en_tn_lite_do_not_use/col/02/17.md

These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance is Christ

A shadow shows the shape of an object, but it is not the object itself. In a similar way, the festivals, celebrations, and Sabbaths show us something about how God would save people, but those things do not save people. The savior is Christ. Alternate translation: "These are like a shadow of what would happen, but the reality is Christ" or "These are like a shadow of the savior who would come, but the savior is Christ" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)