… which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Summary: The concept of having our sins nailed to the cross is hard to understand. Looked at through the lens of the Old Testament, it begins to make more sense.
Paul is working very hard to explain Jesus to us. He begins with Jesus is the “fullness of the Deity … in bodily form” (v 9). Theologians have a lot of fancy words to describe what this means, but they know less than Paul did because Paul had actually met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
Notice Paul’s careful wording: “For in Christ all the fulness of the Deity lives …” Jesus describes it this way: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). We are not supposed to understand how this works. Instead, we are expected to believe Jesus and Paul and take them at their word.
So, God himself becomes man in the form of Jesus. What then?
Then … mankind freaks out. The idea of people believing Jesus means that people no longer rely on human authorities, and those human authorities don’t like being ignored. So they went after Jesus with a passion. Not to learn from him or follow him, but to kill him.
So, who were they killing? Jesus, or God?
Perhaps just as important: What were they killing? A man? Our God? Our guilt?
Under the Old Testament covenant, God provided a way for the children of Abraham to make up for their boo-boos. The Israelites understood that everyone sinned (Big Boo-Boos). To make it right with God, they would kill an animal and spread the blood all over the altar in God’s temple.
Looking back over history, it is amazing to see how God’s will has been accomplished.
Prior to Jesus, a blood sacrifice symbolized the price for sin. During Jesus’ lifetime, this practice was still going on. Shortly after Jesus was killed on the cross, the temple was destroyed, and the blood sacrifices stopped.
Why?
God’s plan never depended upon animal sacrifices. The blood of an animal never paid the price for sin. What animal sacrifices did was to illustrate the cost of sin: Death. The sacrifices in the Old Testament showed mankind the need for forgiveness and our need for a sacrifice, but until Jesus, there was no perfect sacrifice.
What made Jesus the perfect sacrifice? He did something no animal could do. God raised him from the dead, and Jesus, having lived the perfect life and allowing mankind to kill him, now has the power to forgive or condemn. Because he is God and God is love (1 John 4:8), Jesus forgives those who turn to him in faith.
Instead of leaving his life on the cross, he hangs our sins there.
Application: Accept forgiveness.
Food for Thought: Why is it sometimes hard for us to accept God’s forgiveness?
I think there is an inherent pride in our sinful nature that compels us to want to be good enough on our own. It is hard to receive what we want to earn.
Thank you, Rich.
I like the way you put that. It makes me think that instead of putting God first, we tend to put ourselves first. The ancient battle rages on!
Why is it sometimes hard for us to accept God’s forgiveness?
I think there are a lot of reasons mankind in general fails to fully grasp and accept the magnitude of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.
First thought: Most of us have never, or may never, be placed in a position in the world where our physical lives are in jeopardy and another willing steps up and takes our place, bearing the full weight of what was meant for us. Understanding God’s forgiveness means understanding that our very souls were in jeopardy, and Christ paid the debt to set us free from death. That the One who could have condemned instead chose to redeem. The One who redeems seeks for us to know Him.
Second thought: There is a saying “No such thing as a free lunch.” Meaning what may be free to you cost someone, somewhere. We tend to hold this deep rooted belief that we must repay, or “hold up our end.” God’s forgiveness is a gift. Completely non-dependent on our works. I find myself sometimes falling into the trap of segmenting my walk with the Lord. That I repented, and I accepted, and I read the Word, and I…and I…the truth is that He died for me, and He provided for me, and He stands ready to openly fill me with His Spirit. It is in God’s forgiveness that He looks upon Christ and says “Chris is counted as free through Your righteousness.” In our minds we think then we owe a debt. But the same love that brought forgiveness seeks to bring new life. A new creation, raised up from the dead. That what we give is not in repayment, but to live in His presence. Not a transaction, but an invitation, a relationship.
Third thought: Mankind is prideful. Again we like to think we have something to contribute. That our contributions are a part of our forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is a part of His character and is independent of us. All of our attributes are given to us by Him. In submitting our will to His, we are able to fully actualize the characteristics He created us with. Ultimately to express love for God and our neighbors. In God’s forgiveness He makes us more like Him, not Him more like us. One part of that is being able to forgive. Forgive others, forgive calamity, forgive everything about this world that causes pain. To forgive with no expectation of repayment, but the hope of relationship, and the reward being a heart filled with gratitude, praise, and love.
Chris,
Excellent points! I especially appreciate your second point where you tell us that God’s forgiveness is not a transaction, but an invitation.
Thank you!
Short and sweet R!
Why is it sometimes hard for us to accept God’s forgiveness?
To receive Gods forgiveness, we must humble ourselves as we come to grips with reality, and fully admit our shortcomings, our many failings and our inability to do what is right under our own power.
We must submit to God as we seek His power, His strength over our own. Confessing our failings, asking Him to cleanse us and provide His Holy Spirit as our strength to live the remainder of our lives in His will over our own.
This is not something easily done by human beings. Surrendering our perceived power over events in our lives, often requires we be broken as God will reveal reality into our hearts and provide His power to surrender our authority over our lives as we receive His power to do His will.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him. Psalm 32:2
My Savior Jesus has set me free, John 8:36
My old is gone; because of Jesus Christ I am new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins 1 John 1:9
In Him we have redemption through His blood, Ephesians 1:7
I acknowledged my sin to you, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness. Colossians 1:13-14
Thank you, Ron.
You make a great point! Receiving God’s forgiveness requires humility. So simple and yet so hard!