The Debt That He Did Not Owe

4/20/2025

Elijah McSwain, Sr.

Colossians 2:13-14 NKJV — 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.

The concept of debt is tied to the nature of money or collateral that is owed to another person. Debt accumulation is the acquiring of financial obligations of a debtor from a creditor in the form of borrowing money. In many cases, when a person's borrowing exceeds the threshold of their income, it causes a person to have a debt deficit. An individual’s debt deficit has a tremendous impact on their livelihood. The effects of debt can shatter a person's life by causing them to experience a state of anxiety, undergo depression, suffer mental anguish, develop health issues, and live in poverty.

In the spiritual sense, debt causes the souls of men to have poverty of the spirit as their souls are bankruptcy of God. To be alienated from the richness of God and His saving power through His Son Jesus, there are eternal implications of condemnation and damnation for rejecting Jesus' transaction at the cross. However, for those who trust in the work of the cross, there is liberation from sin and death in connection with the price that Jesus paid for our sins.

Our Sinful Condition

It is stated in verse 13, that we were dead in trespasses. The word trespasses is the means by which we violated the standard of God. As humanity, we overstepped the boundaries that He set for us to operate in.

Thus, by our disobedience as represented through our federal head, Adam, we all became sinners.

His rebellion against God’s set order caused us to transition from a state of being created in holiness to now being marred by sin. Romans 5:19 (NKJV) articulates "by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners." Thus, through the process of procreation between a man and a woman, every human being born through the seed of man would be tainted by sin. Psalm 51:5 (ESV) mentions "behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Being fashioned after the similitude of sin is the result of our fallen nature. Before we came to Christ, we were dead in trespasses. This means that we were spiritually dead toward the things of God. Our eternal state of separation from God caused us to be cut off from the life found in Him. It has been noted by one scholar "to be a "spiritual corpse" means to be unable to respond to spiritual stimuli, just as one who is physically dead is unable to respond to physical stimuli." 1

Humanity's existence apart from God is one that is spiritually lifeless, in an unregenerated state, and nonresponsive to the ways of God.

Under the stigma of death, this makes the soul of man impoverished and poverty-stricken as it is void of God’s life, His precepts, and His gift of salvation which was manifested through Jesus Christ.

Apart from His saving grace, there only resides death in the soul of men.

1 John 5:12b makes the assertive statement that "he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." The basis of not having life personifies that a person thrives in a state of death to continually sin against God and to gratify their sinful flesh. Not only is death spoken in terms of trespasses, but it is also expressed in terms of the uncircumcision of the flesh. Uncircumcision is a condition in which our corrupt nature caused by sin was rooted in evil desires of the flesh. Romans 8:7 (ESV) reveals "for the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot." Charles Hodges eloquently wrote "the carnal mind is enmity to God, for it is not subject to the law of God. The law of God, however, is the revelation of His nature, and therefore opposition to the law, is opposition to God. This opposition on the part of the carnal mind is not casual, occasional, or in virtue of a mere purpose. It arises out of its very nature. It is not only not subject to the law of God, but it cannot be. It has no ability to change itself. Otherwise it would not be death. It is precisely because of this utter impotency of the carnal mind, or unrenewed heart, to change its own nature, that it involves the hopelessness which the word death implies." 2 In order to be delivered and awakened from our state of being dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of the flesh, an outside source had to step in to revitalize the soul to give it new life.

The Gracious Act of God's Forgiveness

The latter part of verse 13, affirms that He has made us alive together with Him, having forgiven us of our trespasses. The Lord knew the state of our sinful condition and He elected to offer forgiveness to all who recognized and acknowledged their sinful condition. Every repentant believer is a recipient of God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness is the extension of God’s pardon of our transgressions, trespasses, and offenses for our immorality and wicked behavior.

God granted us amnesty by acquitting or discharging the offenses that were held against us.

This realism of forgiveness came by way of death through the great exchange at the cross. The cross is where God demonstrated the ultimate act of forgiveness to absolve us and free us from the guilt of our shame. The great exchange of Jesus tasting death for us enabled us the opportunity to be made alive through repentance, belief, and confession in the work of the cross. His death transferred spiritual life within us. At the point of conversion, all believers passed from a state of death unto life. Ephesians 2:1-5 (NKJV) addresses "and you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."

The gracious act of God through the atonement of Jesus grants new life for the forgiven sinner.

1 Corinthians 15:45 (NKJV) reveals the last Adam, Jesus, became a life-giving spirit. All who have been forgiven through the cross of Calvary have been given eternal life. Eternal life is the result of God's displeasure toward sin being satisfied via Christ's death and resurrection. Hence, when His displeasure was appeased for sin, forgiveness was offered to repentant sinners and in the process, we gain everlasting life. Matthew Henry acclaimed "the circumcision of the heart, the crucifixion of the flesh, the death and burial to sin and to the world, and the resurrection to newness of life, set forth in baptism, and by faith wrought in our hearts, prove that our sins are forgiven, and that we are fully delivered from the curse of the law. Through Christ, we, who were dead in sins, are quickened. Christ’s death was the death of our sins; Christ’s resurrection is the quickening of our souls." 3 The notion of being forgiven of sin and being made alive was displayed through blotting out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. This assures us that Christ canceled our sin debt.

The Cancelation of our Sin Debt

Colossians 2:14 (NKJV) vividly expresses Jesus "wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us." The mention of wiping out the handwriting of requirements that was against us portrays imagery about God’s act of forgiveness.

Upon being recipients of divine forgiveness, the Lord demonstrated His pardon by canceling our legal indebtedness.

Adam's sins placed us under a legal debt in our standing before the Lord. The violation of God’s law came with a hefty price that we could not afford. The law of God demanded justice. In order to appease His justice for sin, He granted us mercy through wiping out the handwriting of requirements against us. The handwriting of requirements in ancient civilization was a certificate of debt whereby a debtor acknowledged their own indebtedness to the debt that they owed. Grant Richison asserted "people in the first century used “handwriting” almost exclusively for the autograph on a promissory note. This word frequently occurs in Roman law. It was a signed admission of liability. Our sins pile up as a vast list of debts to God, making it abundantly clear that we are liable before God." 4 The handwriting of requirements against us included severity of punishment and the judgment of God held against us for our state of sinfulness.

The transaction that Jesus made at the cross for our sins, blotted out the record of indebtedness to the Lord.

The handwriting of requirements was erased, and He took it away nailing it to the cross. There is an illustration given that "an attorney, after meditating on several Scriptures, decided to cancel the debts of all his clients that had owed him money for more than 6 months. He drafted a letter explaining his decision and its biblical basis and sent 17 debt canceling letters via certified mail. One by one, the letters were returned by the Postal Service, unsigned and undelivered. Perhaps a couple people had moved away though not likely. Sixteen of the seventeen letters came back to him because the clients refused to sign for and open the envelopes fearing that this attorney was suing them for their debts. How profound! We owe a debt for our sin and God is willing to cancel it, but too many people will not even open the letter that explains how." 5

Jesus canceled our debt when we are willing to open up and receive the good news of His death, burial, and resurrection.

There is a story told about "a man who took a photo of men stealing grapes. He went to the owner of the grapes intending to show him the evidence, and found he had exposed the photo too long, and it had been blotted out. So, God blots out the sin of those who come to Him for mercy and forgiveness." 6 In Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV) the Lord stated, "I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins." Every legal demand that stood against us, the Lord has blotted out.

Every requirement that testified against our sinful nature was made legally right before the Lord through Jesus Christ.

Our nature was contrary to the righteousness and holiness of God; therefore, the writing of requirements was against us until it was nailed to the cross by the price that Jesus paid for our sin.

There are profound lyrics to a song, entitled He Paid The Debt That He Did Not Owe,

He paid the debt He did not owe; I owed the debt I could not pay.

I needed someone to wash my sins away

And now I sing a brand-new song, "Amazing grace"

Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay

He paid the debt at Calvary

He cleansed my soul; He set me free

I'm glad that Jesus did all my sins erase

I now can sing a brand-new song, "Amazing grace"

Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay. 7

Triumph In the Cross

The fact that the sin debt was overcame at the cross stresses the triumph of the cross.

As the handwriting of requirements set against us was nailed to the cross upon Jesus’ death, we were liberated from the debt that we could not afford. His payment for sin disannulled the legal requirements for our criminality and the justice that God demanded.

The handwriting of ordinances became ineffective as Jesus publicly triumphed over them in His death and resurrection.

John MacArthur explained “the list of the crimes of a crucified criminal was nailed to the cross with that criminal to declare the violations he was being punished for (as in the case of Jesus, as noted in Matt. 27:37). Believers’ sins were all put to Christ’s account, nailed to His cross as He paid the penalty in their place for them all, thus satisfying the just wrath of God against crimes requiring punishment in full.” 8 The cross eradicated our debt as we were justified in Christ. The cross gave us victory over sin and death. The cross changed our legal status before God as we became free from the bondage of our trespasses. The cross enabled us to become a new man in Christ Jesus as our sins were nailed to the cross.

The hymn entitled Nailed to The Cross expresses the triumph of the cross.

There was One who was willing to die in my stead,

That a soul so unworthy might live,

And the path to the cross He was willing to tread,

All the sins of my life to forgive.

Refrain:

They are nailed to the cross,

They are nailed to the cross,

how much He was willing to bear!

With what anguish and loss,

Jesus went to the cross!

But He carried my sins with Him there

He is tender and loving and patient with me,

While He cleanses my heart of its dross;

But "there's no condemnation," I know I am free,

For my sins are all nailed to the cross.

Refrain:

They are nailed to the cross,

They are nailed to the cross,

how much He was willing to bear!

With what anguish and loss,

Jesus went to the cross!

But He carried my sins with Him there.

I will cling to my Savior and never depart -

I will joyfully journey each day

With a song on my lips and a song in my heart,

That my sins have been taken away.

Refrain:

They are nailed to the cross,

They are nailed to the cross,

how much He was willing to bear!

With what anguish and loss,

Jesus went to the cross!

But He carried my sins with Him there. 9

Another hymn entitled Calvary Covers It All further emphasizes the victory associated with the cross and Jesus' payment for our sins.

Far dearer than all that the world can impart

Was the message that came to my heart.

How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone,

And Calvary covers it all.

Chorus

Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and stain;

My guilt and despair

Jesus took on Him there,

And Calvary covers it all.

The stripes that He bore and the thorns that He wore

Told His mercy and love evermore

And my heart bowed in shame as I called on His name,

And Calvary covers it all.

Chorus

Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and stain;

My guilt and despair

Jesus took on Him there,

And Calvary covers it all.

How matchless the grace, when I looked in the face

Of this Jesus, my crucified Lord;

My redemption complete, I then found at His feet,

And Calvary covers it all. 10

God's demonstration of love that was displayed through death showcased His power over sin and death as well as the liberation that it brings to a converted soul. Praise the Lord for paying the debt that He did not owe.

Resources

1. https://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_211-13#2:13

2. Hodge, Charles. 1882. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. New Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Louis Kregel.

3. Henry, Matthew, and Thomas Scott. 1997. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.

4. https://versebyversecommentary.com/1996/08/05/colossians-214/

5. https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/forgiveness

6. https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/the-photo-was-blotted-out

7. https://hymnary.org/hymn/SNP21979/21

8. The MacArthur Study Bible

9. https://hymnary.org/text/there_was_one_who_was_willing_to_die_in

10. https://hymnary.org/text/far_dearer_than_all_that_the_world_can_i