Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Blotting out, х exaleipsas (G1813)] - 'having wiped out:' synchronous with "having forgiven you," (Colossians 2:13): hereby having cancelled the law's indictment. The law (especially the moral law, wherein lay the chief difficulty in obeying) is abrogated to the believer, as far as it was a compulsory, accusing code, and as far as "righteousness" and "life" were sought for by it. It can only produce outward works; not inward obedience of the will, which flows from the Holy Spirit in the believer (Galatians 2:19).
The handwriting of ordinances. Alford х dogmasin (G1378): dative after the verb contained in cheirografon (G5498): written] 'IN ordinances' (note, Ephesians 2:15 Ephesians 2:15). Ellicott, 'the hand-writing (in force) against us BY its positive decrees' (Romans 7:7-8): its hostility to us was evinced in these. "The hand-writing" (the Decalogue, written by the hand of God) represents the whole law, the obligatory bond, under which all lay: the Jews primarily; secondarily, the world, of which the Jews were the representative people; in their inability to keep the law was involved the inability of the Gentiles also, in whose hearts "the work of the law was written" (Romans 2:15; Romans 3:19); as they did not keep this, they were condemned by it.
That was against us, which was contrary to us, х hupenantion (G5227)] - 'adversary to us:' so in Hebrews 10:27. 'Not only was the law against us by its demands, but also an adversary to us by its accusations' (Bengel). Tittmann explains, 'having a latent contrariety to us:' not open, designed hostility, but virtual unintentional opposition through our frailty; not through opposition in the law itself to our good (Romans 7:7-12; Romans 7:14; 1 Corinthians 15:56; Galatians 3:21; Hebrews 10:3). The "WRITING" "contrary to us" answers to "the better killeth" (note, 2 Corinthians 3:6).
And took it, х eerken (G142)] - 'hath taken it out of the way' (to be no longer a hindrance to us). Christ, by bearing the curse of the broken law, redeemed us from its curse (Galatians 3:13). Having been punished Himself, He did away with both the sin and the punishment (Chrysostom). He included all the law in Himself, so that we being united to Him are united to the law as the law of love written in our hearts. In His person 'nailed to the cross,' the law itself (also the old serpent; John 3:14; John 12:31-32) was nailed to it (Romans 3:21; Romans 7:2; Romans 7:4; Romans 7:6). One mode of cancelling bonds was by striking a nail through the writing: this existed in Asia (Grotius). The bond cancelled was the obligation lying against the Jews as representatives of the world, attested by their Amen, to keep the whole law under penalty of the curse (Deuteronomy 27:26; Nehemiah 10:29).