Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

1. Forgiveness is the legal act of God whereby He removes the charges that were held against the sinner because proper satisfaction or atonement for those sins has been made. (Moody Handbook of Theology)

2. The Greek word used in vs. 13 for “forgiveness” is charizomai. There are three nuances given by BDAG regarding this word.

a. It can sometimes mean to cancel a sum of money that is owed [debt]. At times, it is a synonym for the more frequent Greek word aphiemi (Luk 7:42-43). In regard to God’s forgiveness, it is the canceling of the debt of sin demanded from the sinner (aphiemi, Mat 6:12, 14 cf. aphiemi Col 1:14).

b. Being connected with charis (grace), it can depict giving freely as a favor, give graciously, or forgive (Rom 8:32; 1Co 2:12). It is the idea that forgiveness is a gracious gift that God grants based on Christ’s work and not the sinner’s merits.

c. It can also refer to one’s gracious and forgiving character regardless of how difficult it may be (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).

3. In Col 2:13, it would refer to God’s act of forgiveness based on the grace extended in Christ.

a. The transgressions (pataptma - false step, fall away from the path) which were responsible for our spiritual death, were now forgiven by an God’s act of grace.

b. God was able to make us alive spiritually on the basis that through Christ’s death on the cross, our transgressions were atoned. When faith was exercised in Christ our transgressions were forgiven

c. Paul included himself in the forgiveness of “our” transgressions. In addition, it was a complete salvation because all transgressions were forgiven

B. Aspects of Forgiveness

1. Forgiveness is found only in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:38).

2. In Christ, the debt of our sin has been canceled because of the work of Christ (Ep 1:7).

3. It would involve forgiveness of lawful deeds (Ro 4:7).

4. The payment for the cancellation of the debt of sin was the shedding of Christ's blood (He 9:22).

5. Forgiveness is the basis upon which we were made alive in Christ (Col 2:13).

6. It should affect the believer’s horizontal relationships (Mt 6:14-15; Ep 4:32).

II. CANCELATION OF DEBT (Col 2:14)

A. Certificate of Debt

1. Christ’s death on the cross was the basis for forgiveness of sins, but what process had to take place in order for our sins to be forgiven?

2. Verse 14 begins “having canceled out” the certificate of debt. In order for our sins to be forgiven, we had to have our debt of sin toward God canceled.

3. The word for “cancel” is exaleiphō and literally means to wipe out or wipe away. It can refer to wiping away tears (Rev 7:17), a written record (Rev 3:5), or sins (Act 3:19).

4. The context is in reference to canceling the “certificate of debt.”

a. It comes from the Greek word cheirographon (cheir = hand & graphō = to write, i.e. handwritten) and meant handwritten legal charges, specifically in connection with indebtedness, i.e. a record of debt.

b. It is not so much a reference to the Law as it is a reference to charges for breaking God’s Law.

c. All people (Rom. 3:23) owe God an unpayable debt for violating His law (Gal. 3:10; James 2:10; cf. Matt. 18:23-27), and are thus under sentence of death (Rom. 6:23). (MSB).

d. Paul graphically compares God’s forgiveness of believers’ sins to wiping ink off a parchment. Through Christs sacrificial death on the cross, God has totally erased our certificate of indebtedness and made our forgiveness complete. MSB

5. This divine record “consisted of decrees against us.” Here, “decrees” (dogma - authoritative decision or command, Act 16:4), are the commandments of the Mosaic Law (Eph 2:15). Though the Law is good (Rom 7:12), it became our adversary (“against us” Rom 7:9-11), pointing out our sin and guilt (Rom 7:7, 13).

B. Nailed to the Cross

1. But how was the certificate of debt canceled? The decrees against us in the Law, along with the Law itself was nailed to the cross. God took away our sin, our punishment, and that Law that condemned us through Christ’s death on the cross.

a. God annulled the law when his Son satisfied its demand of perfect obedience, bore its curse, and fulfilled its shadows, its types and ceremonies. It was nailed to the cross with Jesus. It died when he died. And because of the substitutionary nature of Christs sacrifice believers are no longer under the law but under grace (Rom. 7:4, 6; 6:14; Gal. 2:19). [However], this does not mean that the moral law has lost significance for the believer. (Hendriksen in loc.).

2. Ultimate and complete forgiveness is found only in Christ. It is a forgiveness that does not violate God’s holiness or justice (Rom 3:26). It is a forgiveness that removes all sin, guilt, and condemnation (Rom 8:1). It is also forgiveness that is extended to the believing sinner (Act 10:43; Rom 4:5).

III. DISARMAMENT OF AUTHORITIES (Col 2:15)

A. Disarmed Angelic Authorities

1. The “rulers and authorities” is the same expression that Paul used in Col 1:16 to refer to the hierarchies in the angelic world, specifically fallen angels.

a. Christ created them before they fell (Col 1:16).

b. They are in subjection to Christ (Eph 1:21-22)

c. Here, in Col 2:15, we learn that Christ disarmed them, made a public display of them, and triumphed over them.

2. In the Gnostic viewpoint, aeons, angelic beings, and intermediaries can overturn the grand scheme of their Invisible god. But not so with our sovereign Christ. He created, ruled, and disarmed them.

3. Perhaps the Colossians were also troubled with the whole idea of spiritual warfare in regard to false teaching. Perhaps they struggled with what appeared to be Satan’s victory over the Colossian church (Eph 6:12).

4. In either case, Paul encouraged them with the fact that Christ, “disarmed” (apekduomai - to strip off or render an enemy helpless) the enemy of their power (Heb 2:14; 1Jo 3:8).

5. Paul’s imagery of Christ is that of a heroic Roman General who publicly “shamed” (deigmatizō - expose, make an example of; as a warning make a (public) example of someone, publicly disgrace, Mat 1:19) his defeated enemies, parading through the streets of Rome. The moment of their public shamed was when Christ was displayed on the cross (Rom 3:25).

B. Triumphed over Angelic Authorities

1. In fact, through Christ’s death and resurrection, God “triumphed over” (thiambeuō - Roman triumphal procession, used for Roman festival to worship Bacchus, the Roman god of crops, wine, and fertility) these angelic rulers and authorities.

2. 1Pe 3:18-20 most likely refers to a context with such a victorious proclamation. Christ, sometime between His death and resurrection went to the odious fallen angels spoken of in Gen 6 and Jude 6 to proclaim their ultimate defeat.

3. Between Christ’s death and resurrection, His living spirit went to the demon spirits bound in the abyss and proclaimed that, in spite of His death, He had triumphed over them (See note on Col. 2:14, 15). [The] “spirits in prison” … refer to fallen angels (demons), who were permanently bound because of heinous wickedness. The demons who are not so bound resist such a sentence (cf. Luke 8:31). In the end, they will all be sent to the eternal lake of fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). (MSB).

IV. OBSERVATIONS ANDAPPLICATIONS

A. Be Assured of Christ’s Forgiveness

1. God goes to great lengths to assure the believer of a forgiven position and that his sins are:

a. cast behind Gods back (Isa 38:17).

b. cast into the depths of the sea (Mic 7:19).

c. remembered no more (Isa 43:25; Jer 31:34).

d. removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12)

2. When the believer sins, he does not lose his salvation, however, he needs to restore his fellowship by confessing his sins (1Jo 1:9).

3. We need to share the forgiveness in Christ, the message of the gospel, with others. Christ’s shed blood paid the debt of sin. Come to Christ and become debt free (Mat 6:12, 14).

4. As true believers in Christ, we need to live in the spirit in which we were forgiven. Christ extended charizomai (grace in forgiveness) to us, we must extend charizomai (gracious forgiveness) to others (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).

B. Do not Fear Spiritual Warfare

1. We need not fear spiritual warfare, which especially applies to false teaching, even as rampant as it is, because Christ triumphed over them. Christ will build His church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it (Mat 16:18). But we need to put on the armor of God (Eph 6:14-17).

2. We need to put on all the pieces of the armor of God (Eph 6:14-17), especially, girding our loins with truth so that we can stand firm.

3. We need to understand that Satan’s main strategy and arsenal is false teaching (2Co 11:13-15). In addition, we are to expose it (Eph 5:11).

Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516