Paul's Passing Thoughts

Originally Published December 12, 2016
One of the benefits of no longer being part of the institutional church is that I get the privilege of leading my own family in Bible teaching. Each Sunday we spend about ten to fifteen minutes singing hymns while I pluck out the melody line on the piano. Then we spend about 20 to 30 minutes studying a passage of scripture. After that we take prayer requests, and I have one of the children volunteer to pray. I am constantly amazed by not only how much they remember what we learn from week to week, but I am amazed by their level of discernment. It brings joy to my heart when I can look at the faces of my children and see the understanding appear on their faces!

Currently we are working our way through the book of Colossians. Yesterday morning as we were going around the room reading verse by verse, one verse in particular jumped out at me.

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” ~ Colossians 2:14

What is the “handwriting of ordinances?” Is that not the law? Here is truth once again. The law was blotted out. It was ended. Paul states plainly to the Colossians that they are no longer condemned because the law was blotted out!

But as I sat here this morning pondering this verse again something else even more spectacular occurred to me. Look closely at Colossians 2:14 again. Not only was the law blotted out, but what else did Jesus do to end the law? He took it out of the way. And HOW did He take it out of the way? He nailed it to His cross. Do you see that? Jesus ended the law by nailing it to the cross with Him!

Think of the ramifications of that. Prior to the coming of The Promise, the law was a guardian which took believers into protective custody. All sin was therefore imputed to the law. But when Jesus was nailed to the cross, not only did He end the law, He did so by nailing the law to the cross with Him along with all the sin which had been imputed to the law!

This is the picture of the scapegoat in Leviticus 16.

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” ~ Leviticus 16:21-22

Jesus bore on the cross our iniquities and took sin out of the way by taking the law out of the way when the law was ended, when the law was nailed to the cross with Christ.

“…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” ~ John 1:29

I thank God for this truth. It is simply one more piece of the puzzle. But as more and more pieces fall into place, the easier it becomes to find where the other pieces fit, and the whole pictures becomes more and more clear.

Andy

One of the benefits of no longer being part of the institutional church is that I get the privilege of leading my own family in Bible teaching. Each Sunday we spend about ten to fifteen minutes singing hymns while I pluck out the melody line on the piano. Then we spend about 20 to 30 minutes studying a passage of scripture. After that we take prayer requests, and I have one of the children volunteer to pray. I am constantly amazed by not only how much they remember what we learn from week to week, but I am amazed by their level of discernment. It brings joy to my heart when I can look at the faces of my children and see the understanding appear on their faces!

Currently we are working our way through the book of Colossians. Yesterday morning as we were going around the room reading verse by verse, one verse in particular jumped out at me.

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” ~ Colossians 2:14

What is the “handwriting of ordinances?” Is that not the law? Here is truth once again. The law was blotted out. It was ended. Paul states plainly to the Colossians that they are no longer condemned because the law was blotted out!

But as I sat here this morning pondering this verse again something else even more spectacular occurred to me. Look closely at Colossians 2:14 again. Not only was the law blotted out, but what else did Jesus do to end the law? He took it out of the way. And HOW did He take it out of the way? He nailed it to His cross. Do you see that? Jesus ended the law by nailing it to the cross with Him!

Think of the ramifications of that. Prior to the coming of The Promise, the law was a guardian which took believers into protective custody. All sin was therefore imputed to the law. But when Jesus was nailed to the cross, not only did He end the law, He did so by nailing the law to the cross with Him along with all the sin which had been imputed to the law!

This is the picture of the scapegoat in Leviticus 16.

“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” ~ Leviticus 16:21-22

Jesus bore on the cross our iniquities and took sin out of the way by taking the law out of the way when the law was ended, when the law was nailed to the cross with Christ.

“…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” ~ John 1:29

I thank God for this truth. It is simply one more piece of the puzzle. But as more and more pieces fall into place, the easier it becomes to find where the other pieces fit, and the whole pictures becomes more and more clear.

Andy