Colossians 2:14
“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, King James Version.
One Cross, Three Nails, Forgiven · Colossians 2:14
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One Cross, Three Nails, Forgiven · Colossians 2:14
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One Cross, Three Nails, Forgiven · Colossians 2:14
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What does Colossians 2:14 mean?
The apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians from prison to encourage a young church in Asia Minor. False teachers were telling the believers in Colosse that faith in Jesus was not enough. They claimed Christians also had to keep strict religious laws and rituals to be right with God. In the second chapter, Paul answers this error by explaining what actually happened when Jesus died.
What it means
Paul uses the picture of an ancient legal debt to show how completely Jesus saves. The phrase “the handwriting of ordinances that was against us” refers to a signed certificate of debt. Mankind owed perfect obedience to God’s law, and our failure to keep it stood as a legal record “which was contrary to us” and demanded punishment. God solved this problem through Jesus. He was “Blotting out” that record, a term that meant wiping ink off a scroll or washing a slate completely clean. God did not leave the record where it could be brought back up. Instead, he “took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;” When Roman authorities executed a criminal, they nailed the list of his crimes to the cross above his head. In a spiritual sense, God nailed our record of sin to the cross of Christ, where it was paid in full.
Living it out
This verse frees believers from the heavy weight of past guilt and the pressure to earn God’s favor. When an old sin comes to mind to accuse you, you can rest knowing that the legal record has already been wiped clean and removed. Our One Cross, Three Nails, Forgiven design prints the full King James Version text of this verse on T-shirts, hoodies, and crewneck sweatshirts.
Frequently asked
Who wrote Colossians 2:14? The apostle Paul wrote this verse, along with his companion Timothy, as part of a letter to the church in Colosse.
What other Bible passages talk about this canceled debt? You can compare this verse to Ephesians 2:15, which also speaks of Christ abolishing the law of commandments, and John 19:30, where Jesus declares from the cross that the work is finished.