Sa Colosas 2:11-12 we read about the circumcision in Christ and being buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God. But what does buried with Christ in baptism and risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God mean according to the Bible?
The circumcision in Christ
Sa kaniya rin naman kayo tinuli ng pagtutuli na hindi ginawa ng mga kamay, sa pagtanggal ng katawan ng mga kasalanan ng laman sa pamamagitan ng pagtutuli ni Cristo: 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 (Mga taga-Colosas 2:11-12)
The new creation is circumcised in the circumcision of Jesus Christ. This circumcision is not made with hands, a natural circumcision of the foreskin of a male. But this circumcision is a work of the Spirit and takes place by putting off the body of the sinful flesh of males and females. The circumcision in Christ; the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, takes place by baptism, when the old man (laman) is buried with Christ and becomes a partaker of His death and the new man (espiritu) has risen from the dead through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised Him from the dead.
The old man is buried with Christ in baptism
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, na napakarami sa atin na nabautismuhan kay Jesucristo ay nabautismuhan sa Kanyang kamatayan? Samakatuwid tayo ay inilibing na kasama Niya sa pamamagitan ng bautismo sa kamatayan: na gaya ni Kristo na binuhay mula sa mga patay sa pamamagitan ng kaluwalhatian ng Ama, gayon din naman tayo ay dapat lumakad sa panibagong buhay.
Sapagka't kung tayo ay itinanim na magkakasama sa wangis ng Kanyang kamatayan, tayo ay magiging katulad din ng Kanyang muling pagkabuhay: Alam ito, na ang ating matandang tao ay napako sa krus kasama Niya, upang ang katawan ng kasalanan ay masira, na simula ngayon ay hindi na tayo dapat maglingkod sa kasalanan. Sapagkat siya na patay ay pinalaya na sa kasalanan (mga Romano 6:1-7)
When you were baptized, you were circumcised in the circumcision of Christ and you have buried your old former life.
Ang matandang lalaki, who is carnal and sense-ruled and is dominated by the sinful nature, no longer exists.
Ang matandang lalaki, ang taong makalaman, has died in Christ and the new man, ang espirituwal na tao, has been risen in Christ from the dead.
Old things have passed away, all things have become new!
You believed in Jesus Christ and decided to sumunod kay Hesus and entered a covenant with Him and as a sign of the covenant is the circumcision in Christ.
Just like in the Old Covenant the natural circumcision of the foreskin was a sign of the covenant between God, Abraham, at his Seed, in the New Covenant, the circumcision by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh through baptism, is a sign of the New Covenant in Christ.
The new man is risen with Christ from the dead
Ngayon kung tayo ay patay na kasama ni Kristo, naniniwala kami na mabubuhay din kami kasama Niya: Sa pagkaalam na si Kristo ay muling nabuhay mula sa mga patay ay hindi na namamatay; ang kamatayan ay wala nang kapangyarihan sa Kanya. Dahil doon Siya namatay, Namatay siya sa kasalanan minsan: ngunit sa bagay na Siya ay nabubuhay, Siya ay nabubuhay para sa Diyos. Gayon din naman ay ituring ninyo ang inyong sarili na tunay na mga patay sa kasalanan, ngunit buhay sa Diyos sa pamamagitan ni Jesu-Cristo na ating Panginoon.
Huwag hayaang maghari ang kasalanan sa iyong katawang may kamatayan, na dapat ninyong sundin ito sa mga pita nito. Ni huwag ninyong ibigay ang inyong mga sangkap bilang kasangkapan ng kalikuan sa kasalanan: ngunit ibigay ang inyong sarili sa Diyos, gaya ng mga nabubuhay mula sa mga patay, at ang inyong mga sangkap bilang mga kasangkapan ng katuwiran sa Diyos. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (mga Romano 6:8-16)
And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness (mga Romano 8:10)
Sapagka't kung kayo'y namumuhay ayon sa laman, oo mamamatay: ngunit kung inyong pinapatay sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu ang mga gawa ng katawan, mabubuhay kayo. Para sa kasing dami ng pinapatnubayan ng Espiritu ng Diyos, sila ang mga anak ng Diyos (mga Romano 8:13-14)
Jesus Christ has conquered the death! If you have become a new creation in Him, you have been redeemed from the power of sin and death by the putting of the body of the sins of the flesh and you have been given power in Christ to reign over sin and death.
You shall no longer listen to the flesh and be led by the sinful nature of the flesh and fulfill the lusts and desires of the flesh, since the flesh with its sinful nature has died in Christ.
The proof that the flesh has died in Christ
If the flesh with the sinful nature has died in Christ, the flesh shall no longer produce the unrighteous works of the flesh, which are a.o. pangangalunya, pakikiapid, diborsyo, (sekswal) karumihan, effeminacy, labis na pagmamahal (pagnanasa), masamang pagnanasa, covetousness, anger, galit, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication, lying, lasciviousness, idolatriya, pangkukulam, poot, variance, mga emulasyon, alitan, seditions, maling pananampalataya, envyings, stealing, murders, kalasingan, revellings (1 Mga taga-Corinto 6:9- 6, Galacia 5:19-21, Mga taga-Colosas 3:5-10).
If you still do the works of the flesh, you are not circumcised in Christ, because the body of the sins of the flesh has not been put off and is not buried in Christ but is still alive.
The old creation, who belongs to the world and lives in the kingdom of darkness, does these unrighteous works. But if you are born again and you are circumcised in the circumcision of Christ by the putting off the body of sins of the flesh, you shall not do those works anymore, but you shall do righteous works according to the will of God.
You shall listen to the Father and submit yourself to His Word and obey the words of God and apply them into your life, since the Word of God is the truth. You shall walk after the Spirit in the will of God and the Spirit shall reign in your life. As a result, you shall live a holy life unto God and bear the bunga ng Espiritu.
‘Maging asin ng lupa’
