In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. (Col 2:11–15).
Colossians 2 verse 14 speaks to this innate resistance to laws and restrictions within mankind. It says Christ has "cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us." In other words, Christ has removed the burden of the law against us.
This verse highlights that our natural inclination to resist laws is not limited to traffic signals or other man-made regulations. It is a deeper issue that is tied to our sin nature. Our disobedience and rebellion against God's law separate us from Him, but that separation is removed through Christ. He has paid the penalty for our sins and set us free from the law’s condemnation. This doesn't mean we should continue to disobey God's law, but rather that we are no longer bound by it. Instead, we are free to obey Him out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us.
What is meant by Handwriting of Requirements?
Here Paul writes: "having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." The phrase "handwriting of requirements" refers to a legal document or a record of debts. In Colossians 2, Paul is speaking about the requirements of the Jewish law, which were seen as a burden that could not be fulfilled by human effort alone. The law was intended to show people their need for a saviour and point them toward faith in Jesus Christ.
Why was the law contrary to us?
Paul emphasizes that this record of debts was "contrary to us" - it stood as an obstacle to our salvation, as it revealed our sinfulness and inability to save ourselves.
In the Old Testament, the law was given to the Israelites to guide righteous living and maintain their relationship with God. However, the law also revealed their constant failure to keep it and their need for a saviour. Deuteronomy 27:26 says, "Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out." The law was seen as a burden that the people could not bear, and it brought a curse upon those who failed to keep it perfectly.
In the New Testament, Paul emphasizes the burden of the law and the impossibility of fulfilling it on our own. Romans 3:23, he writes, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This means no one can independently fulfill the law’s demands because we are all sinful and fall short of God's perfect standard. In Galatians 3:10, he writes, "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'" Here, Paul says the law curses those who rely on it for salvation because they cannot keep it perfectly.
The law was against us because it revealed our sinfulness and inability to meet God's perfect standard. The Jewish law, given to Moses by God, was a set of moral, civil, and ceremonial laws that the Israelites were expected to obey to maintain their relationship with God. However, the law reminded them of their constant failure to keep it and their need for a saviour.
In Romans 3:20, Paul writes, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Here, Paul is saying that the purpose of the law is not to make people righteous, but to reveal their sinfulness and need for a savior. Similarly, in Galatians 3:24, Paul says that the law was a "guardian" or "tutor" until Christ came, that it might bring us to Him.
In other words, the law was never intended to be a means of salvation, but rather to show us our need for salvation. The law revealed our inability to live up to God's perfect standard and highlighted our need for a savior.
However, Paul also emphasizes that through faith in Jesus, we are no longer under the burden of the law and the curse of our sins. In Galatians 3:13, he writes, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'" Jesus took the curse that we deserved on the cross, and through faith in Him, we are no longer under the burden of the law and the curse of our sins.
How did Jesus take it away?
Paul is saying that through Jesus' death on the cross, the legal record of our debts or failures, which was the law that we could not fulfill, has been wiped out or cancelled. In other words, the penalty that we deserved for failing to keep the law has been paid by Jesus on the cross.
Jesus took the law away by fulfilling its demands on our behalf. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life and fulfilled all the requirements of the law that we could not fulfill. He then took the punishment that we deserved on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins, and thus satisfying the demands of the law.
Through faith in Jesus, we are no longer under the burden of the law and the penalty of our sins, because Jesus has fulfilled the law on our behalf and taken our punishment. As a result, we are free to live in a new way, guided by the Holy Spirit and empowered by the grace of God.
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