Monday, June 17, 2024

PT-6 "Complete Forgiveness" (Col. 2:13-14)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/24/2017 10:25 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus:  PT-6 “Complete Forgiveness”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Colossians 2:13-14

            Message of the verses:  “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.”

            Paul gives us and illustration of God’s forgiveness for when He forgave us He “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”  Let us look what John MacArthur has to say about the words “Certificate of debt” which “translates chirographos, which literally means ‘something written with the hand’ or ‘an autograph.’  It was used to refer to a certificate of indebtedness handwritten by a debtor in acknowledgment of his dept.  Paul describes that certificate as ‘consisting of decrees against us’.  Dogmasin (‘decrees’) refers to the Mosaic Law (cf. Eph. 2:15).  All peoples (including Gentiles, cf. Rom. 2:14-15) owe God a debt because they have violated His law.”  Why was this certificate hostile to us?  It was enough to condemn us to hell for eternity.  Let us look at Galatians 3:10 we read ““Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.””  MacArthur says “Exaleipho (canceled out) means ‘to wipe off’ like erasing a blackboard.”  In ancient times the people wrote on papyrus which was like our paper and also on animal skins.  There was no acid in the ink they used so if someone wanted to use it again all they had to do was wipe it clean, which is what Jesus did for us as for Paul writes “having nailed it to the cross.”  Nothing remains.

            I want to talk about the last words that Jesus said before giving up His spirit: “It is finished.”  I just listened to John chapter 19 this morning where this is found.  “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30).”   The word in the Greek is “teleo tel-eh’-o” and it means “paid in full.”  In my Greek/English dictionary on my online Bible program it says “Christ satisfied God’s justice by dying for all to pay for the sins of the elect. These sins can never be punished again since that would violate God’s justice. Sins can only be punished once, either by a substitute or by yourself.”  After a person who went to prison to pay for his crimes was released during this time period he would receive a paper with this word “teleoteleho” on it showing that his dept was paid in full.

            Ok we have one more section to look at which MacArthur entitles “Complete Victory,” and that section is shorter and only contains one verse (Col. 2:15).

3/24/2017 10:50 AM   

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