Mark
Twain once wrote that “the difference between the almost right word
and the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between
the lightning bug and the lightning.” Such is the case as we consider
the following verse from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:
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
(Colossians 2:12, KJV)
Young's
Literal Translation, Darby English Bible, Webster's
Bible (English), and the King James Bible among others all translate
this section of verse 12 as either, “the faith of the working of
God” or “the faith of the operation of God”. However,
several other Bible versions translate Paul’s words here to say that
they have been buried and raised with Christ “through faith in
the working (or “operation”) of God”.
Ironically, those same “faith in”
versions translate a similar phrase in Romans 3:3 that uses the same
Greek grammatical construction as, “the faithfulness of God”.
This, as Mark Twain would say, is a “large matter”.
Which is it then? Is it our faith in the working of God
that buries and raises us up with Christ, or are we resurrected, new
creations in Christ because of “the faith (faithfulness) of the
operation of God”?
The highly respected “Robertson’s
Word Pictures” helps to shed some light on this question by addressing
the phrase from Romans 3:3:
“The faithfulness of God (thn pistin tou qeou).
Undoubtedly pistij has this sense here and not "faith." God
has been faithful (2Ti 2:13) whether the Jews (some of them) were simply
disbelievers or untrue to their trust. Paul can use the words in two
senses in verse 3, but there is no real objection to taking hpisthsan,
apistian, pistin, all to refer to faithfulness rather than just
faith.”
Friends, Paul has made it very clear to us
elsewhere that “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 1:9, 2 Cor. 1:18, 1 Thes.
5:24). His words to the Colossians convey the same crucial message. The
definite article, “the”, in Colossians 2:12 refers to a specific
faith, God’s faith. Paul speaks here not of God’s trust or faith
in man or anything else but rather God’s faithfulness toward
man. In what way? In His faithfulness to complete the work needed, and
that which He desired to perform, to reconcile man back to Himself.
Our
faith is in the faithfulness of God! If God is not reliable, dependable,
and trustworthy we are in an ocean full of hot water. His faithfulness
is the guarantee that what the gospel declares He has done, and will do,
is a fact. It is the foundation of all that we hold to be true and the
reason for Paul’s unwavering, unflappable confidence. God will do and
has done what He has promised. In fact, He “works all things after the
counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11).
In
the King James, the faith "of" Christ indicates that Christ
Himself is the originator of this faith. The faith "of" Christ
is a reference to His faithfulness, while faith "in"
Christ refers to our faith. It is interesting to note that the preposition, “in”, is not found in the Greek
of Colossians 2:12. Therefore the verse should be translated, “the
faith of God”, not “faith in God”.
Again, faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ allows
us to enjoy and benefit from what He has already accomplished on our
behalf. However, this is not the point that Paul is trying to make here.
Our
being “buried with Him in baptism” and then “risen with Him” is
not contingent upon our faith. It is solely dependent upon the
trustworthiness and effectiveness of what God has done in Christ. Since
you and I were crucified, buried, and raised with Christ, history
will show that that event happened almost 2,000 years ago, not the day
we believed the gospel. Christ was not re-crucified, re-buried, and
re-raised the day we believed. His work was a one-time performance and a
done deal accomplished before we ever knew it or acknowledged it.
It is because of the reliability,
dependability, and trustworthiness of God and His performance for us
that we can rest confidently in Him. God, and the power He exerted
through the cross of Christ, is the guarantee and sole source of our
righteousness. He alone is sure, true, certain, and unfailing. You and I
are not. And while the flesh bristles in anger at that very thought, the
new man you are in Christ leaps with joy.
Clearly faith in what God has
done saves us from the ridiculous notion that we can do anything to
merit righteousness before God. Our confidence in His ability to make us
right, regardless of how well or how poorly we perform, frees us from
the fear and anxiety of works-based acceptance that religion is all too
eager to heap upon us. However, Paul is not alluding to the trust we
place in Jesus and His work in this context. He is instead
addressing the faithfulness of God to perform what is necessary to
reconcile the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:18-19).
The core message of the gospel is the
faithfulness of the living God toward mankind in contrast to the
faithlessness of dead men toward God. At the risk of overstating the
obvious, dead men can do nothing to help themselves. A power must act
upon those who are “dead in (their) trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1)
if they are to “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). That power is
found only in “God (who) is able to raise men from the dead” (Heb.
11:19). Folks, all of history is His-story, not ours. And the star of
the show is not us and our faith, it is God and His faithfulness.
All that we have in Christ is because
of the love, faithfulness, and working of God. While others may let you
down, God is committed, loyal, and devoted to you. His fidelity is
without question and unfaltering. And it is in our willingness to rest
in what Paul tells us He has been faithful to perform that we can enjoy
the peace and assurance that the word of the cross brings to our hearts.
So again I ask, which is it? Is it our
faith in the working of God that buries and raises us up with
Christ, or are we resurrected, new creations in Christ because of “the
faith (faithfulness) of the operation of God”? There is a world of
difference between the two. Friend, look closely and you will see that
Paul is not talking about our faith in God’s ability to perform as the
vehicle that raises us from the dead. Rather, Paul is putting God’s
reputation and fidelity on the line. He is saying that not only is it
God’s doing that raises us from the dead but also that His
faithfulness to have done it is completely and utterly beyond question!
The vehicle through whom our justification has come is the one and only
faithful God and His supreme act of power…the cross of Jesus Christ.
Now that’s good news!
Grace and peace to
you always!
John
|
