only Jews but there were pagan holidays, secular religions - whatever. If we are right with Christ, then these are useless. If not, then these have the potential to harm us, spiritually. These activities seem harmless, and often give us a framework upon which we can order our lives. These ‘harmless’ activities may give us a cocoon or a safe place where we feel comfortable. But this reliance can cause us to drift away from Jesus. We believe in a Person, not a system.

Vs. 17 - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

“mere shadow - These things are not real, or important. Because Christ only is important. The Jewish law served as a pointer to Christ - "types" is the official jargon. These items - food, festivals, etc., are called "shadows" because Christ is the real answer. (See Eph. 1:23).
The poet T.S. Eliot wrote a series of four poems about his conversion to Christianity ("The Four Quartets") One of the poems is about walking through a rose garden of an abandoned house (perhaps it was winter). As he looks at the rose bushes, he can see glimpses in his mind of how beautiful it used to be, but now lies in ruins. That is the picture of us here on earth with respect to heaven. With all the beauty we see around us, we know in our souls this is a dead and dying world, and there is something far more magnificent waiting for us.
We look around us, and the song "Is That All There Is?" (Peggy Lee) comes to mind. If this is all that we have going for us we might as well give up. But, thank God there is more, vastly more, immeasurably more than we can possibly imagine. Jesu Has prepared it for us.

Vs. 18 - Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

This is the Fourth Warning - BOLO - Do not be fooled, defrauded. (See the comment on verse 2:4.)

See the Tyndale commentary on Colossians. See also Good News For Modern Man version: “Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions...”.

Of your prize... - What is the "prize"? Joy of freedom in Christ.

“Inflated without cause - Who are the ones who maintain man-made religion? People who have pride in their humility, therefore, false humility. Those who worship angels. Those who have 'visions' and dwell on them. These people try to keep us from experiencing joy in Christ by forcing us to comply with rules. They are trying to substitute the pleasure of clinging to ritual for the joy of knowing Jesus. Do not confuse form for substance!

Vs. 19 - and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

“not holding fast to the head“ - The real key to their problem. "There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way that leads to death." Prov. 14:12 By convincing themselves they are on the correct path, they have lost sight of the savior Jesus Christ. God provides the growth for the body, the church. What are the joints and ligaments of the body? God supplies them also, the body is held together by them and nourished through them. I believe these are the pastors, teachers leaders, and messages from the apostles. The fellowship of the believers may also be part of the joints and ligaments.