It’s been such a joy to walk thruough the gospel of John leading up to the Good Friday and Easter season. With the events of the cross so fresh in our minds, it seems more real, more powerful. Perhaps, we identify with Jesus more as we have walked with him the whole way.
We also identify with Jesus on the cross with two powerful spiritual parallels that Paul points out in Colossians 2:13-14.
“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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13–14 ESV)
Parallel 1: Like Jesus, we were once dead and have been made alive. We need to remember that we all entered this world from birth, as spiritually dead, unable to save ourselves. We needed someone to come and save us, the answer cannot come from inside us, it has to come from outside us and it came in the form of Jesus Christ.
What we are remembering today, and really every day as a believer, is that God intervened. He was the one who was offended, cosmically wronged by his creation turning against him and how did he respond? Grace. Salvation. As our text says he made us alive together with Christ and forgiven us.
Church – remember these spiritual realities. Remember the parallel, we have died and have been made alive! But there is a very specific way this is made possible…
Parallel 2: Like Jesus was nailed to the cross, so the record of our sins was as well. We all know we fall short. Sometimes it feels like there is a list of how we fall short. The reality is that there is a list. Or rather, for Christians, there WAS a list. Our text tells us that there was a record of debt that stood against us, opposed to us and God CANCELLED IT. He ERASED IT. He set it aside, taken it away and nailed it to the cross.
Let that sink in. Think of the freedom of that. The closure. The weightlessness of being actually forgiven and free.
As this time of year so powerfully makes the cross real to us, let us consider the spiritual parallels that the Word of God brings to light to encourage and deepen our faith in Jesus!
