COLOSSIANS 2:13-15: “And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.” CSB

OBSERVATION: What really happened to my sins? There are so many things in my past life that I am ashamed of. If I can still remember them, how does God view them? Am I really forgiven?

Everyone battles with regrets of their past. It is easy to live in the “if only” of life. The enemy of our souls stands ready to help us rehearse our sins and failures. We know that the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that, but we still battle with feelings of guilt and shame.

What really happened to our sins?

Our sins were not merely forgiven, they were erased! There were not only a few of them that were erased, all of our sins and failures were erased. The official certificate of debt, that stood between us and God, was taken away, erased, and nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ. This blank certificate, with our name on it, is a testimony to God, to us, and to all the principalities and powers of darkness, that we are a child of God, clothed in His righteousness, secured by His sacrifice and His love.

Yet, it is hard for us to really grasp this truth. We read it, we believe it, and still we struggle. Yet, our struggle does not nullify the power of this truth. Whenever the enemy accuses us, whenever he tries to resurrect the past as a weapon against us, the Lord Jesus Christ points to His cross. On this cross is a document with our name on it. This document is as white as the snow. There are no words of accusation written against us. It merely says – Kirk Zehnder, child of God!

Whenever we do the laundry, we generally check our pockets before the clothes go into the washer. Just the other day, my wife brought me a flash drive that had missed that check. It had gone through the washing cycle. The outside of the flash drive was fully intact. The name on the drive was still there. It looked the same, nothing looked damaged, so I loaded it on to my computer. When I did there was nothing on the drive. It had been totally erased. All that was left was the name. There was no data whatsoever!

And so it is with the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was written against us. Our name is still on the document, but the pages have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no charge that is held against us. By God’s grace, and through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, we have been washed and cleansed. The power of sin, death, and the devil have been broken in our lives. We stand completely forgiven, completely transformed, and completely accepted in the beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ!

So what happens when we sin? What happens when we face the attacks of the enemy and the feelings of condemnation? Like the Father, we need to look to the cross!

• “If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:7-9 CSB

When we look to the cross we see Jesus. We run to Him, confessing our sin, and He is faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He takes us by the hand, lifts us up, points us to the cross, and reminds us that we are complete in Him. The blood He shed is our victory over sin and death. And the life He lives is our victory to walk in freedom from guilt and shame.

Our sins have not simply been forgiven – they have been erased!

Lord, thank you for erasing the sins of my past, and for the promise to erase the sins of my present and future, as I humbly come to you in sincere repentance. When the past begins to knock at the door of my heart, help me to look to the cross, where Jesus secured my victory, and where the blank document, that is the proof of my forgiveness, is forever secured!

In Jesus Name!