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
During one of our federal election campaigns, several candidates for election to Parliament had to withdraw because of things that somebody found on the internet. Years earlier, these people had posted statements that were at best politically incorrect and at worst were derogatory, profane, or disgusting. Now, those old statements came back to bite them. Police, parents, and school officials are constantly reminding young people to be very careful about information that they post on the internet, because that information will remain on the public record for a long time. Even years later, it can be used against them to condemn or disgrace them. There is an old Latin proverb that says ‘Litera scripta manet’. That translates into ‘That which is written remains’. People who commit crimes will find that the record of those crimes follows them throughout their lives. Even a pardon will hide that record only as long as the person does not commit another crime. The handwriting that records all of our violations of God’s ordinances also lasts for time, and also for eternity, unless that handwriting has been blotted out.
The term ‘blotting’ is very similar to a common word used these days: redacting. Redacting refers to parts of written material that are removed or obscured for legal or security reasons. Redacting often occurs when government documents are released to the public, to hide material that should not be publicly known. But redacting is usually applied to only part of a document, with some of the material left intact for readers to see and use. God has done far more than that with the record of our sins. He has blotted them out, totally removing them from the record, so that they can never be brought up before Him again for judgment.
The handwriting or ordinances that was against us includes the ten commandments. Who among us can point to even one of them and claim that it does not condemn us? In addition, all of the moral law of God, as contained in His Word, declares our guilt before Him. For years, we also were disobedient to the Gospel and its demand that we repent and receive Christ as Saviour. Oh, what a great deal of blotting out was needed for us, to rid us of the condemnation of the handwriting that was against us!
Did you ever act as a co-signer for a debt that somebody else owed? That is a dangerous practice, and is done in violation of the advice given in Proverbs 11:15: ‘He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; and he that hateth suretyship is sure’. You certainly wouldn’t do it if you thought that the other person would default on the debt. There is your own handwriting, confirming your promise to make sure that the debt is paid. That is what the Lord Jesus has done for us. Knowing that we had a debt that we could not pay, He willingly accepted responsibility for the debt. He went further; He actually paid the debt in full, and as our text declares, He took it out of the way.
We have no handwriting of ordinances against us today. They are gone, nailed to the cross. When the books are opened, there will be nothing recorded against us, only that we are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. -Jim MacIntosh