15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities,b he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over themc by the cross.e

Freedom From Human Rules

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge youd by what you eat or drink,e or with regard to a religious festival,f a New Moon celebrationg or a Sabbath day.h 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come;i the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humilityj and the worship of angels disqualify you.k Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. 19 They have lost connection with the head,l from whom the whole body,m supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.n

20 Since you died with Christo to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,p why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules:q 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perishr with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.s 23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humilityt and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.