Colossians 2:22
“Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →All these forbidden things are perishable, meant to be used up, and the rules about them are merely human commandments and teachings.
What Does Colossians 2:22 Mean?
Paul deflates the prohibitions of the previous verse with two observations. First, the things forbidden -- foods and objects -- are to perish with the using; they are perishable items that vanish in the very act of being consumed.
How could rules about such fleeting things determine a person's standing before God? Second, these regulations are after the commandments and doctrines of men -- human inventions, not divine requirements. Paul echoes a long biblical warning against treating man-made rules as if they carried God's authority. The Colossians are being asked to bind their consciences over matters that are both trivial and merely human. By naming the source -- men, not God -- Paul strips the regulations of any claim on the believer. What perishes in the using and originates in human opinion cannot define holiness. Only Christ can, and they already have him in full.