Erased
The Debt Is Gone — Stop Trying to Pay It
SCRIPTURE:
Colossians 2:14 CSB - He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
OBSERVATION:
In Colossians 2, Paul tells us something amazing: The debt we owed because of our sin has been paid in full—nailed to the cross as a public sign of legal fulfillment.
Colossians 2:14 CSB - He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.
OBSERVATION:
In Colossians 2, Paul tells us something amazing: The debt we owed because of our sin has been paid in full—nailed to the cross as a public sign of legal fulfillment.
Each of the ten commandments has, as it were, united with the rest to draw up an indictment against us. The first commandment says, ‘He has broken me.’ The second cries, ‘He has broken me,’ — the third, ‘He has broken me;’ and the whole ten together have laid the same charge against each one of us; that is the handwriting of the law condemning every man of woman born while he remains in a state of nature. – Charles Spurgeon
The Law was a certificate of debt—a binding legal document whose obligations we could never fulfill. It was not only against us; it opposed us. We stood guilty.
But Jesus took that certificate and nailed it to the cross. He didn’t destroy the Law; He fulfilled it.
Matthew 5:17-18 NKJV - "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Only Jesus could fulfill the Law's righteous demands. In doing so, He took our failure—our spiritual bankruptcy—and fully satisfied it through His death.
The act of nailing our debt to the cross was both symbolic and judicial, declaring: “Paid in full.”
No more guilt. No more striving. No more condemnation. Reconciliation accomplished. Justification secured.
Not by works. Not by religion. But by grace.
APPLICATION:
Don’t fall into the subtle trap of “grace plus.” We are not saved by grace only to be kept saved by keeping the law. If we couldn’t fulfill the Law before Christ, we certainly can’t do it after receiving His grace.
Live free today. Not in lawlessness—but in the liberty of grace. Walk in the Spirit. Let the grace of God transform you and sustain you, not out of fear, but out of love.
Ephesians 2:8-10 CSB - For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift -- not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You for the cross. Thank You for canceling the debt I could never repay. You fulfilled the law I could never keep. What amazing grace! Let my life reflect that grace today, not just in words but in how I live, love, and serve. May my walk be shaped by freedom, not fear—by gratitude, not guilt.
But Jesus took that certificate and nailed it to the cross. He didn’t destroy the Law; He fulfilled it.
Matthew 5:17-18 NKJV - "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
Only Jesus could fulfill the Law's righteous demands. In doing so, He took our failure—our spiritual bankruptcy—and fully satisfied it through His death.
The act of nailing our debt to the cross was both symbolic and judicial, declaring: “Paid in full.”
No more guilt. No more striving. No more condemnation. Reconciliation accomplished. Justification secured.
Not by works. Not by religion. But by grace.
APPLICATION:
Don’t fall into the subtle trap of “grace plus.” We are not saved by grace only to be kept saved by keeping the law. If we couldn’t fulfill the Law before Christ, we certainly can’t do it after receiving His grace.
Live free today. Not in lawlessness—but in the liberty of grace. Walk in the Spirit. Let the grace of God transform you and sustain you, not out of fear, but out of love.
Ephesians 2:8-10 CSB - For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift -- not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You for the cross. Thank You for canceling the debt I could never repay. You fulfilled the law I could never keep. What amazing grace! Let my life reflect that grace today, not just in words but in how I live, love, and serve. May my walk be shaped by freedom, not fear—by gratitude, not guilt.
Jesus didn't just reduce what you owed — He nailed the entire certificate of debt to the cross and marked it "Paid in Full," so stop living like the bill is still outstanding.
Posted in 12 - Colossians
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