Colossians 2.14a-The Jewish Christian's Condemnation from the Mosaic Law Was Cancelled Out by the Father
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday January 3, 2016
Colossians: Colossians 2:14a-The Jewish Christian’s Condemnation from the Mosaic Law Was Cancelled Out by the Father
Lesson # 54
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 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. (NASB95)
“Having canceled” is the verb exaleiphō (ἐξαλείφω), which indicates that the Father “cancelled out” the Mosaic Law in the sense that He destroyed its validity, the force and effectiveness in relation to the Jew since His Son’s life fulfilled the requirements of the Law perfectly.
Also, His Son’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross propitiated or satisfied His holy requirements that sin and sinners be judged.
The verb exaleiphō is in the participle form and functions as a nominative in simple apposition meaning that it is identifying for the reader how the Father graciously forgave the Jews each and every one of their transgressions.
The verb exaleiphō is a participle of means which means that it is identifying how the Father was able to forgive each and every one of the transgressions committed by the Jews against Him.
“The certificate of debt consisting of decrees” is composed of the following: (1) noun cheirographon (χειρόγραφον), “certificate of debt” (2) noun dogma (δόγμα), “consisting of decrees.”
The noun cheirographon means “record of debts, certificate of debts” since it pertains to a handwritten statement, specifically a certificate of indebtedness and refers to a document evidencing debt.
Here it refers to the condemnation incurred by Jewish Christians prior to their conversion as a result of not obeying perfectly the Mosaic Law.
The noun dogma is in the plural and means “a written code of laws” since it pertains to formalized rules or set of rules which prescribe what people are to do and cannot do.
Here it refers to the 613 mandates which appear in written form in the Mosaic Law or in other words it refers to the various commands and prohibitions which appear in the Law the Lord gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The noun dogma is in the dative case and functions as a dative of rule which means that the Mosaic Law served as a code of conduct for the Jews.
“Against us, which was hostile to us” indicates that the Mosaic Law was against Jewish believers prior to their conversion and opposed to them because it served to condemn them before a holy God.
Colossians 2:8 Don’t stop making it your habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each and every one of you captive through empty, deceitful philosophy based upon the tradition produced by human beings, based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system, which are by no means based upon to the teaching originating from Christ. 9 The reason for this command is that in Him, the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell in bodily form. 10 Also, by means of your union and identification with Him, each and every one of you as an eternal spiritual truth exist in the state of being made complete, who is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in the state of being the head over each and every ruler and authority. 11 Furthermore, because of your faith in Him, each and every one of you was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, by means of the removal of your body composed of that which is flesh, by means of this circumcision which is specifically your identification with the Christ. 12 Specifically each and every one of you were buried with Him by means of the baptism which is essential and superior. Correspondingly, by means of which each and every one of you were raised together with Him by means of your faith in God the Father’s exertion of power who caused Him to enter into the state of being raised out from the dead ones. 13 In other words, even though each and every one of you existed in the state of being spiritually dead ones because of your transgressions, specifically because of the uncircumcision which is your flesh, He caused each and every one of you to be made alive together with Him. Simultaneously for His own glory, He graciously forgave each and every one of our transgressions for the benefit of each and every one of us. 14 Specifically, He caused the cancellation of that which was against each and every one of us, namely a certificate of debt which is according to a written code of laws, which was continually existing in the state of being opposed to each and every one of us. To be more explicit, He eradicated it, removing this partition by causing it to be nailed to the cross. (Author’s translation)
The apostle Paul identifies specifically for the faithful Christians in Colossae how the Father graciously forgave Jewish Christians like himself each and every one of their transgressions which he asserts at the end of Colossians 2:13.
It is important when interpreting Paul’s statements here in Colossians 2:14 that when he speaks of “us” he is referring to Jewish Christians like himself and not both Jew and Gentile Christians and this is indicated by several factors.
First the Colossian Christian community was Gentile and Paul was of course Jewish.
The reference to “uncircumcision” in Colossians 2:13 is a reference to this fact that the Colossians were Gentiles since this is a term the Jews used for the Gentiles.
This interpretation is further substantiated by the fact that Paul asserts in Colossians 2:14 that the Father cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees which were against the Jew and were hostile to the Jews.
The Mosaic Law was given to the Jews and not the Gentiles according to Romans 9:1-5 and the book of Exodus.
Some argue that the reference to the Law here in Colossians 2:14 can also be a reference to the law or Ten Commandments which is written on the hearts of every human being both Jew and Gentile and is referred to by Paul in Romans 2:14-15.
However, when Paul is referring to a certificate of debt, he makes clear that in Colossians 2:14 that it is a written code of laws.
The Jews exclusively and not the Gentiles received from God in writing through Moses the law.
Therefore, when Paul asserts in Colossians 2:14 that the Father caused the cancellation of a certificate of debt which was according to a written code of laws, which was continually opposed to each and every Jewish Christian prior to their conversion, he is speaking of sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ on the cross.
His Son’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross cancelled out this condemnation from the Law which these Jewish Christians incurred prior to their conversion.
The reason why Paul makes the switch to Jewish Christians from Gentile Christians here in Colossians 2:13-14 is that he is attacking the Essene branch of Judaism whose misapplication and misinterpretation of the Mosaic Law was the source of the heresy in Colossae.
So the question would be obvious to Paul’s Gentile Christian readers.
If the Jews were condemned by God for not obeying perfectly the Law, why would these Gentile Colossian believers submit to the teaching of the Judaizers who sought to have them submit to the various commands and prohibitions in the Law?
If keeping the Law never resulted in a Jew being declared justified by God, why would these Gentile Colossian believers seek to keep the Law to live the Christian way of life?
Paul asserts that the Law was against the Jews and was hostile to them.
This was the case because it served to condemn the Jews since they could not obey perfectly the 613 mandates which are found in the Law.
They could never obey these commands and prohibitions perfectly because they were sinners by nature and practice.
God is holy and thus demands perfection.
Therefore, the Law served to condemn the Jews before a holy God.
Thus, they had a sin debt in relation to God because of failing to obey perfectly the commands and prohibitions He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Consequently, one of the reasons why God the Son had to become a man was to fulfill all these commands and prohibitions perfectly which the Jews could never do.
The Son’s substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross propitiated or satisfied the Father’s holy requirements that sin and sinners be judged for not obeying perfectly His Law.
Thus, the Son served as the Jews’ Substitute in relation to their failure to keep perfectly the Mosaic Law.
Therefore, the Father cancelled out the Mosaic Law in the sense that He destroyed its validity, the force and effectiveness in relation to the Jew since His Son’s life fulfilled the requirements of the Law perfectly.
Also, His Son’s spiritual and physical deaths on the cross propitiated or satisfied His holy requirements that sin and sinners be judged.