When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Colossians 2:13-15
As we pick up from yesterday, we see right away the connection we discovered. Notice the link between “dead in your sins” and “uncircumcision.” Here they are used interchangeably, and since they are used this way, we can be certain, as we were yesterday, that circumcision here is not the literal procedure done in physical terms. While we were in our sins then, God made us alive in Christ and forgave our sins. So far, this is easy to understand, and wonderful to behold, full as it is with the love and mercy of a loving Father in heaven. It gets even better…
God cancelled the “written code” with its “regulations” that were “against us.” So not only have our sins been forgiven, not only have we been made alive in Christ, but the Law that condemned us has been ended; from now on it’s all about Christ!
God, in effect, nailed the old laws and rules to the cross with Christ and killed it. Christ rose from the grave, we rose with Him from baptism (2:12) and the written code remains in the grave… and there’s still more! In doing this, God has “disarmed” the “powers and authorities” and triumphed over them at the cross. These “powers and authorities” are the very ones who accuse us. Even now they may try to accuse, but they have been defeated at the cross; the ballgame is really over! Our sins are forgiven, we are alive in Christ, and when they attempt to accuse, they are exposed for the liars they have always been, for there is no written code any more.
This is one of the great liberating facts of our Faith. Those accusers have no audience with God, for they have been humiliated by the cross! Who is the one who accuses? Satan, his allies and those who would do his bidding on the earth. What Jesus has done for us on the cross has rendered their accusations altogether irrelevant, and we need not be concerned with them ever again!
What a gracious and loving Heavenly Father we have! What a glorious Lord we follow! What a blessed people we are!
Life Project Blog 
Thank you, Jesus, for paying the ultimate and painful death on the cross for my sins! Thank you for forgiveness, mercy, and your generous love!
Amen!
Now a walk through sin v mistakes? When does one become the other – are they the same/are they different? My question is linked to conversations elsewhere. And then linked here also. That knowing we have been forgiven as you have just walked through – the dwelling on “feeling bad”, beating ourselves up, not “accepting” we are already forgiven, that kind of stuff – maybe that could in itself be sinning (?) – or at least looking a gift horse in the mouth and walking away. Another distraction getting in the way.
(do you do requests?) 🙂
Sin v. mistakes…
“He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:13b-14) Since the written code is gone, why hold on to the legal mindset that sees codes, ordinances and violations? That’s over, nailed to the cross, that is the victory! Beyond that, God knows our hearts better than we do. He knows when we deliberately rebel as opposed to a mistake; He is not looking for an excuse to say “GOTCHA!” He is looking to love! Case Dismissed!
As for the “stuff” it is a distraction for sure, as for the rest, that’s harder to say.
Requests? From you? Shoot…
Case Dismissed! Just love that 🙂 And a request. Thank you. You prompted me to read 1 2 3 John and without going forensic, verse by verse, word by word – I did get a sense that within the letters was something of “this is not heading where it’s meant to be”. We must be on guard. A look back at the OT, and a “shakiness” under the surface.
Much like a lot of the writing I see today. The lost world, the church debate, the different isms, the holding onto the core, the essence, The Lord.
Which – if there is anything in my reading – surprises me. And feels like something important to grasp – yet just out of reach.
Interesting observation… and you are exactly right, something was wrong. might just make a fun post, so let me think on that for a while… and check your email in a few; I;ll send your the quick version.
I had a post on Tumblr and one blogger suggested her sin was not great enough to send Jesus to his death. I corrected her with: John 3:16 God GAVE his son…for all of our sins. It was an interesting response from someone I did not know.
Yes it was… and I thought I’d heard them all! Thanks for that; very interesting!
I thought that would make your day! 🙂
LOVE today’s post! Thank you!
Thanks!
Job comes to mind here. Praise the Lord that He has canceled our sins by baring them for us. What a Saviour we have in Christ!
Yes Sir!