Colassian 2:11-15 Tina

2:11 When you came to Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure. I was a spiritual procedure-the cutting away of your sinful nature.

The false teachers were telling the people at in the church that they needed to become circumcised, to follow the law. We are no longer bound to the Old Testament Law; Jesus came to fulfill the law requirements. We are cleansed by Jesus, for Jesus. In Jewish tradition it is the circumcision that bounds Jews to God’s family, we no longer need this “tradition” because we are bound to God through Jesus.

Lord, I ask that you cut away any sinful nature within me that I be made clean for you. –Amen.

2:12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

This is why I cry every time someone is baptized! The leaders baptized people as soon as they became Christians. They went to a river or a deep pool of water. The new Christians went right down under the water. Then they came up out of the water. The water was like a grave. They buried their old nature. Then they rose up and had Christ’s new life in them. This act was on the outside of them. But it showed what had happened inside them. Christ had died and he became alive again. At their baptism, Christians joined in Christ’s experience.

2:13 you were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. The God made you alive with Christ, he forgave all our sins.

Ok so what I am hearing is the cutting away of our sinful nature is done through baptism? Am I right on that one?

2:14 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross.

Oh this is big stuff! I know so many believers who miss this one verse but it is so important. Our file is empty in heaven. God isn’t going to have list and name off everything you have done wrong in your life. Why do we feel that he is going to do this? Has Satan perverted the truth so much that we turn a loving Fathers welcome home into a complete repay of our sinful lives? I am drawn back earlier in the blog when I mentioned being completely covered in Jesus when we stand before God, we will look like Jesus. This is the one truth that I believe we as Christians need to share with the unbeliever, your record is clear Jesus has done that for you.

2:15 In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

This is probably why this truth in the Bible is so perverted in today’s world. Satan is beat; of coarse he is going to lie to us to so he can look better. He is a sore loser. God hates sin and loves holiness. We could never be presented before God because we were sinners. In this way we would all end up with Satan in hell because none of us was good enough. Through Jesus’ cross we are all cleared of our sin charges. We are free men and women, accepted and cleaned by Jesus’ blood. We no longer belong to Satan, we belong to Christ. So in 2:14, the simple truth that we are spotless before God, Satan would love nothing for all of us to not believe it. That way he can condemn us, shame us, test our faith, and make us miserable.

Dear God,

Thank you for your word. Thank you that we are free in Christ. Help us to live each day surrounded by your love; remembering that you have done all that is needed for our salvation. We need to just abide in you, in your love and grace. Lord I ask that your simple truths would be soaked upon our hearts.

Lord I pray for the Andrews family that you would continue to work in there lives, that you would lead them where you want their family to go.

I pray for my family here that you would continue to work with each one of us. I thank you for each one of my girls and for Mark. I pray that you would open Mark’s eyes to what is going on around him. I pray that you would continue to give me patience with my husband and help me to love him through what ever he is going through.

Amen