Colossians 2:11-15 - The Benefits of Being Canceled
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Introduction:
We live in a culture of cancellation. However, this culture is not the kind of cancellation that is godly. People are oftentimes canceled in our culture for having a Biblical view of things such as abortion, Biblical views on sexuality, or their rejection of universalism. This cancel culture is attempting to squeeze out the conservative evangelical views in our society. It is an outright attack on the Word of God and the people of God.
However, not all canceling is a bad thing. Today we are going to talk about some cancellations that God has done for us that have led to an ability to live a new life in Christ. Join me as we read the good side of cancellation today.
Join me as we read God’s Word:
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Today we are going to discuss three ways new life is available for you:
I. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Duty (11-13)
I. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Duty (11-13)
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
In these three verses we see the word circumcision three times and uncircumcision once. So it is important for us to understand what that was before we move forward.
Circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic Old Covenant. It was a ritual act in which the foreskin of male children was removed 8 days after birth. This covenant was introduced to Abraham in Genesis 17:10-14. This act was required even further once the law was given to Moses in order to participate in the Passover and to be considered a part of God’s covenantal community.
This physical ritual was given to remind the people of Abraham and later the people of Israel (Abraham’s grandson Jacob’s 12 sons and their lineage) of two things. The act of removing the foreskin was to symbolize casting off the sin of the flesh. And the act of circumcision also served as an outward sign that a man was right with God. He was to be raised in a godly family and he was to be known as one of the people of God in covenantal community.
Yet God always cared more about the heart than religious rituals. In fact Abraham was said to be saved by faith even while he was uncircumcised:
11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well,
You see, circumcision was not given to provide salvation but to be an outward sign that his family was chosen by God.
These understandings are very important regarding circumcision because we see Paul move forward to compare it to baptism as we will see in a bit.
11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
In verse 11 we see that our circumcision under the New Covenant is not one with hands - it is one made without hands. Yet it symbolizes what circumcision symbolized. It symbolizes putting off the body of flesh.
The important distinction between circumcision and baptism is the fact that one is based on the action and work of man and the other is based on the act of God. Man was to do the ritual of circumcision and perform it. It was a part of the works-based Old Covenant that relied on obedience of man and following of the law. Of course there was grace involved as well but the main drive was obedience to the law.
Baptism, however, is a sign of what Jesus has done on the cross. Verse 11 refers to our circumcision as one made without hands - meaning it isn’t done by our works. Baptism is a sign of what Jesus did on the cross. He has saved and sealed us for salvation in Him!
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Believers in Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit and saved by the blood of Christ through faith in Him alone for their salvation.
And baptism symbolizes that this salvation has already occured. Let’s look forward at the next two verses as well:
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
If you have wondered why we say that you have been buried with Christ and raised with Christ when we perform baptisms - here is why. We identify with the death and burial of Christ by being submerged under the water. That is why we practice immersion baptism. Not only does the Greek word here, baptismos (bap-tiz-mose) mean plunging experience, washing, or immersion, but we also see here that immersion symbolizes being buried with Christ much better as well. One is placed under the water in an environment that would bring death if one stayed there.
In another beautiful symbolic view - the very thing that could bring death is used by God to symbolize the new life that has been given! The water symbolizes the washing of our sins by the blood of Christ. Likewise, the very thing that was to bring death to Christ - namely the cross - is what washed our sins clean!
While being brought up out of the water, we identify with Christ’s resurrection. We have been made new - we have been born again. The old is gone and dead and the new has come.
Paul is quick to relay that this is all the work of God and not of man. We have new life because of a canceled duty. The works of the law and the rite of circumcision is no longer needed now. Christ has done all of the work on the cross. We now are saved by grace through faith and not be works:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
And moving to verse 13 Paul continues:
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
God has forgiven us all of our trespasses. Again, this is all because of Christ’s work on the cross.
Brothers and sisters, if you have not obeyed Christ by following in believers baptism after placing your trust in Jesus Christ, I would love to talk with you further about how to follow Christ in obedience in baptism. Baptism is the first act of obedience for the believer after salvation.
A few examples of this:
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.
36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
There are many more examples as well but what we see is a common theme. They believed and they were baptized. That is the succession we see in Scripture. I pray that if you have not believed and then were baptized - that you seriously consider following Christ through this act of obedience to Him.
This act of obedience is also said to be through faith in verse 12:
Colossians 2:12 (ESV)
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (emphasis mine)
This is why we do not acknowledge infant baptism as a Biblically supported form of baptism. Although baptism is a sign that one is a part of the New Covenant and does have some comparison to the Old Covenant sign of circumcision - the New Covenant requires faith in Jesus Christ and salvation before the sign of salvation is given. Unlike the Old Covenant which was based on being in the Abrahamic lineage through Israel - the New Covenant is open to all no matter what nationality. And instead of the ritual being done only in males such as is seen in the old covenant ritual of circumcision - males and females are to be baptized.
Finally, the Bible teaches that baptism is not a suggestion - it is a command of God.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
We are commanded to make disciples and then baptize them. We should follow this same example in our own lives! How can we encourage obedience in others when we are not obedient ourselves?
And we see in John 14:15
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Be faithful brothers and sisters.
I know this was a lot of information. If you have further questions on this please don’t hesitate to reach out. I want to help you walk through obedience to Christ through this important step of faith in the life of a believer. Also remember - my manuscripts are posted online if you need to read through them for further study and reading.
Next we see that..
Scripture References: Genesis 17:10-14, Romans 4:11, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 2:41 Acts 8:12, Acts 16:31-33, Acts 8:36-38, John 14:15
II. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Debt (14)
II. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Debt (14)
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
I want us to focus in on the middle of this verse for a moment.
We get to phrase - “the record of debt.” This phrase is actually one Greek word that means a certificate of indebtedness or an account of debts.
This record of debts is our condemnation by the law. Clearly we are condemned by the law because we do not measure up. The legal demands that we see mentioned after this refer to the punishment that is required because of our sins and debts. The legal demand for sin is death.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
23 For the wages of sin is death...
Brothers and sisters, this is a terrifying section of Scripture when taken by itself. We have a record of debts. God has a record of these debts and this word even has an application that it is a signed record of debts meaning that we can’t really argue with them. We have signed the record through our actions. Our signature line has been signed by our deeds. There is a certificate of authenticity in our own writing here. And this record is legally binding and any punishment coming our way is deserved and right.
But praise God there is more here!
We have used the word cancel in the first point which is derived from the verse in this section of Scripture. The Greek word for cancel here is (exaleiphō) (ex-all-ee-pho) which means to wipe away, blot out, obliterate, eliminate, cover, destroy, or do away with. All of these meanings are applicable here.
God has wiped away our sins - he has eliminated our sins - he has done away with our sins. How? By nailing it to the cross.
This is such a beautiful picture of the atonement of Christ. If you remember studying the crucifixion. There was a sign above Christ’s head.
37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
Yet there was another sign above His head as well. It wasn’t visible to the eyes but it was visible to God as God’s wrath was poured out on His son who died in our place.
Your record of debt and my record of debt was placed above His head. All of your sins were paid for by the death of Christ if you have placed your trust in Him and repented of your sins. He bore the punishment that we deserved.
And as we describe what happened at Calvary I want us to get to our last point to understand this further:
Scripture References: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Matthew 27:37
III. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Devil (15)
III. New Life is Available for You Because Of… A Cancelled Devil (15)
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
So we just left off with Christ nailing our sins to the cross. The certificate of our debts was placed above Christ and the wrath of God was poured out on Christ for our sins.
And all the while, Satan and his demons were living it up. They were enjoying watching the Son of God suffer and bleed. They had been there instigating this all along. They had been there with the crowds inciting them to turn on Jesus. They had been there at the arrest of Jesus done secretly at night. They had been there with the government leaders - refusing to see the error of their ways and the injustice that was occuring.
And now they are there watching Jesus hang on a cross and die. One must only imagine the feeling of victory they were having. God indwelling flesh as the Person of Jesus Christ - shamefully hanging on the cross. Beaten, bruised, bleeding, and gasping for air. Victory was theirs. Evil had overcome.
Little did they know that they were the ones being disarmed of their powers. This word disarmed means stripped. They stripped off the linens of Christ and tried to expose Him to open shame. Yet it backfired. They were the ones who were ultimately stripped of their powers and defeated. Christ triumphantly rose from the dead three days later and trampled Satan and his demons under foot. The keys of death and the grave were forever stolen. Eternal life was made available to all of those who placed their faith in Christ and would repent, or turn away from their sins.
Friends, this is the Gospel here. We all have a record of debt. And there is no denying our sinfulness before a holy and just God.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
We must admit that we are a sinner in order to be saved.
But praise be to God that He doesn’t leave us there. As He hung there on that cross - that record of debts was placed upon Him and removed from us.
The rulers of darkness - Satan and his demons - continue to cast their accusations even to this day. Yet their power has been removed. Their power is only a facade. It is a an illusion.
The truth is that we who are truly in Christ have an answer for all of the devil’s accusations.
The accuser may look at you and scream:
Fornicator and Adulterer! It’s been nailed the cross. I’m forgiven.
Liar and Slanderer! It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
Murderer at Heart! It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
Jealous and Envious! It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
Idolater and Blasphemer! It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
What is the enemy accusing you of today?
The enemy continues to hurl his accusations against us my friends. But if we are in Christ, the price has been paid. Our record of debts has been wiped away and cast as far as the east is from the west.
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Satan stands there demanding a payment for your sins. He is slandering you to God and saying that you deserve wrath because you are a sinner. He appeals to God’s justice and demands that God be consistent with His character. How can God let you go off free?
But God has given an answer. Justice has been served. Christ has covered our sins and removed them from us. We can be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. We must believe that He is 100% God and yet 100% man born of the virgin Mary. That He lived a sinless life and died for our sins on the cross. And that He rose from the dead three days later thereby defeating death and the grave. He is the way and the truth and life and the only way to God (John 14:6).
Friends, I pray that you have done that. I pray that as Satan and his demon hurl accusations at you you can answer:
It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
Though research shows the hymn writer of It is Well With My Soul (Horatio Spafford) veered off into false teaching after much tragedy in his life - He did write a very theological sound hymn with this one. And it does highlight what we see in verse 14 in a mighty way.
sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought—
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to His Cross, and I bear it no more;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Scripture References: 1 John 1:10, Psalm 103:12, John 14:6
Conclusion:
Brothers and sisters - has your sin been nailed to the cross? Has your record of debt been wiped away? If not - don’t let another day go by without making things right with God. Repent of your sins and place your faith and trust in Him alone.
If you have done this - live in the freedom given by Christ. As Satan hurls his accusations - answer him with the cross. It’s been nailed to the cross. I’m forgiven.
Let us pray.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.
Have a blessed week.