Our Spiritual Union With Christ

SERMON OUTLINE

• 💭 Consider this: What areas of your heart or life still need to be cut away, things from your old self that hinder your love for God and keep you from living as one who has truly died to sin?
• I. It Is Faith Not Circumcision
• II. It Is Faith Not Baptism

TRANSCRIPT

I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning's message is taken from Colossians chapter 2, verses 11–12. Allow me to read for you this passage. “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: 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.” The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word.

From this passage and all the way to the end of the chapter, the Apostle Paul will be dealing with the heresies that had crept into the church at Colosse, sometimes known as the Colossian heresy. In order for us to understand this Colossian heresy, we need to know who the people Paul was dealing with.

If you remember, Paul did not start the church at Colosse, nor did he visit that city. The man whom God used to establish the church was Epaphras. Apparently, Epaphras was a native of that city. He was converted to Jesus Christ while visiting Ephesus, where he met Paul. After his conversion, he returned to the city and started this church. There was this mixture of Jews and Gentiles living in the city. Therefore, it was not surprising that the people were either influenced by the Greek philosophical system or the legalism of Judaism.

On one hand, the Greek philosophical system believed that God was good and matter was evil. Since God was good, He could not have created a world that was evil. He must have created the world using lesser gods. So they not only rejected God as the Creator, they also rejected the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. Since God was good, He could never become a man, because man was evil.

On the other hand, the legalism of Judaism believed that circumcision, the keeping of the Jewish dietary laws, and the observation of certain holy days were necessary for salvation. These heretical teachings had crept into the Colossian church, and it was so serious that Epaphras had to travel almost 1,000 miles to visit Paul in prison at Rome. Paul had to write this letter to deal with all these heresies and focus on the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ over all creation and over the church. In other words, Christ alone was sufficient for all things.

In the preceding chapter, Paul had dealt with the Greek philosophical system by focusing on Jesus Christ — that He was not simply a man or some lesser god. He was the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:15–16).

Now he turned his attention to the legalism of Judaism, and he began with their misconception that circumcision was necessary for salvation. The title of our message is Our Spiritual Union with Christ. Our first point is: It is faith, not circumcision, that unites us with Jesus Christ.

I. It Is Faith Not Circumcision

Let us begin with verse 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 phrase “in whom” was a reference to the Colossian believers who had placed their faith in Christ. Primarily, they were Gentile believers, while some of them were Jews.

The Jews trusted and esteemed circumcision very highly. It was almost like circumcision equals salvation, and they despised the Gentiles who were not circumcised. But whether they be Jews or Gentiles, Paul said, “Ye are circumcised with the circumcision of Christ.”

What is circumcision? Circumcision was only the outward demonstration that man was born sinful and needed to be cleansed. It was the cutting away of the male foreskin on the reproductive organ. You see, the reproductive organ is the part of the human body that produces life, and all that man produces is sinful. So, circumcision was a very graphic way to demonstrate the desperate need for man to be cleansed from sin at the deepest level.

That was why God said in Deuteronomy 30:6: “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.” In other words, they must believe in their hearts that they need to be cleansed from sin, and only God alone can do that. Therefore, when the believing Jews came forward to be circumcised, they already believed God in their hearts, and the circumcision was only the outward sign of the inward faith. It always begins with faith in the heart.

One classic example is the first person in the Bible to be circumcised, and that was Abraham. How was Abraham saved? Was he saved on the basis of circumcision or on the basis of faith? Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people. And the Judaizers would often quote Abraham as a proof that circumcision was absolutely necessary for salvation. Maybe you can turn with me to Genesis 12:1–4. In that passage, after God had called Abraham out of the Ur of the Chaldeans, He gave this promise to Abraham:

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.”

So this promise of blessing was also given to all the families of the earth. To be blessed means to be a recipient of God’s love, grace, and mercy for salvation. It is worthy to note that at this point in time, Abraham had no children. Then when you turn to Genesis 17:9–10, Abraham and his descendants were commanded to be circumcised, and it was a sign of God’s covenant of blessing. And this is what God said unto Abraham:

“And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.” If you look down to verse 24: “And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.” (Genesis 17:24) So the Judaizers would argue: See, if all the families of the earth want to be blessed, if they want to be saved, if they want to share in the covenant given to Abraham, then they have to be like Abraham and be circumcised, because Abraham was commanded to be circumcised and he obeyed God.

But that was not true. You see, God’s promise was given in Genesis chapter 12. And after about ten years later, Abraham’s wife Sarah was still childless. And Abraham prayed to God in Genesis 15:2: “And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” In other words: God, ‘You promised to make me into a great nation, and I continue to be childless. How then can that be possible? The one who will probably inherit my household is my servant Eliezer from Damascus. Are You referring to my servant Eliezer?’

The LORD then gently took Abraham outside and said in verse 5: “And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.” That is when verse 6 says: “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) So at that point in time, Abraham had already believed God, and he was declared righteous. But it was only after fourteen years later in Genesis chapter 17 that the command for circumcision was given.

So was Abraham saved before or after his circumcision? Before. Abraham was already declared righteous when he believed God, way before the circumcision. So circumcision was only a sign. It was not a means of salvation. It was the physical sign given to the Jews to maintain a separation between Israel and the other nations, that they might be solely God’s people and shine as a testimony in this world.

Now back to our text in Colossians. So Paul said, "Although you, the believers, whether Jew or Gentile, may or may not be physically circumcised, but you are spiritually circumcised in your heart by Christ Jesus.” The body of the sins of the flesh means the sinful fallen human nature that dominated the sinner before salvation. But upon their salvations, when they placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they were put off or cleansed by Christ of that sinful nature, and they were given a new nature created in righteousness. So whether they were circumcised or not, they shared the same covenant of promise like Abraham. They were saved by faith.

II. It Is Faith Not Baptism

Our second point is, it is faith and not baptism that unites us with Christ. Look at the first part of verse 12: "Buried with him" — referring to Christ — "in baptism." We are not going into a study on the word baptism or to discuss the modes of baptism. But just by way of introduction, the word baptise can have several meanings. It can mean immerse, sprinkling, pouring, washing, or dipping depending on the context.

Today we no longer practice circumcision but baptism. Just like circumcision, baptism is an outward sign of an inward faith. Baptism does not save anyone. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save. Therefore, a person who does not have faith in Christ must not be baptised. On the other hand, he who believes and is saved already should not hold back, but should seek for water baptism in accordance to obeying the Lord's command to publicly confess him and be identified with him, to be united with him.

Here Paul was not speaking about the sacrament of baptism per se, but the spiritual union of the believer with Christ that took place at salvation. When a person comes to faith in Christ, a death takes place within him or her. Something died. As one theologian rightly said, "The first thing we do when we are saved is to attend our own funeral." Christ came into this world to die on the cross of Calvary and shed his precious blood to save us from our sins. Our old man is unregenerate. Our old man is what we were before salvation, totally depraved. And when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, that old man is dead and buried. That is the meaning of "buried with him in baptism."

Before our conversions, sin had dominion over us. But however, because of our spiritual union with Christ through his death, we are no longer under the control of sin. The power of sin had been broken. Sin is no longer our master. Our master is Christ. It does not mean that the believer will never sin. In fact, as long as we live in this mortal body on this earth, we will still struggle with sin. But sin no longer has the dominating force in our lives.

As Paul said in Romans 6:2, "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" God forbid means no way, may it never happen, or perish that thought. We have to understand that sin is not dead. Sin is very much alive and active. But the interesting thing is that the Bible said we are dead to sin. Not that sin is dead, but we are dead to sin.

By way of illustration, have you ever seen a dead body? Most certainly you have. As parents, we love our children. As children, we love our parents. If one day our loved one passes away and the body lies in the casket, we will be very sad when we look at the dead body. Our hearts will be filled with the deepest emotions. We will cry and cry. But the dead body would not respond to the same emotions that we have. No matter how much we cry, how many tears we shed, there's nothing we can ever do to make the body respond to us because it is dead. So after a while, we just have to bury the body. Right?

In the same way, sin should find us dead. Yes, sin may try to attract us, tempt us, entice us, cause us to give in. But when sin finds us not responding and disinterested, it has to leave us. This is only possible because of our spiritual union with Christ's death by faith. We are not only spiritually united with Christ's death but also with his resurrection. Remember our Lord Jesus' body did not remain in the grave, for on the third day he rose from the dead. Therefore, Paul said, "Wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (Colossians 2:12).

In other words, what went into the grave was our old man which was unregenerate and totally depraved. And what came out of that grave was totally different from what went into it. It is this transformed life. This newness of life. This new quality of life. The direction of our life has changed. We begin to walk in the right way. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

The phrase "through the faith of the operation of God" means through faith in the working of God. The original Greek word for operation is very interesting. It is from where we get the English word for energy. In other words, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that worketh in us, empowering us day by day. It is the work of the Holy Spirit transforming our lives.

Dear friend, when you and I receive Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, it is the Holy Spirit that baptised us into his death and resurrection. Our old man goes into the grave and the new man comes out of the grave, so to speak. It is a supernatural spiritual work. It is an eternal work. And this spiritual union with Christ is something no man can ever undo. When we are one with Christ, we are one with him throughout all eternity.

To know that we are united with Christ forever is a most comforting thought. As you and I live our lives in this temporal world, trials may come, afflictions may come, sicknesses may visit us, persecutions may come, death may come. But we are not alone, because we are united with Christ. We are one with him. So when we are faced with trials and temptations and we are mindful that we are one with Christ, our hearts are comforted. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says, "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."

When we are faced with death, lying on our sickbeds, and we are mindful that we are one with Christ, our hearts are comforted, as the Psalmist said: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4). When we are doing the gospel work, we face persecutions, and we are mindful that we are one with Christ, again, we are comforted. Because Jesus said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations… lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew 28:19–20).

These are just some examples. To know that we are united with Christ, one with him, is a most comforting thought. But on the other hand, it comes with an awesome responsibility. Take a moment and consider this. Whatever we do, whatever we say, whatever we think, and wherever we go, Christ is with us. Will we then just walk into sin when we are one with Christ? Will we then not be mindful of our pride, jealousies, bitterness, anger, lies, immoralities, and other hidden agendas when we are one with Christ? One pastor said to his congregation very bluntly, "Will you walk into adultery with your wife beside you?" Most certainly not. It comes with an awesome responsibility.

We are expected to live a sanctified life because we are one with Christ. We cannot cut our lives into two. We cannot live a sanctified life only when we come to church. And when we are at our workplace, we live a different lifestyle. We cannot dichotomise our lives. When we are one with Jesus Christ, we are one with him forever. So this passage is not about the sacrament of circumcision that was practised in the Old Testament, and it was not the sacrament of the baptism that was practised in the New Testament. It is not some pastor who sprinkles some water on you or dips you into the water that unites you with Christ.

If you truly believe in Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of the world who died on the cross and shed his precious blood to save you from your sins, you are already united with him. You are one with him. When you come for the sacrament of baptism, you are publicly and unashamedly professing that you are one with Christ, spiritually united with him, identified with him, and you want to declare to everyone Christ who is with you will forever be with you. He will never forget. Neither will he forsake you.

I believe I've shared this testimony many times, but I will still do it again to stress this point. Most of you know that I used to work with prisoners and ex-offenders in Singapore. Many of them were ex-drug addicts. Once there was this man who had been taking drugs for more than 30 years, and he had been seeing a doctor for more than a decade, but he was still unable to quit his drug addiction. But by the grace of God, one day someone brought him to church, he heard the gospel and believed it, and he was converted. Subsequently, he gave up all his drug addiction.

His doctor, an unbeliever, heard about this new transformation. He was surprised and he could not believe what he had just heard. The doctor went up to him and said, "I am utterly and truly surprised, and I simply cannot believe that you are able to give up your drug habits. I have been counselling you for more than 10 years and you have relapsed so many times. I’m a doctor, and I have a string of degrees behind me, and I have not been able to help you. And now you are telling me that after believing in your Jesus, you have been delivered and you have given up your drug habits.

Well, I don’t believe you. Let me test you. If there comes a day when it is the worst day of your life, you have a terrible day at work, you are being fired by your boss, and you have a broken relationship — all happening in one day. Everything is working against you. At the end of the day, you come back home, close the door and you are all alone. On the table, you find a packet of drugs. Now, what would you do? Would you not reach out to that packet of drugs and relieve yourself of all the troubles that have plagued you?"

The ex-drug addict pondered, turned, and looked at the doctor and said, "You have given me all the contingencies that are possible. It is possible that I may have a terrible day, fired by my boss, have a broken relationship, everything working against me, all happening at the same time, and even a packet of drugs waiting for me when I come home. But one thing you said will never be possible. Because since I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, I knew I will never be alone."

Dear friend, this is the main point I’m trying to drive across to you. Once we are united with Christ by faith, and it is the grace of God, we are one with him. There’s never a moment in our lives that he is not with us. And he will never forget, neither will he forsake us. That is our Saviour.

Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, indeed, there are so many things we ought to learn about our Christian faith, of which thou hast reminded us once again. It is not the physical things we do. It is not coming to church or even being baptised that unites us with thy only begotten Son. It is by faith through thy grace.

When we first heard the gospel, our hearts are convicted and we turn to him for salvation. And once we do, then we are spiritually united with him. We are one with him. And we who are one with him are with him forever. There is never a moment in our lives whereby we are not one with him. This is truly most comforting because as we go through the trials, afflictions, and troubles of life, including death, when we are mindful that we are one with Christ, our hearts are not only comforted but strengthened.

Yet at the same time, it comes with an awesome responsibility, that if we are truly one with him, that the Spirit of Christ dwells in our hearts, how then should we live our lives? The things we speak, the thoughts we think, and the actions we commit, the places we go to, the friends we associate with, the decisions and choices we make, everything has to be considered in view of our oneness with him.

All of us who are true believers ought to ask ourselves, what would Christ think of my words, my thoughts, and my actions? Christ dwelleth in me. How can I do this? We pray that we will put into rightful application this blessed lesson that we have learned, as we live this new man in Jesus Christ through the empowerment of the Spirit, all to the glory of thy precious name. It is possible. We give thee thanks. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS

A Faith And Love That Shines

A Faith And Love That Shines

Colossians 1:1-4

The Blessedness Of Our Christian Hope

The Blessedness Of Our Christian Hope

Colossians 1:5-6a

The Transforming Power Of The Gospel

The Transforming Power Of The Gospel

Colossians 1:6b-8

The Need For Prayers

The Need For Prayers

Colossians 1:9

Prayer for Spiritual Excellence

Prayer for Spiritual Excellence

Colossians 1:9-12

Walk Worthy Of The Lord

Walk Worthy Of The Lord

Colossians 1:10-11

What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?

What Does It Mean To Call God Our Father?

Colossians 1:12a

What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?

What Does It Mean To Be Citizens Of God’s Kingdom?

Colossians 1:12b-13

I Am Redeemed And Forgiven

I Am Redeemed And Forgiven

Colossians 1:14

Christ, The Invisible God

Christ, The Invisible God

Colossians 1:15

Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I Know

Jesus Our Creator Loves Me, This I Know

Colossians 1:16-17; Romans 8:37-39

What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?

What Is Christ’s Relationship With The Church?

Colossians 1:18

What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?

What Does It Mean To Be Reconciled To God?

Colossians 1:19-22

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

Colossians 1:23a

Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?

Are We Willing To Suffer For Christ?

Colossians 1:23b-24

How Faithful Are We?

How Faithful Are We?

Colossians 1:25-27

What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?

What Does It Take To Be Faithful In The Ministry?

Colossians 1:28-29

The Indispensable Component In Serving God

The Indispensable Component In Serving God

Colossians 2:1-2a

This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To Be

This Is What I Wish For You To Have And To Be

Colossians 2:2b-5

Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!

Message 3: What is Christ to you? My Covenantal Head!

Colossians 2:4-9, 19

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

The Evidence Of Our Salvation

Colossians 2:6-7

Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!

Message 4: What is a healthy and sound church? My Covenantal Haven!

Colossians 2:7

Our Spiritual Union With Christ

Our Spiritual Union With Christ

Colossians 2:11-12

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

What It Means To Be Forgiven

What It Means To Be Forgiven

Colossians 2:13-14

Faith In Christ Is The Victory

Faith In Christ Is The Victory

Colossians 2:15

The Danger Of Being Legalistic

The Danger Of Being Legalistic

Colossians 2:16-17

Human Wisdom Versus God’s Wisdom

Human Wisdom Versus God’s Wisdom

Colossians 2:8-10