mailmandan
Well-Known Member
You made some good points. Colossians 2:14 - 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.2:14 Paul now goes on to describe something else that was included in the work of Christ. 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.
The handwriting of requirements that was against us describes the law. In a sense, the Ten Commandments were against us, condemning us because we did not keep them perfectly. But the Apostle Paul is thinking not only about the Ten Commandments, but also about the ceremonial law that was given to Israel. In the ceremonial law, there were all kinds of commandments with regard to holy days, foods, and other religious rituals. These were all a part of the prescribed religion of the Jews. They pointed forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. They were shadows of His Person and His work. In His death on the cross, He took all this out of the way, nailing it to the cross and cancelling it as a bill is cancelled when the debt is paid. As Meyer put it: “By the death of Christ on the cross, the law which condemned men lost its penal authority, inasmuch as Christ by His death endured for man the curse of the law and became the end of the law.”
Paul's language here very likely refers to an ancient practice of nailing the written evidence of a cancelled debt in a public place as a notice to all that the creditor (God) had no more claim on the debtor (us). Jesus paid the penalty of our sin. "It is finished" said Jesus and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
(Believers Bible)
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Ephesians 2:15 - having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.
Colossians 2:14 and Ephesians 2:15 refer to the whole old covenant law including the ten commandments.
Leviticus 19 lists 5 of the 10 commandments as well as 24 references to the "ceremonial law" and calls them My statures and all My ordinances without differentiation.
In Deuteronomy 5:1 the ten commandments are called "My statures and all My ordinances."
In Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25 we have two whole chapters that deal exclusively with the ten commandments and the following 5 terms are used interchangeably without distinction: "statutes", "ordinances", "commandments", "judgments", "testimonies."
In Ezekiel 20:19-21 My sabbaths (including the weekly sabbath) is called "My statures and all My ordinances."
In Nehemiah 9:13-14 the weekly sabbath is included without distinction: "ordinances, true laws, good statutes, commandments."
Malachi chapter 4 closes with a call to keep "statutes and ordinances" which obviously include the 10 commandments.
2 Corinthians 3:6 - who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.