Opinions of Others. Colossians 2:16 There are several ways to handle differences of opinion. I need to consider various factors before deciding if an opinionated person's view is important. If the course I am following is one I believe God has directed me to or aligns with the Bible, I will continue along it. If a new believer or a child thinks I should change course, I will respond differently than I would to the opinion of a mature Christian. When everything is new to someone, I will wait before speaking, but I won't work with someone who has “a bone to chew.”
Some people turn their own "do's and don'ts" into a kind of religion; it's really about personal preference. Often, they insist that everyone follow their rules, and they keep pushing their opinions through constant verbal arguments. If that happens, step in and stop them, and don't let them keep burdening others with their superstitions. Use the scriptures as the basis for what we do. Read the relevant passages together, then have them read the same ones out loud. Make sure they don't stumble or mislead new sisters and brothers.
People who demand their ways be followed may not even be true Christians. They must not be allowed to weaken the faith of others. They must be stopped before those new in the faith and unfamiliar with the Bible are convinced to turn away from what they have been taught from God’s word by the deception of false teachers of any kind or religion. Our sufficiency is in Christ; He alone is supreme. In everything we do, He alone is the source of the words we obey and follow. The safety of the saints requires someone to come and protect those who have recently trusted in the Lord.
Christ was victorious over sin, evil powers, and death when He met the claims of God’s justice on our behalf. In light of that, the restrictions and impositions of law-keepers and those who do not believe in salvation by grace alone have no basis for judging people who have been saved by grace through faith without any works or religious additions. Religious rules about what we eat and drink that are based on the law do not make a person more spiritual. The rules of the law were a temporary restraint and a shadow of the reality fulfilled when Christ came.
We might think that a person’s taboos are harmless, but they can become harmful if they are imposed on others as necessary to please God. God is pleased and satisfied with all His Son accomplished on the cross; anything added to that as an obligation has no divine authority behind it. The shadows passed when the reality arrived. Our Lord Jesus fulfilled all the regulations that the law demanded.
Jewish feasts, Sabbaths, and traditions were important to Israel because they were waiting for the Messiah to become their king. However, they rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and many Jews still observe the customs of Judaism. For believers in Christ who are not judged by the law but follow Christ, there is freedom to obey what the Holy Spirit guides. We must follow what He teaches us from the Bible in both doctrine and practice.
One specific practice of Judaism that confuses some believers is what the law says about the Sabbath. The Sabbath became a symbol of the covenant God made with Israel. Christians gather together on the first day of the week not as a “Sabbath” but to follow what the early church did after Christ rose from the dead on that day. The Lord rose from the dead on that day; He met at least twice with His disciples and ate with them in fellowship; the early believers observed the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week, heard teaching, gave offerings to the Lord, and were reminded of His return in a special way on that day.
So, “holding fast” our testimony, practicing good works, showing love, and "assembling ourselves together” maintain our fellowship, promote the word of God, and keep the Lord’s return fresh in our minds and hearts.