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The Great Transformation - Col. 2:10-13
The Great Transformation - Col. 2:10-13
Colossians 2:10-13 (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. (13) When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
Here is the parallel to Ephesians 2:8-10 where we are saved by grace. Yet, here ‘grace’ isn’t even mentioned. One can talk about ‘grace’ and not use that word! So much has recently been written about how previous generations ignored the subject of grace, but in reality such is not accurate!
Notice in this passage all of the ‘passive’ verb actions, things that were done to or for us, things that we didn’t do. 1) our spiritual circumcision, the removal of our fleshly (worldly) life (see again Col. 1:12 ). 2) made alive in Christ. We WERE dead in our sins, dead in that we were separated from God and an acceptable relationship with Him but now ALIVE – redeemed, rescued, spiritually regenerated. 3) Forgiven ALL our transgressions. The completeness of our sinful life no more to be remembered against us.
ALL of the above is ‘passive’ in that it is what was done TO us and FOR us. BUT notice also that this passage tells us WHEN SUCH TOOK PLACE – having been buried with Him in baptism, IN WHICH you were also raised up with him through faith in the working of God! Yes – It is GOD who did this for us in Christ. God raised us up, God made us alive, God circumcised us, God made us alive, God forgave us our sins. Indeed, we were saved by grace! Ephesians tells us WHAT and now in Colossians we also learn WHEN such happens. BY FAITH – faith in the working of God! God will do what He promised to do – IF we do what He asked us to do.
Hugh DeLong
