Blotted Out the Handwriting.

“And you being dead in the trespasses and in the un-circumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having blotted out the handwriting in the decrees against us, which was adverse to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed the rulers and the authorities. Colossians 2:13-15

[Objective]: What was blotted out in the decrees?

The redemption of Christ can be expressed as, the whole world from sin but also specifically, Israel from the judgement of the Law. Paul in Romans says, “For as many as have sinned without the Law also will perish without the Law; and as many as have sinned in the Law will be judged by the Law.” Romans 2:12 The common ground for both Jew and Gentile is sin. And the purpose of sin is to bring about death. “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23 Sin has power in the law because it brought about death, through the judgment of the law.

“But now He [Jesus Christ] has been revealed once in the consummation of the ages for the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” Hebrews 9:26

Gentiles, who  were once dead in trespasses and outside the covenant of God and without hope in the world, the judgment of law was not applicable. “For until the Law, sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed, there being no law.” Romans 5:13 Though all have sinned, and all are under the judgment of death. So, “He who knew no sin, was made sin for us” 2 Corinthians 5:21 and in being made sin, His body was nailed to the cross. Peter writes, “Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree.” 1 Peter 2:24

Therefore sin [whose essences is disobedience] was [condemned] put to death in the flesh through the body of Christ. [Romans 8:3] And through His perfect obedience under the law, He presented a spotless offering for the transgressions committed under the law which merited the curse of the law. So Paul writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it has been written: “Cursed is everyone hanging on a tree.” Galatians 3:13 Thereby demolishing sin [nature of] as well as satisfying the curse of the law [consequences of].

“How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our conscience from dead works.” Hebrews 9:14 

The Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you that the one hearing My word and believing the One having sent Me, he has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24 Notice it is redemption from [judgment]. [Judgment] is curse and [Law] is principle of good and holy.

It is not the law Jesus Christ blotted out but the curse of the law. The law is good and holy, and Christ did not destroy the good to uphold wickedness in us. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfil.” Matthew 5:17 The law of a nation may decree a punishment accordingly to a given transgression. And the person responsible may be given a pardon through the work of an intermediary satisfying the demands of that punishment. In which case, what is blotted out is the punishment due and Not the law itself. The law will stand without having anyone to be punished. Therefore it is the judgement decreed against the deeds of our flesh, committed under the law that is blotted out. 

[Why say “the handwriting”?]: The law was given by angels, it is not the handwriting of men but it is spiritual. “[The Law] having been ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator.” Galatians 3:19 Therefore  we can consider, when saying handwriting it is referring to the works of our own hands that merits the judgment of the law. Paul in Galatians says, “For as many as are of works of the Law are under a curse, for it has been written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue all things having been written in the book of the Law, to do them.”3:10 Yet no such decree is against the one outside of the law since their hands have not been put to work under the law, though they perish being under the [universal] law of sin and death, but outside the judgment of the law.

[Note]: If we make distinction between the Commandments written by the hand of God and the ordinances written by the hand of Moses. The first point to consider is, Paul writes “Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food, or in regard to drink, or in regard to a feast, or a New Moon, or Sabbaths.” Colossians 3:16 The Sabbath is given in the commandment and it is not the handwriting of Moses but the Lord’s. Furthermore the decrees in ordinances mainly serve to specify regulations of separations [purification] but do no have much weight in regard to sin which mainly stem from deeds that violate the commandments.

So Paul is expressing [the Complete work of Christ] which can only be understood in respect of the law, [freed from sin and freed from the law.] The world does not need to be redeemed from the law, since it was never covenanted under the law. But Israel needed to be redeemed from the law. “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born under the Law, that He might redeem those under the Law.” Galatians 4:4-5 And it is Christ’s perfect obedience unto death under the law that breaks the bond of sin. Therefore the objective of the Law to the sacrifice of Christ is to bring to an end; the one object [sin] form which the whole world is redeemed.

[The Jurisdiction of the Law is the Flesh]: Paul writing to those under the law says, “You also have been put to death to the Law through the body of Christ, for you to belong to another.” [And] “Now we have been released from the Law, having died to that which we were bound.” Romans 7: 4,6 Christ died to sin. And because we also die to sin in Christ, the law has no bearing [we are released through the death of the flesh] and being in the Spirit of Him who accomplished the dictates of the law, righteousness to life is fulfilled in us who walk according to the Spirit [and not the flesh]. [Romans 8:4] Note, it is “you have been put to death,” [And Not] “the law have been put to death.“

[Comparing  Romans 6 and 7]: Romans 6 addresses the general concept of sin, so as [All] inside/outside of the law dying to sin to live to God in Christ Jesus. But Romans 7 narrows the work of Christ specifically to those under the law. For them the previous covenant which was in their flesh [through circumcision] must be brought to an end. So he does not express it as death to sin but death to the flesh [which was once bound to the law], and now is released through the body of Christ. “For the end of Law is Christ, unto righteousness to everyone believing.” Romans 10:4 So as to live to God in the Spirit. The effect is exactly the same, redeemed from sin and redeemed from the judgment of the law, through the body of Christ. [Roman 2:12] Death to the flesh is death to sin.

Therefore the work of Christ in putting away sin, also settled the God given mechanism by which that was accomplished [the law]. So God closed the covenant of the law through the death of Jesus Christ, having fully met the terms of the law in order to instigate a new covenant through His blood. So Hebrews says, “He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15 That is Jesus in His flesh has closed the age of the flesh and has began the age of the Spirit. And through this new covenant, the law of separation between Jew and Gentile is made null and void, the division in the flesh is put to rest in Christ. “For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

“For He Himself is our peace, having made both one and having broken down the barrier of the partition of hostility, [having annulled in His flesh] the law of commandments in ordinances, so that He might create in Himself the two into one new man, making peace, and He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, by it having slain the hostility.” Ephesians 2:14-16 

And because we are in the Spirit and not in the flesh we have surpassed the jurisdiction of the law and are under a new governing body, the Holy Spirit. “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Galatians 5:18 It is not that the law became without effect for Paul write, “Do we, then, nullify the Law through faith? Never may it be! Instead, we uphold Law.” Romans 3:31 In saying this Paul is not speaking of the ordinances given for the purification of the flesh, the governing rules that set apart Israel through food, drink, days festival and so on. For the one who had been redeemed from sin/flesh and is in the Spirit, the dictates of the law given to govern the flesh are no longer applicable, they are dead works.

But of the law of commandments, which was once written on stone, Paul says, “So that the righteousness of the Law should be fulfilled in us not walking according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:4 That is the requirements of law written on stone is meet in us, through the Spirit of God, which is to Love God and love our neighbour. God simply moved the law from stone to our hearts, by removing the barrier of our flesh. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, putting My Laws into their mind, and I will inscribe them upon their hearts;” Hebrews 8:10 And God works [HIS] laws in our hearts through love. “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:4 Because we love we uphold the law. And John writes, “Beloved, we should love one another, because love is from God; and everyone loving has been born from God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

“For the one loving the other has fulfilled the Law. For, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, in, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does not do evil to its neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilment of the Law.” Romans 13:8-10

Christ nailed to the cross [sin], “He became sin for us,” He nailed to the cross [the curse of the law], “He became a curse for us.” But He did not blot out nether the law nor the ordinances of the law. However through His sacrifice He rendered their jurisdiction null and void for the one who walks in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Therefore we do not let sin reign in our bodies, nor do we subject ourselves under bondage to law.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, we should also walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25

Righteousness is not governed by law but it is manifested through love.