Monthly Archive for July, 1996

Colossians 2:12b

Published on July 31, 1996 in Colossians. 2 Comments
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"buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

The fourth result of the work of Christ on the cross is we were raised with Christ.
 
in which you also were raised with Him
 
The words "were raised with" mean to raise together. It means to participate in the resurrection of Christ. This is a co-resurrection. When Jesus rose, we arose. God identifies us with Christ in his resurrection. God did this to us at the moment of salvation (passive voice). We were dead spiritually but Jesus caused us to live again. 
 
Immersion into water baptism portrays the burial of Christ and coming out of the water portrays the resurrection of Christ. However, this passage is dealing with spiritual resurrection. God views us as raised with Christ in the sense he identifies us with him in heaven today. 
 
through faith in the working of God
 
The word "working" means active power (1:29; Eph. 1:19; 3:7; 4:16). God accomplishes salvation through resurrection power. This is God’s great work. When God goes to work, he always does a wonderful job. God’s work here is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Christianity is not a philosophy, a system or gimmick. It is a living relationship with a living Christ. 
 
The parallel verse to the verse we are studying is, "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). This verse teaches the same thing as Colossians 2:12.
 
God raises us up through faith, not feelings (II Cor. 5:7; Eph. 2:8,9). We have stopped trying to save ourselves by personal effort. We have given up trusting anything but the grace of God. Faith in the finished work of Christ is the means whereby God identifies us with Christ. 
 
who raised Him from the dead
 
Since God raised Jesus from the dead, the Christian has assurance of his position before God. If God is able to raise Jesus Christ from the dead, he can raise us to new life.
 
PRINCIPLE: Faith is the operating principle by which we engage positional truth.
 
APPLICATION: It is by faith in God’s work that we receive positional burial and resurrection. God joined us to a living Savior at the moment of salvation. It is when we personally experience positional truth that the fact becomes real to us. If positional truth remains a cold doctrine we will not benefit from the privileges it affords us. We need to take it out of the deep freezer and apply it to our experience.

Colossians 2:12

Published on July 30, 1996 in Colossians. 2 Comments
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“buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”


This verse explains when the circumcision of verse 11 occurred. God puts off our old life at the moment of salvation. At that time a believer is buried and raised with Christ.This verse is a statement of what Jesus achieved by his death on the cross. It boils down to our incorporation into his status before God.This is our positional union with Christ in God’s eyes.

The third result of the work of Christ on the cross is our burial with him.

buried with Him in baptism

The words “buried with” mean to bury together, join in burying or to be buried with. The word “with” indicates a “co” relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a co-burial. We must bury anything dead. When Jesus was buried, we were buried. God buried us along with Jesus Christ! This obviously does not mean that God put us into the same tomb as Jesus and laid us down beside him!

Colossians describes this as having already taken place. We are already identified with Christ in his burial. The Bible uses “buried with” in the figurative sense only (Romans 6:4). We are identified with Christ in his burial as set forth in his baptism.

“Baptism” here is not water baptism. It is Spirit baptism. Spirit baptism is an action of the Holy Spirit whereby he puts the believer into the body of Christ (i.e., our salvation). Water baptism simply is a physical demonstration of what the Holy Spirit did. Water baptism is simply the illustration of Spirit baptism in physical movements. We should not put undue emphasis upon the physical object; the importance is what the Holy Spirit did at our salvation.


PRINCIPLE:

The Christian is both buried and raised with Christ positionally.


APPLICATION:

Positional truth is like a prisoner who has been made legally free but he remains in prison not knowing that he is free to walk out the door. The Christian is legally free from the penalty and consequences of sin. God strips the flesh of its legal power over us. As God reckons he identifies us with Christ. God cannot see us for Jesus.That person that we were before Christ is dead in the sight of God. That person is dead and buried. God wants us to reckon like he reckons. Our position in Christ is eternal, infallible and unalterable.When we act like we did before we came to Christ, we act out of character. It is like putting on a Halloween mask. When we act like that we fool those around us. We masquerade in make believe. We play the hypocrite. No one else may know but God does. God does not want us to pretend that we are not Christians. He will haul us off to the wood-shed if we do it too often. He will not put up with trifling. God will allow us to go so far and then he will pull us up short.

Colossians 2:11b

Published on July 29, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ”

by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh

“Putting off” means to strip off clothes. Because of our position with Christ, Jesus took off the body of our sins like a suit of clothes at Christ’s death. This is a full strip of the flesh.

The word “body” refers to the sin capacity. Jesus put off that faculty which is the source of our sin. It is that faculty which produces lusts and personal sins.

The Greek noun for “putting off“ is a reference to the death of Christ. God put off our sins of the flesh at the moment we exercised faith in the death of Christ to forgive sins.

“The sins of the flesh” is probably our sin capacity. Jesus destroyed all that we were in Adam. We are identified with Christ in his death.

by the circumcision of Christ

Jesus executed our spiritual circumcision positionally upon the cross.


PRINCIPLE:

Jesus spiritually circumcised our sin capacity upon the cross.


APPLICATION:

Jesus not only dealt with our sins on the cross, he also destroyed the factory that produces sin–the sin capacity. This does not mean that God eradicates our sin capacity. It means that the principle of our sin capacity died when Christ died (Romans 6).Because we are positionally dead to sin, we are free to deal with what Christ already judged. An understanding of this principle is a key to Christian living. Positional truth is the basis for our victory; it is not victory itself. Positional truth means that God views us as dead and risen in Christ. It constitutes a milestone of spiritual experience in the Christian life when the believer himself begins to view himself this way.

Do you take by faith the work of Christ for you? Do you try to live the Christian life by operation bootstraps? We cannot live the Christian way of life by legalism.

Colossians 2:11

Published on July 28, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcisionmade without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ”


At this verse Paul turns from the error of Gnosticism to the error of legalism. The Colossians had no need for physical circumcision since they stood circumcised in Christ’s death. We have all that we need in Christ(verse 10).This is the second result of the work of Christ for us.

In Him

“In Him” refers to our position in the Lord Jesus Christ as of the moment of our salvation. This is not talking about literal but spiritual circumcision. Without this understanding we lose the context of Paul’s argument.

you were also circumcised

Circumcision is the cutting off the foreskin of the penis. Literally, “circumcision” means a cutting around. It was the external sign of incorporation into the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11).

The circumcision here is not a physical circumcision but a spiritual circumcision, the circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:29; Ephesians 2:11). This is a contrast to the physical circumcision of the Old Testament.

The tense of “were” is past tense. God circumcised us at the point of our salvation. At that moment we entered into union with Christ. Another part of speech indicates that God placed us into union with Christ (passive voice). We did not earn or deserve that privilege. It is an act of God’s unadulterated grace.

with the circumcision made without hands

“Made without hands” means circumcision in this passage was no human act. It is an action of the Holy Spirit. This circumcision is spiritual.

Upon the preaching of the gospel the Gentiles, a sect of Jewish believers arose who argued that circumcision is a necessary aspect of salvation (Acts10:45; 11:2; 15:1; Galatians 2:12; Colossians 4:11; Titus 1:10). This is legalism.

Ray C. Stedman, former pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto Ca., relates the story of a young man who came to him with Bible in hand andearnestly asked Ray to circumcise him! After Stedman picked himself up off the floor, he explained the meaning of circumcision from a Christian standpoint. The foreskin is a symbol of our fallen nature. When Christ died, he removed judgment on that sinful nature.


PRINCIPLE:

Jesus spiritually circumcised our sin capacity upon the cross.


APPLICATION:

We are not free to glorify the Lord as long as we are under the yoke of legalism. Our capacity to love and honor the Lord does not depend upon our effort and morality. It depends on our recognition of what he has done. Positional truth gives us freedom toward God.The basis of our freedom is not what we do but what Christ did. We need to be free to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. A girl has no security if her boyfriend dates other girls. She does not have the freedom to express her love to him. We do not have freedom to love and honor the Lord Jesus Christ if we do not understand what he has done for us.

Colossians 2:10

Published on July 27, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”


Paul continues his emphasis upon the sufficiency of Christ for the believer. This section begins the results of the believer’s association with Christ. The first result is that we are “complete in Him.

“and you are complete in Him

We can translate this phrase “you have come to fullness of life.” The emphasis in the Greek is upon the abiding results of our position in Christ. The believer permanently holds that position before God from the moment of his salvation.

The words “are complete” come from the same root as the word “fullness” of verse 9. This is an obvious reference to Christ’s fullness. Christians have been filled out of Christ’s fullness–”all the fullness of the Godhead” lives permanently in Christ. This verse says that God has given believers fullness in him. Our fullness of life comes from Christ’s fullness (John1:16). We need no outside help from any other source. We need no supplementary wisdom.

Every Christian at the moment of salvation receives this fullness. This is God’s estimate of us. God views us as pardoned and as righteous as Christ is righteous. We are with him in his life, sonship, heirship, glory and merit. God accomplishes this at the moment of salvation and it remains true until we stand in the presence of God. We do not receive Christ on the installment plan. We receive a complete Savior and complete results of our salvation at the moment we come to know him. We may appreciate him more as we grow in him; however, we do not receive more of him.

“In Him” means in union with Jesus Christ. This is the believer’s position before God. As God views us, he looks at us exactly like he would look at Christ–perfect. We are not perfect in our experience but in our position or status quo before God forever. We share his fullness. From God’s viewpoint, nothing is wanting in us because of Christ.Jesus fully meets every demand of God for us.


PRINCIPLE:

When we understand our position before God in Christ, we are free to glorify the Lord. Security allows the believer freedom to relate to God.


APPLICATION:

If we have all we need before God in Christ, why should the Colossians turn to Gnostic philosophy? Why should Christians today run after every wind of doctrine?This is true of every Christian no matter what their experience ofliving may be like. Jesus Christ is our substitute not only at the point of salvation but as an ongoing status before God. We stand judicially right before God forever. God’s estimation of us is equivalent to his estimation of Christ. God identifies us with him in everything.

Colossians 2:9c

Published on July 26, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”

bodily

The word “bodily” means pertaining to being real (in the sense of material) in contrast to being symbolic. The complete content of deity exists in Jesus Christ in real form. This was the interpretation of Augustine. This means that the deity is in Christ in reality, not apparently.

It is also possible to interpret “bodily” as meaning in physical form.In the latter case it would mean that God took on flesh. However, it would be difficult to explain how “all” the fullness of the Godhead can dwell in physical form. God is everywhere present. How can everywhere presence dwell in a local being?

Another way we can understand “bodily” is that the resurrected and glorified Christ exists as both full deity and true humanity.

The word “bodily” means corporeally. Jesus’ deity is permanently manifested in the incarnation (in flesh). God manifest in the flesh makes him clear to the consciousness of man. This does not refer simply to his existence in the past; it refers to his present position in heaven, at the right hand of the Father. Jesus sits in his humanity but he exists as God almighty as well.

This is the only occurrence of this term in the New Testament.


PRINCIPLE:

Jesus Christ exists eternally in the reality of God. He also sits at the right hand of God in his humanity. The God-man exists in undiminished deity and true humanity forever.


APPLICATION:

Since Jesus Christ exists eternally with the totality of God’s attributes with unbounded powers, we should hold him in high regard. Jesus Christ became human in the incarnation. He was the person of God clothed with a human body. He became a compassionate High Priest. All things are from him, through him and for him ( Romans 11:36).

Colossians 2:9b

Published on July 25, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”

The word “dwells” means to permanently indwell, we now see what permanently indwells Christ.

all the fullness of the Godhead

The “fullness” is defined by the word “Godhead.” “Godhead” does not mean mere divine qualities but the very essence of God.The word “fullness” connotes that of which a thing is full. It refers to a total quantity, with emphasis upon completeness–full number, full measure, totality. This means that the totality of the Godhead lives permanently in him. Jesus Christ is completely God. He is exactly what God is.

of the Godhead

This word “Godhead” must be distinguished from “divinity.” There is another Greek word for that meaning. Jesus Christ exists in the nature or state of being God. The word “Godhead” means–”deity, divine nature, divine being.” In the Son all the fullness of absolute Godhead dwells. He carried more than mere divinity. He is absolute God.


PRINCIPLE:

Jesus Christ is God almighty. Christ is God’s true wisdom; whoever has Christ has God.


APPLICATION:

Whoever desires to have more than Christ desires to have more than God. We do not examine the world to find Christ; we study Christ to view the world. How high is your view of Jesus Christ? Do you understand him as God almighty or as a glorified man?

Colossians 2:9

Published on July 24, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily”

Paul sent out a warning about false philosophy, Paul now turns to God’s true wisdom.

For in Him dwells

The word “for” continues the thought of verse eight. In the Greek, the word “for” means “because.” This word is important because it introduces another reason for abandoning false teaching. Verse eight presents the negative reasons for following false philosophy. This verse gives the positive reason–all the fullness of God dwells in Christ. That is why he is superior to any philosophy or theology. He is all in all. To worship anything else is error.

The words “in Him” are emphatic in the Greek indicating a mighty contrast between philosophy and the Son. The Son is superior to any philosophy.

The word “dwells” comes from two words: to dwell and to settle down, to settle in. It means to settle down in a dwelling, to dwell in a fixed place. Because the Greek word is a combination of two words, it is an intense term. It has the force of a permanent dwelling. “All the fullness of the Godhead bodily” dwells in Christ as a settled manner. The present tense also indicates a fixed abode. Deity does not come and go in Christ.

Here “dwells” refers to the indwelling of the totality of the attributes and powers of the Godhead living permanently in Christ (cf. 1:19).


PRINCIPLE:

Any system of thought that does not orient to the criterion of Christ (v.8) must be wrong for “all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily.”


APPLICATION:

Any philosophy “not after Christ” (v.8) must be delusive and deceitful because it has missed the central truth of the universe–the superiority of Christ. Philosophers have not been able to come to any certainty about the “why” of things. All they know for sure is that we do not know for sure. A panacea of tolerance is the result of lack of certainty. The only exception to tolerance is to allow no tolerance for those who are not tolerant! Today’s world-view views anyone with firm conviction as obscurant. Tolerance is very intolerant of those who know what they believe. They have a great deal of certitude in uncertainty.The reason men believe that it is impossible to come to some universal truth is their own finite creatureliness. It is true that it is impossible for the finite to fully comprehend the infinite. If we are to understand the infinite, the infinite God must reveal himself deductively to us through the Word of God. God has spoken to us in propositions. He has given us enough, but not exhaustive, knowledge of himself. We cannot know with certainty God or his plans for the universe apart from the Bible.

Colossians 2:8f

Published on July 23, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

The third and last time Paul uses “according to” in this verse–”not according to Christ.” Christ is the proper standard for living the Christian life.

and not according to Christ

The world depreciates and undervalues Christ. They operate on a philosophy contrary to his person and work. However, the Word of God makes him the standard for our world view. The Bible ever exalts him. He is the center of our belief system. We must evaluate all other apparent philosophies in the light of who he is.

Those who place their belief system on men’s philosophy, rather than revelation, do not follow Christ’s philosophy. The standard operating procedure for the world is to completely overlook the supernatural. They are oblivious to the reality of Christ.

False systems of belief invariably undervalue Jesus the Lord. The Devil will systematically seek to lead the believer away from his Lord. He will tempt the believer to go off on religious tangents. He will do anything to woo us away from the Lord Jesus (II Cor. 11:3; II John 7-9).

These philosophies are not according to the standard of Christ. They do not base their belief on who Christ is. They are contradictory to his person and work. Religion undermines the finished work of Christ for our sin. It underestimates his mediation for us before God.


PRINCIPLE:

We can test any doctrine by its view of the person and work of Christ.


APPLICATION:

All that is false seeks to minimize the person and work of Christ. Satan systematically seeks to lead us away from Christ. He aims to lower Jesus’ rank and significance. True Christianity bends to his authority and seeks to exalt him. Any tangent that woos us away from him is false philosophy.

Colossians 2:8e

Published on July 22, 1996 in Colossians. 0 Comments
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“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

Three times the prepositional phrase “according to” occurs in this verse. This is the preposition of norm or standard. There are two norms that are incorrect, and one that is correct. This is the second false norm for living the Christian life.

according to the basic principles of the world

The second system the Devil uses to propound his philosophy is “the basic principles of the world.” “Basic principles” are elementary principles. It is any first things from which others in a series, or in a composite whole, take their rise. It is an element or first principle. This term was used for the letters of an alphabet.

This passage uses the “tradition” of the delusive speculations of Gentile cults where they presented worship of angels as superior to faith in Christ. They viewed the constellations as animated and governed by heavenly beings. This might refer to elementary spirits or evil spirits who inspire heresy. The Colossian enemy was demonic.

In other passages “basic principles” refer to the rudimentary principles of religion (Colossians 2:20; Galatians 4:3,9). Finally, Hebrews 5:12 uses it of the elementary principles of the Old Testament.

The world has an inferior system of belief. The world functions on a much more restrictive scale of understanding than Christianity. The world system speculates; the Christian system comes to conclusions. They hope; we have actuality. We have advanced knowledge of the ultimate (God) through the Bible.

Christians march to a different drum beat philosophically. The world struggles to appreciate people who know what they believe. They believe Christians are speckled birds. That makes us odd or queer. They view us as eccentric. We do not play according to their rule book, “Morality? That is mid-Victorian, prudish!” They laugh at cheating. That is standard procedure for our culture. They wink at dishonesty.


PRINCIPLE:

The ABCs Paul warns against here is any system that seeks to understand God by human systems of understanding.


APPLICATION:

We inevitably move to dependence upon limited human systems to cope with reality. If the “basic principles” are the ABCs, why do Christians not move on to the higher learning of the Word of God? If we are working on a Ph.D in the Word of God, why revert to the ABCs of dependence upon self? Why descend back to the mere alphabet if we have gone on to learn many languages?Why should a Christian revert to ritual ceremonies if they have established a dynamic fellowship with God by grace? Why should a Christian who has gone on to graduate school of spirituality sit in an elementary (Galatians 4:3,9)? It is the same as if a person is able to encompass the heavens and measure the distances between bodies in space, and then forego that capacity to sit in first grade learning two plus two equals four.