Canceled out the certificate of debt...nailed it to the cross.

Colossians 2:8-23 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; ¹¹ and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; ¹² 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. ¹³ 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, ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

¹⁶ Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— ¹⁷ things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

²⁰ If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, ²¹ “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ²² (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? ²³ These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Today’s text says: No one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement …If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,  “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?     Some will take these statements and Jesus criticism of the religious leaders of His day, to create a doctrine which gives license to continue in sin because of Christ’s forgiveness through the cross. Paul is not encouraging us that we can continue in sin. He says:    These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.  Man made rules, regulations and traditions have no value against fleshly indulgence. Paul says:  If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself…    The key is that if we have died with Christ we need not submit to the rules and regulations of man. Neither though should we continue to submit to the desires and indulgence of the flesh.   

The text says:    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. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.     If someone were to come along and cancel out all your financial debt, if they paid off your mortgage, your auto loans, if they cleared your student loans, your credit card debt, if regardless of how much debt you had or how you had incurred it, they simply paid it for you, unconditionally; Do you think that person would be disappointed if you reacquired your debt, squandering the gift of financial freedom they had given freely to you, on self indulgence?  It would be your right and your choice. The debt was paid unconditionally. How though could you return to that one, and ask them to pay again for the debt you incurred? Jesus did completely cancel our debt of sin. He wrote a blank check which does indeed cover our debt past, present and future. We can go back to Him and have any new debt we incur canceled. If though, we would truly consider the price Jesus paid, we would hesitate to purposefully incur new debt, indulging the flesh, living in sin.  The text says Jesus:   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.    It was more though than a certificate, a list of the things we had done and would do which was nailed to the cross. It was the hands and the feet of Jesus. If we will recognize that each time we choose sin and self indulgence we must return to the cross, where Jesus says:  “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34) perhaps we would choose instead, to take up our own cross and deny self, rather than witnessing again the suffering and sacrifice of our Lord.

The text says:  See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.    Neither the traditions, the rules and regulation, the religion of man, nor the philosophies and deception of the world should be what has us captive. Rather we should be, as Paul, we should be bondservants of Christ. We should choose to be captive to Him and the Father’s will. In Galatians 5:1 Paul says:  It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.     Instead of being yoked to sin and self indulgence, Jesus says:  “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)     The debt of our sin was too great for us to pay. Jesus paid it for us on the cross. So too is the yoke of slavery to sin and self too heavy, instead we are to be yoked to Christ.   Let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Romans 13:12-14)

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit I am thankful for the cross, where my debt was paid, where the debt of every sin past, present and future was canceled. I recognize though that it was Jesus who was nailed to the cross for my sin and so Holy Spirit I ask that You would guide me and lead me as I choose to take up my own cross. I choose to be a bondservant of Christ, yoked to Him walking in righteousness; no longer a slave to the regulations of man or the desires of the flesh. Thank You Lord. Amen.