“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.” Colossians 2:14
Before you read and study this passage, I encourage you to first read Colossians 2:13, where I discusses and explains why we were dead in our trespasses and why we are called “the uncircumcision of our flesh.” Understanding this is essential, because it helps us grasp what Paul means in this passage.
Here in the United States, credit cards and credit history play an essential role in everyday life. A credit score is commonly required to purchase a home, buy a car, obtain a personal loan, or even rent an apartment. While credit cards can help build credit, they also carry significant risks. When used without discipline and control, they can lead to overwhelming debt. Many Americans eventually file for bankruptcy, which remains on a credit report for up to seven years. During that time, individuals often struggle to qualify for loans, purchase a home or vehicle, or secure housing. Because of these long-term consequences, many people try to avoid filing for bankruptcy. However, they often become trapped in debt not only through credit cards but also through multiple types of loans.
Now imagine carrying a debt so large that you have no idea how it could ever be repaid. Then imagine receiving a letter stating that the entire balance has been paid in full and permanently removed from the system because an anonymous person paid it for you. In that moment, you are given the opportunity to start life over again without the heavy burden of debt and without being stuck in a cycle that once felt never-ending.
Even in situations like this, there is still hope. We know that some Americans are able to get back on their feet, even after carrying a heavy financial burden on their shoulders. But the debt we owe to God is different.
When Adam fell, death entered into all of us. As it is written, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). And how can a dead person pay a debt? I am not talking about physical death here as we all knew that Adam continued to live physically, but he became spiritually dead, and the same condition passed on to all of us.
Since Adam fell, we have all been separated from God because of our iniquities. This separation unable us to remember, know, or seek God on our own. We alienated to His truth. The Scriptures say, “For in death there is no remembrance of You” (Psalm 6:5). This is why, when we receive the LORD Jesus Christ, everything feels new, unfamiliar, and different.
Our situation was truly hopeless. We were spiritually dead, unable to understand our own condition, unaware of our danger, and ignorant of the God who alone could save us. We did not know we were lost. We did not even know there was a God to cry out to. And how can a dead person ask to be rescued? How can someone call for help when they do not even know help exists?
We knew nothing of God at all. Even the disciples born and raised within God’s covenant failed to recognize Him when He stood right in front of them. They asked Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” If the rich man, who claimed to have kept all the commandments, could not enter the kingdom of God because he would not let go of his possessions, what hope was there for anyone?
Jesus gave an answer that reveals the our true condition, saying,“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). It is impossible for us to save ourselves and but not with God. This is why God knew we would never reach out to Him on our own—our sin had separated us, and our spiritual death left us blind and powerless. That is why Scripture says, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). When it says “while we were still sinners,” it means this: while we were dead, unaware, and walking straight toward judgment, God made a way where there was no way. Jesus stepped into our hopelessness. He opened the door of escape from the condemnation we all deserved. Salvation did not begin with us choosing God. It began with God choosing to love us.
This helps us understand what Paul means when he says that God “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.” If the Lord Jesus had not come and given His life for us, we would have no hope at all. We would stand condemned, unable to escape judgment, because we could never fulfill the law.
The law demands perfection, beginning with the very first commandment. How can we love God when we do not truly know Him or are not even aware of Him? Scripture tells us plainly, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). No one has ever been able to justify themselves by the law, and no one has ever been able to keep it fully. Only Jesus did.
He did not only fulfill the law, but through Him we also receive righteousness. Every accusation of the law, with all its charges and demands that once condemned us to death, was placed upon Him. He carried it all and paid for it with His own life. Scripture reminds us, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). On the cross, Jesus completed the work of salvation when He declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
This helps us understand what Paul means when he says, “And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Everything that once stood against us was removed and nailed to the cross with Christ. The sin that condemned us and the death that separated us from God were dealt with fully through His sacrifice. By His death, Jesus abolished the enmity that stood between us and God. What once kept us far away has been removed. As it is written, “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, … (Ephesians 2:14-15).
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). There is no longer a wall standing between us and God. What once separated us has been torn down, and we are no longer kept at a distance from His presence (Ephesians 2:14). Through Jesus, we are free to draw near to God with confidence because His blood has opened the way for us, and because His sacrifice has made us clean. (Hebrews 10:19–22).
You are no longer dead, lost, or unaware of God. You are no longer without hope. Scripture tells us that we were once dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with Christ (Colossians 2:13). You are no longer in debt, because Jesus paid for all your sins. The debt has been wiped out. You are now debt free. You are no longer defined as a sinner, but you are righteous in Christ through faith. There is no condemnation over you anymore, because you are no longer bound by sin. You are also no longer a stranger or an outsider to God. Through Jesus, you have been given the right to become a child of God. You belong to Him, and you are welcomed into His presence. But greater than all of this is the promise of eternal life with our Father. A life no longer bound by time or space, where we will worship Him in the beauty of His holiness and dwell with Him forever.
thespeiro.com 