Colossians 2:11-12 and the Circumcision-Infant Baptism Analogy, Part 2
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From Faith Pulpit, Winter 2018, with permission. Read Part 1.
The New Testament Understanding of Baptism
Therefore, there is a precedent in the Bible (both OT & NT) for a spiritual understanding of circumcision. These passages speak of dedication, repentance, and purity. Col. 2:11–12 fits into this description of circumcision when we examine it closely. The text mentions “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” (v. 11). Then comes the connection to baptism. The words of Col. 2:12 echo those in Rom. 6:4.
Christian baptism is an identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Rom. 6 is in a context of why believers should not continue in sin though grace abounds (6:1–2). Part of the answer to that question is a discussion on the meaning of baptism. Because we have pledged ourselves to follow Christ and identify with His death, burial, and resurrection, it should make a difference in our lives. Our pledge is not for salvation, but rather it is a commitment made before witnesses (note the examples of many baptisms in the book of Acts) that we intend to live for Him. If we have believingly done that, we should no longer continue in sin. We should forsake it and live in newness of life—a life of dedication.
Baptism pictures this burial and resurrection in order that we might live “in newness of life”—a committed, dedicated life. Col. 2:12 reminds us that the element of faith is vitally required. A believing person makes this commitment. That is not something infants can do,1 thereby prohibiting them from baptism. Baptists see several reasons for considering infant baptism to be unbiblical: the absence of clear NT examples and the absence from church history until the 3rd Century,2 among others. However, the most powerful reason of all is the fact that infant baptism destroys the biblical meaning of what baptism intends to picture:3 a public testimony of faith in Christ and a desire to live dedicated to Him.
The Context of Colossians 2:11–12
This passage on baptism is part of a context in which the call to dedication was paramount. The Colossian believers had been susceptible to harmful influences (“enticing words,” Col. 2:4). Paul rejoiced at their unwavering faithfulness (v. 5), and he encouraged them to keep their footing in Christ (v. 6–7). The real concern was the danger of their seeking after worldly, deceitful philosophies that diminished Christ (v. 8). All that was unnecessary, because all believers are complete when they are rooted in Christ (v. 9–10). Christ is sufficient for our needs and worthy of our complete and ultimate dedication.
In the verses that are the focus of this article, Paul reminded these believers that they had at one time been “circumcised in Christ,” resulting in abandonment of sin (v. 11). In other words, they had lived dedicated lives to Christ, which they had pictured when they were publicly baptized. These believers centered their faith on what God accomplished when He raised Christ from the dead. That resurrection power could motivate Colossian believers in Paul’s day to continue the task of forsaking sin (Rom. 6:1–5).
Applications:
How does the teaching of Col. 2:11–12 apply to us today?
- Are you saved? What a joy it is to be rooted in Christ as the context of Col. 2:4–10 describes. Though there are many competing self-centered philosophies that appeal for our ultimate loyalty, you can know that Christ can truly satisfy your definitive need for the forgiveness of your sins.
- Are you baptized? This is not a part of salvation, but it is a public declaration of your intent to follow Christ in everything you do. Through baptism, we picture the fact that we are dead to sins and raised to live a new life (Rom. 6:1–4). Have you taken this natural step of obedience to declare your dedication before the world?
- Do you understand how your baptism ought to affect your life today? Many people baptized as believers mistakenly assume that since baptism does not secure their salvation and since it happened a long time ago, it does not affect them now. Our baptism is a great reminder to us today that we committed our lives to Christ, and that should motivate us to live for Him now (Rom. 6:1–5). This is not in regard to our salvation but to our sanctification. A saved person who consciously made the decision to be baptized in front of others ought to use that motivation to abstain from sin (Rom. 6:1–2; Col. 2:11–12).
Rather than making Baptists uncomfortable in regards to infant baptism, Col. 2:11–12 should inspire us to remember what we pledged to God in our baptism and to love and live for our great Savior. Glory to God!
Notes
1 John Calvin insisted repeatedly that faith is a vital element for receiving the benefits of baptism in his chapter on baptism in the Institutes of the Christian Religion, John T. McNeill, ed., translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Vol. 2, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1960), 4.15, “On Baptism.” However, the next chapter (4.16) is a justification of infant baptism. Many have wondered, how do infants have faith? In the context of baptizing infants because there is no risk to give them now what they will later be entitled to, Calvin was ambivalent in his answer regarding their faith: “Therefore, if it please him, why may the Lord not shine with a tiny spark at the present time on those whom he will illumine in the future with the full splendor of his light—especially if he has not removed their ignorance before taking them from the prison of the flesh? I would not rashly affirm that they are endowed with the same faith as we experience in ourselves, or have entirely the same knowledge of faith—this I prefer to leave undetermined,” ibid., 4.16.19 (page 1342 in this edition). For an excellent scholarly survey of the internal inconsistency of these important chapters in the Institutes, see David F. Wright, “Development and Coherence in Calvin’s Institutes: The Case of Baptism (Institutes 4:15–4:16),” chapter 16 in Infant Baptism in Historical Perspective (Great Britain: Paternoster, 2007): 226-237. This article can also be found in Mack P. Holt, ed., Adaptations of Calvinism in Reformation Europe: Essays in Honour of Brian G. Armstrong (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007): 43-54.
2 3rd Century writer Tertullian is the first to mention baptism unambiguously for (young) children and infants, though he recommends delaying it until they can understand and ask for it. See Tertullian, Homily on Baptism, ed. & trans. by Evans, Ernest (London: SPCK, 1964): 37, 39. It is the document “The Apostolic Tradition,” dated around 215 (but elements of it are based on tradition that goes back about a generation earlier) that contains the first baptismal liturgy which mentions “those who cannot speak for themselves,” a reference taken to mean infants. See Paul Bradshaw, Maxwell E. Johnson, and L. Edward Phillips, The Apostolic Tradition: A Commentary(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002): 21:4 [text: pages 112-113; commentary: page 130].
3 If I may borrow from Calvin once again: in his first chapter on baptism (4.15), he makes many statements when writing against the Catholic Church (see Wright, “Development and Coherence in Calvin’s Institutes,” 230), that Baptists today might very well appreciate, though we do not consider baptism a sacrament. Calvin says the purpose of baptism is to “serve our faith before God and to serve our confession before men” (4.15.1); there is no benefit to baptism until faith appears (4.15.17); baptism “is the mark by which we publicly profess that we wish to be reckoned God’s people…by which finally we openly affirm our faith” (4.15.13); and “but from this sacrament, as from all others, we obtain only as much as we receive in faith” (4.15.15). The difficulty comes in the transition into and the content of the next chapter on infant baptism (4.16) where a different focus (writing against Anabaptists) leads him to make statements that do not correspond well to what he said in this earlier chapter. All quotes from the McNeil edition above.
Ken Rathbun 2018 Bio
Ken Rathbun serves at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary as Vice President for Academic Services and Dean of the College. He is an adjunct teacher in both the college and seminary. Previously, Dr. Rathbun served as a Baptist Mid-Missions missionary to Jamaica for 14 years, serving at the Fairview Baptist Bible College. He earned his B.A., M.A., and M.Div. degrees from Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. He also completed an M.A. degree in the History of Religions from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. from the University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica.
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Dr. Rathbun has actually established that there is a connection between circumcision and baptism in this passage. This does not mean that this passage establishes paedobaptism, but it does not rule it out. Both circumcision and baptism point to what Christ has done for us in his circumcision and baptism: The cutting off of his flesh for the sins of his people accomplishing forgiveness of their sins and ultimately their purification and glorification. This is what is symbolized and offered in circumcision and baptism, regardless of the age of the recipient. The signs are not efficacious in and of themselves but point to the spiritual realities that can only be received by faith alone through grace alone.
JSB
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