At the end of Colossians 2:10 the Scripture tells us that in Christ we have been made complete. The verses that follow provide a detailed description of that completeness. They tell us that in Christ we have complete:
- Salvation (Colossians 2:11-12)
- Forgiveness (Colossians 2:13-14)
- Victory (Colossians 1:15)
Colossians 2:13-14 – “And 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, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
Verse 13 describes us as being “dead in your transgressions.” That is, we were utterly defeated by sin and powerless to break the chains of sin in our lives.
Verse 14 says there was outstanding “certificate of debt” against us. That phrase translates a word taken from the legal vocabulary of the 1st century. The word was used to describe a note of indebtedness. When someone borrowed money or purchased something on credit, much like in our day, they would sign a document specifying the amount of the debt and the terms of repayment. The thrust of verse14 is that we had such a debt. It was valid and it had come due. We were unable to meet our obligation. We were about to be foreclosed upon when Jesus stepped in and “canceled” our debt. The word translated “canceled” means to blot-out, wipe-out, or erase.
Pay particular attention to the phrase "having forgiven us all our transgressions" in verse 13. He canceled them all! Not one single trangressions is left uncanceled.
The main point of these verses is that our lives were stained and marred by sin. We were about to be overwhelmed by the weight of it. Jesus came to wipe our sins away. The last part of verse says He accomplished that by “nailing our sins to the cross.” That is, it was through His death on the cross that Jesus canceled our indebtedness.
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