Wednesday, September 12, 2018: Colossians 2:13-14
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
If you’ve had any time in high school, college, or graduate school, you probably had a teacher or professor who graded on the curve. Everyone in the class takes the exam, and the person who scores the highest out of 100 (i.e., 90) sets the standard for the curve. Everyone in the class would get 10 points added to their grade, giving the person who scored the highest of 90 a perfect score of 100.
The law of God, however, does not grade on the curve. Even if we miraculously earned a 99 out of 100 on our obedience test to the law, such performance still earns us a 0 and a death sentence for our failure to be perfect. This is what Paul meant in writing that apart from Christ, we are dead in our trespasses (v. 13). Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection did not merely fill in the gaps of our shortcomings, but met the standard of the law for us entirely. Our faith in what Jesus has done, not what we might do, is what links us to this gracious work of forgiveness and cleansing.
Simply put, whether you’ve made a 9 or a 99 when it comes to living obediently, you still need Jesus. Not to add points to your grade, but to take the test entirely on your behalf. You need all of His righteousness and none of your own.
- What are some ways you can make sure you aren’t performing external acts of obedience while forgetting the gospel?
- How might a greater awareness of Christ’s power and authority give you confidence to live for Him?
- Thank God that Christ lived perfectly in your place, took the penalty for your sin, and was raised from the dead, that you might be given new life in Him.