As Paul the apostle
continued to show the church members in Colosse the magnificent
benefits afforded to them through Jesus, he included the
“circumcision” spiritually and the “baptism” in
which they identified with Christ not only in His burial, but also in
His resurrection. In chapter two and verse thirteen of his letter to
the Colossians, Paul shows the church members how their sins and
flesh made them dead unto God, however Jesus “quickened” or
made them alive unto Him. We read:
And you, being dead in
your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
has he quickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
The verse begins, “And
you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,”
To begin this section, Paul
desired that the Colossians know their two-fold former state. First,
“And you, being dead in your sins” which
means “lifeless, destitute of life, without life, inanimate,
spiritually dead, destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted
to God, inactive as respects doing right, destitute of force or
power, inactive, inoperative” in their relationship with God.
Because of sins, they had no true relationship with God. Secondly,
Paul says they were dead because of “the uncircumcision of your
flesh,” or the “the corrupt
desires rooted in the flesh were not yet extinct” within them.
Because of their “flesh”
nature, they were alienated from any true communion with the Heavenly
Father.
The
verse goes on to say, “has he quickened together with him,”
Because of their “dead” and “uncircumcised” state, Paul,
speaking of Jesus said, “he has quickened with him” which
means “made alive” even as He was with the resurrection of His
body. In the same manner as Jesus was “made alive” again after
His death on the cross, even so the Colossians which were once dead
in their sins and uncircumcised in their flesh were “made alive”
unto God which meant they now had a relationship with Him.
Finally the verse says, “having
forgiven you all trespasses;” Because
Jesus died and rose again for the sins and uncircumcision of the
flesh of the Colossians, Paul said Jesus was in a state of
“having forgiven” which
means “to do something pleasant or agreeable, to do a favor
to, gratify, to show one's self gracious, kind, benevolent, to
pardon, to give graciously, give freely, or bestow upon” “you
all trespasses” which were “to fall beside or near something,
a lapse or deviation from truth and uprightness, a sin or misdeed”.
No matter what “trespass” or “willful and defiant disobedience”
was committed again God, Jesus forgave when He died on the cross and
rose again. This forgiveness afforded the Colossian church members to
have a relationship with God that was impossible otherwise.
When we
think about what Jesus did for the Colossians, we may liken ourselves
unto them. We, too, were dead in our trespasses and sins, and we were
subject to the willful disobedience of our flesh nature against God
When Jesus died upon the cross and rose again on the third day
thereafter, He made access for forgiveness of “all trespasses”,
and there is no willful act against God that cannot be forgiven
unless a person rejects God's provision. God, Our Heavenly Father,
desires to “quicken and make alive” which means have a
relationship with every person who will willingly accept His
provision of forgiveness through His Son Jesus Christ. As we ponder
this wonderful thought, let us realize our former state, recognize
God's provision for us, receive His forgiveness, and pray that others
will receive this message of the gospel as well.
Next
time Paul continues by telling the Colossians how the handwriting on
the wall against them was blotted out,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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