Church of God, New World Ministries

Difficult Scriptures

Colossians 2:14 - Does this say Christ blotted out the law and nailed it to His Cross?
 
  1. No, Christ did not blot out the law. He blotted out the “HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES” (same verse.).

  2. This could not refer to the law of God. God’s law is not “against us” and “contrary to us” (same verse).

“The law is holy and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Rom. 7:12). David said, “O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97).

God’s laws don’t hurt us – they help us. “Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and IN KEEPING OF THEM IS GREAT REWARD” (Ps. 19:11).

  1. The context explains what “ordinances” Paul is referring to:

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).

“Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (Col. 2:20-22).

What kind of ordinances? “Touch not, taste not, handle not.” In other words: asceticism, Stoicism, Catholicism, meatless Fridays, vegetarianism.

It certainly doesn’t mean the Ten Commandments. It can’t mean the Feasts where people ate, drank, and danced vigorously. It can’t mean the sacrificial law – the priest had a great portion of meat and had to handle and slaughter animals. This was a lusty way of life.

  1. The Greek words for HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES are cheirographon tois dogmasin. This means the “note of guilt from keeping man’s laws.”

CHEIROGRAPHON, according to the Greek Lexicon by Parkhurst means: “Anything written with the hand…a bond, not of hand…it signifies a sort of note under a man’s hand, whereby he obliges himself to the payment of any debt.” In other words, a note of debt or a note of guilt.

In the same Lexicon by Parkehurst one of the meanings given for TOIS is “from”.

DOGMASIN simply refers to law. (See Strong’s Concordance). In this case it refers to the laws of men as proved in Section C above.

  1. The note of guilt is OUR SINS. We have sinned by obeying the laws and customs of men rather than God. What Christ blotted out is OUR SINS.

  2. The Law was not nailed to the cross – Christ was (John 19:18; 20:25). He was made sin for us (II Cor. 5:21). Our sins were nailed to the cross in His body (I Pet. 2:24).

  3. Colossians 2:15 shows what Christ defeated. It was not the Law:

“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” The principalities and powers referred to here are the same as the “spiritual wickedness (wicked spirits) in high places” mentioned in Eph. 6:12 – demons.

By making possible the forgiveness of sin, Christ defeated the purpose of Satan and his demons. He made it possible for sons to be born into the God Family.

*NOTE: It may be well to emphasize here that only two things were nailed to the stake at Golgotha:

  1. The physical body of Jesus
  2. The “note of Guilt” – the record of our sins which Christ paid for,Himself, in this sacrifice of His own life

Therefore, NO LAWS of ANY kind were nailed to the stake – legal, ceremonial, sacrificial or any other!

 
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