You Were Dead!

Today's reading takes us to the letter to the church in Colosse. Paul is under house arrest and learns of the struggles the church is having in Colosse and writes this letter to help them understand their relationship to Christ and how their lives are to reflect Jesus. As far as we know, he has never visited the church in Colosse, but hears reports from his friend, Epaphras (more on him at a later date). I am always encouraged when I read Paul's letter to the church in Colosse and know that it contains words that are just applicable to the church in Wilkesboro. So, take a moment and read the short little letter to the Colosse church of Christ.

Paul begins his letter with encouragement for the Christians there and builds them up by telling them all the wonderful things he has heard about the church. He tells them they are in his prayers. What an uplifting thing to know others are praying for you... especially an apostle! He declares to them the preeminence of Christ, that He is the God made flesh (2:9) and that He is the firstborn from among the dead. (others had been raised, but they would die again, not so with Jesus) (1:15-20)

As I read today, the section that really came alive for me is found in Chapter 2, verses 9-14.

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. 

So much to learn in these few verses... In Jesus, the fullness of deity dwells bodily... as the Christ, there is nothing lacking in Jesus. He is God, completely, fully. That is difficult to understand, we know He was also completely a human and faced the exact temptations and difficulties that we face today. We know that after His death on the cross, He tells His disciples that God had given Him "all" authority. (Matthew 28:18ff) So, we begin to get the idea that until He returns and takes His church home to be with the Father, He is in charge. He has the reigns; He is the captain of the ship.

Having established that Jesus is the One in charge, Paul tells us the He has done something to us. Under the Old Law, the Jew was to be circumcised on the eight day after his birth. It was a sign to the world that he belonged to God. Paul uses this reference to talk about something every Christan does and what the effect of the act is. He tells us that we are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. He tells us that it is the Christ that performs this operation and it is done in our baptism. He says that when we are immersed we experience the putting off the body of the flesh. What does that mean? Thankfully Paul doesn't leave us in the dark. He says that before our baptisms, we were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. But after, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

Paul wanted the disciples in Colosse to know that something very special had occurred when they were immersed into the Lord. He wanted them (and wants us) to know that this wasn't some meaningless symbol, but that something happens (actually happens!) when a person submits to Jesus in baptism. Some would argue that baptism is a work of man, but this scripture makes it very clear who is doing the work... 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. Our faith in God's ability to accomplish this work is what we do. What He does is raise us from the dead lives of sin, just as He raised Jesus from the dead (unless you believe that He didn't do that) ... And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him.

I imagine myself on the operating table, dead in my sin with God as the surgeon. He opens up my life and with the skills of a surgeon, cuts away all my sin and brings me to life. I come off the table alive, a new man made alive with Jesus. Thanks be to God, our Father for the provision of His Son, who bore our sins on the cross. And, that He applies the shed blood of Christ to our lives and removes our sins when we submit to His working in baptism. What about you, have you made the transaction of exchanging eternal death for eternal life. It is for you that He died. Make the decision and God will remove death and give life... life eternal.