Scripture Reading: Col. 2:13-15, 18, 20-22; Eph. 2:5, 15
In this message we shall consider the economy of God’s salvation as it is revealed in 2:13-15. As we shall see, this economy involves three things: making us alive with Christ, abolishing the ritual law, and stripping off the evil angelic powers.
Colossians 2:13 says, “And you, being dead in the offenses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all offenses.” The word dead here refers to the deadness in spirit because of sin. We who once were dead in offenses and in the uncircumcision of the flesh have been made alive together with Christ. This means that God has enlivened us in Christ’s resurrection with the divine life. What was accomplished in Christ’s resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3) is experienced through our faith. The first aspect in the economy of God’s salvation is that He has made us alive together with the resurrected Christ.
In verse 14 Paul goes on to say, “Wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.” The Greek word rendered “wiping out” can also be translated blotting out, obliterating, erasing, or annulling (a decree of law). The Greek word rendered “handwriting” denotes a legal document, a bond. Here it refers to the written law. The ordinances, or decrees, refer to the ceremonial law with its rituals, the forms or ways of living and worship. These ordinances God has taken out of the way by nailing them to the cross. This is to abolish the law of the commandments in ordinances (Eph. 2:15). This kills the heresy of keeping the Judaistic rituals.
In verse 15 Paul continues, “Stripping off the rulers and the authorities, He made a display of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” The Greek for “stripping off” can also be rendered “putting off,” as in 3:9. The rulers and authorities spoken of in this verse are the angelic rulers and authorities. Because of the heretical teaching of angel-worship at Colosse, the passage here refers to the evil angels. The law was given through angels (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19). Based upon this, the heretical teachers at Colosse advocated the worship of angels (Col. 2:18) as mediators between God and man. Hence, the apostle dealt with this heresy by unveiling the fact that the law, consisting of ordinances, was nailed to the cross (v. 14), and the leading evil angels were stripped off from God. This left Christ as the sole Mediator, who is the Head of all rule and authority (v. 10). This kills the heresy of angel worship.
In verses 13, 14, and 15 the pronoun He refers to God in verse 12. The Greek word for make a display means show or exhibit in the sense of putting to an open shame. God openly shamed the evil angelic rulers and authorities on the cross and triumphed over them in it. The Greek words translated “in it” refer to the cross, but they can also be rendered in Him, referring to Christ.
It is not God’s intention that we keep the law, and He certainly does not want us to worship angels. God’s desire is to enliven human beings who are dead in offenses. In order to enliven us, He must put His very life into us. When His life comes into us, we are enlivened, made alive.
By mentioning the enlivening of those who are dead in offenses together with the ordinances of the law and the angels, Paul’s intention is to point out that the concept held by the Colossians was altogether wrong. The Colossians still regarded the law and the angels very highly. They placed a high value on the ordinances of the law, and they were even worshipping certain of the angels. Although God has used both the law and the angels, in the economy of His salvation there is no place either for the law or for the angels. Angels are not admitted into the sphere of God’s salvation. Every believer has an angel, but these angels do not share in God’s salvation. Christ’s redemption has nothing to do with angels. In the realm of God’s economy in His salvation, both the law and the angels are ruled out. In the eyes of God, the ordinances, rituals, and ceremonies of the law have been crucified on the cross. However, not many Christians realize this. Not only were sin, the natural man, the world, and Satan crucified on the cross; the law was also crucified there. For this reason, in 2:14 Paul says that God wiped out the handwriting in ordinances by nailing it to the cross. Because Paul’s vision was so clear, his word was very definite. As evil men were putting Christ on the cross, God was nailing the law to the cross. Although the law had been given by God through angels, God Himself nailed it to the cross of Christ.
Verse 14 is a powerful weapon to counteract the teaching of the Seventh-Day Adventists about the observance of the Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath is one of the ordinances, or rituals, of the law that has been nailed to the cross. According to 2:14, the ordinances have been taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. Hence, the Seventh-Day Adventists need to see that the Sabbath-keeping ordinances have been wiped out. The very thing they treasure God has taken away. Actually, the ordinance of keeping the Sabbath was against us and contrary to us. Because God loves us, He has taken away this ordinance for our sake. Nevertheless, the Seventh-Day Adventists seek to restore the very thing God has removed.
Do not argue with Seventh-Day Adventists about which day, the seventh or the eighth, should be observed. Rather, point out that the keeping of the Sabbath is part of the handwriting in ordinances which has been taken away. We may use 2:14 boldly as a weapon to annihilate the ordinance concerning observing the Sabbath. In God’s economy of His salvation, there is no room for the law. Just as sin has been crucified on the cross, so the law has been crucified also. Both have been nailed to the cross of Christ. God does not want either sin or the law to remain. What He desires is for us to exist together with the risen Christ.
We have pointed out that at the time of Christ’s crucifixion God stripped off, put off, the rulers and authorities. When Christ was crucified, the leading evil angels attempted to surround God when Christ was on the cross. But God used the cross to strip off these angels. This is Paul’s concept in these verses.
In a very real sense, the cross of Christ is the center of the universe. After God created the heavens, the earth, and the billions of items in the universe, an archangel rebelled, and many angels followed him. This archangel became Satan, and his followers became the evil rulers, powers, and authorities in the heavenlies. Eventually, the man created by God fell and became sinful. The rebellion of the angels and the fall of man put God into a difficult situation. God’s way to deal with this difficulty is the cross. Firstly, God became a man, thereby putting humanity on Himself. Then Christ, God incarnate, went to the cross and was crucified. During the thirty-three and a half years of His earthly life, Christ walked from the manger to the cross. When He was crucified, many things took place. On the cross God judged sin and the sinful old man. Through the cross, our sinful nature was terminated. At the very time God was judging sin and sinful man, He also nailed the law to the cross. When God was nailing the law to the cross, the evil angels also were present and very active. But, according to verse 15, God stripped them off through the cross.
We have pointed out that, according to 2:15, God stripped off the rulers and authorities. From what or from where did He strip them off? If we would answer this question, we must see that while Christ was on the cross, God was working. At that time, the cross was the center of the universe. The Savior, sin, Satan, we, and God all were there. God was there judging sin and nailing the law to the cross. As He was doing this, the rulers and authorities gathered around God and Christ. We have pointed out that, according to grammar, the subject of verses 13 through 15 is God. Thus, the He in verse 15 denotes God. God made us alive together with Christ, nailed the ordinances to the cross, stripped off the rulers and authorities, made a display of them openly, and triumphed over them. No doubt, the rulers and authorities had swarmed around Christ as He was being crucified. Both God and Christ were working. Christ’s work was His crucifixion, whereas God’s work was to judge sin and all the negative things and to nail the law with its ordinances to the cross. The rulers and authorities who had gathered around God and Christ were also working. If they had not pressed in closely, how could God have stripped them off? The words “stripping off” indicate that they were very close, as close as our garments are to our body. By stripping off the rulers and authorities, God made a display of them openly. He openly put them to shame and triumphed over them. What a great matter this is!
Colossians 2:15 portrays the fighting that took place at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Evil men had put Christ on the cross. By His crucifixion Christ labored to accomplish redemption. God the Father was also working to judge sin and to nail the law to the cross. At the same time, the rulers and authorities were busy in the attempt to frustrate the work of God and Christ. The reference to triumph in verse 15 implies fighting. It indicates that a war was raging. While Christ was accomplishing redemption and God was dealing with the law and with the negative things, the rulers and authorities came to interfere. They pressed in close to God and Christ. But at that very juncture, God stripped them off, triumphed over them, and made a display of them openly, putting them to an open shame.
Colossians 2:15 is a small window through which we behold a marvelous sight. At the time of Christ’s crucifixion, a battle was raging between God and the rulers and authorities. But God stripped them off and triumphed over them.
Paul’s concept in these verses is that the law and the angels have been set aside through the cross. The law was nailed to the cross, and the evil angels have been stripped off by means of the cross. Therefore, in God’s economy in His salvation there is room neither for the law nor for the angelic rulers. How wrong the Colossians were in following ordinances and in worshipping angels! The law with its ordinances, including the keeping of the Sabbath, had been nailed to the cross. The Colossians were altogether wrong in allowing these things to pervade the church. Furthermore, in the cross God overcame the angelic rulers and put them to shame. What a blunder to be led astray to worship angels!
If we see the vision conveyed in these verses, many problems will be solved. For example, no one will be able to convince us to go back to the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. No one will be able to persuade us to be subject to the ordinances God has nailed to the cross. To follow such ordinances is to be blind and in darkness. It is to be ignorant of the Bible or to know it only superficially. Those who advocate Sabbath keeping may appeal to certain verses in the Old Testament. They may try to argue that both the Lord Jesus and Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath. However, 2:14 and 16 make it clear that the ordinances, including the observance of the Sabbath, have been abolished. Those who advocate the observance of the Sabbath have never touched the depths of the Scripture. They do not realize that through the cross the ordinances have been abolished. Furthermore, the rulers and authorities who gathered around God and Christ in displeasure at what was taking place on the cross have been defeated. When these evil angels surrounded God and Christ, God overcame them and stripped them off. Therefore, the law has been nailed to the cross, and the rulers and the authorities have been stripped off from God. What remains now is God’s redeemed people who are in a position to be enlivened by Him. Now that the law and the angels have been set aside, God has a clear ground and a peaceful environment for the enlivening of His chosen ones. He now has a proper atmosphere to carry out the pleasant task of enlivening the very ones He chose in eternity past. He delights to put His life into them and to make them alive.
The Colossians needed to see such a vision, and we also need to see it today. Because they lacked this vision, the Colossians were trying to keep the law and were worshipping angels. How foolish!
The aspects of the economy of God’s salvation in 2:13-15 are presented in a good sequence. In the economy of His salvation God enlivens us, nails the law to the cross, and strips off the evil rulers and authorities. The law is a frustration, and the rulers and authorities are troublesome. Because God has removed the law and the angels, we, His chosen people, are alone with Him. We are no longer bothered by terms, conditions, or requirements. God is here to enliven us, and we are here to be enlivened by Him. We should forget the law and the angels and allow God to put Himself into us as life.
The law that was used to expose our sinfulness has been nailed to the cross. Furthermore, the angels have been stripped off from God and Christ. Have you ever realized that at the time of the crucifixion God and Christ were so busy? Have you ever seen that the evil rulers and authorities were swarming around God and Christ and that a warfare was raging at the cross? I believe that few Christians have seen these things. Praise the Lord that by triumphing over the angelic powers and stripping them off, God has cleared the ground to enliven His chosen people.
Because of the subtlety of the enemy, the believers at Colosse were returning to the ordinances of the law and even were worshipping angels. What a great heresy! The principle is the same among Christians today. Christians may follow various ordinances, and those in Catholicism may even worship angels. Those who do not worship angels may still greatly admire them and unconsciously aspire to be like angels. Many sisters especially desire a type of angelic spirituality. But in principle to admire angels is to adore them, to worship them. I can testify that in me there is no place for angels. God has the ground to contact me in Christ. The law and the angels are not between me and Him.
The environment and the atmosphere are very suitable for God to contact us. Furthermore, God is not here to judge us, for He has already judged us on the cross. He is not even here to deal with us, because He has dealt with us already. God is here to accomplish one thing — to enliven us by imparting life into us. As the life-giving Spirit, the Triune God is giving life to us. In the meetings of the church life, we are being enlivened. Concerning this, the law and the angels have no place. We should remind the rulers and authorities that at Calvary God stripped them off and triumphed over them. Based upon God’s victory, we can order them to flee. What we need today is not the law or the angels, but the enlivening One, the life-giving One. This is the economy of God’s salvation.
