When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14
made you alive together with Him
These two verses are some of the most powerful words in all of the Bible. It is a snapshot of what Jesus has done for every person throughout the history of time.
Imagine writing down all of your sins, everyone single one of them. Think back through your life of all the things you have done as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult. All the inconsequential sins you’ve done in your lifetime will probably add up to quite a list. You could probably look at the ten commandments and say you’ve not broken any of those laws. Hence, you think you’ll be alright.
Don’t count on it. Jesus in the sermon on the mount truly lays it out when he says:
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;” Matthew 5:21-22“
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28
Sin is simply more than an actual physical act; it’s a heart condition. We cannot make ourselves better on our own. We must rely on what Jesus has done for us. Notice how Paul describes sin in the first phrase of verse 13, “dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh.” Transgressions equals sin; the uncircumcision refers to your sin nature. So, if you’re making list of all the sins you’ve committed, you might as well throw it away. Because you cannot make a list of your sinful nature.
We aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because by nature we are sinners. Steven J. Cole
made you alive through the work of God
Let’s take a look at what these verses actually say what Jesus did.
- He made you alive together with Him – this aliveness is seen throughout scripture. But nowhere in scripture does it demonstrate clearly as it does in the previous verse here in Colossians 2. Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. As a believers, God has regenerated through His work. Faith, God’s gift to us, has begun His work by raising us up together with Christ. Only God can give us new life. All the good works we may do will never resurrect us to eternity. Jesus took care of that when He walked out of the grave.
- He forgave us of all our sin – remember the list of all your sins? When you asked for forgiveness when you accepted Christ as your Savior, He forgave you of all your sins. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) If you haven’t asked Jesus to become your Savior, you can trust Jesus to forgive you of all your sins, past, present, and future. In the Old Testament, Isaiah 53 vividly describes how Jesus, the suffering Servant, took the sins of the world upon Himself, bore them to the cross, and suffered in our place so He could heal us.
- He cancelled the debt against us – we owe God a debt because we have disobeyed God’s law. To help understand this concept of the certificate of debt in today’s world is to visit a court of law. In the United States, a jury sometimes decides the fate of the accused after hearing all the evidence. When they have reached a verdict, the judge will have the jury foreperson read the outcome. A guilty verdict is always the outcome of all us being sinners. It’s as though a jury took the list of your sins and sinful nature pronouncing you guilty. Then, God took that certificate of debt canceling it. Why would He do that? Simply put, He loves you. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
- He took the debt away, nailing it to the cross – Jesus paid the price for your certificate of debt by dying on the cross. The Greek translation of the word conveys the idea that Jesus has permanently paid the debt. He has canceled it, and no one can ever present it as evidence against you again. For the sake of this study, the certificate of debt has been simplified as a list. But it’s more than just that. It’s the entire sins of all peoples throughout all times. But the Old Testament gives the written law. “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17)
made you alive to live
Once we realize what Jesus has done for us, all we have to do now is to live in the newness of the life He has given us. Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
Day Six: We Live