Was the Torah nailed to the cross? Colossians 2:14

Colossians 2:14 (New American Standard Bible)

14having 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.

Many use this verse to say that Yeshua(Jesus) nailed the Law, or the Torah, to the cross therefore blotting it out, but is that what it says?

Before answering this question we need to understand a few concepts. Let’s look in the Torah and see what God tells us there:

Deuteronomy 4:2 (New American Standard Bible)

 2"You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 12:32 (New American Standard Bible)

 32"Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (New American Standard Bible)

 11"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12"It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 13"Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 14"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

So we can see that the Torah(First 5 books of the Bible) tells us that it should not be altered in any way and that the commands given in it are within our reach. This idea is reiterated in 1 John 5:3.

1 John 5:3 (New American Standard Bible)

3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

The Torah, or Law, as righteousness is reiterated throughout the Tanakh(Old Testament), here are just a few verses on the righteousness and everlasting status of the Torah:

All of Psalm 119 is a great read on the Law

Psalm 119:142 (New American Standard Bible)

142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.

Psalm 19:7-8 (New American Standard Bible)

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.  8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

2 Kings 17:37 (New American Standard Bible)

 37"The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.

A quick search on www.blueletterbible.org for the word “law” will give you much to think about regarding what the Tanakh as a whole has to say about God’s Law:

http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/translationResults.cfm?Criteria=law&t=NASB&page=9

So we see that the Law is good, we are blessed for keeping it and cursed for not keeping it. It is everlasting. And, it cannot be altered, either adding to or taking away from it.

Let’s look at what Yeshua(Jesus) said about the Torah/Law.

Matthew 5:17-20 (New American Standard Bible)

 17"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.18"For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.19"Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.20"For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

John 14:15 (New American Standard Bible)

 15"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Matthew 19:17 (New American Standard Bible)

 17And He said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

John 15:10 (New American Standard Bible)

 10"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Seems as if Yeshua(Jesus) is telling us that the commandments found in the Torah should be kept. In fact if we truly love Him we will keep them.

Let’s just add a few verses from the rest of the apostolic scriptures(New Testament):

Romans 3:31 (New American Standard Bible)

31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

Romans 6:15 (New American Standard Bible)

15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

Romans 7:7 (New American Standard Bible)

7What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."

Romans 7:12-14 (New American Standard Bible)

12So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.13Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful. 14For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.

Galatians 3:21 (New American Standard Bible)

21Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.

1 John 3:4 (King James Version)

4Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

So we are pretty clear that the Torah/Law is good, righteous and that to refrain from following the commandments is the very definition of sin. So let’s now revisit our original question. Was the Torah/Law nailed to the cross making it obsolete? Well if that were the case it would be in direct conflict with the Torah, Tanakh(Old Testament), Yeshua(Jesus) and Paul’s words. So we must be interpreting this verse incorrectly, or else we have a real problem!

Let’s revisit the verse:

Colossians 2:14 (New American Standard Bible)

14having 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.

What is being nailed to the cross? The certificate of decrees against us. That sounds to me like our sin, not the Law or Torah, but our transgressions against the Torah that make us guilty! To further understand this you should understand a practice of that time period regarding the execution by crucifixion. It was common practice to make a list of the guilty party’s transgressions which they were being punished for and nail that list on the stake with them. So Paul is referring to this custom when he says that our debt was nailed to the cross, meaning Yeshua(Jesus) died for our sins. They did not nail a list of the Laws on the stake, to suggest that doesn’t even make sense.

Shalom!