By mentioning the enlivening of those who are dead in offenses together with the ordinances of the law and the angels, Paul’s intention is to point out that the concept held by the Colossians was altogether wrong. The Colossians still regarded the law and the angels very highly. They placed a high value on the ordinances of the law, and they were even worshipping certain of the angels. Although God has used both the law and the angels, in the economy of His salvation there is no place either for the law or for the angels. Angels are not admitted into the sphere of God’s salvation. Every believer has an angel, but these angels do not share in God’s salvation. Christ’s redemption has nothing to do with angels. In the realm of God’s economy in His salvation, both the law and the angels are ruled out. In the eyes of God, the ordinances, rituals, and ceremonies of the law have been crucified on the cross. However, not many Christians realize this. Not only were sin, the natural man, the world, and Satan crucified on the cross; the law was also crucified there. For this reason, in 2:14 Paul says that God wiped out the handwriting in ordinances by nailing it to the cross. Because Paul’s vision was so clear, his word was very definite. As evil men were putting Christ on the cross, God was nailing the law to the cross. Although the law had been given by God through angels, God Himself nailed it to the cross of Christ.
Verse 14 is a powerful weapon to counteract the teaching of the Seventh-Day Adventists about the observance of the Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath is one of the ordinances, or rituals, of the law that has been nailed to the cross. According to 2:14, the ordinances have been taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. Hence, the Seventh-Day Adventists need to see that the Sabbath-keeping ordinances have been wiped out. The very thing they treasure God has taken away. Actually, the ordinance of keeping the Sabbath was against us and contrary to us. Because God loves us, He has taken away this ordinance for our sake. Nevertheless, the Seventh-Day Adventists seek to restore the very thing God has removed.
Do not argue with Seventh-Day Adventists about which day, the seventh or the eighth, should be observed. Rather, point out that the keeping of the Sabbath is part of the handwriting in ordinances which has been taken away. We may use 2:14 boldly as a weapon to annihilate the ordinance concerning observing the Sabbath. In God’s economy of His salvation, there is no room for the law. Just as sin has been crucified on the cross, so the law has been crucified also. Both have been nailed to the cross of Christ. God does not want either sin or the law to remain. What He desires is for us to exist together with the risen Christ.
We have pointed out that at the time of Christ’s crucifixion God stripped off, put off, the rulers and authorities. When Christ was crucified, the leading evil angels attempted to surround God when Christ was on the cross. But God used the cross to strip off these angels. This is Paul’s concept in these verses.
In a very real sense, the cross of Christ is the center of the universe. After God created the heavens, the earth, and the billions of items in the universe, an archangel rebelled, and many angels followed him. This archangel became Satan, and his followers became the evil rulers, powers, and authorities in the heavenlies. Eventually, the man created by God fell and became sinful. The rebellion of the angels and the fall of man put God into a difficult situation. God’s way to deal with this difficulty is the cross. Firstly, God became a man, thereby putting humanity on Himself. Then Christ, God incarnate, went to the cross and was crucified. During the thirty-three and a half years of His earthly life, Christ walked from the manger to the cross. When He was crucified, many things took place. On the cross God judged sin and the sinful old man. Through the cross, our sinful nature was terminated. At the very time God was judging sin and sinful man, He also nailed the law to the cross. When God was nailing the law to the cross, the evil angels also were present and very active. But, according to verse 15, God stripped them off through the cross.
We have pointed out that, according to 2:15, God stripped off the rulers and authorities. From what or from where did He strip them off? If we would answer this question, we must see that while Christ was on the cross, God was working. At that time, the cross was the center of the universe. The Savior, sin, Satan, we, and God all were there. God was there judging sin and nailing the law to the cross. As He was doing this, the rulers and authorities gathered around God and Christ. We have pointed out that, according to grammar, the subject of verses 13 through 15 is God. Thus, the He in verse 15 denotes God. God made us alive together with Christ, nailed the ordinances to the cross, stripped off the rulers and authorities, made a display of them openly, and triumphed over them. No doubt, the rulers and authorities had swarmed around Christ as He was being crucified. Both God and Christ were working. Christ’s work was His crucifixion, whereas God’s work was to judge sin and all the negative things and to nail the law with its ordinances to the cross. The rulers and authorities who had gathered around God and Christ were also working. If they had not pressed in closely, how could God have stripped them off? The words “stripping off” indicate that they were very close, as close as our garments are to our body. By stripping off the rulers and authorities, God made a display of them openly. He openly put them to shame and triumphed over them. What a great matter this is!