Colossians: Nailed to the Cross

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Talk intro:

We’re continuing our journey through the book of Colossians today and as a reminder Paul is writing to a relatively new group of believers to help them understand 2 important truths. He is telling them who Jesus is and what difference He makes in their life.

He is trying to help them see that Jesus is above all things including their gods and religious systems.

So far Paul has been revealing a ‘formula’ of sorts that goes like this: The Godhead is completely in Christ and Christ is in us so we are complete in Christ.

Last week we saw one aspect of this completeness in that the requirements of the law have been completely met in Christ and today we’re going to see how this was done.

Turn with me to Colossians 2:13-15 and let’s read it…..

We know from vs. 11-12 that the requirements of the law have been met for us in Christ and in these verses we see how it was done.

In verse 13 Paul explains the spiritual condition we all start out with as spiritually dead and separated from God. The word trespasses means to slip aside or take the wrong path and when we trespass we’re in a place where we’re not supposed to be.

By using this description Paul is pointing back to the Garden of Eden and the trespass of our first parents. Adam and Eve sinned and brought death to us all because the plowed right through God’s ‘No Trespassing sign.’ God had said that they weren’t to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil but they did and we all now suffer from spiritual death.

But Paul makes it clear that we are all guilty of sin because we all go past God’s ‘No Trespassing’ signs on our own. We are born with a sin nature because of Adam’s sin but we commit sin by our own choices and actions. Add to that the fact that we are all gentiles, or of the uncircumcised, we are hit with a hopeless double whammy being alienated from God because of sin and race.

The good news starts in the second part of verse 13 and vs. 14. When Paul says that we are made alive together with Christ He is pointing to the importance of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Christ arose from the dead physically and we arise spiritually with Him and because of the resurrection we will someday live eternally.

Now vs. 14 tells us what was done for us by Jesus. When Jesus was nailed to the cross the ‘No Trespassing signs’ were erased. Our trespasses created a legal obligation that we could not fulfill. When you trespass you can’t un-trespass. What’s done is done and you are guilty and under obligation to fulfill the penalty. The phrase ‘handwriting of requirements’ literally means a decree of obligation.

It seems as if Paul is visualizing the cross as he’s writing this and every detail has meaning because the cross is were the law was fulfilled.

Pilate ordered that a sign that said ‘The King of the Jews” be nailed to the cross above the head of Jesus and in that declaration we were all condemned. But when Christ asked God to ‘forgive them for they know not what they do.” He was in a very real sense doing the very thing Paul writes in vs. 14.

So when we sin there is an obligation for our sin to be paid for and the wages of our sin is death. The law works for us until we break it, then it works against us. The law provides for our safe passage through this life but when we break it turns and becomes contrary to us and stands between us and God. .

When Christ was nailed to the cross He wiped away our entire debt of sin. He paid it in full and as Paul reminds us He wipes it away as if it never existed. The only one who can forgive a trespass is the one who has been trespassed against and that’s what Jesus has done for us.

In verse 15 Paul has a special message for these new Gentile believers. The word disarmed means Jesus has taken away their power. The word spectacle means to make a public display of something and the word triumphing means to celebrate a victory.

So basically Paul is saying “You know all of those gods, goddesses, evil spirits and idols that used to control you? Those supposed supernatural beings that brought you so much fear and bondage? Well I’ve got good news for you! Jesus has taken away all of their power and He has exposed them publicly as worthless frauds and He’s throwing a party to celebrate!”

What looked like a defeat turned out to be a victory party and we’re invited.