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)
Mankind has experienced a varied past in trying to deal with the psychological human dynamic produced by SIN. From self-flagellation, to self denial, to therapeutic analysis, to complete denial of personal responsibility, we have tried to cope with the effects of one little three-letter word: SIN.
We cannot enjoy the presence of God until sin is eliminated. Remember Adam and Eve in the original Garden? They sinned and for their own protection they were expelled from the Garden of Eden. To have stayed there would have killed them. God is so unimaginably good that any evil in his presence is destroyed. Like a little smidge of darkness on the surface of the sun, evil cannot endure for a millisecond the presence of God. Their expulsion was not so much God's disappointing anger, but his love for them. The rest of history has been about God's plan to make it possible for mankind to get back into the garden. The whole sacrificial system given to Moses for the people of Israel spoke of the problem of sin in getting mankind back to the presence of God. Many animals died to show that sin is a violation of justice that requires death to be satisfied. Of course those animals were shadows of One who was to come and make one final sacrifice that would satisfy justice and open the door to the presence of God again.
Our text says that we are made alive with Christ. That could not happen as long as sin was unconfronted. We often hear teaching and preaching today that indicates that God loves us so much that he just ignores sin. Or we hear that sin is a psychological state of mind that can be cast aside when we move beyond the suppression of primitive religion. Don't believe it! Sin occurred in a real historical context. It has a real and lasting affect on all creation. The alienation is real. It is not a state of the mind or some primitive compulsion toward appeasement that mankind will outgrow with enough evolutionary expansion. Jesus is not just a symbol of cosmic pure thought. He is the historical last Adam who died a real death to satisfy the eternal justice by which the world is founded.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you. Psalm 89:14 (ESV)
There are eternal legal ramifications to our human condition. Our concepts of justice by which we try to govern the societies of this world came from God. Even those who deny the existence of a personal God admit there must be some kind of justice if the human race is to survive. Of course some have enough faith to believe this kind of truth is the result of enough time and unbelievable odds. It would be much easier to believe the biblical story that a God of holiness (including justice) created the earth and placed mankind here in his image. We have both a federal and personal responsibility toward sin. Our federal head, Adam sinned and introduced sin into the whole race. We are born with the effects of sin in our blood. Then we choose to sin and become personally responsible. That is a bad place to be. And it is worse. The only way to pay the debt is by the death of a perfect sacrifice. It truly is a debt we cannot pay.
In the midst of this unbearable news comes the announcement that Jesus who is the perfect sacrifice has willingly come and died in our place. He has canceled the curse coming from Adam and freed us from our personal debt of death. That is good news! That should affect the way we live. I heard about a young couple whose first pregnancy was fraught with trouble. The medical bills piled so high they didn't know how they could ever pay them. But not wanting to be a burden on the medical system or the government and wanting to accept their responsibility, they determined to pay the last one. For years the debt defined them. It affected their thoughts, their conversations, their choices, their plans and visions. One day a stranger to them asked them about the reason for the way they lived. They explained how responsible they felt and why they were paying on the slowly melting bills. On their next visit to the financial office they were told that a man had come in with a personal check and paid in full their debt. He had not asked for any discounts or help from the outside. He actually paid the whole thing. Though they were overjoyed at being free from the debt, they didn't know how to live. They spent years learning how to think, feel, choose, and plan as free people.
Did you know that justice demands that you are free and forgiven your debt? Since Jesus has paid the debt, there is no option but for you to be forgiven. Of course you can refuse his grace and for that sin there is no sacrifice. Why would anyone choose to live in debt when it has been paid? But even after you have acknowledged his grace and embraced his presence, you might take some time learning how to live without the weight of debt hanging on your back. Hurry up and learn. There is a grand life beyond debt.
SYNERGY - Better Together: October 01, 2010 click for more > Five Pillars of New Testament Discipleship: : October 15, 2010 click for more > Family Reunion Retreat: December 03, 2010 click for more >
