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Our Spiritual Union With Christ (Colossians 2:11-12)
I. It Is Faith Not Circumcision
II. It Is Faith Not Baptism
I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text for this morning's message is taken from Colossians chapter 2 verse 11-2. Allow me to read for you this passage. Colossians chapter 2 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, 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 blessed 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 Colos, 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 Colossia, nor did he visit that city. The man whom God used to establish the church was Apras. Apparently, Apparas 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 have not only rejected God as the creator, they had also rejected the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ. Because since God was good, he could never become a man. 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 Abraas had to travel almost 1,000 miles to visit Paul in prison at Rome. And Paul had to write this letter to deal with all these heresies and focus on the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ of all the creation and of 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 gods. 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 verse1 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. Let us begin with verse 11. In 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 Jews 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 pre- 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 in 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 thy 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 out sign of the inward faith. It always begin 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 circum for salvation. Maybe you can turn with me to Genesis 12:1-4. In that passage, after God had called Abraham out of the ear of the Caldians, he gave this promise to Abraham. 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 curses thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 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. 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 seat after thee. Every man child among you shall be circumcised. If you look down to verse 24, and Abraham was 90 years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 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 10 years later, Abraham's wife Sarah was still childless. And Abraham prayed to God in Genesis 15:2. And Abraham said, "Lord God, what will thou give, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this of Damascus?" In other words, God, you promise 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 Eleazar from Damascus. Are you referring to my servant Eleazar? The Lord then gently took Abraham outside and said in verse 5, "Look now toward heaven and tell the stars or count the stars if thou be able to number them." And he said unto him, "So shall thy seat be." That is when verse six says, "And he Abraham believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness." So at that point in time, Abraham had already believed God and he was declared righteous. But it was only after 14 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 shined 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. 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 baptize 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 baptized. 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 sacredment 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 have the dominating force in our lives. As Paul said in Romans 6:2, "God forbid, how shall we, the believers 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 much 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 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 have raised him from the dead." 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 said, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, all things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new." Galatians 2:20 said, "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 workketh 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 Savior, it is the Holy Spirit that baptized 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 said, "Now, thanks be to God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place. When we are faced with death, lying on our sick beds and we are mindful that we are one with Christ, our hearts are comforted as the psalmist said. Psalm 23:4 Yeah, 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. 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 always, even unto the ends of the world. Matthew 28:20. 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 dichotoize our lives. When we are one with Jesus Christ, we are one with him forever. So this passage is not about the sacredment of circumcision that was practiced in the Old Testament and it was not the sacrament of the baptism that was practiced in the New Testament. It is not some pastor who sprinkles some water on you or dip you into the water that unites you with Christ. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ as the only savior 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 and 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 counseling 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 savior. Let us pray. Our father in heaven. Indeed, there are so many things we ought to learn about our Christian faith of which thou has reminded us once again. It is not the physical things we do. It is not coming to church or even being baptized 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 is 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 have 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
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 2:11–12. Allow me to read for you this passage.
Colossians 2:11–12
“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. 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 — of all creation and of 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: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 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.
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 Jews 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 began 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 proof that circumcision was absolutely necessary for salvation.
Maybe you can turn with me to Genesis 12:1–3. In that passage, after God had called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, 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 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 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.”
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 10 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.”
So at that point in time, Abraham had already believed God and he was declared righteous. But it was only after 14 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. Paul said: Although you, the believers, whether Jew or Gentile, may or may not be physically circumcised, yet 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 salvation, 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.
Our second point is: It is faith, not baptism, that unites us with Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 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.”
Paul not only used circumcision to illustrate our salvation in Christ Jesus, but he also used baptism.
Now just as circumcision did not save the Jews, baptism also does not save the believers. Paul was not teaching baptismal regeneration, but he was teaching our spiritual union with Christ.
There is a spiritual reality that water baptism symbolises, and that is our salvation in Christ. When we are baptised, it symbolises our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
The fact that a person was baptised means that he had already placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and he had been united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
Paul made this very clear when he said in Romans 6:3–4:
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? 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.”
Baptism was only the outward demonstration of the inward faith in Christ.
Now let us go back to Colossians 2:12: “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.”
Notice that it was “through the faith of the operation of God.” Faith was the key that made baptism real. Without faith, baptism was meaningless.
It is not baptism that saves us. It is faith in Christ that saves us.
In fact, when Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, he made it very clear that baptism was not the most important thing. He said in 1 Corinthians 1:14–17:
“I thank God that I baptised none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptised in mine own name. And I baptised also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptised any other. For Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”
If baptism was necessary for salvation, then Paul would not have said that Christ did not send him to baptise. He would have been contradicting himself.
So again, Paul was emphasising that baptism was only a symbol of salvation. It was faith in Christ that united them with Jesus Christ.
This faith was “the operation of God” — meaning that it was the powerful working of God that brought salvation to the sinner. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so also He raises us from the dead in Christ Jesus.
The same power that raised Christ from the dead is the same power that raised us from our spiritual death into spiritual life.
Our third point is: It is faith in Christ, not the law, that brings forgiveness of sins.
Look at verses 13–14:
Colossians 2:13–14
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 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.”
The Colossians were dead in their sins and the uncircumcision of their flesh. This referred to their sinful nature and their estrangement from God.
But Paul said, “hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”
The word “quickened” means “made alive.” It means God has given them spiritual life together with Christ, and that happened because He has forgiven them of all their trespasses.
Notice it says all trespasses — not some, not most, but all. This includes past, present, and future sins.
How did God forgive us of our sins?
Verse 14 tells us: “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.”
The “handwriting of ordinances” refers to the written code of the law. It was like a legal document that listed all our debts and offences.
Every single one of us has a long list of sins against God. That list condemns us. That list is against us. That list demands justice and judgment.
But God, through Christ, blotted out that list. He erased it completely. He took it out of the way and nailed it to the cross.
When Christ died on the cross, He paid the full penalty for our sins. Our entire debt was cancelled. Our sins were forgiven.
That is why Paul said in Romans 8:1:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
And in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
So forgiveness is not by circumcision. Forgiveness is not by baptism. Forgiveness is not by keeping the law.
Forgiveness is only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Our fourth point is: It is Christ, not angels or spiritual beings, who has triumphed over all powers.
Look at Colossians 2:15:
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Here Paul was dealing with another aspect of the Colossian heresy — the worship of angels and the fear of spiritual beings.
The false teachers taught that since God was so holy and far removed, believers needed angels or spiritual intermediaries to approach Him. They emphasised the worship of angels as if angels were mediators between God and man.
But Paul made it clear that Christ alone is sufficient. He alone is the Mediator.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:5:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Furthermore, Christ not only is the Mediator, but He has also conquered all principalities and powers.
The word “spoiled” means “disarmed” or “stripped of authority.” Christ has disarmed Satan and all his demons.
How did He do that?
By His death and resurrection.
When Christ died on the cross, Satan thought he had won. But the cross was actually the place of Satan’s greatest defeat. Christ triumphed over him.
Paul said He made “a shew of them openly.” In other words, Christ put them to open shame. Just as a victorious Roman general would parade his defeated enemies publicly in a triumphal procession, so Christ displayed His victory openly.
Therefore, as believers in Christ, we do not need to fear angels, demons, or any spiritual powers. Christ has already triumphed over them.
That is why John said in 1 John 4:4:
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
So Paul was reminding the Colossian believers that they did not need to look to angels, rituals, or legalism. They only needed Christ, because He alone is sufficient and supreme.
Our fifth and final point is: It is Christ, not legalism or false humility, that is the substance of our faith.
Look at Colossians 2:16–17:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
The Judaizers were insisting that the Colossians keep the dietary laws, observe the holy days, and maintain the sabbaths. But Paul said these things were only a shadow — the reality is Christ.
A shadow has no substance. It points to something else. The Old Testament feasts, sacrifices, and sabbaths were all pointing to Christ. Now that Christ has come, we no longer need the shadows. We have the reality.
Then Paul warned against false humility and the worship of angels. Look at Colossians 2:18–19:
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 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.”
Some of the false teachers promoted an outward show of humility, saying they were not worthy to go directly to God, so they worshipped angels instead. But Paul said this was false humility, puffed up by their fleshly mind.
True humility is not turning to angels. True humility is holding fast to Christ, who is the Head of the body. When we hold fast to Christ, the whole body is nourished and built up by God.
Then Paul concluded with a warning against asceticism. Look at Colossians 2:20–23:
“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, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.”
The false teachers taught that holiness could be achieved by strict rules and regulations — “Touch not; taste not; handle not.”
But Paul reminded them: since you have died with Christ, why do you subject yourselves to such man-made rules?
These practices may look wise. They may look humble. They may even look spiritual. But in reality, they have no value in restraining the flesh. They cannot conquer sin. Only Christ can.
Therefore, Paul’s conclusion is clear:
- It is not circumcision that saves us.
- It is not baptism that saves us.
- It is not the law that forgives us.
- It is not angels who mediate for us.
- It is not ascetic rules that make us holy.
It is Christ alone.
Christ is sufficient. Christ is supreme. Christ is all we need.