Colossians 2:20 Meaning: Died with Christ, Free from Human Rules
If you died with Christ from the elemental spirits of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances,
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances,
If, then, ye did die with the Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?
If ye have died with Christ from the elements of the world, why as [if] alive in [the] world do ye subject yourselves to ordinances?
Meaning in one sentence
Paul asks why believers who have died with Christ to the world's basic principles still submit to man-made ordinances and decrees.
Context
Paul is writing to a young church in Colossae that is being pulled in two directions. Some teachers are telling them they need to follow old Jewish customs like dietary laws and festival days. Others are adding rules about what to touch and taste as if holiness came from avoiding things. In the verses just before this one, Paul has already warned them not to let anyone judge them by such rules. Now he makes his strongest point. He says that when they died with Christ, they died to the basic principles of the world itself. Those principles include the whole system of earning God's favor through human effort and following external regulations. To go back to that life is to act as if they never died at all.
Key Words
Three Greek words carry the weight of this verse. The verb apethanete means you died. It is a past event, a single action completed when you were united with Christ. Paul does not say you are trying to die or you might die someday. He says you died. That death broke your connection to something.
What you died to is the stoicheia of the world. This word appears earlier in chapter 2 as rudiments or elements. It can mean the letters of the alphabet, the basic building blocks of something. In this context it points to the elementary teachings and practices that belong to the world and its way of thinking. Some Christians read it as spiritual forces, but the commentaries here lean toward the idea of basic religious rules that belong to this age. Either way, these are things that once held you but no longer do.
The last key word is dogmatizesthe. It is passive and it means to let yourself be subjected to decrees. You do not have to be dictated to any longer by a system of do this and do not touch that. You died to all of it.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have understood the rudiments of the world in two main ways. Many Protestant commentators, including Matthew Henry and Adam Clarke, see them as the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. They were the elementary lessons that pointed forward to Christ, and once Christ came, their purpose was finished. Other readers, including some from the Reformed tradition, understand these rudiments more broadly as the basic principles of any worldly religion or philosophy. The Cambridge Bible notes that the false teachers were imposing a mechanical system of rules. Both views agree that the death of Christ has set believers free from every system that tries to earn righteousness by human effort. What matters most is that Paul calls believers to live out of their union with Christ, not out of a list of ordinances.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think this verse means Christians should never follow any rules or structure at all. But Paul is not against all rules. He is against human ordinances that take the place of Christ. The problem is submitting to decrees that come from the world's basic principles rather than living from the life you have in Christ. The verse is about freedom from earning God's favor, not freedom from all discipline.
Living This Out
This week you will face moments where you are tempted to measure your spiritual life by a set of rules you or others have made. Maybe it is a list of things you must avoid to be holy, or a standard of performance that exhausts you. When that feeling comes, stop and remember that you died with Christ. That death cut the cord to the world's system of earning. You do not need to prove yourself. You are already free. Let that freedom shape your decisions. Ask yourself: am I doing this because I think it makes God love me more, or am I doing it because I am already loved and want to follow Him? The answer changes everything.
Main takeaway: Because you have truly died with Christ, the world's basic principles no longer have the right to tell you how to live.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
When you trust Jesus, you are part of His family. That means you do not have to follow every rule people make up to get close to God. You can just love Jesus and follow Him.
For ages 9, 12
Paul is telling the Colossians that when they died with Jesus, they were set free from having to earn God's love by keeping extra rules. Some people in their church were adding rules like do not touch this and do not taste that. Paul says those rules come from the world's way of thinking, not from Christ. You do not need a long checklist to be loved by God. You are already loved because you belong to Jesus.
Questions People Ask
What does 'elemental spirits of the world' mean in Colossians 2:20?
The Greek word is 'stoicheia,' which can mean basic principles, elements, or elemental spirits. Many commentators see it as the elementary teachings and practices of the world, especially the Jewish ceremonial laws that were like a beginner's guide. Others understand it as spiritual forces behind those systems. Either way, Paul says believers have died to them through Christ.
Is Paul saying Christians should never follow any rules?
No. Paul is arguing against human ordinances that people treat as necessary for salvation or holiness. He is not against godly discipline or obedience to Christ's commands. The problem is submitting to rules as if they give you standing before God, when Christ has already set you free.
What does it mean to 'die with Christ' in this verse?
Paul uses the aorist tense, pointing to a definite past event. When you were united with Christ through faith, you died with Him to the old way of life. That death broke the power of the world's basic principles over you. You are no longer defined by that system.
How does this apply to religious traditions today?
Any time a church or teacher adds requirements for being accepted by God that go beyond faith in Christ, they are returning to the rudiments of the world. This includes rules about diet, dress, or special days that are treated as essential. Paul reminds us that Christ alone is sufficient.
Does this verse forbid all dietary restrictions or holy days?
Not necessarily. Christians across traditions have different practices regarding food and days. The issue is whether those practices are seen as necessary for righteousness. Paul's point is that you do not need to submit to them as if they earn God's favor. You are free to follow them or not, but never as a requirement.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study