Colossians 2:14 kjv
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Colossians 2:14 nkjv
having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Colossians 2:14 niv
having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2:14 esv
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2:14 nlt
He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
Colossians 2 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 43:25 | "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake…" | God pardons and forgets sins completely. |
| Ps 103:12 | "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." | Complete removal of sin. |
| Jer 31:34 | "...for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." | God's promised forgiveness. |
| Rom 3:23 | "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…" | Universal human debt due to sin. |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death..." | The penalty for sin, the ultimate debt. |
| Gal 3:10 | "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse…" | Law brings condemnation, not justification. |
| Gal 3:13 | "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…" | Christ took the Law's curse upon Himself. |
| Eph 2:15 | "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances..." | Christ ended the legal barrier between groups. |
| Rom 7:6 | "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held…" | Release from the Law's binding power. |
| Acts 3:19 | "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…" | Repentance leads to sin's erasure. |
| Eph 1:7 | "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins..." | Forgiveness through Christ's blood. |
| Heb 9:26 | "...but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." | Christ's singular sacrifice ends sin's power. |
| 1 Pet 2:24 | "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree..." | Christ bore our sins on the cross. |
| John 19:30 | "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head..." | Christ's complete work of redemption. |
| Rom 8:3-4 | "...God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh..." | God dealt with sin through Christ. |
| 2 Cor 5:21 | "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin..." | Christ took our sin upon Himself. |
| Gal 5:1 | "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free..." | Freedom from bondage to Law and sin. |
| Rom 8:1 | "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…" | No longer under legal condemnation. |
| Heb 8:13 | "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." | Old covenant's obsolescence by new covenant. |
| Col 1:21-22 | "...yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy..." | Reconciliation and presentation as holy. |
| Col 2:13 | "...and you, being dead in your sins... hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses." | Forgiveness preceding the blotting out. |
| 1 John 2:1 | "...if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..." | Continual advocacy and forgiveness. |
Colossians 2 verses
Colossians 2 14 Meaning
Colossians 2:14 declares Christ's profound act of liberation, having completely eradicated the "handwriting of ordinances" that stood in judgment against humanity. This "handwriting" refers to a record of spiritual indebtedness or a certificate of legal condemnation due to sin and the demands of the Law, which no one could perfectly fulfill. By triumphantly nailing this record to His cross, Christ definitively canceled its power and obligation, offering complete forgiveness and spiritual freedom to believers, rendering obsolete any humanly constructed laws or traditions as a means of salvation or spiritual completion.
Colossians 2 14 Context
Colossians 2:14 is central to Paul's argument in the second chapter against a burgeoning syncretistic heresy in Colossae. This false teaching was a dangerous mixture of Gnosticism (emphasizing special knowledge and spiritual superiority), Jewish legalism (observance of ceremonial laws, dietary restrictions, festivals, and new moons), and possibly angel worship or ascetic practices (Col 2:16-23). The heretics subtly undermined the all-sufficiency of Christ by suggesting that believers needed more than Christ alone—additional rituals, insights, or disciplines—to achieve spiritual fullness or acceptance before God.
Paul counters this directly by emphasizing the completeness that believers already have in Christ (Col 2:9-10). Having addressed their spiritual resurrection in Christ (Col 2:11-13), verse 14 explains the crucial act by which this freedom and forgiveness were secured: the cancellation of humanity's debt. The "handwriting of ordinances" directly opposes the legalistic aspects of the heresy, declaring that any debt or obligation imposed by external codes (like the Mosaic Law or human traditions) has been permanently annulled through Christ's work on the cross. This verse, therefore, establishes the foundation for Paul's subsequent admonitions against following empty human philosophies and regulations rather than Christ Himself.
Colossians 2 14 Word analysis
- blotting out: (Greek: ἐξαλείψας, exaleipsas) Literally means to "wipe off, rub out, obliterate completely." It conveys the imagery of a writing or mark being entirely erased, like a decree being canceled from a ledger, leaving no trace behind. This action is absolute and final. Its perfect active participle form emphasizes a completed action by the subject (Christ).
- the handwriting: (Greek: χειρόγραφον, cheirographon) A key term meaning literally "a handwritten document." In legal and financial contexts, it refers to a bond, a promissory note, a certificate of debt, or an indictment signed by the debtor, acknowledging an obligation or an offense. It implies personal acknowledgment and liability.
- of ordinances: (Greek: τοῖς δόγμασιν, tois dogmasin) This refers to "decrees, statutes, regulations," or authoritative edicts. In this context, it pertains to the legal or ceremonial requirements of the Law that pronounced guilt and revealed sin (e.g., the Mosaic Law) or perhaps even additional humanly imposed rules that burden people. Combined with cheirographon, it suggests a document containing binding decrees or the legal demands resulting from such decrees.
- that was against us: (Greek: καθ' ἡμῶν, kath' hēmōn) Expresses hostility and opposition. This indicates the binding power of this "handwriting" was actively contrary to our spiritual well-being, standing as an accuser, an unpayable debt, or an inescapable condemnation against humanity.
- which was contrary to us: (Greek: ὑπεναντίον ἡμῖν, hypenantion hēmin) Reinforces the previous phrase, meaning "hostile to us," "in direct opposition," or "antagonistic." It highlights the insurmountable barrier this legal demand posed, making reconciliation with God impossible on human terms.
- and took it out of the way: (Greek: ἦρκεν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, ērken ek tou mesou) Literally "He has taken it up out of the midst" or "He has removed it from the middle." This signifies a decisive act of removal, clearing an obstacle that previously stood between humanity and God. It's a removal that makes a path clear.
- nailing it: (Greek: προσηλώσας, prosēlosas) Means "having fastened it to" or "having nailed it to." This verb depicts a physical, forceful act, directly connecting the removal of the debt to the event of the crucifixion. It evokes the image of a public posting, similar to how official decrees or debt cancellations might be publicly displayed in the Roman world.
- to his cross: (Greek: τῷ σταυρῷ αὐτοῦ, tō staurō autou) The ultimate symbol of Christ's sacrificial death. By nailing the record to His cross, Christ visibly demonstrated that He bore the full weight of humanity's debt and condemnation, publicly displaying its complete cancellation through His atoning work. The cross became the very instrument of the legal demands' nullification.
Word-group analysis
- blotting out the handwriting of ordinances: This entire phrase conveys a profound legal and spiritual cancellation. The "handwriting" (debt/condemnation) represents humanity's inability to meet God's righteous standards, coupled with our actual sin. The "ordinances" (laws/demands) reveal our failure and exact a penalty. Christ's "blotting out" signifies the complete and final erasure of this condemnatory record. It's not just a postponement, but a wiping clean.
- that was against us, which was contrary to us: These two phrases strongly emphasize the negative, condemning, and impossible nature of this legal claim against humanity. It points to humanity's state under sin and the Law—condemned and powerless to effect self-deliverance. The Law itself, though holy, just, and good, became a source of condemnation due to human weakness (Rom 7:10-12).
- took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross: This masterful phrase identifies how the cancellation occurred. "Taking it out of the way" indicates removing an obstacle, freeing up passage. "Nailing it to his cross" provides the powerful image and means of this removal. The cross wasn't just a place of death; it was the ultimate act of public declaration of the cancellation of debt and disarming of spiritual foes (as implied in the following verse, Col 2:15). It shows that the death of Christ was both the payment of the debt and the declaration that the debt was paid.
Colossians 2 14 Bonus section
The legal concept illustrated in Colossians 2:14, where a debt certificate (χειρόγραφον) is publicly nailed to a post to signify its full payment and cancellation, finds parallels in ancient Roman and Near Eastern legal practices. This visible act on the cross underscored the complete public nullification of the debt against believers. This divine public act not only canceled our debt to God but also served as a legal triumph over spiritual powers (as seen in Colossians 2:15, where Christ disarmed and triumphed over principalities and powers, showcasing them openly). The cross was not merely an instrument of suffering but also a cosmic platform for Christ's ultimate victory, declaring humanity's freedom from sin, Law, and the spiritual forces of darkness.
Colossians 2 14 Commentary
Colossians 2:14 provides the divine method by which believers are "made alive with Christ" and have "all trespasses forgiven" (Col 2:13). The "handwriting of ordinances" encompasses the complete record of humanity's rebellion against God's will and the specific condemnations imposed by the Law for failing to perfectly fulfill its righteous requirements. This cosmic "IOU" or charge sheet stood perpetually "against us" because no one could satisfy its demands or pay the resultant spiritual debt of sin.
Christ, in His crucifixion, uniquely and perfectly addressed this dilemma. By metaphorically "nailing" this indictment to His cross, He did not merely postpone it but completely "blotted it out" – a graphic image of absolute eradication. His death served as the full payment for our sin-debt, rendering the accusing legal demands null and void for those in Him. This act represents the core of Christ's triumph, moving humanity from a state of unforgivable indebtedness and condemnation to complete forgiveness and liberation from the burden of religious rule-keeping as a means of salvation. It underlines that salvation is solely Christ's finished work, not human effort, which powerfully refutes the false teachings threatening the Colossian church. The implication for believers is profound freedom: we are no longer debtors to sin or under the condemning power of the Law. We live not by what we achieve, but by what Christ accomplished.