FRIDAY November 22, 2024

Faith in God’s Work of Salvation

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
Colossians 2:11-12

The Judaizers told the Colossian believers they had to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses to become Christians and receive God’s salvation. That was not true! Circumcision no longer needed to be practiced. Symbolically, circumcision spoke of the putting off the sins of the flesh––carnal desires. God’s Spirit was now reigning in the new life of the believer. Christians are to live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18).

Paul proved every philosophy, tradition, and heretical teaching to be false by pointing believers to Jesus Christ. He helped them understand water baptism by symbolism. Symbolically, going under the water speaks of death to your old life––the grave. When a person comes up out of the water, this represents the same resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead. It also speaks of a person being raised up as a new spiritual man. They walk in the Spirit because Christ now dwells within them.

Some people believe you have to be water baptized to be saved. Not true! Water baptism does not save a person. Those who believe that water baptism saves a person will have a problem with one of the thieves on the cross who requested: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:39-42). Dying, he publicly placed his trust in Jesus for salvation by faith. What was the Lord’s reply to him? “...today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). He did not say to him, “Sorry, you have to get down from the cross first and be baptized!”

Let me reassure you. If you have never been water baptized, you will go to heaven. Yet consider this: Jesus has asked you to be baptized according to Matthew 28:19. Baptism can be used as a testimony to people that your old life is dead, and you now have a new life in Christ.

Christian living means dying with Christ and rising again. That, as we saw, is part of the meaning of baptism, the starting point of the Christian pilgrimage.
~N. T. Wright~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!