Cheirographon denotes something written by hand, particularly a signed document or bond acknowledging a debt. Paul uses it metaphorically in Colossians to describe what Christ accomplished at the cross: he 'canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.' The imagery draws on the ancient practice of canceling debt certificates by striking them through or nailing them publicly to indicate payment. Paul transforms this commercial image into spiritual reality: Christ's death canceled the unpayable debt of sin that the law's demands had created.