Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)
This week, we are looking at three ways Jesus disarmed the devil and what that means to us today. On Monday we saw the freedom we have been given through the cross work of Christ. Today we will rejoice in our . . .
Forgiveness
Thanks to the cross work of Christ, we have been set free from our bondage to sin, Satan, and death. Because Jesus willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, we have been set free from the penalty of sin; we have also graciously been given the deepest need of every human heart: forgiveness!
We owed a debt for sin to our holy, righteous, and sinless God, a debt we simply could not possibly pay. We are sinners, both by nature and by habit, but Jesus stepped up in our place, submitted to the will of His Father, and offered Himself as our substitute through His sacrificial death, receiving our just penalty for our sins on Himself. In the courtroom of heaven, God the Father has declared us “Not Guilty!” because of the substitutionary, sacrificial death of God the Son.
Jesus took our sin — all of our sin, past, present, and still to come — and nailed it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). God the Father accepted the sacrifice of God the Son and has forgiven us of all our sins. We are washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. So the next time the devil tries to drag you down by dredging up your sins, remember this: Jesus disarmed the devil through His work on the cross on Calvary’s Hill.
Rejoice, Christian! You have been set free to serve God with a heart filled with love and gratitude, because you have been fully and freely forgiven. We can exult with the apostle Paul: “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 