Colossians 2:13-14 English Standard Version (ESV)
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Recently I said that I skipped over definitions and ordinances in favor of speaking about the reciprocal force of love. It is a good time to return to ordered lesson plans for disciples. Where should be begin?
Did any of us understand that we were trespassers before we came to Christ? This one falls into the law courts. A legal no trespassing sign states the ordinances upon which the violation is judged. Those ordinances define the penalty for trespassing. I am reminded of a judge telling a defendant, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.”
Romans 1:20 English Standard Version (ESV) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Psalm 39:2-4 English Standard Version (ESV) I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail,
and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!
All who are chosen will feel that burning you their heart, a longing to know that life is more than food and drink, more than work and position. Something is missing because we have transgressed.
The ordinance defines the penalty for transgression. Death.
What justifies me in this court that God should set aside the verdict, pay my debt and set me free?
Our first definition word shall be justification.