Colossians 2:20-23

If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world?  “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”  These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are on human commands and teachings.  Even though they have the appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.

We must always be careful not to attach human regulation or worth to the grace we are extended in Christ Jesus alone. His grace, and Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for our salvation is a work that He alone accomplished, and that work does not require our effort to be perfected. That work is perfect, and stands true as a gift offered to us all. Yet we deal with this challenge, this tension, on a daily basis as we seek to live for God. As the verse suggests, we are able to self-impose worship, false humility, denial of self, and a host of other things to "qualify ourselves" to be loved and forgiven and blessed by God. Anything we would do to improve our standing before God carries with it the danger of losing our first love: Jesus Christ. Remain in Christ, and do not get carried away.