(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Five) (Part Six)

If you are waiting for me to move from writing about the basis for the functional centrality of the gospel to actually writing about the functional centrality of the gospel, never fear. I’m almost ready to make that necessary and all important move. After all, one of our primary concerns is that the gospel not merely have the stated centrality (i.e. “The gospel is central in all that we say and do here.”) but also the functional centrality in the life of the church. But for now, let’s look again at the gospel’s essential stated centrality by considering Colossians 2:13-14 briefly.

Colossians 2:13-14—And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

Paul says that God made the Colossians alive together with the Messiah, having forgiven them all their trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against them with its legal demands. “Paul,” we ask, “where did God do this? Paul says, “This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” God did this at the cross. What we read here of the gospel in these verses is described very eloquently by John Stott in his book entitled The Cross of Christ.

“The Biblical gospel of atonement is the good news of God satisfying himself by substituting himself for us. The concept of substitution may be said then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation…For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God; while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone” (John Stott, The Cross of Christ, p. 160).

This is what happened when God canceled our damning record by nailing it to the cross. Paul is essentially saying that legally the Messiah became the record of debt that stood against us and in his death destroyed it (per James D.G. Dunn, The Epistle to the Colossians and to Philemon, p. 166). Paul states within this gospel-rich context that the Colossians have been buried and raised with the Messiah (verse 12) so that what is true of him as the firstborn from the dead is now true of them. This emphasis in chapter two sets us up nicely for part five of this series on the functional centrality of the gospel. Please stay tuned.