Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 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, 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.
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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
– Colossians 2:6–15
I think just about everyone who grows up in the church wonders at one point or another, “Am I getting the full truth?”
The Colossian congregation had some voices telling them, “Jesus is great, but you have to get beyond Jesus. Sure, the gospel is good, but it’s only a start.” Perhaps you have heard similar statements or pondered similar thoughts.
The Colossians presented these questions to Paul, asking Him as an apostle of Jesus to help them to know the truth. How did Paul answer?
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
You don’t move beyond Jesus, but you grow more deeply rooted in Him! You don’t need to move beyond the gospel, but to grow in appreciation and joy in knowing that in Christ you have an eternal inheritance and incorruptible hope.
Paul then proceeds to remind the Colossians of something that perhaps they, and all too often we, have taken for granted: Baptism.
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, 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. 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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
What exactly happens when someone is baptized? They are buried with Christ and raised with Christ. The record of the debt of sin dies in the water of baptism. In baptism they are united with Christ and so their sins were nailed to the cross in the person of Jesus. He paid for them in full. And now, baptized into Christ, they are a new creation!
Martin Luther accurately captured this reality in the Small Catechism, when he wrote:
What benefits does Baptism give?
It works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.
Paul is telling the Colossians and us, “You don’t need to move beyond Jesus. You don’t need to move beyond your baptism. Instead, believe and rejoice in Jesus and what He has done for you in baptism. Live from that solid foundation!”
This is a great comfort for us. In baptism I have died! In baptism my debt of sin was nailed to the cross! Because I am baptized into Christ, I am a new creation. How could I possibly leave such a treasure behind? Instead, I will live my life from this solid foundation.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, in Holy Baptism I have been united with you. Through baptism my sins were nailed to the cross and you paid for them in full. Help me to rest in this good news and never to believe the lies of those who would have me leave these treasures behind. Help me to live from this solid foundation, knowing that because I have been united with You in baptism, I am a new creation! In Your precious name I pray. Amen.
Questions for conversation
- Have you ever taken baptism for granted? Why?
- In what ways might we be tempted to leave behind the gospel?
- Bonus point: The Gnostics thought of the spiritual as superior to the physical. How does baptism show that such thinking is not from the Lord?
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