Monday, October 19, 2020

The Circumcision of Christ

 “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.

(Colossians 2:11-12 ESV)

 

Circumcision is something that is widely practiced in American society. However, that being said, the reason it’s practiced is very different from that of the people of Israel in Old Testament times, or even the Jews of today. We do so primarily for cleanliness. But their practice of circumcision had, and continues to have, major religious implications.

 

They were commanded by God to circumcise their boys on the eighth day. And, in this way, they were marked, they were identified, as part of the people of God. In fact, if they were not circumcised, they were to be cut off from the people.

 

This is the image that Paul is referencing in the above passage. Only, he relates circumcision to a practice more recognizable in the Church. He relates it to baptism.

 

Paul tells us that, in Christ, we were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands. In other words, it wasn’t performed by a doctor, a priest, or a mohel. In fact, it wasn’t performed by a person at all. It was a work of God.

 

This was done, he says, by the putting off of the body of flesh. This, again, brings us back to the image of circumcision, where the foreskin is removed from the body. But, here, Paul speaks of the removal of the body of flesh. This speaks of the removal of our old, sinful, nature that it might be replaced by the new.

 

This is referred to as the circumcision of Christ, which took place in our baptism. It took place as we were buried with Christ in baptism and raised with him through faith. This, he tells us, is the powerful working of God.

 

What this tells us is that, in baptism, God makes us to be his people. In baptism, we are marked as the people of God. And, in baptism, we are recipients of both his gracious promise and blessing.

 

For many Christians, today, baptism is nothing more than a ceremony. It’s something that we do. It’s a confession of faith that we make before the body of Christ. However, when we look to Scripture, we find that it’s so much more.

 

Baptism is not a work of man, but a work of God. And although we confess our faith at the time of baptism, it’s so much more. In baptism, we receive the blessings provided by Christ on the cross. In baptism, we receive the blessings won by Christ in his resurrection from the grave. And each of these blessings become ours through faith.

 

Thursday, October 15, 2020

All We Need

“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.”

Colossians 2:9-10 ESV

 

Many of us take in interest in a wide range of subjects. We like to read and study a whole variety of topics. And we do so in an effort to be well-rounded.

 

This is true of us, even as believers. Although we read and study the Bible, and although we regularly hear it as it’s taught and preached, we still feel that we need something more. And we think that looking to these other sources is needful that we might be complete.

 

However, as a result, we have a tendency to fill ourselves up with things that contradict our faith. We allow ourselves to be filled up with things that are opposed to Christ. And we often think and act as if this is good and acceptable. We think and act as if this promotes our personal growth.

 

Although there are certainly things that we can learn from people around us, and although we can learn useful information from sources outside of the Bible, we have to draw a clear distinction. We have to distinguish those things that are helpful, and that do not contradict the Word of God, from those that are clearly opposed to Christ. We must do so because this philosophy, this empty deceit, is the invention of man. It flows from the elemental, from the rudimentary, spirits or principles of the world.

 

For this reason, they have the ability to take us captive. They have the ability to carry us off, like the spoils of war. In other words, they have the ability to lead us astray from Christ.

 

What we learn from the above passage is that we don’t need these vain and empty philosophies in order to be made whole. Nor do we need them to attain personal growth. We don’t need them because, in Jesus, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. In Jesus, the fullness of God dwells bodily.

 

And, according to Paul, we have been filled in him. We’ve been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority. We have a unique relationship with Christ. And, in him, we’re satisfied. In Christ, we are imbued with everything needful.

 

So, rather than seeking fulfillment outside of Christ, and rather than seeking it in addition to Christ, we must understand that it’s found in him. It’s found in him alone. Jesus is all that we need in order to be filled. He's all that we need in order to be complete.

 

 

 

 

Monday, October 12, 2020

Discerning Falsehood

 “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.”

Colossians 2:8 ESV

 

It’s often assumed, falsely, that Christians reject the sciences. It’s assumed that Biblically minded Christians reject science because they reject the theory of evolution. It’s assumed that they reject psychology because they believe in the spiritual. And it’s assumed that they reject sociology because they believe that there is only one right way to know God.

 

It’s often assumed that, as Christians, we find no value in anything the world has to offer. However, such is not the case. In reality, we accept many of the teachings and benefits brought to us by the sciences. Much of what they offer is not contradictory to our faith in any way whatsoever. In fact, many of the early scientists who identified many foundational truths about the world in which we live, were themselves believers.

 

That being said, much of what is believed and taught in our society today is contradictory to the Christian faith. Much of what is portrayed as science is not scientific in the least, nor does it fit with a Biblical worldview in any way whatsoever. And we must take care to recognize the difference.

 

We must do so, we must make this distinction, that we aren’t led astray. We must do so that our children are not led astray. And we must do so that our fellow believers are not led astray.

 

In the above verse, Paul warns the Colossians to take care that no one takes them captive by philosophy. And, again, in saying this, he’s not declaring that all philosophy is bad. He’s not suggesting that all philosophy is contradictory to our faith.

 

They were also to ensure that they weren’t taken captive by empty deceit. They were to ensure that they weren’t taken captive by the vain or empty lies of the world around them. They were to ensure that they weren’t led astray by the dishonesty of the world in which they lived.

 

The type of philosophy, to which he’s referring, is dangerous, and it’s dangerous because of its origin. The philosophy and the deceit that was attractive to his readers was in accordance to human tradition. It was in accordance to the elemental spirits, or the elemental principles, of the world in which they lived. In other words, it was man made.

 

It was, then, in contrast to Christ. It was not according to Christ. In other words, it was contradictory to Christ.

 

In the same way, we must discern the difference between what is helpful, and that which contradicts the faith that we confess. We must recognize that, just because a certain teaching or idea is held to strongly by the world around us, does not make it true. We must identify that which contradicts Christ, and that which agrees with him, that we might not be taken captive.