The Believer's Safety

This section elaborates and amplifies the teaching of verse 10a by showing the practical details of what is meant by being “in Christ.” As He is complete, we also are complete in Him.

I. Our Position

Several figures of speech are used to indicate the spiritual position of every believer.

1. Circumcision (v. 11). It is natural to turn from the subject of the worship of angels to this aspect of Paul’s teaching. It was entirely unnecessary for Christians to submit to the Jewish external rite, which after all was only a symbol of what the followers of Christ possessed in spiritual reality. Lightfoot and others point out three contrasts between the physical and spiritual aspect: (a) The character of the circumcision is inward and spiritual, not fleshly, (b) It covers the whole of sinful tendencies and is not limited in extent to one part alone, (c) Its author is divine, not human; Christ, not Moses. The spiritual meaning of circumcision seems to be purity and consecration to God. We read of the circumcision of the ear (Jer. 6:10), of the lips (Exod. 6:12), and of the heart (Lev. 26:41). It was thus at once a figure of putting off the old nature and of regarding our life as entirely devoted to God. And as believers of Christ possess the spiritual reality, there was of course no need to submit to the outward ceremony.

2. Burial. As in Romans 6 :4, the Apostle teaches that when Christ was buried, we are regarded as having been buried with Him, thus once more emphasising the essential oneness of the believer with Christ at every stage.

3. Resurrection. Again the believer is shown to be identified with Christ, being raised with Him (Eph. 2:6). Our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection is one of those spiritual realities which form the basis of everything else in the Christian life.

4. Quickening. The resurrection is shown to be followed by the gift of a new life. God not only raised us up in and with Christ, but also imparted a new life in contrast with the spiritual death which comes by reason of our sin.

II. Our Privileges

Arising out of this spiritual position come blessings and privileges in daily living.

1. Forgiveness (v. 13). Sin is here symbolised as a debt, and there is scarcely anything more suggestive than the thought that when we have nothing to pay, God freely and fully remits the obligation (Luke 7:42).

2. Deliverance (v. 14). This is a further statement of what is involved in pardon. The “bond” is used to indicate our obligation to perform legal obedience, but owing to our inability to meet the debt, Christ has cancelled and erased it, and thus removed all that faced us, because it was quite impossible for us to satisfy God’s requirements by our own efforts. God’s Law, for which we are responsible, is “the soul that sinneth, it shall die,” and when it is said that the bond is “against us” or opposed to us, it suggests the validity of the Law in relation to us. We are debtors to it, and yet we are absolutely incapable of meeting its demands. But Christ has fulfilled the Law for us and has thereby cancelled it, and the Apostle gives a vivid picture of Christ nailing the cancelled document to His cross in token of His complete victory. Thus the

The Believer’s Safety, 2:1 Ob-1 5 Law is now powerless to insist upon our obedience or to inflict any punishment, because the death of Christ has entirely destroyed it, so far as obligation to obey it for salvation is concerned.

3. Victory (v. 15). Not only was the writing erased, but the bond itself was torn up and cast aside, and this was due to the fact that Christ won a complete victory over all the hostile powers which were endeavoring to keep back the sinner and prevent him from accepting Christ. The thought of these words seems on the whole to be well stated by the translation of the A. V., which is followed by the American Version. It tells of Christ having triumphed completely over the evil powers, and of His having taken them captive (2 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 6:12). The main truth seems to be the completeness of Christ’s victory over evil. Bishop Moule very appropriately introduces at this point these verses of the hymn:

He gave me back the bond;

It was a heavy debt;

And as He gave, He smil’d, and said,

“Thou wilt not Me forget.”

He gave me back the bond;

The seal was torn away;

And as He gave, He smil’d, and said,

“Think thou of Me alway.”

*****

It is a bond no more,

But it shall ever tell
All that I ow’d was fully paid
By my Emmanuel.

III. Our Power

It necessarily follows that those who occupy this spiritual position and enjoy these spiritual privileges possess spiritual power for practical life. The following aspects are suggested:

1. Union (vs. 11, 12). The emphasis on the word “in” very plainly shows that the source of all spiritual power lies in the union of the soul with Christ. Nothing can take the place of this, while from it everything else follows.

2. Fellowship (v. 13). This is indicated by the word “with,” for we are not only buried and raised in Christ, but “with” Him, thereby suggesting a spiritual fellowship that arises out of union.

3. Faith (v. 12). All this is associated with a definite confidence in God as the Object of our trust. It is important to keep in mind that the exercise of faith in God is the Source of all spiritual strength and blessing. Scripture is very emphatic in regard to the way faith links us to God as the means of obtaining grace and power.

As we review this passage, it is important to notice two thoughts:

1. Spiritual Completeness. This is especially connected with the Cross. Through the death of Christ, we obtain forgiveness of sins, the abrogation of Law, and victory over the power of sin. There are few things more impressive in the New Testament than the wonderful variety of truth connected with the death of Christ. It is the ground of our pardon, the basis of our peace, the secret of our purity, and the source of our power. No wonder that the Apostle cried, “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2. Comfort. The comfort of the passage is equally inspiring. We can look backward, and outward, and onward, and know that all is well. The law which was hostile to us is entirely destroyed. The power of sin, which held us in bondage, is completely broken. The rites and ceremonies of religion, so far as they are concerned

The Believer’s Safety, 2 :10b- 15 with our justification, are done away in Christ, and to return to them, would mean that Christ is not enough. As a writer has said, “Dead men have nothing to do with ordinances.” They were useless to us when we were dead in sin, and we are useless to them now, because we are dead with Christ. Thus we rejoice as we contemplate past, present, and future, and thankfully recognize that “Christ is All.”