Colossians 2:12 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

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.

'Having been buried with Him in your [to] baptism:' coincident in time with the preceding 'ye were circumcised.' Baptism is the burial of the old carnal life, to which immersion symbolically corresponds: in warm climates, where immersion is safe, it is the mode most accordant with the significance of the ordinance; but the Spirit of the ordinance is kept by affusion, where immersion would be inconvenient: to insist on literal immersion in all cases would be legal ceremonialism (Romans 6:3-4).

Are risen, х suneegertheete (G4891)] - 'were raised with Him;' answering to emerging from the baptism-water.

Through the faith of ... - through your faith in the operation х energeias (G1753): the effectual working] of God (so "faith of," faith in, Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 3:9); namely, in raising again Jesus (Romans 4:24; Romans 10:9). 'Faith is not the mean by which the grace is worked, but the mean by which it is accepted' (Waterland, in Ellicott). Ephesians 1:19-20 accords. The same mighty power of God is exercised in raising one spiritually dead to the life of faith as was 'done in Christ when God raised Him literally from the dead.' As His resurrection is the ground of the power put forth in our spiritual resurrection now, so it is a pledge of our literal resurrection hereafter (Romans 8:11).

Colossians 2:12

12 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.