Colossians 2.12-Colossians Were Buried and Raised with Christ Through the Baptism of the Spirit
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday December 13, 2015
Colossians: Colossians 2:12-Colossians Were Buried and Raised with Christ Through the Baptism of the Spirit
Lesson # 52
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, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (NASB95)
“Having been buried” is the verb sunthaptō (συνθάπτω), which pertains to these Christians being identified with Jesus Christ in His physical death and burial through the baptism of the Spirit which took place at the moment of justification or in other words, at their conversion.
The verb sunthaptō functions as a participle of means which means that the word is defining for the reader specifically how each and every one of the Colossians were circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by the human beings.
In other words, it is making explicit how each and every one of the Colossians were circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
So this indicates that each and every one of the Colossians were circumcised with a circumcision which was not performed by human beings, “specifically by” being buried with Christ through the baptism performed by the Holy Spirit.
“With Him” is the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), which refers to Jesus Christ and functions as a dative of association which denotes that through the baptism of the Spirit, the Colossians were buried “with” or “in association with” Jesus Christ.
“In baptism” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) noun baptismos (βαπτισμός), “baptism.”
The noun baptismos means “baptism” and is used in a figurative or metaphorical sense for the baptism of the Spirit which takes place the moment the sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior and is declared justified by the Father.
The baptism of the Spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Christian’s conversion and identifies them with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
The noun baptismos is the object of the preposition en which is functioning as a marker of means which indicates that the baptism of the Spirit was the means by which each and every one of the Colossians were identified with Christ with regards to death and burial.
“In which” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “which.”
The relative pronoun hos means “which” and refers to the noun baptismos which is indicated by the fact that the two words agree with each other in number (singular) and gender (masculine).
This relative pronoun is the object of the preposition en which functions as a marker of means which indicates that the Colossians were raised up with Christ or in other words identified with Him with regards to His resurrection “by means of” the baptism of the Spirit.
“Also” is the conjunction kai (καί), which is a marker of correspondence indicating that the statement “by means of which you were raised up with Him” corresponds to the statement that the Colossians were buried with Christ through baptism.
In other words, it indicates that the Colossians were identified with Christ’s burial through the baptism of the Spirit “correspondingly” they were identified with Him in His resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit.
The word indicates that the Colossians’ identification with Christ in His burial and resurrection share the same relationship in that they were both brought about by the baptism of the Spirit.
“You were raised up with Him” is the verb sunegeirō (συνεγείρω), which means “to raise to life together with” and refers to the Colossians’ identification with Jesus Christ in His resurrection.
This also took place by means of the baptism of the Spirit when they were declared justified by the Father through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
“Through faith” refers to making the non-meritorious decision to trust or place one’s complete confidence in the Person of Jesus Christ for eternal salvation and the forgiveness of sins.
It refers to justifying faith meaning that these faithful Colossian believers exercised faith in Jesus Christ which resulted in God declaring them justified or in other words, it speaks of their faith at the moment of conversion which resulted in their justification.
This prepositional phrase is indicating that the Colossians were raised up with Christ by means of the baptism of the Spirit or in other words identified with Him in His resurrection through the baptism of the Spirit “by means of” their faith in Jesus Christ.
“In the working of God” is composed of the following: (1) noun energeia (ἐνέργεια), “in the working” (2) noun theos (θεός), “God.”
The noun energeia means “exertion of power” since it pertains to the exertion of the Father’s omnipotence when raising His Son Jesus Christ from the dead.
The noun theos refers to the Father which is indicated by the word’s articular construction which in the New Testament commonly signifies the first member of the Trinity unless otherwise indicated by the context.
“Who raised Him from the dead” refers to the Father causing His Son Jesus Christ to live again after having died physically.
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 is your identification with Christ. 12 Specifically each and every one of you were buried with Him by means of the baptism which is essential and superior. Correspondingly, by means of which each and every one of you were raised together with Him by means of your faith in God the Father’s exertion of power who caused Him to enter into the state of being raised out from the dead ones. (My translation)
In Colossians 2:12, the apostle Paul is clarifying for the Colossians what he means by his teaching in Colossians 2:11 that they were circumcised with a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
He is defining for the Colossians specifically how each and every one of them were circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
In other words, he is making explicit how each and every one of the Colossians were circumcised by means of a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
He is reminding the Colossians that each and every one of them was circumcised with a circumcision which was not performed by human beings and specifically by being buried with Christ through the baptism performed by the Holy Spirit.
The baptism Paul speaks of here in Colossians 2:12 is a reference to the baptism of the Spirit which takes place the moment the sinner trusts in Jesus Christ as Savior and is declared justified by the Father.
The baptism of the Spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit at the moment of the Christian’s conversion and identifies them with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the right hand of the Father.
It does not refer to water baptism since the participial clause here in Colossians 2:12 is identifying specifically for the Colossians Paul’s statements in Colossians 2:11 that they were circumcised with a circumcision which was not performed by human beings.
It is also identifying specifically for the Colossians what Paul means by the prepositional phrase in Colossians 2:11 that they were circumcised by means of the removal of the body composed of that which is flesh.
It is also clarifying for the Colossians what Paul means in Colossians 2:11 by the prepositional phrase which asserts that they were circumcised by means of a circumcision which is specifically identification with Christ.
Furthermore, Paul also teaches in Colossians 2:12 that not only were the Colossians buried with Christ through baptism but they were also raised up with Christ through baptism through their faith in Jesus Christ by means of God’s activity.
Therefore, the baptism mentioned by Paul in Colossians 2:12 is not speaking of literal water baptism.
Rather it is referring to the baptism performed by God and specifically that which was performed by the Holy Spirit at their conversion.
So the apostle Paul is reminding the Colossians in Colossians 2:12 that the baptism of the Spirit was the means by which each and every one of them was identified with Christ in His death and burial.
Correspondingly, the baptism of the Spirit was the means by which each and every one of them was identified with Jesus Christ in His resurrection.
He is teaching them that their identification with Christ in His burial and resurrection share the same relationship in that they were both brought about by the baptism of the Spirit.