Colossians 2:13

Here we have the ultimate contrasts: death v. live; in your transgression v. in Him; unforgiven transgressions v. forgiven transgression

Death v. Life

Let's be clear: the unbeliever is spiritually dead. The unbeliever walking around is dead, being the inheritor of the judgment of sin. That is inherited death (Romans 5:14). But Jesus made us alive with himself.

Because of our transgressions, we were dead and now have been made alive him. We now have his life, which is no small thing.

It is because we are in Christ that we have passed from death to life (1 John 3:14). In Chemistry parlance, what we have undergone is an irreversible reaction. Since Christ cannot return to the grave again, there is no death in our future. Jesus said this way: “…and the one who lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:26). The possibility of death is completely removed because Christ tasted death on our behalf (Hebrews 2:9).

The caveat is that Christ views death differently than the dictionary defines it, just as he views blindness differently (John 11).

In your transgression v. in Him

Without Christ, you are on your own. You bear the consequences of your own sin. You get to marshal your point before the creator, before whom no one is clean (Job 15:14-16). And good luck with that!

The result of your spiritual audit has come in: no one is clean or seeking God, and everyone has turned away (Romans 3:10-13).

So, you are either in Christ or in your transgression; you either accept the sacrifice that Jesus made to cleanse you from your sin or remain in your sin (John 8:24). With that, God's wrath is coming down on you, and hiding under a rock will not save you from it (Isaiah 2:19).

The resurrection of Jesus signals the forgiveness of our sins, and we rose up in him to new life.

When the high priest in the Old Testament enters the inner sanctuary (a place where no one can see him) to offer the atonement sacrifice, if what is offered is acceptable to God (he is supposed to do it once a year), he comes back alive. If not, he dies there, just as we saw with the two sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:1-2, 16:4-5).

When Paul wrote that if Christ had not risen, we would still be in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17), he meant that his resurrection is not just a fanciful addition to the redemption story but the anchor; without that, nothing else matters. His resurrection means that God has accepted his sacrifice as payment for our sins. Glory to God!

Unforgiven transgressions v. forgiven transgression

Salvation is personal because there is the specific/personal forgiveness of your transgressions in Christ.

Therefore, forgiveness is an important word because it communicates the personal nature of salvation. Forgiveness of your specific transgressions is part of our coming alive in him as we become a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The point is that one act of resurrection signifies a multitude of things, including life and forgiveness. All of these are connected to him and to us in him. He is our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30), our coming from death into life, our being washed from our sins, and our redemption.

Therefore, to not be in Christ is dangerous. The unbeliever bears a burden of sin that can only be relieved in Christ. But as people grow older, the possibility of the hardness of the heart increases as they become less persuaded that they are sinners or wretched.

And among those who are wretched and not prestigious, God calls many people to the truth because they can more easily see the impact of sin in their lives (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Jesus said the kingdom of God belongs to little children (Mark 10:14). I say it is because they have not developed a hardness of heart as a coping mechanism to deal with the burden of sin and are more prone to see themselves as needy.

Jesus said that it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24). I say it is because as some people are doing well by human measures despite still carrying the burden of sin, their hearts are hardened, and it is difficult to see their wretchedness (Romans 7:24). The bible calls it the seductiveness of wealth (Mark 4:19).

That is why, by default, ministry is more effective among the weak by human standards and hard among the rich. Ministry is hard among the Jews because they are hardened (Romans 11:25) by their spiritual status of having been linked to Abraham. Paul validates that they are rich in some things (Romans 9:4-5). They see themselves as well and do not need Jesus Christ (Luke 5:31-32).

But the gospel is effective among wretched gentiles who have been plagued by thousands of years of unmitigated darkness (Matthew 4:16, Acts 7:51, Romans 10:21).

Do you understand?