Scripture: Colossians 2: 13-14

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.

Scripture Commentary: Jesus is the sacrificial lamb to cleanse us of our trespasses

How foolish for us to think that our good deeds may one day cancel out our trespasses.  Our good deeds are defective because we don’t honor God in the way we do them.  Are our good deeds done in joyful dependence on God, acknowledging Him as the author of our life?  Are we fulfilling the command to serve?

The strength that God supplies is so “that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.”**  Without Jesus’ exalting faith, our deeds signify nothing but rebellion.

God does not save through good deeds.

If we are saved from the consequences of our bad deeds, it will not be because they weigh less than our good ones.  It will be because our debt was nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ.

God does not save sinners the way that we think.  Jesus, with His suffering, death and resurrection, cancel the record of our trespasses so that they are blotted out.  There is no balance, no debt!

The cancellation happened when Jesus was nailed to and died on the cross.  God loves us, He will forgive and forget all our sins when we turn to Jesus, who is the light and path to the Father.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

**Additional Reading:
1 Peter Chapter 4

Scripture: Colossians 2:13-15

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; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Scripture Commentary:

It is foolish to think that good deeds alone will cancel out the sins that we have stacked against us. Good deeds are defective. We often do not honor God through our good deeds.

God gives us the strength to do all that we do, and he compels us to serve. Do you do good deeds out of joyful dependence on God? Do you acknowledge God as the author of that deed, as the spirit within you? Are you fulfilling God’s call to serve?

Without Jesus Christ and exalting our faith to him, our deeds will signify rebellion. The trespasses against us continue to mount.  Good deeds alone are not the way God saves.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ washed away our deeds, good or sinful. Our deeds were nailed on the cross with Christ. We left them there, and now God judges us by our faith in him.  And the sins mounted against us are washed clean by Christ’s blood.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

Related Content from the Book of Colossians:
God’s People Must Live Together in Unity
Seek Christ Above All Things
Be Strengthened in the Faith as You Were Taught

 

Scripture: Colossians 3: 1-5

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Scripture Commentary: What will you say when you stand before Christ?

We are a very weak group of people because we have so many things to distract us.  Satan is a powerful foe.  He puts distractions in our path so we go astray.  The lottery, casinos, money – all of the things that if you have Christ in your life, you do not need.

If you think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ has given you a roof over your head, food on the table and clothes on your back.  Anything else is greed, not need.  Forget about the temporary things of this world and focus on the permanent life with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Consider the pharaohs who buried their treasure to take with them to the afterlife.  It is still here.

The question is what are you taking to God?  Are you studying His Word, spreading His Word, living His Word?

The things that you have – home, car, clothes, and money are not needed in God’s house.  What are you going to say when you stand before Our Lord Jesus Christ?  Hopefully you’ll say, “I served you!”

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 3

Scripture: Colossians 2: 6-8 (NIV)

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.  See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Scripture Commentary: Be strengthened by your faith in Christ

Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of life with Christ; however, you must follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith.

Christ wants to guide and help you with your daily problems.  You can live for Christ by: (1) committing your life and submitting your will to him; (2) seeking to learn from him, his life, and his teachings; and (3) recognizing the Holy Spirit’s power in you.

Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through the roots, so we draw our life-giving strength from Christ.  The more we draw our strength from him, the less we will be fooled by those who falsely claim to have life’s answers.

Many man-made approaches to life’s problems totally disregard God.  To resist heresy, you must use your mind, keep your eyes on Christ, and study God’s Word.

If Christ is your strength, you will be free from human regulations.  He will always bring you through any situation, good or bad.

His love makes the bad good.   That is how you learn.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

Scripture: Colossians 2: 10-12

And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Scripture Commentary: Spiritual circumcision cuts you away from your old sinful nature

In Colossians 2: 10-12, God is talking about circumcision, but not of the flesh.  The circumcision that he is referring to is of our old, sinful past life. This is the cutting off of the old self and the birth of the new. We are all sinners, but through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ we have been made anew.

When we bury the old flesh and have been risen with the new spirit in His baptism, we become His people. With our new found faith in Jesus we are reformed again. No longer are we to follow the old life that we had been living.  This baptism parallels the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  It also portrays the death and burial of our sinful old way of life, followed by our resurrection to a new life in Christ.

Remembering that our old sinful life is dead and buried with Christ gives us a powerful motive to resist sin.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2