BAPTISM is the powerful working of God? | Colossians 2:12

I wanna draw our attention to the parallel between Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2.

For by grace you are saved through faith. This is not your own doing, it's a gift of God, not a result of works, because you could boast about it.

And so the Apostle Paul is clear there, and that whole context is in the context of regeneration. You've been brought to newness of life, and that's the powerful work of God.

And so in Colossians 2, I do think this is about regeneration, but I don't think

Paul is actually invoking the ceremonial act of baptism with human hands.

Here, I just wanna look at the context of Colossians 2. In him, in Christ, you also were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.

And so there's a correspondence there in verse 12 when he says, you've been buried with him in Christ in baptism.

This is an important word, this is baptizmos, this is a little bit different than baptizo. Baptizmos is hearkening back to that Jewish context of ceremonial washings.

What you have to understand, this is not like the book of Acts. This is a didactic book. So yes, there would have been believers that have already been baptized by ceremony, and when they hear this word, baptizmos, they would be understanding, okay,

Paul is teaching us a theological reality, a spiritual truth of how we have been united together with Christ, and this is not a ceremony with hands.

He literally goes on to say that this is the powerful working of God. That's how we have all of our sins forgiven.

He says, you were dead in your sins and trespasses. In this uncircumcision of your flesh, God has made alive together with him, having forgiven us all of our trespasses.

Yes, there is a parallel between Ephesians 2 and Colossians 2, but it is about regeneration, the powerful working of God.

It's not invoking the baptism made with hands, right? They would have already identified with that, and they're learning from the apostle