What Does Colossians 2:14 Mean?

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 2:14(NASB)

Verse of the Day

The requirement of God's Law was total perfection. It was the finger of God Who wrote the ten commandments on the two stone tablets, and it was the hand of Moses that recorded God's Law in its entirety. The Law may have been given to Israel, but that Law condemns every human soul, for ALL have sinned and all fall short of His glory.

The Law was written by the hand of God on tablets of stone, and that handwriting condemned every member of the human race, for the Law is perfect, but the Law accuses every man of sin. The Law demands flawless perfection from flawed man and so that same Law condemns every member of the human race, for no one can keep the perfect requirement of God's ideal standard. The perfect Law cannot justify fallen man. It can only condemn every imperfect sinner to death, for the wages of our sin is death. The Law is a certificate of debt that each of us owes to God, but none of us can repay. 

The consequences of this demanded perfection is the utter inability to keep the righteous requirements of the Law. Every man is defective in his capacity to live up to the standard that God requires. The charge stamped against each one of us is 'FAILED' 'CONDEMNED' 'GUILTY'. The finger of accusation points accusingly at the entire human race. It points to you and it points to me.

The Law demands the death sentence for every man and every woman, but Jesus: "Wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us." He fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law on our behalf and destroyed the demands of the law that were against us: "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements, He cancelled out the certificate of debt, which consists of decrees against us, which was hostile to us and has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross."

The wonderful gospel of Christ addresses this issue forever and every one of our defects is cancelled by the blood of the Lamb. He became the complete sacrifice for both the sins we committed during our lifetime, and the sin nature we inherited in our very being.

It was through the grace of God that He gave His only begotten Son, to take the full and final punishment for our sins. And His sacrifice of Himself cancelled the record of the charges against all who would trust in His name. He took it all away by nailing it to the Cross. By grace through faith in Christ, the almighty God cancelled the record of the charge against us and taken it right away, by nailing it to the Cross. Hallelujah!

The death of Christ put an end to our sin. The Resurrection of the Lord quickened within us a brand-new nature; our new-life in Christ. The charges and accusations that are written in our own 'book of living' condemn us all to eternal separation from the one and only true and living God, and His requisite perfection.

But thanks be to God, for He not only implemented the need for perfection in each of us, but provided the Way for us all to be perfect and entire. In His grace, He achieved this through the pure sacrifice of His eternal Son, in our stead. "HE cancelled out the certificate of debt, which consists of decrees against us. HE revoked the pronouncements that were hostile to us. Jesus has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross."

Each accusation against me and each charge against you was firmly and permanently nailed to His Cross. The punishment that we deserved was cancelled, because 'Another' paid the price. It was God's plan from eternity past that the Lord Jesus would cancel the record of the charges against us and take it away by nailing it to the Cross, and for those who believe in His name, it is FINISHED.

Through time and into eternity, we will never comprehend the infinite value the Cross of Christ is to fallen man. Our sin was judged forever at the Cross and will never be judged again. Christ took the punishment for our sin, covered us in His righteousness, and declared us righteous. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word of truth and the sound doctrine it contains. I pray that You would guide me into all truth as I abide in Christ, study the Scriptures, and test the spirit of all teachings, to see if it is from You. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

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