Friday Devo
Scripture:
Colossians 2
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
Commentary:
2:14 the record of debt that stood against us. In the Greco-Roman world, the “record of debt” (Gk. cheirographon) was a written note of indebtedness. Paul uses this as a word picture to characterize each person’s indebtedness to God because of sin. God himself has mercifully resolved this problem for all who put their faith in Jesus by taking this note and nailing it to the cross, where Jesus paid the debt. The image comes from the notice fastened to a cross by the Roman authorities, declaring the crime for which the criminal was being executed (see John 19:19–22).
2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities. The cross of Christ marks the decisive defeat of the demonic powers. On the cross, they were stripped of their power to accuse Christians before God. (Gk. diabolos, “devil,” means “accuser, slanderer.”) Nevertheless, these demons continue to exist and to exercise power to incite evil, so Christians must continue to struggle with them (see Eph. 6:12, 16). put them to open shame. This is the same term (Gk. deigmatizō) used in Matt. 1:19 to refer to Joseph’s unwillingness to expose Mary’s pregnancy and bring public shame on her. The cross publicly reveals the failure of the demonic powers to thwart God’s plan of salvation through Christ (see 1 Cor. 2:6–8). triumphing over them. The image is of a triumphal Roman military procession. The defeated king with all of his surviving warriors and the spoils of war were paraded through the streets of Rome, as a public spectacle for all to see.
2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities. The cross of Christ marks the decisive defeat of the demonic powers. On the cross, they were stripped of their power to accuse Christians before God. (Gk. diabolos, “devil,” means “accuser, slanderer.”) Nevertheless, these demons continue to exist and to exercise power to incite evil, so Christians must continue to struggle with them (see Eph. 6:12, 16). put them to open shame. This is the same term (Gk. deigmatizō) used in Matt. 1:19 to refer to Joseph’s unwillingness to expose Mary’s pregnancy and bring public shame on her. The cross publicly reveals the failure of the demonic powers to thwart God’s plan of salvation through Christ (see 1 Cor. 2:6–8). triumphing over them. The image is of a triumphal Roman military procession. The defeated king with all of his surviving warriors and the spoils of war were paraded through the streets of Rome, as a public spectacle for all to see.
Questions:
- Everything we need in life is found at the cross. We should run there every chance we get. Many of us, when we sin, do just the opposite. We run from God in our shame. We hide. We allow distance in our relationships with God and others in our lives. But we know we serve a God who is faithful and just to forgive. Our sin was already paid for on the cross of Calvary. What would it look like in your life to develop a habit of instant confession and repentance? How might this change your behaviors ? How might your relationship with God grow?
- At the cross, Jesus won a permanent victory over sin, death and Satan himself. Jesus shamed our enemy for all to see. When we put our trust in him and enter into God's family, we share in that same victory. We no longer have to be a slave to sin. We no longer have to suffer the eternal consequences of our sin. And we have authority, because of God's Spirit within us, over Satan and his demons. Ultimate victory is ours! If all this is true, what have we to fear in life? What could possibly bring us down and stress us out? Is there any area of your life that you are accepting defeat, or even forfeiting the battle altogether? Where do you need to start fighting instead?
Pray:
- That you would develop a habit of instant and consistent repentance.
- That you would remember that you are on the winning side.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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