Colossians 2:14-15

Colossians 2:14-15

After wiping out the record of debt against us from the ordinances that were hostile to us, He also carried it out of our midst after nailing it to the cross.  After stripping away the power of the rulers and authorities He put them to shame in a public manner – triumphing over them in Him.   

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Again we have some really neat circumstances surrounding the action of the main verb in the form of circumstantial participles: after wiping out & after nailing.  This takes the context that we started to talk about yesterday and carries it through today.  Yesterday we learned that God made us alive after forgiving us while we were still dead in sin.  Today we learn that God carried our debt away after nailing it to the cross and after wiping it clear.  We reinforce the learning that we heard yesterday.  God dealt with our sinfulness and put it to rest before bringing us into life.  To put it more bluntly: we can be confident that God has dealt with our sin.  He has dealt with it.  That part is over.  It is dealt with and cast aside.

How do you live out this reality that God has dealt with your sinfulness?  What does it mean to you that God has put aside your record of debt?

Second Thought:

We also get a chance to hear how God deals with the world.  He stripped the authorities of their power.  He puts them to shame in a public manner.  Now, let’s make sure that we understand what this is all about.  God is not saying that people who are against God don’t have power in the world.  Our experience tells us that there are plenty of people in the world who are against God and who have power.  What God is actually talking about is spiritual power.  Those religious elite who thought they knew what God was doing were put to shame publically when they condemned Jesus and God raised Him from death into life.  People who think that they control who will be saved and who will be rejected by God are usurping His power and they will be put to shame.  Our job is not to be some mystic gatekeeper to God.  Our job is to glorify God and invite people into God’s presence.  That is the power that God has bestowed upon us.

Do you find yourself wanting to be judge over people or a receptionist inviting people to God?  When is it easy to judge?  When is it easy to extend invitation?

Third Thought:

Paul makes it incredibly clear where the victory comes.  God’s victory is in Christ.  Christ is the one who was rejected.  Christ is the one that the world wanted to get rid of in the worst way.  Christ is the one that God resurrected.  It is in the rejection of Christ that the world finds their own judgment.  It is in the resurrection of Christ that those in Christ find hope.  He and He alone is our triumph.

Is Christ the center of your life?  Do you believe that your triumph is found ultimately in Christ, too?

Passage for Tomorrow: Colossians 2:16-19