Nailed to the cross

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 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. – Colossians 2v13-14


My favourite line from my favourite hymn is from ‘It is Well with My Soul.’ H.G. Spafford wrote these words in what is normally the third stanza. (Sadly, this is the verse often skipped in the ‘Baptist 1st, 2nd, and 4th stanza singing rule’: insert a chuckle here: )

‘My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious though, my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh my soul.’

What powerful words. in the light of today’s passage. While we were dead in our trespasses and our sin, in our wicked ‘uncircumcised’ state, we were made alive together with Jesus! We had a couple of things against us. Our sin was against us. The list of requirements was against us. But he took the problem out of the way when He nailed it to His cross!

When Satan tempts you to despair remember – nailed to the cross
When tempted to sin remember – nailed to the cross
When a particular sin rears its ugly head remember – nailed to the cross
When someone comes with a list of rules and requirements remember – nailed to the cross

Nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!