Jesus Took It Out Of The Way

I feel as though there is more that needs to be said concerning the blotting out of the Law … which I dealt with in my last posting entitled … "Smeared." So, I guess you could say this is a continuation of it.

I didn't deal with all that is in Colossians 2:14 (my main verse) where the Apostle Paul is speaking about some of the things that Jesus accomplished on the cross through the shedding of His blood; not only in the … "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us" … but the fact that by doing so He … "took it out of the way" when He nailed it to His cross.

As I said before, this verse may be one of the most important verses in the Word of God. So we need to again … look at it very closely.

I received a comment from a reader on the last posting (which I welcome) that stated … "Jesus fulfilled the Law, He didn't nullify it." I hope I'm not splitting hairs here, but I'm not so sure about that.

Paul said that Jesus blotted out (smeared) "the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us." I'm no expert, but it looks to me as if this phrase could mean … (1.) the Law Moses received from God; or (2.) all the Jewish ceremonial law, the handwritten ordinances that man placed upon the people.

Yes, I know that God wrote the Ten Commandments Himself. I also realize that the handwritten ordinances that man wrote and added to the Law were also commanded by God. To me it really doesn't matter … the Law as a whole didn't work. It didn't keep anyone from becoming a sinner. The Law never saved anyone.

In fact Paul said in Romans … (my translation) … without the Law there would be no sin. Romans 4:15 actually says, "… the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression." (Basically the same meaning.)

Did Jesus really nullify the Law? What's the meaning of nullify? As a verb, "nullify" means … (1.) to make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect; (2.) show to be invalid; and (3.) declare invalid. Some other descriptive words one might use to describe the effect are … annulled, invalidate, neutralize, cancel, negate and strike down.

Before I look at the phrase in Colossians 2:14 … "Jesus took it out of the way" … I want to examine Paul's wording, speaking of Jesus in a similar meaning verse …

Ephesians 2:15 … "Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances …"

Abolished means … "to render entirely idle, useless."
The enmity means … "hostility; the reason for opposition."
Ordinances means … "laws (civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical) a decree."

Allow me the freedom to add the meanings of these words to this verse. This would be my personal translation … "Jesus having rendered entirely idle and useless through His death on the cross, the hostility and opposition that the Law of Commandments contained in decrees and ordinances …"

Wouldn't you agree that this verse is really saying that Jesus nullified the Law? It sure sounds like it to me. Again … look at it very closely. Compare both Ephesians 2:15 and Colossians 2:14.

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances …"

"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 …"

Both of these verses are declaring essentially the same thing. This was one of the Apostle Paul's main themes … "Jesus fulfilled the Law and took it out of the way."

Jesus "took it out of the way." How did He do that? Hebrews 7:12 states … "For the priesthood being changed, (Jesus now being the High Priest) there is made of necessity a change also of the law."

Hebrews 7:18-19 states … "there is a disannulling (a setting aside) of the commandment (the Law) going before (in consequence of the change which has been made in the priesthood) … for the law made nothing perfect."

"Of the commandment" … this relates to the Priesthood and to the ceremonial law in general. This does not refer to God's moral law which cannot be changed.

The writer goes on still speaking of Jesus in Hebrews 8:6-7 … "But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."

And again in Hebrews 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."

It sounds as if God is ready for a change in His Covenant of Law.

Hebrews 10:1 … "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect." (Hebrews 7:19 … for the law made nothing perfect.")

Hebrews 10:9 … "Then said He, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second."

If you are not yet convinced by the Word of God itself, that as far as our salvation is concerned … the Law is nullified … I'll share just a little of Paul's teaching to the Galatians on this subject.

Galatians 3:13 … "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."

Galatians 3:23-25 … "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

Let me think about that for a moment … "we are no longer under a schoolmaster" … which was the Law. "No longer under" … okay, got it.

But if you don't yet get it, Paul continues …

Galatians 4:21 … "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" (Meaning it's yelling … bondage!)

Galatians 5:1 … "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Galatians 5:3-4 … "For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, (or living under the Law) that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

I'm sure there is a whole lot to be said about … "falling from grace." Maybe I'll post a dissertation on that subject some time in the future. But for now, all I can say is that … "falling from grace" … doesn't sound like something one should do.

I don't want to be a debtor to the whole Law … so I think I will just throw myself upon the love and mercy of God as He looks at me through the Blood of Jesus, instead of by how I keep the Law.

Lastly, I'll ask the same question Paul asked in Colossians 2:20-21.

"After being set free from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, would you want to be subject to ordinances, such as touch not; taste not and handle not?"

I think that is a fair question.


Comments welcome.