[TruthTalk] On Colossians 2.9-15

[Wm. Taylor]

TTers, I write this not to debate or criticize David Miller, but to help you better apprehend where I am coming from:   David writes > Consider the following passage from the same author [Col 2.10-15], which seems to give us a few more details about how were [sic] are moved from being dead as a result of our actual sins, to being raised up in Christ through the operation of faith.   BT: The verse to which David refers in his last phrase is v12 -- "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (KJV).   Please notice that this text does not say "through the operation of faith." The operation is "of God." The words "of the operation" in the Gr. is tas energeias (feminine genitive singular) -- meaning "of the energy." The operation is the energy or activity or working of God. The words "of God" is tou theou (masculine gen. sg.) -- literally "of the God." In other words, it is not of the operation of faith but "of the energy of the God." The question then is this: Does this verse say you were raised through "faith," implying that faith is the energy, the operation? Or were you raised through "the energy of the God who raised [Christ] from the dead"? My friends, we were raised through the energy of God.   Please consider this: "... you (pl. being all inclusive) were raised with him through the faithfulness of the activity of the God who raised him from the dead." Why do I translate this phrase "through the faithfulness of the activity" instead of "through the faith of the activity"? The Greek here is dia tas pisteos (fem. gen. sg.) tas energeias . My conclusion is an interpretive one and follows the question, Are we dealing with an objective genitive in this phrase or a subjective genitive. The KJ translators consider this a subjective genitive -- i.e., through the pisteos of the energy -- and not an objective genitive. In other words, it is not your faith in the energy, which would reflect an objective genitive, you being the subject of faith and "energy" being the object of your faith. Nor is it the energy of faith, which would require a completely different construct. I agree with the KJ translators at this point: it is a subjective genitive -- "of the energy." But I also want to go a step further for the sake of clarity; hence I translate this as "the faithfulness of the activity of the God," rather than just "the faith of the activity" which is to say the same thing but in more confusing and less expressive language. I do have a problem, however, with the KJ translation of this verse. The KJV states, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." My problem is with the choice of the word "wherein" to translate the Gr. relative pronoun ho (pronounced hoe). If this pronoun were only a neuter dative, I would say, fine, this should be translated as "in which" or "wherein" either way. BUT this pronoun is not a neuter dative only; it is also a masculine dative. I believe in this instance it should be translated in a way that points to a masculine referent; in other words, it should be translated "in whom" -- its antecedent being "him": Jesus Christ -- "Buried with him in baptism, in whom also you were raised."** While it may be your prerogative to disagree with me at this point, before you do I would like to ask you all to consider this: When speaking of resurrection, what makes more sense: (1) in Christ you were raised; or (2) in baptism you were raised? In view of the central thrust of this passage, 3.1-4, the better choice is made in the first option -- "in him you also were raised": 1 So then, since you were raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at God's right hand. 2 Think about the things that are above, not about the things on earth. 3 For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. 4 For when Christ, who is your life, appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. -- Colossians 3.1-4 This raises a second question: To whose baptism, then, does 2.12 refer? We saw above that faith is not a causal agent in this verse. Are we content now to make baptism a causal agent, another condition we must meet if we are to be found in Christ? I say, we need not be. It is Jesus' baptism to which this verse refers, not to yours and not to mine.*** Indeed Christ commenced his ministry by being baptized by the Spirit in the waters of the Jordan into a life of conflict with evil. This led to his baptism in blood upon the cross—not for himself, but for us. Jesus spoke of the Crucifixion as his baptisma: “I have a baptism to be baptized with, and what constraint I am under until the ordeal is over" (Luk 12:50). He says to the disciples, “Can you be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” (Mar 10:38). Just as he was “circumcised for us” (see 2.11), so also he marched to the cross to be baptized for us; therefore verse 12 is saying, You were "buried with him in (his) baptism, in whom you were also raised through the faithfulness of the activity of the God who raised him from the dead." If it was with him that we were buried, and in him that we were also raised, then it is through the vicarious activity of his baptism, which began in the Jordan and culminated at the cross, in his death, burial, and resurrection, that we too were included in him and raised with him. This is the Gospel, that Christ was baptized in blood on the cross, once and for all, one for all, the one on behalf of the many, the many in the one. In this way his death was our death, his burial our burial, his resurrection our resurrection—his baptism for us our baptism. This verse is telling us that we died with Christ in his baptism and were raised with him in his resurrection. Moreover, Jesus did not raise himself; it was God the Father through the operation of the Holy Spirit "who raised him from the dead." It was through the faithfulness of the same "activity of God" that we too were raised -- in Christ.  Please read this passage and see if now it doesn't make better sense. As always the causal agent is the incarnate Jesus Christ through the gracious activity of our triune God. As always, it is not circumcision, not baptism, not faith, not me, not you -- it's Jesus Christ, through and through. Col 2.9-15: 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faithfulness of the activity of the God who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.**** Sincerely. Bill Taylor  **By the way, there is also a variant in this verse between the TR and the UBS texts. The word for baptism -- baptismati -- in the TR is a neuter singular dative. The word for baptism -- baptismo -- in the UBS is masculine singular dative. Is it any wonder why the problem passages are so often also the ones with variants? ***When Jesus saw the people going down into the river to be baptized by John, confessing their sins, submitting to the verdict of guilty (which is repentance), he said in essence to John, Baptize me! I will submit to the verdict of guilty for them. There in the waters of the Jordan he identified himself with sinners, that he might take our place as our substitute under the judgment of God. So he marched to the cross to be baptized for us — just as he was “circumcised for us.” Again, the Gospel is that Christ was baptized in blood on the cross, once and for all, one for all, the one on behalf of the many, the many in the one. In this way his death was our death, his burial our burial, his resurrection our resurrection—his baptism for us our baptism. We are baptized in response to the love of the Father. Ours is grounded in the substitution of the Son. But the "one Baptism" (cf. Eph 4.5) means Christ's baptism for us. **** FYI -- Notice the chiastic structure of this passage (in the Gr. it can be broken down even further than this): For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faithfulness of the activity of the God who raised Him from the dead.   And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.