“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” (Colossians 2:13-14)
I awoke this morning to a deeper revelation on this set of scriptures. God is SO AWESOME! This may not hit as deep with you as it is with me right now, but I want to share it with you. Please just read it anyhow and let it sit in your mind and heart. Let God massage it into your spirit and minister to you today.
The first part of this passage is one with which we are all familiar – Christ drew us, He awoke a part of us when we were yet dead (or as Paul wrote – we were corpses in our sinful nature). We didn’t know God, didn’t want anything to do with Him or His Son Jesus. We were living according to the nature and the patterns of this worldly, earthly, natural life. We only believed in what we could see, feel, hear, taste, and touch. Carnal is the official term. We lived only by our senses. If it felt good we did it – because it pleased our physical selves. But one day Jesus reached through the separating veil between the physical world and the spiritual realm and touched us. He awoke our spiritual awareness and called us to step into another dimension of existence – to come alive to the unseen world around us. That part we have known (and hopefully responded to).
Ah, but the next part is what God showed me this morning. I have always heard it and taught it that the handwriting of ordinances that was against us consisted of the accusations of Satan and the slanders that were uttered against us by others. But it goes much, MUCH farther than that. The handwriting of ordinances that Paul pointed out in this passage is actually the Old Testament set of Laws handed down by God and all the sundry commentaries and writings of the priests and lawyers of Jewish Law that came out of the Ten Commandments! These were given by God to convict us of our sinfulness. They were handed down by God in order to show us just how badly we needed a Savior. These Laws convicted the Jews of their evil and knocked down their sense of entitlement as being the chosen ones of God. But it also built a wall against us Gentiles. It showed us our wretchedness and sense of hopelessness for a variety of reasons. First, God gave these Laws to the Jews as His special, chosen people, therefore locking us out of His blessings. Without the promise of a Savior, we were forever bound for an eternity separated from Him. All mankind stood before the Holy and Righteous God convicted and condemned because of this Handwriting that was against us.
But praise be to Jesus Christ Who came – not to abolish these Laws, but to fulfill them completely in Himself! He, Being the Word of God in the flesh, Being the God-man, Being Immanuel (God with us and in us), was able to satisfy the just demands of the Law of God in Himself, overcoming it and completely paying the debt owed to God by its righteous demands. He was able to take that Law (and all the ordinances that came forth from it), the demand for payment from God (for the sinful debt of man against God), and nail it to His cross marked “Paid In Full”!
Like a sleazy credit collection agency, Satan has created a duplicate copy of that debt and tries to come against us again and again in an attempt to drain us of our resources. He tries to present that bill of debt against our health. He tries to present that bill of debt against our peace. He tries to present that bill of debt against our families. He tries to present that bill of debt against our salvation. He tries to kill, steal, and destroy us by trying to make us pay the debt that Jesus Christ already paid by dying on the cross. And if we don’t realize that debt is already paid, we will try (and often DO try) to satisfy that debt in every way we can. BUT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID IN FULL! HALLELUJAH TO GOD!!!
This is why we worship Jesus Christ. This is why we are filled with gratitude to God. He made a Way when there was no way. That is why Jesus Christ said, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.” My friend, you cannot tithe your way into heaven (although we are to give tithes to God). You cannot serve your way into heaven (although we are to serve others out of love). You cannot repent enough (for sins already forgiven), cry enough, beg enough, or self-condemn enough to pay that debt that has already been paid for you. All you have to do is come to Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation. Acknowledge His sacrifice on your behalf, freely accept it as your own, and walk in His forgiveness. YOU ARE FREE.
This really hits me down deep this morning, as I hope it does you. Jesus loves you. God loves you. The Blessed Holy Spirit loves you. You have the Creator of the Universe, the King of heaven and earth, the Giver of life on your side today. How can you lose when the Righteous Judge (God) sits on the throne and His Son, Jesus, is your Advocate (your Defense Attorney) both on your side? Quit listening to the lies of the enemy. When he comes to accuse you, when he tries to exact payment (again), when he tries to drag you into court to destroy you, stand your ground. You owe nothing. That debt has been paid. The only debt you now owe is a debt of gratitude to the One Who already paid it. He took your place. YOU ARE FREE.
Today I challenge you to grasp onto this revelation and walk in that freedom. Breathe deeply the breath of life. Lift your head up high, child of God. Square your shoulders, stand tall, and walk like the child of God you are. You are to rule and reign in this earth – to take and have dominion over the world around you. Study the scriptures. Know your place. Put on the garment of praise instead of the garment of heaviness and sorrow. You are part of the holy nation of God, a royal priest, a chosen one.
Be blessed.
(05 OCT 2024)
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