“When you were dead in your transgressions and the un-circumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having CANCELED {ERASED} out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.“- Col 2:13-14

I sent this to a dear man who was in torment over his past sin, failures. The evil one had turned him inwards– to look to himself and away from Jesus Christ and His Sufficiency! And there is nothing but despair when we turn away from Looking to Jesus! Hope this may encourage you or someone you know… he had been “tormented” and when he called me by phone he could hardly speak he was sobbing uncontrollably in tears over a sin from forty years previous. The evil one had reminded him, he had instead of turning to the Lord and understanding he had been forgiven, “pardoned,” his sin sent away on the Cross of Christ, and celebrating Him. He turned away from the cross and turned inward! The evil one brought to his mind of past sin , which the LORD Jesus had paid for. Yet he succumbed to the thoughts and left the LORD JESUS OUT OF THE Equation and he failed to embrace and stand on the truth of The Word of God and His position in Christ. He looked away from Jesus and focused instead on his own pitiful performance and in turning inward ended up in despair!

Self occupation leads to despair. There is no hope looking inward at self.

The only Hope, certainty, blessed assurance is to look away to Jesus and consider what He says and replace the lie through embracing the truth of God’s Word by faith in the LORD!

Paul wrote these words of comfort and FACT, to combat the lies the evil one was using people to seek to replace the Sufficiency of the Lord Jesus and cause doubts concerning His and therefore the sufficiency of their salvation. Paul combats the lie as Jesus did with referring to the Objective truth of God’s Word, “It is Written.” “When you were dead in your transgressions and the un-circumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having CANCELED out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.“- Col 2:13-14

ERASED;

This verse says God has forgiven not a few not some not even most but “All” of your sins. It says He has “cancelled” which means “ERASE.” HE did this through the Blood of the Cross. If God has forgiven “ALL” – HOW many of your sins are not forgiven? NONE! ” ALL” are paid in Full” and ERASED- DELETED! God does not bring them up again to you to condemn you otherwise the cross of Jesus is null and void – a waste – which is not so.

The Cross is GOD’S DECLARATION of His punishment of sin and All who turn to Him in repentance and faith in The Lord Jesus have their sins,”ALL” of them once and for all eternity – “ERASED!” What wonderful news.

It is possible to buy an appliance like a washer and dryer and have a two year guarantee. But once that “guarantee” runs past the two years,  the appliances are no longer guaranteed. The guarantee is removed, null and void, and if anything breaks you are liable. God says in Hebrews 8,“Their sins and iniquities I will remember NO MORE.”- God’s guarantees as long as He is, which is Eternity, He will never again hold your sins against you as He held them against His Son once and for all! He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He paid the price. When Jesus on the cross said,“IT IS FINISHED.” that is one word in the Greek which means, “PAID IN FULL.” Therefore God gives you an ETERNAL GUARANTEE! No More will He old your sins and iniquities against you! That is terrific news. That is cause to humbly praise Him upon contemplating the vastness of His grace, mercy and love! What a Promise! Forgiven! “It is finished.”

ERASED; A poor scribe would often use the same parchment to write on. In those days there was no acid in the ink that caused it to be imbedded upon the parchment. The ink simply lay on the surface, and the poor scribe if he desired to write something new would take a damp clothe and ERASE what was written. God has taken the blood of His dear Son, the Lord Jesus and has permanently, eternally ERASED All of your sin. There is no record in Heaven of sin against you. For on the Cross, Jesus “ERASED” the debt you were incapable of paying. The words of the hymnist come to mind who marveled at such love when he penned these words, “What wondrous love is this o my soul, o my soul what wondrous love is this.”  My dear friend understood by the help of the Holy Spirit from the Word of God. “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” For He bore our condemnation. The evil one seeks to shoot “fiery darts” to condemn us, and when He does we can lift up the shield of faith and use the “sword of the Spirit” the Word of God, and rejoice our sins and iniquities God has given us an eternal guarantee- He will remember No More! Never again to hold against us! Our sin has been “ERASED!” This is good news for this is God’s News!

From time to time I call my friend and when he answers the phone I address him with these words, How are you ERASED?” I have nick–named him,”ERASED,” to remind him of what God has done with all his sins through the cross of Christ where our I.O.U. was nailed and canceled- ERASED! Ask the LORD to help you understand His eternal guarantee for you.

Does this mean we have a license to sin? “God forbid…where sin abounded grace SUPER- ABOUNDED.” The Psalmist said ,”Oh Lord if You should keep records of our sin who could stand? But.with You there IS forgiveness that you might be served with reverence.”  He needed to be reminded that hHe was “complete in Christ- {Colossians 2:8-10}  Consider Him, His Work, His sufficient grace. His standing “In Christ.”

 What a blessing, as far as the east is from the west He has removed your transgressions. Your sins He will never use against you, hold against you for He has held it against His Son, once and for all, on the cross. His resurrection the proof God accepted His sacrifice on your half to satisfy His righteousness!

ALL your sins have been ERASED!

He says you are Forgiven. He is the final authority and HE cannot lie !{Jude 1:2}You are who and what He says you are, And His Word says you are totally, irrevocably forgiven! Stop looking at your own pitiful failing performance, look away to is perfect work. Don’t look inward look away to Jesus! Where are your sins? What does He say about them? “Cancelled”…  “ERASED!”

That is HIS PROMISE!

 What  a Blessing.