Colossians 2.11-The Baptism of the Spirit is a Spiritual Circumcision
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday December 6, 2015
Colossians: Colossians 2:11-The Baptism of the Spirit is a Spiritual Circumcision
Lesson # 51
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. (NASB95)
“And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands” presents the third reason why the faithful Christians in Colossae were to obey Paul’s command in Colossians 2:8.
“In Him” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “Him.”
The relative pronoun hos means “whom” referring of course to the Lord Jesus Christ and contains the figure of metonymy meaning that the person of Jesus Christ is put for the Colossians’ faith in Him as their Savior.
This word is the object of the preposition en which indicates that “because of” their faith in Jesus Christ, the Colossians were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.
“You were also circumcised” is the verb peritemnō (περιτέμνω), which means “to circumcise” but in a figurative or spiritual sense for the baptism of the Spirit.
The second person plural form of the verb peritemnō means “all of you” referring to the recipients of Colossians which would be the faithful Christians in Colossae and should be rendered in a distributive sense means “each and every one of you” emphasizing that there are to be no exceptions.
The noun peritomē means “circumcision” and is also used in a figurative sense for the baptism of the Spirit and not the literal act of circumcision performed by the Jews on their sons eight days after their birth.
This is indicated by the adjective acheiropoiētos, which means “not man-made, not produced or performed by human hands, not performed by human agency.”
The noun peritomē functions specifically as a dative of means which indicates that each and every one of the Colossian believers was circumcised at their conversion “by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.”
“In the removal of the body of the flesh” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) noun apekdusis (ἀπέκδυσις), “the removal” (3) noun sōma (σῶμα), “of body” (4) noun sarx (σάρξ), “of flesh.”
The noun sōma means “body” referring to the human bodies of these faithful Christians in Colossae which is contaminated by the indwelling sin nature.
The noun apekdusis means “the removal” since the word pertains to action in which clothes or something is stripped off a person.
It is the object of the preposition en which functions as a marker of means indicating that the Colossians were circumcised “by means of” the removal of their fleshly body or their body composed of flesh.
The noun sarx means “flesh” refers to all that which composes the human body and functions as a genitive of material which means that the Colossians were circumcised by means of the removal of their body which is “composed of” human flesh.
“By the circumcision of Christ” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “by” (2) noun peritomē (περιτομή), “the circumcision” (3) proper name Christos (Χριστός), “Christ.”
The noun peritomē, “circumcision” is once again in a figurative sense for the baptism of the Spirit and not the literal act of circumcision performed by the Jews on their sons eight days after their birth.
The noun peritomē is also the object of the preposition preposition en which is again functioning as a marker of means indicating that the Colossians were circumcised “by means of” that circumcision which is the product of their union and identification with Jesus Christ.
Christos contains the figure of metonymy meaning that the person of Jesus Christ is put for the Colossians being in union with Christ and identified with Him in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This word functions as a genitive of product which would indicate that the Colossians were circumcised by means of that circumcision “which produces” their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death and burial.
Colossians 2:8 Don’t stop making it your habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each and every one of you captive through empty, deceitful philosophy based upon the tradition produced by human beings, based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system, which are by no means based upon to the teaching originating from Christ. 9 The reason for this command is that in Him, the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell in bodily form. 10 Also, by means of your union and identification with Him, each and every one of you as an eternal spiritual truth exist in the state of being made complete, who is, as an eternal spiritual truth existing in the state of being the head over each and every ruler and authority. 11 Furthermore, because of your faith in Him, each and every one of you was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, by means of the removal of your body composed of that which is flesh, by means of this circumcision which produces your union and identification with Christ. (My translation)
Colossians 2:11 presents the third reason why the faithful Christians in Colossae were to obey Paul’s command in Colossians 2:8.
This command required that they continue making it their habit of watching out for anyone belonging to a group who would seek to take each and every one of them captive through empty, deceitful philosophy which is based upon the tradition produced by human beings.
He describes this human tradition as based upon the elementary teachings promoted by the cosmic system of Satan.
His last description of this false teaching is that it is by no means based upon the teaching originating from Jesus Christ.
Paul’s statement in Colossians 2:9 presented to the Colossians the first reason why they were to obey the command in Colossians 2:8 and asserts that the totality of attributes which compose the divine nature permanently dwell bodily in Jesus Christ.
His first declarative statement in Colossians 2:10 presented the second reason why they were to obey this command and teaches that by means of their union and identification with Jesus Christ, each and every one of the Colossians is as an eternal spiritual truth exist in the state of being made complete.
He then asserts that Jesus Christ is the head over and every human and angelic ruler and authority.
Now, here in Colossians 2:11, Paul gives the Colossians a third reason why they should obey his command recorded in Colossians 2:8.
Paul reminds the Colossians in verse 11 that because of their faith in Jesus Christ, each and every one of them was circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
This circumcision is a reference to the baptism of the Spirit which is indicated by Paul’s statement in Colossians 2:12 in which he reminds the Colossians that they have been buried with Christ in baptism and which baptism they were also raised up with Christ through faith in Him.
The baptism of the Spirit refers to the fact that at the moment the Colossians trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior, the omnipotence of the Spirit caused them to become identical and united with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session.
This means that when Christ was crucified, God crucified the Christian with Him (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20), and when Christ died and was buried, God considers them to have died (Romans 6:2, 7-8; Colossians 2:20; 3:3) and been buried with Christ (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).
It also means that when Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father (the session of Christ), God raised (Romans 6:5; Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:10-11; Colossians 2:12; 3:1) and seated the Christian with Him (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1).
So in Colossians 2:11, when Paul reminds the Colossians that they were circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, he is referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit which took place at the moment of their conversion.
By referring to circumcision, Paul is attacking the false teaching of the Essene branch of the Judaizers who taught that all God’s people must be circumcised just as every eight day old Jewish or any proselyte would receive.
Then, the apostle employs two prepositional phrases to identify specifically the means by which they received this spiritual circumcision.
The first prepositional phrase specifies that this spiritual circumcision was by means of the removal of their body composed of that which is flesh.
This is figurative language for the Christian’s identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, and burial which are all related to solving the Christian’s problem with their indwelling Adamic sin nature.
Their identification with Christ in His resurrection guarantees that they will all receive a resurrection body at the rapture of the church which is imminent and this resurrection body will be minus the sin nature of course.
The apostle Paul then uses another prepositional phrase to identify specifically for the Colossians the means by which they were circumcised with a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, namely it was by means of a circumcision which produced their union and identification with Christ.
Therefore, he is saying that this circumcision which the baptism of the Spirit produced their union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
This identification with Christ resolved their problem with their indwelling Adamic sin nature.