11In (Christ) you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which (act of baptism) you were also raised with Him, through the faithful working of God in raising Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having cancelled the handwriting of ordinances which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross [Col2:11-14].
Firstly, a point of translation: the only version that appears to agree with my rendering is the “Complete Jewish Bible” and (unsurprisingly) Young’s Literal Translation. More typical rendering of v12 are like the NASB: “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead”. This even applies to Catholic editions of the bible, but given the RCC firmly believes in infant baptism, how can it possibly be the case that newborns can have “faith in the working of God”. The key words are ἐν ᾧ (in which), and the parsing makes clear that Paul is saying it is in the act of baptism itself that one is raised to life with Christ. NASB readers may be less likely to believe in infant baptism (I personally keep an open mind – it is unclear both from Scripture and Church history), but even with believers’ baptism the phrase διὰ τῆς πίστεως τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ θεοῦ implies that it is God’s faith/faithfulness that is being referred to, not the one being baptized (note Young’s Literal Translation).
It is still more important to attend to the detail in verse 14. Paul is saying that the “handwriting of ordinances” have been cancelled, indeed “nailed to the cross”. This is most likely referring to the Torah, but more comprehensively the written law – i.e. the requirement to fulfil the letter of God’s Law which Scripture affirms man by nature simply cannot do. The point being that if this was “cancelled” and “nailed to the cross”, it can no longer be a requirement for anybody. No one is to be condemned for failing to do what, as a result of the Fall, has become impossible for them. But only those who through baptism and an ongoing participation in the sacraments of grace, who die with Christ and are raised to newness of life who can be “saved” in the gospel sense. In terms of what they are saved from, Paul referred to it a few verses earlier as “the body of flesh”, and dealt with it more comprehensively in Rom7:15-25 where he describes it as the “body of this death”.
As I explained in an earlier post, Paul was referring to the instincts or governing principle of the bodily senses as they are processed through brain that are in conflict with that of the inner self or spirit. It is only the Christian who, empowered by the Spirit is enabled “to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour” (1Thes4:4). For such is required for those whose bodies are to become the temple of the Holy Spirit, having been elected to be the “ heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him (Rom8:17).
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The Little Book of Providence 