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"And you, being dead to the trespasses and to the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath
He quickened, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col. 2: 13).
Not only has the believer died to sin, but he has died also to sins, and to the
uncircumcision of his flesh.
The positive side of this glorious truth is expressed in the words, "You . . . . . hath He
quickened". This quickening is associated with the resurrection of Christ, and so teaches
us the sphere of all acceptance, service, progress, sanctification, "newness of life" and
"life unto God". This is not all, however. In addition to the emancipating fact that those
who were buried with Christ and raised with Christ, have died to their sins and to the
uncircumcision of their flesh, we have the words, "Having forgiven you all trespasses".
The glorious doctrine of the forgiveness of sins is almost too good to be true. We may
readily believe that our sins committed before we were saved are forgiven, but somehow
we hardly credit the statement that the sins of saints will never come up for judgment.
This results from confusing service with its related reward or loss, and sin with its guilt
and punishment. It may, of course, be objected that such a conception of grace will lead
to carelessness of life among believers. The same charge was made against the apostle's
teaching concerning grace in Romans (Rom. 6: 1), but while he repudiated the charge, he
did not modify his doctrine.
The revelation of God concerning the forgiveness of sins is so important and so
closely bound up with our peace of heart, that we shall not attempt to deal with it
hurriedly at the close of the present article. We hope to devote the next article of the
series to its consideration.
#26. BEWARE.
The forgiveness of all trespasses (2: 13).
pp. 130 - 134
The believer's union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, by virtue of
which he died to his sins and to the uncircumcision of his flesh, is vitally connected with
the fact that all his sins are forgiven him. Indeed the forgiveness of sins here, by the
tense of the verb used, refers back to the same time and act wherein were accomplished
our circumcision in Christ, our burial with Him, our rising with Him, and our quickening
with Him.
The forgiveness of sins is a marvelous revelation of love, yet many a child of God can
hardly bring himself to believe what is here written, "Having forgiven you all
trespasses". We are prone to think that while the sins of our unsaved days are graciously
blotted out, some sins into which we fall after salvation will be held against us in that
day, robbing us of our reward. There are two evils here. One is the confusing of sins