CHRISTIAN BAPTISM

COLOSSIANS 2:11-12

SEPTEMBER 26, 1999

A book title can often capture the essence of a problem in few words. Such is the case with the book entitled, "The Water that Divides." It is not a book on the East and West being divided by the Mississippi River! Rather, it speaks of the division prevalent among Christian groups over the issue of baptism. The influence of tradition regarding the interpretation of Christian baptism fuels a centuries old debate regarding the qualification and mode of baptism.

The debate concerning baptism is not just between immersionists and sprinklers or confessor's baptism and paedobaptism (infant baptism). Some confess a belief in "baptismal regeneration," i.e., that baptism communicates saving grace to the recipient. In this case, baptism is viewed as the means of washing away sins. Church of Christ founder, Alexander Campbell, stated, "Christian baptism is for the remission of past sins." A later disciple, Marvine Kelley, added, "The Bible teaches that water baptism is essential to salvation for the alien sinner" [quoted by Flavil Nichols, Words of Truth, 1/18/85, p.2]. Roman Catholics teach, "Baptism cleanses the soul of sin and places the recipient in the state of grace, making salvation possible" [Harold O. J. Brown in Roman Catholicism: Evangelical Protestants Analyze what Divides and Unites Us, ed. John Armstrong, 166]. Thus you find priests at hospitals baptizing infants in danger of death so that saving grace might be communicated to them through baptism. 

Closer to home, Baptists do not all agree on baptism. We do hold a consensus on the mode of baptism by immersion, but who can be baptized is another question. It is not that Baptists have formally given way to paedobaptism, but in principle some have done so. Keach's Catechism answers the questions of whom baptism is to be administered: "Baptism is to be administered to all those who actually profess repentance towards God, faith in and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, and to none other." Yet the case is often found among Baptist churches where those who understand nothing of the gospel are baptized due to having been convinced to "make a decision."

A friend of mine was on staff in a large church in the Midwest. During an interim period, he established the practice of all baptismal candidates giving a word of testimony in the baptistery. The new pastor who came intended to lead the denomination in baptisms, so in order to do so he would baptize without discretion. On one occasion a five year old was brought into the baptistery where the pastor asked him why he wanted to be baptized. The little fellow replied, "I don't know." The pastor grinned as he looked at the congregation, and then asked the boy, "Have you asked Jesus into your heart?" To which the honest child replied, "I don't know." After several more questions and more embarrassing answers, the pastor proceeded to baptize the child, even though he admitted publicly to having no knowledge of the gospel or personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is a scandalous use of baptism that diminishes its significance.

What part does baptism have in the life of the church and especially in the life of the individual believer? On one hand, baptism is given a backseat, while on the other it is promoted in ways not accorded by Scripture. It is never to be seen as a contest to prove our ministerial skills. Nor is it to be viewed as a non-consequential, take-it-or-leave-it part of Christianity.

At the heart of the baptism debate is the relationship of circumcision to baptism. Is one an Old Testament rite while the other belongs to the realm of the New Testament, with essentially little difference between their meanings? Here we must appeal to the Word of God for answers. Scripture alone decides the place of baptism in the life of the believer. Let us consider this important, practical part of Christian living.

I. A different circumcision

The Apostle Paul was clearing the muggy spiritual air among the Colossians. They faced being duped over the sufficiency in Christ. Their antagonists tried to add to the work of Christ. So Paul explains in succinct fashion the excellence of their union with Jesus Christ, so that they might press on in their personal sanctification. 

With the prevalence of Judaizers in the first century, with their emphasis on circumcision as necessary for justification, it is possible that some of this teaching was combined with the syncretistic thinking of the Colossian antagonists. The Apostle therefore sets the record straight on circumcision. Yes the Christian is circumcised, he would say, but not with a circumcision made with hands. It was a spiritual circumcision, wrought in the heart by Christ himself.

1. Due to union with Christ

In reminding the believers that they need to add nothing to what Christ has done, Paul emphasizes the Christian's union with Jesus Christ. The repetition of "in Him," refers to the believer being in relationship with Jesus Christ. "And in Him you have been made complete...and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands." To help us see what he means, consider that Paul already stated that, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (1:9). "In Him" points to the person of Christ, the totality of his personality. Nothing figurative is implied. The whole person of Christ is filled with the totality of the Godhead. All of God and all of man are united in the person of Christ.

The believer, through faith in Christ, is united with him in his saving work. The ancient Jewish males were united nationalistically to Israel through circumcision. But the believer is united to God, not a mere nation, by faith. "In Him," or in union with him, or in relationship to him, you have been made complete; nothing can be added to what he has accomplished on your behalf in his saving work. With this same union, "you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands...by the circumcision of Christ." There is no second-work, as in circumcision, which is needed to fulfill the believer's need before God. When you entered into relationship with Christ, he did all that is necessary to put you into a right standing with God.

2. Due to a different Agent

The priest officiated in the Jewish rite of circumcision. Another man was needed to authenticate a person's entrance into Judaism. But the emphasis of our text is upon the internal work of Christ: "with a circumcision made without hands." Here was no ritual performed to improve one's standing with God. But in the secret place of the heart, Christ himself has removed "the body of the flesh." The old bent to sin against God, the natural inclination of the heart to live in rebellion against God, Christ has cut away in the act of regeneration. All of the external works of men upon others has no power to change their inclinations and desires. Christ alone can change our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh, from rebels to those who delight to do the law of God. 

Some in our day think that unless someone lays hands on them or anoints them with oil or prays over them then their Christianity is deficient. Our text stands firmly against such dependence upon an external act by others. It is Christ alone who is the fullness of God, it is Christ alone who can change the heart, and it is Christ alone who completes you.

3. Due to a different intent

The Old Testament ritual of circumcision signified (1) a physical mark given to God's people to show them separate from Gentiles; (2) to spiritually point them back to the righteousness of faith imputed to Abraham; and (3) to point them "forward to the true circumcision of heart which would identify the true spiritual children of Abraham (Rom. 2:25-29)" [Tom Nettles, "Baptists and the Ordinances," Modern Reformation, May/June 1997, 23]. In Christ all of this was fulfilled! "And in Him you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ." Tom Nettles offers a clear exposition of this truth from Philippians 3:3.

Precisely those three elements constitute the apostle's refutation of the Judaizers in his letter to the Philippians. Paul calls believers the true Circumcision: "For it is we who are the Circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3 NIV). Thus, the three elements of Circumcision are fulfilled: 1) worshipping by the Spirit of God signifies the new birth (Circumcision of the heart); 2) glorying in Christ Jesus points to justification by an imputed righteousness (fulfilling Abraham's righteousness of faith clearly pictured in Phil 3:9); and 3) "no confidence in the flesh" clearly excludes biological pedigree as gaining any standing before God (Phil 3:4-7) [Nettles, 24].

Such action points to the work of Christ upon a believer. The act of circumcising the heart corresponds with the foreshadowing of circumcision in the Old Testament. When Jewish parents brought a son to be circumcised, it was a hopeful act on their part that their son would be set apart to follow the Lord. The Old Testament is littered with circumcised males who were apostates. So it was no guarantee of future righteousness. It identified them with the nation of Israel but it did not change their hearts. Whereas, the circumcision "made without hands," does change the heart. It is an actual work of the Spirit bringing us out of deadness into life and of making us new creatures in union with Jesus Christ.

II. Baptism and circumcision

Now this brings us to the whole reason for baptism. The logical conclusion of verses 11-12 is that baptism does not precede conversion but follows after. The circumcision of the heart occurs first, then baptism as a result of a changed heart. The Great Commission explains this order as well: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" [italics added]. It is disciples that are to be baptized. Or as our text puts it for those who have been circumcised by Christ, "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." 

In spite of such clear logic, there is debate in the evangelical community on precisely who can receive baptism.  We believe the Bible teaches that baptism is only for those who have faith in Christ. Every example given in the Bible of someone being baptized, Christ being the exception, always came after his or her profession of Christ or conversion (Acts 2:41; 8:36-38; 9:17-18; 10:47; 16:14-15, 30-33). The biblical order is clearly conversion first, then baptism. A baptism prior to conversion, regardless of mode or intent, does not follow the biblical order (see the example of Paul re-baptizing the Ephesian believers in Acts 19:1-7). One of the major areas of misunderstanding over baptism comes due to confusion over the place of baptism and circumcision. Some of our brethren equate baptism directly with circumcision.  Our text tells us otherwise.

1. The clear counterpart

We realize that there were no ceremonies, rituals, or sacrifices in the Old Testament that did not have a meaning for the future time of the New Covenant in Christ.  They were "shadows" of the reality or substance to come.  The book of Hebrews goes to great lengths to explain this.  The question is whether or not baptism is the corresponding shadow to the old covenant circumcision.  We do see a link between baptism and circumcision in our text, but what is the link?  "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; 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."

The type of circumcision Paul mentions here is one "made without hands," that is, a spiritual, inward circumcision, rather than a physical, external one.  This is the counterpart to the Old Testament circumcision. The inference is too clear not to admit this. It is a spiritual counterpart to the physical practice of the Old Testament.  Then Paul links baptism with this spiritual counterpart, not with the old practice of physical circumcision.

The Old Testament practice of circumcision was a shadow.  The "circumcision made without hands" is the substance.  Let's see how this moves from the old to the new in Christ.  By comparison...

The old is external, while the new is internal.
The old is nationalistic in covenant with the nation, while the new is individual in union with Christ.
The old affects the body as a cutting away of the foreskin, while the new affects the heart in the removal of the body of flesh.
The old requires an officiator in a priest, the new is done without hands as a divine act.
The old is limited to males, the new is limited only to those who believe, male and female.
The old is a human act, the new is a divine act.
The old has temporal results that cannot change the heart, the new is the regenerative work of the Spirit making a person alive in Christ.
The old is a ritual that cannot impart life, while the new applies the death and resurrection in all its power to give a new standing with God.
The old secures nothing eternal, while the new secures forgiveness of sins and eternity with Christ.
The old was applied due to family heritage, while the new is applied only through faith in Christ.

It is quite clear that Paul is speaking of believers in the context of this passage.  We have already seen what he stated that Christ has done both for the redeemed and in the redeemed.  Paul speaks in the past tense to refer to these believers, "in Him you have been made complete...in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands...you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God...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." He is not referring to those in a "pre-Christian" condition.  He is speaking to believers as he describes them as having been circumcised without hands, but rather through the effectual working of God.  Those who have thus been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands are the ones who, through faith in Christ, have been baptized.

2. Baptism's link       

The text explains the relationship of Old Testament circumcision and the corresponding New Testament teaching. He is not associating baptism with the Old Testament ritual that was performed upon all male babies.  He is linking it with this new circumcision that is "made without hands."  "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; 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."  Notice how baptism is identified with Christ's burial and resurrection.  By "burial" he infers the death of Christ. Here we have the heart of the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. But it is not simply a great historical fact.  It is living truth that is acted upon "through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."  Fred Malone, in his book, A String of Pearls Unstrung, puts it so clearly:  "The Christian's circumcision is that union with Christ's death and resurrection, symbolized by baptism, which is evidenced by outward faith" [Founders Press, 24].  The qualification for baptism, according to this passage, is this internal circumcision of the heart that is demonstrated by faith in Christ.

Again, Fred Malone is a great help in putting all of this in proper biblical perspective:

Baptism then, is the indirect fulfillment of physical circumcision only through its association with the direct fulfillment, spiritual circumcision.  This is why we see only confessors' baptism [i.e. believer's baptism] in the New Testament record.  It was easy to know who entered the Abrahamic Covenant; they were born into the household and were outwardly circumcised.  But how can one tell if someone has entered the New Covenant and has experienced spiritual circumcision?  Only by his repentance and faith, signified by the outward sign of fulfilled circumcision and cleansing, water baptism....

Water baptism, then, is the outward sign of the inward circumcision of the heart rather than the outward counterpart of the outward circumcision of the flesh.  Just as Abraham's Old Covenant "seed" initially entered the covenant by physical circumcision and confirmed it by spiritual circumcision, his New Covenant "seed" initially enter the covenant by spiritual circumcision and confirm it by baptism.  Physical descendants of Abraham's New Covenant "seed" are not to be permitted the sign of baptism until they show by faith that they have also become the spiritual "seed of Abraham 
[25-26, italics added].

Baptism is viewed as a burial and a resurrection, which is the same language used by Paul in Romans 6:1-4.  Who is in union with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection?  Is it those who have not exercised faith in Christ and His work?  Listen to Romans 6:3-4.  "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the death through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."  It is our union with Christ by faith that unites us in His death and resurrection, symbolized outwardly in baptism.  And it is clear that those who are thus identified by baptism are the ones who can "walk in newness [Gk. "strangeness"!] of life." They are believers.

3. No confusion

John Piper writes, "If baptism were merely a parallel of the Old Testament rite of circumcision it would not have to happen "through faith" since infants did not take on circumcision "through faith."  The reason the New Testament ordinance of baptism must be "through faith" is that it represents not the Old Testament external ritual, but the New Testament, internal, spiritual experience of circumcision "without hands"" [5/11/97, Bethlehem Baptist Church, "Buried and Raised in Baptism through Faith"]. Paul writes that preceding baptism "you were raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." 

This means that only for those who "through faith" have entered into union with Christ can we properly administer the ordinance of baptism.  So those who want to be baptized, adult, child, or infant, who have not given evidence of faith in Christ, do not qualify to be baptized. This is a concern of both infant baptism and baptizing those not giving evidence of regeneration, regardless of age. Our Baptist churches, in great effort to increase baptismal numbers, have run through the waters of baptism all kinds of folks who have no true interest in Jesus Christ.  We must not point fingers at our paedobaptism friends while we have failed to uphold what our own forefathers taught from Scripture concerning baptism.  It is only those who have been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, having trusted in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, that are legitimate candidates for baptism.

III. Practical issues in baptism

In the flow of Paul's argument, he sets forth the truth of union with Christ, internal circumcision, and the place of baptism as a reminder of the Colossian believers' distinction from the world about them. He is seeking to liberate them from the legalism and dead religion being thrust upon them. Baptism serves as an external reminder of the line of demarcation between them and the Gnostic oriented antagonists.

But we are not living in Colossae. So what are the practical considerations for us in baptism? I realize that with any meeting of a church, there likely are those who have come to faith in Christ but have not followed Christ in baptism. I want to urge upon you the need for baptism as the New Testament means of declaring your faith and the manner of uniting with a body of believers. "Having been buried with Him in baptism," shows us the common practice of early disciples expressing their inward circumcision of heart through baptism.

1. A motivation & reminder

This is precisely what Paul does as he sets the groundwork for encouraging these believers to press forward in sanctification. They are reminded by their baptism that they do not belong to themselves and that they are not to live for themselves. They are in union with Jesus Christ (pictured in baptism) so they are to live in dependence upon him.     We are reminded that we are separated from the world. A "death and resurrection" has taken place so that we are delivered from the enslavement of the past. Baptism helps us to reflect upon this.

2. A boundary of visible Christianity

The idea of a "worldly Christian" should be an oxymoron. Baptism draws a line of demarcation for the Christian, establishing him as a believer rather than still part of the world. Andrew Fuller noted, "God has hereby set a hedge about us, which tends more than a little to preserve us from temptation" [Works, vol. III, 342]. When you enter the waters of baptism, you are identifying with the bloody cross of Christ, with fellow pilgrims who have taken up the cross of Christ, and with those set apart as saints by the death and resurrection of Christ.

3. A restraint for believers & unbelievers

The accountability involved in being part of those in the world who have identified with Christ in baptism, helps to keep the believer from falling into the lure of temptation. Your confession before many witnesses reminds you of the baptismal vows you are to keep. 

By the same token, when baptism is rightly administered to the regenerate, it acts as a restraint for unbelievers who want the association of a church without the corresponding union with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. There are people who for business or social reasons, think that joining a church is the beneficial thing to do. But baptism of believers only stands as a barrier to such superfluous attitudes toward church membership.

4. A sign of newness of life

Baptism chiefly initiates us into a new walk in life. Romans 6:4, a passage explaining baptism, declare that those baptized have the mark of death and resurrection upon them. They are to walk "in newness of life" or as it might be translated, "in strangeness of life." The unique life of the Christian is to be lived because the believer has known the power of Christ at work in him.

Conclusion: 

Are you in need of baptism as a believer? The importance of baptism can be summed up in the fact that Christ commands all of his disciples to be baptized. Will you obey him as a faithful disciple?

Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:

Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.


Copyright 2008, South Woods Baptist Church, All Rights Reserved