Nailed to the Cross (2:8-15)

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.¹
– Colossians 2:8-15

At this point in the letter, it seems clear that something is concerning Paul. We don’t know exactly what because he doesn’t tell us. However, he does give us clues by his cautions. Colossae would have been a prime place for syncretism, the blending of religious philosophies. Such blending may have been appealing, even tempting for those who did not have an accurate understanding of the person and work of Christ. Paul’s words in verses 9-10 echo the majestic declarations about Jesus made in 1:15-20. This Jesus is God, and as such he is sufficient for all spiritual needs.

Describing what Christ has done for the believer, Paul uses some powerful imagery. The first image comes from the Hebrew practice of circumcision. The mark carried by the person was a removal of the flesh, a practice established by God with Abram (Genesis 17) as a sign of the covenant God made with him. For Paul, the believer in Christ carries a similar sign. In this case, the removal of the flesh is not the foreskin, but the forgiveness of sin that accompanies repentance from living “according to the flesh.”² In Paul’s mind, it is that “uncircumcision of the flesh” (v. 13) that has separated us from God.

Paul then adds a second image, that of death and the grave. Paul looks to the death and resurrection of Jesus as a twofold work on the part of the believer. The first work is the breaking of the power of sin; the second work is the giving of new life that is now free from sin.³ The imagery depicting that work in the believer’s life is baptism, particularly immersion baptism. The symbolism is that of entering the grave and coming forth in new life. It is exactly what Jesus did. Baptism signifies our participation with Christ in both his death and his resurrection. In that participation we are “made alive with (Christ).”

One more image is employed, and it is expressed with power and simple elegance here in Colossians. It is an image again in reference to death, this time the death required by the Law of Moses because of sin. That requirement is something that hangs over all of us. As Paul has written elsewhere (Romans 3:23; 6:23), all have sinned, and all face the wages of that sin. God’s Law is immutable, and the requirement must be satisfied. In his death, Jesus has satisfied that requirement for us, “canceling the debt” by having it “nailed to the cross” (v. 14).

Sometimes it has been the practice in church life to allow people to nail their sins to a cross. A large wooden cross would be situated in a worship space. People would be given pieces of paper on which they can write their particular sins, things that have been a weight to them perhaps for a long time. The person is invited to bring those sins and, with a hammer and nail, leave them on the cross as a reminder that Jesus has borne the guilt and shame of those actions. No other religion offers such a savior. No other savior is sufficient. Jesus, and only Jesus, has the authority to reconcile us with God. Jesus, and only Jesus, offers us true life.

1. Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ↩︎
2. A reading of Romans 8:1-17 will go far in understanding how Paul uses language regarding the “flesh.” In this passage Paul contrasts “flesh” and “spirit” as two opposing ways of living. To live according to the Spirit is to please God; to live according to the flesh is to be in rebellion against God. ↩︎
3. Romans 6 is a well-developed example of Paul’s theology on this subject. ↩︎