HAVING FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES

Col. 2:13

Morning Meditation 9/13/2012

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"

The words "And you, being dead in your sins," translates "oan" and means "being" and it is in the present tense which means he is talking to saved people who are presently dead in their sins. The word "dead" translates "nekros" and means, "one that has breathed his last." The word can also mean "destitute of power." Since we are talking to live people it can't mean the same as "death" as it applies to unsaved people who are dead spiritually and alive physically. I believe the only application that is consistent with the rest of the Bible is that Paul is telling these Christians that they are powerless, without the power that life gives to overcome the lusts of the flesh. The flesh cannot be controlled by a saved man or a lost man. Both are dead and to be dead is to be powerless.

The words "and the uncircumcision of your flesh," means they didn't even have the benefit of the covenant with God that the Jews had. But this is what Jesus said about this for the Gentiles: "hath he quickened together with him," translates "suzoopoieo" and means, "made alive together with Him." This is an aorist active indicative verb and means, "Made alive together with Him" in a once-for-all act. So he is speaking of them as they are in their present condition. The eternal life they have is linked with His. They were raised with Him. The death of the flesh is still a part of their body and they are as lifeless to change it now as they were before they were saved.

Jesus is the life of the Christian. He does not possess at the present time eternal life only as he possesses Jesus now. 1 John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

Jesus is our life. Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Christ is in Paul exercising Lordship and faith for Paul to live by. Paul has no life of his own. It is the life of Christ. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

There is no life apart from Christ. So the Christian, who lives life without the thought of Christ continually as His life is dead while he lives. The flesh can turn out nothing but death and the Spirit turns out nothing but life.

Paul said, Romans 7:17, "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Romans 7:20, "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."

Do I mean that the Apostle Paul had sin dwelling in him after he was saved? That is what he said. What is the answer to this delimma? Romans 7:24-25, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Galatians 5:16-17, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

There is a desperate fight going on in the life of the Christian. He wins only as he by faith casts his all upon Jesus and trusts Him for continual forgiveness. This is what is meant in Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." He died for our past sins and lives and intercedes for our present sins and is He is able to keep us up to date as to the forgiveness of sins.

As he does this he can become holy (not without sin) but holy. And you won't have any problem seeing that he is like Christ.

Then finally he says, "having forgiven you all trespasses." The words "having forgiven" are in the aorist tense which is a point of time divorced from time and perpetuated forever. Someone hold my mules!!! Hallelujah!!!

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White