Bible Study

Bible Study August 8, 2025

Colossian 2:11 – 15 (CSB)

“Full Punishment In Exchange For a Full Pardon”

11 “You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.”

“Dead in sin” means we are caught up in all the worldly stuff that brings about death to the human body and the spirit of man. It is the sphere of the world that we find sin. There is no hope for man to come out of the sin world – Unless someone comes and takes his place. That is where Jesus came to take our place. The debt He cancelled refers to the “erasing of the record of our debt.”

We all owe God a debt for violating His law a debt we cannot pay. Paul refers to “a certificate of debt” as a written document and says Jesus wipes the ink off the parchment as though it was never there in the first place. He nailed it to the cross when He died on the cross. “Nailing it to the cross” is a metaphor. The list of crimes committed by the crucified criminal were listed  and nailed to the cross where he would die for all to know the wrongs he had committed. It simply outlined the offenses for which he was being put to death.

In our case our crimes were listed and nailed to the cross that Jesus hung from when He died on our behalf. He received our full punishment and we receive a full pardon.

However, there is an additional benefit to what took place on the cross that day. Paul tells us that he disarmed Satan and his forces. While His body was dead His spirit went to the abode of the dead and announced victory over sin, death, hell, and Satan himself.

Christ won the battle and the picture we can have in our minds is one of total and complete victory over the forces of sin led by our adversary – Satan.

Be an overcomer.

God Bless.