Scripture to Read: Colossians 2:13–14
One of the most precious gifts we receive when we surrender to Christ as our Lord and Savior is the complete forgiveness of all of our sins. Most Christians never grasp this truth and therefore live in the guilt and shame of their past. But God had Paul write this in Colossians 2:13–14, “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.” Notice that we were dead in our sins before we surrendered to Christ, but when we came to the realization that we must surrender to Christ and we did so, that is when God the Father made us alive together with our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father willingly forgave us of all our sins (transgressions). To ensure we understand what God the Father did, God the Father had Paul explain it by telling us that God the Father canceled the entire record of charges against us. God chose to remove those charges from our record, and He took the recorded charges away by nailing them to our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. That is why we are told, as Christians, in 1 John 1:9, that when we sin, we must confess our sins and that God is the faithful and righteous One to forgive us and cleanse us completely.
Challenge & Application
How do you see yourself before our Holy God, and does your view of yourself as a Christian line up with God’s Truth about you?
Why is it critical that we understand the Truth in Colossians 2:13–14?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!