# What does "shadows and substance" mean (Colossians 2:17)?

**The phrase comes from Colossians 2:17, where the Old Testament’s festivals and laws are called "a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." A shadow shows the shape of something real that casts it; the substance is the reality itself — Jesus. The framework reads the Old Testament’s shadows (temple, feasts, sabbaths) toward their fulfillment, their substance, in Christ.**

## The verse

> Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.  
> — Colossians 2:16-17 (ESV)

## Shadow and substance

A shadow is real, but it is not the thing itself — it points to the object that casts it. Paul says the feasts, new moons, and sabbaths were shadows; the body casting them is Christ. So the Old Testament is read forward: its patterns and institutions anticipate Jesus and are fulfilled in him.

## Why it names the whole framework

This is the lens of Shadows & Substance: the temple, the seven feasts, the sabbath, the firstborn — each a shadow whose substance is found in Christ and his finished work. Reading this way keeps prophecy Christ-centered and hopeful rather than fearful.

## Frequently asked

**What is the "substance" in Colossians 2:17?**

Christ himself. The Old Testament shadows point to him as the reality that fulfills them.

**Does this mean the Old Testament no longer matters?**

No — it means the Old Testament is read in light of Christ, who fulfills its shadows. The shadows still teach by showing the shape of the substance.

**Is "shadows and substance" just symbolism?**

It is typology: real historical shadows that genuinely anticipate a real fulfillment in Christ — not mere allegory.

## Sources & further reading

- [Colossians 2 — Blue Letter Bible](https://www.blueletterbible.org/)

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Read in the framework: https://shadowsandsubstance.org/hermeneutical-key/ (The Hermeneutical Key)

Shadows & Substance is an original, fourteen-part biblical framework for the last days by Aaron Smith (Marriage After God) that reads the shadows of the Old Testament toward their substance in Christ (Colossians 2:17) — written to be held in hope, not alarm.

Source: Aaron Smith · Marriage After God · Smith Family Resources, Inc.
Canonical: https://shadowsandsubstance.org/answers/what-does-shadows-and-substance-mean/