The Epistle To The Colossians
Lesson Number 12
TRANSLATION LEGEND: ASV=American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Bible in Basic English (1949), DRA=Douay-Rheims (1899), ESV=English Stand Version (2001), KJV=King James Version (1611), NKJV=New King James Version (1982), NAB=New American Bible, NASB=New American Standard Bible (1977), NAU=New American Standard Bible (1995), NIB=New International Bible, NIV=New International Version (1984), NJB=New Jerusalem Bible, NLT=New Living Translation, NRSV=New Revised Standard Version (1989), RSV=Revised Standard Version (1952), TNK=JPS Tanakj (1985), YLT-Young’s Literal Translation (1862).
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
“ 2:9 For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 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; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” KJV (Col 2:9-15)
INTRODUCTION
Solemnly the Spirit has warned us to beware of the beguiling and subversive influences of men. Using philosophy and vain deceit, men can lure us from the safety zone, causing us to become vulnerable to the devices of the devil (2:4,8). The need for being rooted and grounded had caused Paul to have a “great conflict” for the Colossians, Laodiceans, and all who had not seen his face – which includes us (2:1). He was spiritually aware and cognizant of the absolute essentiality of the Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of spiritual life.
Already he has underscored the indispensability of the Lord Jesus. Consider some of his expressions previous to our text.
✙ Paul was an Apostle “of Jesus Christ” (1:1).
✙ Saints and faithful brethren are “in Christ” (1:2).
✙ In salvation, God is primarily “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).
✙ Our faith is “in Christ Jesus” (1:4).
✙ Faithful ministers are ministers “of Christ” (1:5).
✙ It pleased the Father that“all fulness” should well “in Him” (1:19).
✙ The “afflictions” in which believers participate are “the afflictions of Christ” (1:24).
✙ The “hope of glory” is Christ “in” us (1:27).
✙ The objective is to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (1:28).
✙ Our faith is to be “steadfast” “in Christ” (2:5).
✙ We have received “Christ Jesus the Lord” (2:6a).
✙ We walk “in Him” (2:6b).
✙ We are “rooted and built up in Him” (2:7a).
✙ Anything that is not “after Christ” will make “spoil” of us, causing us to be taken captive by mere men (2:8).
THE NEED FOR THIS EMPHASIS
Although it may appear as though there is no need to elaborate upon the centrality of Jesus Christ, and His complete adequacy, this is not at all the case. A proper perception of the Lord Jesus Christ is most difficult to obtain, and even more demanding to maintain. This is particularly true when society is in a state of deterioration, and the religious environment is fundamentally corrupt. In order for such a perception to be enjoyed initially, and subsequently sustained, the following are required.
✙ The preaching of the Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-3).
✙ The expounding of the Gospel (Rom 15:29).
✙ The regular ingestion of the Word of God (Lk 4:4).
✙ The influence of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13; Rom 8:11,13; 15:13; Gal 5:5; Eph 3:16; 1 Pet 1:22).
✙ The prayers of then saints (Eph 6:18; Eph 1:18-20; 3:15-20; Col 1:9-11).
✙ The hearty efforts of the saints themselves (2 Cor 7:1; Phil 2:12; 1 Tim 4:16; 6:12).
These things are required because we are not living in a moral vacuum. Adversarial and competitive influences are regularly brought to bear upon our intellect, emotion, and will.
✙ We are living in a condemned and passing world (1 John 2:15-17).
✙ We have this treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4:7).
✙ We are hounded by a fierce and cunning adversary (1 Pet 5:8).
✙ There is a contrary law resident in our members (Rom 7:23).
✙ There remains a sense in which we are still “absent from the Lord” (2 Cor 5:6).
THE CURSE OF THE CASUAL
Wherever a casual spirit is found among professing believers, there is no grasp of these things. Life is thus lived with no compelling sense of a need for Jesus. Those in the grip of such delusion are actually in a state of spiritual decline. If they had a grasp of the truth, they are losing it. Satan is gaining more and more access to them. Their spiritual vision and strength are fading, and will continue to do so until their backward stance is arrested.
There are no exceptions to this rule. We are in a condemned world, and a body that cannot enter the kingdom of God. We have a competing law within our own persons, and an adversary attacking us from without. It simply is not possible to comprehend this situation and remain in a nonchalant posture.
THE CAUSE OF DEMISE
The failure to see this is the cause of all religious compromise and moral and spiritual decline. This is why the following conditions exist in the American church.
✙ The dominance of a professional clergy, and a consequent stress on education.
✙ An emphasis on entertainment and events with popular appeal.
✙ Sermonic shallowness and brevity, which tend to be joined together.
✙ Infrequency of general assemblies.
✙ An inordinate stress on appearance.
✙ A remarkable level of Scriptural illiteracy throughout the church.
I am going to wax bold and affirm, these conditions are the direct result of pushing Jesus into the background. There is nothing about Jesus, what He has accomplished, or what He is doing, that contributes to, or encourages, such things. The Gospel of Christ does not promote them in any degree or to any extent.
While the notion that Jesus Christ is not adequate is not actually affirmed among most believers, this impression is being produced. If men do not preach a message that affirms everything hinges upon Christ, men will tend to think this is not the case. If “the Lord’s Christ” is not the heart and core of both preaching and teaching, we should not be surprised if He is not the heart and core of living.
This is precisely why Paul now strikes down the idea that Jesus is in any sense peripheral in matters pertaining to life and godliness. He is not an adjunct to sound doctrine, but is the heart and soul of it. That is what is intended by the expression, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10). One version reads, “For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.” NLT
HOW ADEQUATE IS JESUS?
How adequate is Jesus Christ? Is everything related to our salvation really found in Him, and in Him alone?
Jesus spoke directly of the indispensability of Himself, as well as his solitary uniqueness.
✙ THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
✙ THE true Vine. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1).
✙ THE Door. “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9).
✙ THE good Shepherd. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
✙ THE Bread of life. “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
✙ THE light of the world. “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
✙ THE resurrection and the life. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
Jesus does not share these roles with anyone or anything else. His position in all of them is exclusive. That is why it was declared, and is written, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). That is “salvation” in all of its fulness. It is the salvation of which we heard when the Gospel came to us (Eph 1:13). It is the salvation we are currently working out with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). It is the salvation that is “ready to be revealed” in the day of the Lord (1 Pet 1:5).
In order for a professing Christian to fail to grow, remaining in spiritual infancy, or to draw back in retrogression, the following must take place. This is so because everything about salvation is calculated to produce maturity and an increasingly strong grasp and perception of the truth of God.
✙ God’s great salvation must be neglected (Heb 2:3).
✙ The Spirit must be quenched (1 Thess 5:19).
✙ The Spirit must be grieved (Eph 4:30).
✙ The Spirit must be resisted (Acts 7:51).
✙ People must forget they were purged from their old sins (2 Pet 1:9).
✙ The Word of God must be neglected (Luke 4:4).
✙ The Son of God must be trodden under foot (Heb 10:29a).
✙ The blood of the covenant must be accounted an unholy thing (Heb 10:29b).
✙ An evil heart of unbelief must enter unto the person (Heb 3:12).
✙ The person must cease to look unto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2).
✙ A place must have been made for the devil (Eph 4:27).
✙ Satan was not resisted by steadfastness on the faith (1 Pet 5:9).
✙ The beginning of confidence was not held steadfastly (Heb 3:14).
✙ Salvation was not worked out with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12).
✙ The individual did not abide in Christ (John 15:4,7).
✙ Backsliders have ceased to take up their cross daily and follow Christ Jesus (Lk 9:23).
Backsliding is not possible if these things do not take place – and where they do take place, drawing back is inevitable. God will not allow any person to grow spiritually or remain stable who relegates Christ to the outskirts of life. Further, nothing in the Gospel encourages such a posture. A good conscience will not allow a person to consider Christ secondary. A pure heart is repulsed by such an attitude. The Holy Spirit will strive against such a notion. The word of Christ will not dwell richly in the person who does not keep Jesus in the foreground of thought and purpose.
No person can allow the sophistry of contemporary religion to erode the persuasion that Jesus is, in fact, “highly exalted,” and has been given “a name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9). Wherever these pivotal realities have become obscure, competing influences have gained the upper hand. All profession of allegiance to Christ is thus negated, and He has “become of no effect” (Gal 5:4).
A REASON FOR THIS SECTION
This is one of strong reasons why the Lord Jesus must be properly expounded. No room must be left for the entrance of distracting thoughts that move a person to live with Christ in the background. God has put Him into the foreground, setting Him “forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood” (Rom 3:25). A “propitiation” is a merciful covering – like the “mercy seat” over the ark of the covenant. That covering, however, is realized through Divinely appointed means – “through faith in His blood.” Where Christ is not central, there can be no faith “in His blood.” And, where such a faith does not exist, Jesus is not a merciful covering! That does have some alarming ramifications!
Through the Holy Spirit, Paul will now expound the Person and accomplishments of Christ – two indispensable perceptions relating to salvation. His words will confirm that it is totally unreasonable for Jesus to occupy a secondary position in any facet of salvation, any aspect of spiritual life, or any view of the redemption that is in Him alone.
THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD BODILY
“ 2:9 For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”
Throughout church history, a variety of differing and competing views have been perpetrated and adopted in Christendom. Some have held that Jesus is not Divine – that His essential Person was created, and hence had a beginning. Others hold that the Godhead, or Deity, is comprised of a single personality, performing three different functions – each of which is related to time. There are a number of nuances in these, and other, theological opinions.
The presence of the text before us confirms that men are not at liberty to entertain a wrong view of Jesus Christ. Men can have different views of meats and days, but they cannot have differing views of Christ Jesus. God has provided a “record” of His Son (1 John 5:10-11). That record provides remarkable details concerning His Person, accomplishments, present activity, and what He will do in the future. The Epistles are an exposition of that Gospel, in which contradicting views are dashed to the ground with kingdom violence.
We simply cannot be wrong about the Son of God! That is precisely why this extended exposition has been written. This is the real Jesus, not “another Jesus” concocted within the minds of finite men (2 Cor 11:4).
WHAT WILL BE ESTABLISHED
This passage will establish that, in matters pertaining to life and godliness, God has nothing to offer men that is not in Christ Jesus. God has invested everything in His Son, and nothing He gives can be obtained independently of Him. The case Paul makes will be unusually strong because of what is at stake. He will face us with eternal issues.
IN HIM DWELLETH
“For in Him dwelleth . . . ” The phrase “in Him” has two sides – and both are essential.
✙ First, what is mentioned is resident in Jesus. It constitutes a part of His Person, and is indispensable to His present ministry. This text, therefore, clarifies who Jesus IS.
✙ Second, the advantages of these things can only be realized by those who are themselves “in Christ.” Therefore, this text also elucidates on that to which we HAVE ACCESS in Christ Jesus.
If we remove Jesus from the picture, we can entertain no adequate concept of what is said to be resident in Him. Also, without being in Christ, we have no access to what is in Him – i.e. it can bring no advantages to us.
If the language of the text seems lofty, we must not turn away from it, or imagine ourselves unequal to comprehending its meaning. This is written to all of the brethren, young and old, and is for our edification. It has to do with being rooted and grounded, and steadfast in the faith.
ALL THE FULNESS
“ . . . all the fulness of the Godhead . . . ” Other versions read, “the fulness of Deity,” NASB “the fulness of the Deity,” NIV “the whole fulness of Deity,” NRSV “the wealth of God’s Being,” BBE “Deity in all of its fulness,” NJB “the fulness of God.” NLT
The word “fulness” denotes completeness – not mere abundance. That is, the “fulness” of something means it is all of it.
This is now the second time Paul has referred to the fulness resident in Christ Jesus. He first affirmed, “it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell” (Col 1:19). Not only does is this “fulness” pleasing to God, it is in strict accord with His eternal purpose.
This is to be understood within the context of the previous verse – although its meaning is not limited to that context. Believers stood in danger of being spoiled, or taken captive, by philosophy, vain deceit, and the traditions of men. All of those things are said to be “not of Christ.” That is, not a solitary one of them, or any aspect thereof, is found in Christ. They are outside of Him, and are thus invalid in the things having to do with “life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). They are not part of what God has prepared for those who love Him.
The things concerning which Paul has warned the saints do not come from God. They are not Divinely given or distributed. They are rather of man, through man, and to man. Nor, indeed, is the Lord Jesus associated with any of them. They are, in every sense of the word, “not of Christ.”
Everything that makes God “God” is found in the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. These things are not simply found in Him, they belong in Him, or are at home in Him. He is the appointed repository for every Divine quality or characteristic. There is nothing that is exclusively resident in God, or comes uniquely from God, that is not found in Christ. Therefore, the fact that He is “the MAN Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5) puts these things within the reach of those who are in Him! This is the point that will be developed in the following verses, and it is powerful.
Faith is the means employed to take hold of these indispensable verities. Further, none of them are mere theological novelties, but are essential in the matter of our salvation. When we “put on the new man” (Eph 4:24; Col 3:10) a hunger and thirst for righteousness is awakened, together with desires to do the will of the Lord and please Him. It is at that point that gratefulness rises in the heart for access to Diving qualities.
This makes this passage particularly precious. It confirms to our hearts that in the Lord Jesus, to whom we are “joined” (1 Cor 6:17) and “married” (Rom 7:4), everything required for life and godliness is resident.
BODILY
“ . . . bodily.” Other versions read, “living form,” BBE “corporeally,” DOUAY “bodily form,” NIB and “a human body.” NLT This is the only place in Scripture where this precise word is used – as an adverb. Elsewhere the English version contains the word “bodily” in an adjective form: “bodily shape like a dove” (Lk 3:22), “bodily presence” (2 Cor 10:10), and “bodily exercise” (1 Tim 4:8). The “fulness” of the Holy Spirit was not resident in the dove that rested upon Jesus. The fulness of Paul’s person was not contained in his “bodily presence.” The full ramifications of “exercise” are not found in “bodily exercise.” However, the “fulness of the Godhead” was incarnated, or enfleshed, in Christ Jesus, and continues to dwell within Him.
The word “bodily” points to the incarnation of the Word, when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). When Jesus was called “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt 1:23), a mere token presence was not the point – such as the limited manifestation of God at Sinai. God, in all of His fulness, is resident in “the Man Christ Jesus” 1 Tim 2:5). That is why, in Christ, it is written that “God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim 3:16).
In the light of this declaration, several of Christ’s expressions can be more clearly understood.
✙ “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).
✙ “He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me” (John12:44).
✙ “He that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me” (Mat 10:40).
✙ “He that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me” (Luke 10:16).
✙ “And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me” (John 12:45).
✙ “Then said they unto Him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also” (John 8:19).
Because “the fulness of the Godhead” dwells “bodily” in Christ, He is referred to as “the righteous” (1 John 2:1), “the holy One” (Mk 1:24), and “the great God and Savior” (Tit 2:13). This is why He was worshiped (Matt 2:11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 28:9,17). This is why “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Phil 2:10). Eventually, His supremacy will be acknowledged by all.
In Christ Jesus, all of the Divine attributes meet together for the accomplishment of salvation. This is a fulfillment of the Davidic psalm, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psa 85:10).
A Profound Statement
There can be no question about the profundity of this statement. He was, as some theological statements have affirmed, “fully man and fully God.” This, of course, is a “great mystery” to the flesh. Yet, it can be “acknowledged” by faith, bringing confidence, joy, and understanding to the believing heart (Col 2:2).
In Jesus, anything that appeared to contradict the Divine nature was a voluntary expression of His own will – not a manifestation of inherent inferiority or limitation. A few examples will serve to illustrate this point.
✙ Jesus increased and wisdom and stature (Lk 2:52a).
✙ Jesus grew in favor with God (Lk 2:52b).
✙ Jesus was tempted (Heb 2:18; 4:15).
✙ Jesus hungered (Matt 4:2).
✙ Jesus thirsted (John 19:28).
✙ Jesus was weary (John 4:6).
✙ Jesus prayed with strong crying and tears (Heb 5:7a).
✙ Jesus feared (Heb 5:7b).
✙ Jesus learned obedience (Heb 5:8).
✙ Jesus died (Rom 5:6,8).
Some have viewed these texts as evidence that Jesus was not Divine. However, these do not describe the essential nature of Christ Jesus. Rather, they are what He voluntarily took upon Himself (Heb 5:5-9). This was involved in Jesus “humbling Himself,” becoming “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:8). He divested Himself of the prerogatives of Deity, sheathing, as it were, the sword of Divinity. He submitted to the subduing of expression, yet remained “God,” just as the Father said (Heb 1:8).
The humility of Christ pertains to His tenure in this world – commencing with His birth, and concluding with His death. During that period, He did not appear to be God “manifest in the flesh” – yet He was, as His transfiguration confirmed (Matt 17:2; Mk 9:2-3). Now, the Lord Jesus is no more restricted by His manhood. His sword is no longer sheathed, and He is no more tempted.
COMPLETE IN HIM
“ 10a And ye are complete in Him . . . ” Other versions read, “In Him you have been made complete,” NASB “you have been given fullness in Christ,” NIV “you have come to fullness in Him,” NRSV “ye are made full,” ASV and “find your own fulfilment.” NJB
Only a Savior who is Himself complete, having “all the fulness of the Godhead,” can make a people complete.
Everything that God has reserved for you, or requires of you, is found in Christ Jesus. Nothing that you truly need can be obtained anywhere else. Christ is not merely one of many resources, He is our exclusive Resource. Satisfaction cannot be realized from anyone or anything else. There is not a single aspect of adequacy that can be realized apart from Him. What you need is found in Christ alone. What God requires of you is found only in Jesus. The satisfaction of heart and mind that men crave can only be realized in the Person of Jesus Christ.
There are no unfilled chasms in Christ Jesus, no voids, and no moral or spiritual deserts. Everything you need for both time and eternity are resident in Jesus, and are therefore dispensed by Him. All of this is involved in Christ’s statement concerning Himself, “For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26).
It is ever true, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:12). That is life in all of its fulness – the fulness God intended in the creation, and particularly, the re-creation, of men.
If it is true that we are “complete in Him,” then there is no completeness independently of Him. No person who is not in fellowship with Christ, regardless of their purported advancement, has reached their potential. In fact, such people do not entertain the faintest notion about what and who they could be.
The impact that this knowledge – that we are “complete in Him” – is expressed wonderfully by the Apostle Paul. “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” NASB (Phil 3:7-14).
We are “complete in Him!” All that we need is found in Him to whom we have been joined (1 Cor 6:17). If it is wisdom and knowledge, it is “in Him.” If it is “righteous, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” it is “in Him.” If it is strength, comfort, and peace, it is “in Him.” God has nothing to give us outside of Christ. There is no spiritual or eternal advantage that can come from any other source. There are no supplements to Jesus, nothing that can be added to Him to cause greater effectiveness or Kingdom utility. In every sense, we are “complete in Him.”
The point of this text is most sobering. In matters pertaining to life and godliness, whatever does not come from Christ, when received, removes us from Christ, making the graces resident in Him inaccessible to us. There is no neutrality in this issue. Everything required for salvation, both in this world and the one to come, is found in Christ alone.
No one can be made more spiritual in any sense by resources that are not ministered by the Lord Jesus. It is essential that this is seen. This is the case because God will not allow anything pertaining to salvation to be realized apart from Christ.
If the “fulness of the Godhead” dwells bodily in Christ, it should be readily apparent that none of that fulness can be appropriated apart from Him. It cannot be obtained from nature, government, or the wisdom of this world in any of its varied forms.
Through the Spirit, Paul will now proceed to expound this reality. He will show that there is no adversarial or beneficial power that is not under Him. IN regeneration, everything that we have been made or that we have experienced has been through Him. The total victory over the foes that had enslaved us was wrought by Christ, and Christ alone.
All true satisfaction comes from Jesus alone. That is why He said to the woman at the well, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
All spiritual aptitude comes from Him alone. As it is written, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13). That is why it is also written, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor 8:6).
THE HEAD OF ALL PRINCIPALITY AND POWER
“ 10b . . . which is the Head of all principality and power . . . ”
Whether men wish to acknowledge it or not, there are superior powers with which they have to do. Some of them are adversarial, and some are friendly to those who are in Christ Jesus. Man is not sufficient of himself to subdue adversarial powers, or harness powers that bring eternal advantage. When it comes to the vast spiritual host all about us, we ourselves are vastly inferior to them in every way. They are of a higher order than mankind, who, in his pristine state, was “made a little lower than the angels” (Psa 8:4-5; Heb 2:6-7).
THE HEAD
“ . . . which is the Head . . . ” Another version read, “He is the Lord over.” NLT
The word “Head” means “supreme, chief, prominent,” THAYER “designating first, or superior in rank.” ROBERTSON
✙ First, Jesus is “Head” because He is “before all things” (Col 1:17) – that is, He Himself was not created, but is before all [created] things.
✙ Second, He is “Head” because everything that was made was created by Him: “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3).
✙ Third, He is “Head” because all things that are created are held together by Him, thus serving one grand eternal purpose: “and by Him all things consist,” or “hold together” NIV (Col 1:17b). Again, it is written that He is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb 1:3).
The Lord Jesus is not a figurehead, or one that is superior in name only. In the earth, there are individuals who are symbolically over others, yet can be effectively resisted by those under them – even assassinated by one of their subordinates. The Lord Jesus, however, is not one that OUGHT to be “Head,” He IS the “Head.” What He does cannot be undone by another. What He command stands “fast,” and cannot be countermanded by the word or action of another (Psa 33:9).
The ultimate commands all come from Him. All other commands are, at the very best, temporary, and must eventually yield to His word.
Christ’s Headship is affirmed numerous places. In every case a sense of Divine pungency is perceived.
✙ “But I would have you know, that the HEAD of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Cor 11:3).
✙ “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the HEAD over all things to the church” (Eph 1:22)
✙ “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the HEAD, even Christ” (Eph 4:15).
✙ “And he is the HEAD of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Col 1:18).
✙ “And not holding the HEAD, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God” (Col 2:19).
✙ “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the HEAD of the corner” (1 Pet 2:7).
When it comes to the execution of the “eternal purpose” of God, “the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5) is “the Head.” “All power in heaven and in earth” has been given to Him. It is not possible, therefore, for any needed resource to be obtained independently of Him. He is, in every sense of the word, “over all, God blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom 9:5).
ALL PRINCIPALITY AND POWER
“ . . . of all principality and power.” Other versions read, “all rule and authority,” NASB “every power and authority,” NIV “every ruler and authority,” NRSV and “every sovereignty and ruling force.” NJB
The word “principality” emphasizes being first over a certain order or domain. It has to do with nature as well as rank. The word “power” underscores authority, showing that the personality involved possesses the ability to govern the area over which he presides – an ability that is delegated by the ultimate Head, who is Christ.
✙ The entire angelic order, sent to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation (Heb 12:13-14).
✙ An evil host of spiritual opponents against whom the saints “wrestle” (Eph 6:12).
✙ Michael, who stands for the people of Israel (Dan 10:21; 12:1).
✙ Angel over the waters (Rev 16:5).
✙ Angel over the fire (Rev 14:18).
✙ Angels having control of the four winds (Rev 7:1).
✙ Prince of Persia (Dan 10:20a).
✙ Prince of Grecia (Dan 10:20b).
✙ Satan, who is the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2).
✙ Angel who can open or close the bottomless pit (Rev 9:1-2; 20:1).
✙ Demons who perpetrate damnable doctrines (1 Tim 4:1).
✙ Wicked spirits to transform themselves into “ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor 11:14).
There is spiritual hierarchy of authority that is staggering for depth. It includes personalities “that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, [and] powers” (Col 1:16).
✙ On the holy side there are holy angels (Matt 25:31), archangels (1 Thess 4:16), principalities (Eph 3:10a), powers (Eph 32:10b), seraphim (Isa 6:2,6), cherubim (Gen 3:24; 2 Sam 22:11), and living creatures (Rev 4:6).
✙ On the evil side, there are principalities (Eph 6:12a), powers (Eph 6:12b), the rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph 6:12c), spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12d), demons (James 2:10), familiar spirits (Isa 19:3), unclean spirits (Acts 8:7), spirit of infirmity (Lk 13:11), dumb and deaf spirits (Mk 9:25), and Satan, who is “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2) and “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). Jesus referred to this entire conglomeration of evil as “the power of darkness” (Lk 22:53). As the Head over all, Jesus has delivered us from this power (Col 1:13).
WE REQUIRE SUCH A HEAD
The salvation of fallen man requires a Savior who is “over all” (Rom 9:5). Men are not saved by a Divine fiat, the means by which the worlds were created (Heb 11:3). Through the exalted Christ, God is working salvation in the midst of the earth (Psa 74:12). He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him, and are the called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Such a large work requires a Sovereign, into whose hand all power and authority have been committed. Such a Savior must have “power over all flesh” (John 17:2), having triumphed over all opposing influences.
Let it be clear, it simply is not possible to safely navigate from earth to glory without the holy angels ministering to us. Furthermore, it is not possible to overcome the power of darkness without a Savior who reigns over that domain, as well as the holy angels.
Men – even redeemed men – have no ability to marshal the power of a single angel to work in their behalf, let alone “an innumerable company of angels” (Heb 12:22). What person is able to restrain the devil, or any of his horde of wicked spirits, by natural ability, or independently of the exalted Savior? Is there any form of education capable of this assignment?
If Jesus is not presently the “head of all principality and power,” salvation in any of its multifarious facets is simply impossible! We are, in every sense of the word, “complete in Him,” and totally and irremediably incomplete without Him!
There is no power that does not bow to Jesus when perceiving Him. That will be substantiated when the Lord Jesus appears in all of His glory. Then, publically and without exception, “at the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Phil 2:10). If this was not the case, it would not be possible for anyone to be saved. The people of God need to hear the affirmation of Christ’s Headship frequently.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST
“ 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.”
The Spirit now takes us to a point in time when we experienced deliverance from the power of darkness, and translation into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13). In this declaration, Christ’s Headship over all is being confirmed. The change in our status was wholly dependent upon the working of Jesus. Our obedience played a role, it is true – but that role was not the decisive one. It is what Jesus did that made the real difference. This does not minimize our obedience, or suggest that it was not necessary. That is such a rudimentary observation, it should not be necessary to elaborate further upon it. The fact that the Spirit takes us back to the point of our obedience confirms it was not incidental. However, the point He will make is what the Lord Jesus did at that time.
IN WHOM
“In whom also . . . ” Other versions read, “In Him you were also.” NKJV/NASB/NIV
Here a most significant point is being made. First, in regard to our experience, this is something that took place “IN” Christ. Until we were in some way joined to Him, the benefit now declared did not take place.
Second, while the Lord Jesus is, indeed, the “Head of all principality and power,” the power and authority associated with that Headship must be employed in a personal work within us. That is the significance of the word “also.” That is, not only is Jesus the Sovereign over all power, He employed that power in accomplishing a specific work within us. That work involved the subduing of inimical powers, as well as the creation of a new condition within us.
Nothing of eternal significance can take place within a person until he is “in Christ” – until he is united with Him. This is a unity that can only be effected by the Lord. It is too challenging for created personalities to accomplish.
YE ARE CIRCUMCISED
“ . . . ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, . . . ” Other versions read, “circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,” NASB “not with a circumcision done by the hands of men,” NIV “circumcised with a spiritual circumcision,” NRSV “circumcised, but not by a physical procedure.” NLT
It is imperative that we regard this as a proclamation of something essential to our salvation, for Jesus does not do unnecessary things. What is here described is an aspect of being saved, and there is no one saved without this action taking place.
Circumcision of Old Time
The circumcision that is now expounded was introduced in type by a circumcision that was made with hands. That circumcision was first given to Abraham as a “token of the covenant” God made with him, to bless the world through his offspring (Gen 17:11). Like all types and shadows, that circumcision was not a precise depiction of what would be fulfilled in Christ Jesus. However, it did confirm that something would be severed from saved. It would be in a private and unseen part of their person, and it would result in a sensitivity that had been restrained by nature.
A Promise Under the Law
Before Israel entered the promised land, Moses told the people of their hard-heartedness, and of the necessity of inward modification. First, he challenged the people to change their own nature: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked” (Deu 10:16). Those who took the matter seriously soon found such a thing could not be accomplished in the flesh, or the energy of nature. That is precisely why, centuries later, David cried out, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psa 51:10). He knew if the Lord did not do this, it simply would not be done.
Moses did not leave the matter wholly in the hands of the people, but told them of a coming time when God Himself would circumcise their hearts. “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deu 30:6).
Notice the marvelous result of the circumcision of the heart. The people would then love the Lord with all their heart and soul. The Law demanded that such a love be yielded, yet gave no power for it to be accomplished. However, “what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh” (Rom 8:3), God Himself would accomplish through a spiritual circumcision.
A Promise through the Prophets
Moses was not the only one who spoke of the necessity of an inner, or spiritual, circumcision. The prophets also spoke of this requirement. Jeremiah cried out, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jer 4:4). Ezekiel prophesied similarly: “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezek 18:31).
The Prophets described the people as “uncircumcised in the heart” (Jer 9:26; Ezek 44:7,9). Stephen also charged his generation with being “uncircumcised in heart and ears” (Acts 7:51).
In these prophesies God was confirming He would not save men eternally while they remained in a state of rebellion. Unless men were intrinsically and essentially changed, they would not be saved. Thus the prophets followed Moses’ example, calling upon the people to change themselves. In both cases – with Moses and with the Prophets – God was confirming the impotence of nature, and the essentiality of a Divine working in salvation.
The prophets also heralded a time when the Living God would accomplish the renewal that was required in mankind. Ezekiel described the work in this way: “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God” (Ezek 11:19- 20). Again Ezekiel wrote, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezek 36:26-27).
Again, notice the result of this wonderful work. (1) They would walk in His statutes. (2) They would keep His ordinances and do them. (3) They would be God’s people. (4) God would be their God. In other words, the fundamental nature and character of the people would be changed. The people would no longer be rebellious, but would be “willing in the day of His power” (Psa 110:4).
Confirmed by the Apostles
Paul confirms the reality of this change in the essential nature of men. “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Rom 2:29).
This “circumcision” is what constitutes those in Christ a “new creation” (2 Cor 5:17).
THE BODY OF THE SINS OF THE FLESH
“ . . . in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh . . . ” Other versions read, “BY putting off . . . ” NKJV “in the removal of the body of the flesh,” NASB “In the putting off of the sinful nature,” NIV “in despoiling of the body of the flesh,” DOUAY “by stripping off the carnal body,” NAB “the complete stripping of your natural self,” NJB and “the cutting away of your sinful nature.” NLT
A Precise Surgical Procedure
If circumcision in the flesh was an exacting procedure, much more is the circumcision in heart and spirit. Here the circumcision is the removal of something – called “the body of the sins of the flesh.” In the cases of Abraham, and under the Law, only a token amount of the flesh was removed. In Christ, the work is more thorough.
The “body” refers to the entirety of the fleshly, or carnal, nature. It is equivalent to the removal of the “stony heart” of Ezekiel (Ezek 36:26), and the taking away of “all thy tin (alloy)” of Isaiah (Isa 1:25). In the book of Romans, the same procedure is called the destroying of “the body of sin” (Rom 6:6).
Sin has caused a spiritual growth upon the heart that deadened men toward the Lord, rendering him spiritually insensitive. Scripture refers to this condition as being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), “dead in sins” (Eph 2:5), and “dead in your sins” (Col 2:13). This state was part of our essential makeup – it was really what we were. As such, we could have no real identity with the Lord. It was imperative that this corrupt nature be separated from our essential persons. That is precisely what this circumcision accomplished.
Not the Obliteration of the Flesh
Contrary to the thinking of some, this operation did not obliterate “the flesh,” so that it no longer existed. The “body of sin” was “destroyed” in the same sense Satan was destroyed by the death of Christ (Heb 2:14). It was rendered powerless in the domain of the Spirit, or the “heavenly places.” To put it another way, we are no longer obligated to the sinful nature, as we were prior to being in Christ. This is precisely what is affirmed by the words, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh” (Rom 8:12).
At the point of this circumcision, we became a dual personality – “the old man” and “the new man” (Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10). Although experientially, it seems as though “the old man” is actually part of our primary person, this is not the case at all. Having been cut away from us, “the old man,” or “body of the sins of the flesh,” is like an intruder, taking up residence in our bodies. He is like the impenitent thief upon the cross (Lk 23:39). He shouts and he makes demands, yet he is in the midst of death throes. He has been cut away from the person in Christ – “circumcised.”
The practical result of this blessed “circumcision” is that we no longer desire to sin, nor do we find pleasure in it. We are fundamentally Christ-centered instead of self-centered. The fleshly inclinations that we once nourished are now subdued in the power of the Spirit. That is why it is written, “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal 5:24). Note, the Spirit does not say this is something those in Christ should do, but something they have done. It is not a goal, but a reality. This is what happens when we are “circumcised with the circumcision not made with hands.”
Not in the Flesh, but in the Spirit
The blessed transaction that is being described is not a mythical one, or one existing only in type. This is a very real circumcision – a very real removal of the sinful nature from our essential persons. The Spirit testifies to us of its reality, then calls upon us to shape our thinking around this fact. This is what is intended by the following admonition: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:11). Thus we are summoned to think in strict accord with what has actually taken place in Christ Jesus.
The Remnant of the Flesh Remains
At this point, many believers have become confused. The demands of the carnal nature are often so strong that the child of God imagines those demands are expressions of his real person. Here is where we must learn to reason as Paul did. After experiencing the expressions of the “old man,” or “flesh,” Paul found he was unable to stop these very expressions at the thought level. He found himself confronting thoughts he did not want to have, yet could not stop from entering his mind. Referring to these thoughts, or imaginations, here is what he said. “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I . . . Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me . . . I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me . . . But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Rom 7:15,17,21,23).
Paul knew his heart had been circumcised, and yet the remnants of what was cut off remained within his body. That fleshly remnant could not be part of his renewed heart, but found residence in his “vile body” (Phil 3:21), which has not yet been renewed. As repulsive as the expressions were that erupted from the “old man,” Paul knew they were not really coming from his new heart and spirit. He therefore took delight in anticipating his coming deliverance from the body. When that deliverance came, he would have done with the expressions of the “old man.” Thus he said, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Rom 7:24-25).
The glory of this insight is that it confirmed Paul’s justification, for where sin is genuinely hated, and righteousness is really loved, justification has taken place. This is why Paul breaks forth in praise in the eighth chapter of Romans. “There is therefore [in view of the warfare between the flesh and the spirit] now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom 8:1).
My Own Experience
I can testify that insight into this circumcision constituted one of the greatest deliverances of my life. Once I saw what Jesus had actually accomplished in my own regeneration, sin lost is power over me. When I perceived that there were really two personalities living in my body, and that one of them did not belong to me, I was finally able to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,” living “soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Tit 2:11-12). I was able to come with boldness to “throne of grace,” to “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need” (Heb 4:16).
And when, due to my own weakness, I found that I had sinned, yielding to the part of my person that had been circumcised from me, I was able to confess my sins to God, and obtain the cleansing I craved (1 John 1:9). Then I was able to realize the power of First John 2:1: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1).
THE CIRCUMCISION OF CHRIST
“ . . . by the circumcision of Christ.” This is “the circumcision done by Christ” NIV Himself.
When this circumcision was accomplished, your stony heart was removed, and you were given a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26). This is when God put His Spirit within you (Ezek 36:27), sending Him into your heart, because you were His son (Gal 4:6). This is when God put His laws into your mind, and wrote them upon your heart (Heb 8:10). They were written upon your “new heart,” and put into your “new spirit” (Ezek 11:19).
This is the circumcision described in Romans 2:29 – one that is “of the heart, in the Spirit.” NKJV Everyone who is in Christ Jesus experiences this circumcision. Because of that circumstance, the saints are thus described: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil 3:3). Those in Jesus are not people who OUGHT to worship, but those who DO worship Him. They are not people SHOULD rejoice in Christ Jesus, but those who DO rejoice in Him. They are not individuals who are under an obligation to not have confidence in the flesh, but those who have NO confidence in the flesh.
Those are the results of being circumcised with the circumcision made without hands.
Much of the professing church has not done well in presenting these realities. The result has been a general state of spiritual weakness among those who could be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Too, the church has every right to expect professing believers to be a “new creation,” not having the mark of the world upon them.
BURIED WITH HIM IN BAPTISM
“ 12a Buried with Him in baptism . . . ”
How will the Spirit elaborate on this most blessed condition – being circumcised by Jesus, and having the whole body of the sins of the flesh cut away from the part of us that is born of God? When will He say this occurred? Is there some event – some point in time – to which He will point us?
The gravity of the event that has just been described must be emphasized. This is something that Jesus Christ Himself has accomplished - “the circumcision of Christ.” This is not something that was accomplished by man – it is a circumcision “made without hands.” It has not dealt with some sin, or some sinful expressions, but with “the removal of the body of the flesh.”
Is there a person of sound mind in all the world that will affirm this is something that is optional? Who will dare to declare that any person standing before the Lord of glory can do without this circumcision? Should such a person exist, we will simply stop our ears and refuse to listen to him. Such an individual is “subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself” (Tit 3:11).
Once the necessity of this circumcision is acknowledged, with what will it be associated? The Spirit will now speak “expressly.” He does so because something of this magnitude will have no power of we are unable to relate to it.
BURIED WITH HIM
“Buried with Him . . . ” Part of the Gospel is the burial of Christ: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1-4).
The burial of Christ is to redemption what the scape goat was to the day of atonement (Lev 16:8-26). After the sins of the people were symbolically transferred to this goat (vs 21-22), it was led by a fit man into “a land not inhabited,” and there released. This foreshadowed Jesus, the “Lamb of God,” taking away the sins of the world, bearing them, as it was, into “the land of forgetfulness” (Psa 88:12).
Think of it this way: when Jesus was on the cross, He “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Pet 2:24). However, when He rose from the dead, those sins were not in His resurrection body. They had been effectively “taken away.” Christ’s burial, in which He was identified with “the wicked” (Isa 53:9), is also a point in which we become identified with Him. We are, it is affirmed, “buried with Him.”
Now the Spirit will identify when this burial took place. He does not leave it to men to conjecture when Jesus circumcised them, cutting away from their essential persons the whole sinful nature. This is too important for men to attempt to find it by groping about in theological darkness. Too much depends on the awareness of this for it to be vague and ambiguous.
IN BAPTISM
“ . . . in baptism . . . ” The preponderance of versions read “IN baptism.” A few versions read differently, but with the same sense: “through baptism,” GENEVA “by your baptism,” NJB “when you were baptized” NLT
Because this verse impinges upon some of the cherished traditions of men, it is very difficult for some to receive. However, the Scriptures are too clear on this matter to justify any confusion among believers concerning it.
This is the “one baptism” that is affirmed in Ephesians 4:5). It is the baptism Jesus referenced when He told His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat 28:19). Concerning this baptism, He also promised, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).
Those who contend this refers to being baptized with the Spirit are simply wrong. That baptism is something Jesus Himself performs (Matt 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lk 3:16; John 1:33). This is a baptism His people accomplish.
This baptism is also set forth in the history of Apostles as the point at which people became identified with Christ. Peter commanded the convicted sinners on the day of Pentecost to “be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Those who “gladly received the word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). When the people in Samaria believed Philip’s preaching “they were baptized, both men and women” (Acts 8:12). Upon his confession that he believed “Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” the Ethiopian eunuch was “baptized” (Acts 8:36-38). Upon beholding the repentance of Saul of Tarsus, Ananias told him, “arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 9:18; 22:16). Peter commanded the household of Cornelius to be baptized in water (Acts 10:47-48). Upon hearing the Gospel, and having her heart opened by the Lord, Lydia and her household were “baptized” (Acts 16:15). Upon hearing the Gospel, the Philippian jailor, “he and all his,” were straightway baptized “the same hour of the night” (Acts 16:33). Many of the Corinthians, hearing the Gospel “believed, and were baptized” (Acts 18:8). Upon hearing that the Messiah had come, certain disciples of John “were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).
“Buried”
Baptism is elsewhere called “the form of the doctrine” (Rom 6:17) – that is, it is outward depiction of the Gospel, which is “the doctrine.” Just as Jesus was buried “in the heart of the earth” (Matt 12:40), so those who are baptized are “buried” in the water. However, the point here is not the burial itself, but THE ONE with whom we are identified in that burial. This does not diminish the significance of the form, but even lends more weight to it. A “form” that does not precisely portray the truth of which it is the form, is meaningless.
Baptism is only valid when a person is “buried WITH Christ.” Note,. The text does not say “LIKE Christ,” but “WITH Christ.” In further instruction concerning our baptism, the book of Romans also makes a point of this. “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death” (Rom 6:4).
In this picture, there is a difference between our burial and that of our Lord. Jesus died, and was then buried. His death preceded His burial. But that is not the case when we are “buried with Him.” We are buried INTO death – “buried with Him by baptism INTO DEATH.” Therefore the powerful question is asked, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?” (Rom 6:3).
The “circumcision of Christ” occurred IN our baptism – when we were “buried WITH HIM.” That is when the spiritual surgery took place that brought a certain dichotomy to our persons, creating the “new man,” and leaving the “old man.” This is why the Spirit phrases the teaching so precisely. Speaking of our baptism, the text reads, “wherein,” or “in which.” NIV
What shall we say of those who denigrate baptism, leaving the impression that it is unimportant, having nothing whatsoever to do with salvation? Those who choose to affirm such things have only betrayed their ignorance. Such miserable teaching is suggesting the circumcision of Christ has nothing to do with salvation. They are saying being buried with Christ is unrelated to salvation. They are affirming that the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh is not associated with salvation. These postulates are such absurdities, they deserve no other explanation.
BAPTISM ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE
There are a number of things with which our baptism is associated.
Remission of Sin. Through it, the remission of sins is realized (Acts 2:38). That is, therein sins are “washed away” (Acts 22:16). Although this association is denied by great bodies of professing Christians, it is one that has been made by the Holy Spirit. It is therefore beyond all controversy.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also related to receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 19:2-6).
Putting on Christ. Baptism is associated with putting on Christ, or being clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27).
A Change of Life. This particular text is emphasizing the connection of baptism with a change of life. Through it we passed from death to life. We moved from being in sin to walking in the newness of life. It is most unfortunate that many who emphasize baptism are not noted for proclaiming or demonstrating the reality of a changed life. Unchanged lives are unacceptable.
RISEN WITH HIM
“ 12b . . . wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.”
The Spirit continues to elaborate on our baptism – something that is held forth as common among all believers. It is a reference point for spiritual reasoning – reasoning that is essential to maintaining a sound mind.
WHEREIN
“ . . . wherein also . . . ” The subject is still that of our baptism “into Christ” (Gal 3:27). The circumcision of Christ is not the only thing that took place in that obedient act, when we “obeyed from the heart the form of the doctrine” (Rom 6:17). This was obedience filled with significance.
RISEN WITH HIM
“ . . . ye are risen with Him . . . ” Other versions read, “who were also raised with Him,” NKJV “and raised with Him,” NIV “by which you came to life again with Him,” BBE “you are risen again,” DOUAY “too, you have been raised up with Him,” NJB and “also ye rose with Him.” YLT
Thus, those in Christ have become identified with the essential aspects of the Gospel. We “died with Christ” NKJV (Rom 6:8), were “buried with Him” (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12), and “also were raised with Him.” NKJV (Col 2:12).
These realities are points from which spiritual reasoning proceeds. They are like pillars of sound spiritual thought upon which God-glorifying conclusions are suspended. Thus we read,
✙ “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).
✙ “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Rom 6:8).
✙ “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances” (Col 2:20).
✙ “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col 3:3).</