At the cross Jesus made the forgiveness of our sins possible (v13). The written code that was against us was cancelled (v14). The written code was a signed acknowledgement of debt in those days, much like your house bond with ABSA bank or your credit card statement at the end of each month. The debt we owe though is death, because that is the consequence of sin. That written code was cancelled as Jesus paid up our debt by his substitutional death. More than that, he nailed it to the cross (v14). The picture here is the titulus which hung above the crucified person’s head listing their crimes. Our “written code” symbolically hung over Jesus head and he died for our crimes. Not only was the written code wiped out, but the document it was written on was destroyed. The result is that the (demonic) powers and authorities were disarmed or stripped of their power (v15). That means that Satan’s power to accuse us and demand our death has been lost. We belong to God and Satan has no hold over us. We are free to love God and say no to sin. At the cross Jesus overcame Satan for us.
A satanic strategy
Satan’s popular ploy is to remind us of old sins and evil we have done. He seeks to reassert his control over us by pretending that he can re-manufacture the “written code” and accuse us before God. Satan says things like: “God doesn’t forgive you. Those sins were too evil. You deserve God’s judgement. You don’t deserve God.”
Re-read that passage in Colossians and thank Jesus, the stronger Man.