A Mere Shadow Of What Is To Come

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

Colossians 2:9-17

Jesus died for our sins. But what does that really mean? He took our punishment. What does that mean? He asked if anyone still felt guilt over confessed sins and was therefore not enjoying the forgiveness of God. But what does that mean?

In the time of Paul, there were some who presented Christ as less than adequate for their needs. What you really need to know is that He is adequate. He is all you need.

If we confess our sin to God, seeking His cleansing, He will forgive. You don’t have to understand the meaning of everything, just accept it. We don’t need to hold on to the quilt. Our sins have been nailed to the cross; they’ve been taken away. Jesus has forgiven them all.

Guilt is a burden God never intended His children to bear.

Our Daily Bread – September 27, 2009